RP

a Hollywood writer was supposed to
look.
He looked at me and said,
"Celeste." It was Moss Hart.
He said, "Have you read
Gentleman's Agreement?" I said, "I not
only haven't read it; I never heard of
it." He said, "I'll send it to you tomor-
row morning; read it and call me."
The book arrived at 9 a.m., and
by noon I finished it. I said, "Yes,
any part." He said, "Anne," and I
said, "That's the best."

opportunity to share the way we felt
with the public.
Art brings order out of chaos so
that we can see a possibility in life that
we wouldn't have seen unless the artist
pointed it out to us. That's what the
arts are about, and certainly:
Gentleman's Agreement is an example of
that.

Q: What did you like about Anne?
A: I feel exactly the way that she
did.

Q: Do you think that Moss Hart's
being Jewish could bring some-
thing special to the script?
A: I think so. I think he had the
perception, keenness and courage. I
don't think a gentile would have
dared to write it as well. A gentile
would be treading on unfamiliar ter-
ritory.

Q: Did you ever meet the author
[Laura Z. Hobson] of the book? •
Celeste Holm: "Delighted to make a dif
A: Yes. She was a tough, poker-play- ference."
ing broad. She dressed very stylishly,
Q: Can you recall any discussions that
but she made Gloria Steinem look like
the
cast and production crew had
She
scared
me
to
Wendy in Peter Pan.
about
the nature of prejudice at the
death. She tended to be very defen-
time the film was made?
sive. She could reveal herself on paper
A: [I have expressed that] I think preju-
but not in person. That's true of many
dice is based on fear. People are always
writers.
afraid of something they don't under-
stand. When people find something
Q: Did the Jewish members of the
seemingly different from what they're
cast and the production crew seem to
used to, they feel apprehensive because
have a different outlook toward the
they don't know what they're getting
subject than the non-Jewish people
into.
involved in the filming?
A: We're all artistic in the same field,
Q: At the time you made the movie,
in the same vineyard, hoping to tell
had
you experienced or observed anti-
the truth to the audience in many dif-
Semitism around you?
ferent ways. We were
A:
I had been in a very snob-
delighted to have the

bish school in Chicago. One day — I
think I was 11 — I came home and
said to my mother, "We've got a new
girl in the class, and the other kids are
mean to her because she's Jewish.
What does that mean?"
My mother said, "I didn't think you
were ever going to run into that. People
who are ignorant often take out their
enmity on someone who is defenseless.
One little girl is in a terrible spot.
Make it up to her as much as you can."
So I did. When anybody new came
to school, I was the one who showed
where the pencil sharpener was and
where to get erasers — where to get the
supplies that were needed. I was that
kind of girl, and I [continued to do
that] with her. After a while, it all kind
of quieted down. But it was really star-
ding.

Q Can you recall any special anec-
dotes related to the film?
A: This starts back in 1934, when my
grandmother was a critic — a real one
who got paid for it, not like the rest of
us — and wanted to take me on a tour
of Radio City Music Hall. I was still in
high school. A very handsome young
man took us around. He had a navy
blue uniform with gold braid on the
shoulders.
My grandmother was noticeably
impressed by this young man. After the
tour, she said to him, "You're not going
to do this for the rest of your life, are
you?" He said, "Certainly not; I'm an .
actor." She said, "I'm so glad. You have
just the right equipment; you have
wonderful looks and a wonderful voice.
I want your name so we can keep track
of you." He told her.
Years later, Elia Kazan told me he
wanted me to meet my co-star for
Gentleman's Agreement and took me
into Greg Peck's trailer and said, "This
is Celeste Holm." [Greg] said, "How
do you do?"

I said, "I don't suppose you remem-
ber when my grandmother asked if you
were going to be a tour guide at Radio
City all your life?" He said, "Of course
I do," but I don't think he really
remembered.

Q: Do you keep in touch with the
people in the film?
A: I see Greg every now and then.
When you're making a picture, for that
time, you're a family. When it's over,
the wrap party is always heartbreaking
because you know it will never be fami-
ly again — not unless you marry one
of them.

Q: Have you seen Gentleman's
Agreement periodically over the years?
A: Very often. I lecture in colleges.
They'll show that picture, and I'll talk
about it. There was one line that has
been cut, but we showed it at one col-
lege. After being kissed, a woman
[character] says, "I'm not ready for
marriage!" The audience just screamed
[with laughter]. It came across as a bit
of old cheese, and we got that out.

Q: Do you think the film has rele-
vance today?
A: I'm extremely proud of the fact that
it's still a viable production. It can
mean something right now, again, in a
world that still seems to need under-
standing. ❑

Suzanne Chessler is a Farmington

Hills-based freelance writer.

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