BIOGRAPHY OF STARS AND DIRECTORS

Chronicle (Levin), 6 March 1946, Page 7

BIOGRAPHY OF STARS AND DIRECTORS

Charles Vidor ' Every once in a while in Ilollywood a directorial genius comes along wlio is praised by critics, audiences, actors and fellow directors alikc. Buch a man is Charles Vidor. now under c.ontract to Coiumbia I'ictures. If he never did unotiier jiieture, his plaee in the industry's lia.ll of fame would be permanent. But no matter how excellent his past exhibitions, even including tlie highlv suceessful "Cover Girl" his current iiln. romance "A Soug to Remember,' starring iMerle Oberon and Paul Muni and featuring Coi-nel AVilde. is not only his greatest, but an emotional hit of which any direetor in tlie business, past or presont, might vvell be proutl. Born in Budapest, Vidor lias been Ihrougli tlie mill and lias learned a good deal about life, the seamy side as wei. as the exhilarating, in liis career as ; soldier, enghieer, sculptor, operatic baritone and fiction writor. The dav attei he was 14, he was caught in a whirl■pool of AVorld War 1. Jle tried to gon witli liis education at tlie Cniversity in Budapest, tlien at the University in Berlin. At 1(1 he had learned soniethhig about civil eugiueering and b'y LS ha been wouuded three times. decorated four, times, and was holding the rank oi licuteuant. At the end of tlie war hc iurned his lmoes to Ihe youngest of tln arts, the motion pictures. Tlirough Ihe mediuni of taking any and all odd jobs which were offored t liim, he becanie assistant libn cutter ai the CFA Studios in Berlin. ile later becunte chief cutter, and after helping to make "Fredcriek the (Ircat" he went to New York in l!)2.'l. J.u M)2!). In directed liis first picture. It was a short dra ma called "The Bridgc" inadc on liis own time. Tlie industrv thoiight it unusual. said it bore thefstamp of a J'resh genius, but took it out in li]i ser

vice. Widor was allowed to continue his routine tasks. 1M.-C.-AI. let him direct oue feature in 1!).'!2, tlien ignored him. He re vived his drama under a new title, "The | Fpy" and this time an indepcudent : company becanie inerested in liis "i- On a modest budget.. he directed "Hensalion Hunters." There ! utr snidio doors wero opened to liim. I Amoiig many others, liis pictures iuclude "Tlie Arizonian," "The Creat oi.oliini," "Aly Sun, Aly Kon," and J ift"r 1h,: ng imt umler contnict by Coiumbia "Ladies in Retirement." "Tlie 'i-s i- rudoes." "Co\ er (lirl," "Together [ Again/' and now "A Bong to Renieni J ber." Incpiiry Corner l ' I'fcause of prcssure of space answers lo correspondents liave been hehl ovei • iinlil Ihe uext apjiearance of "Eilm- { land. " }