Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood

37. Why Change Your Wife?

37 Why Chang~ Your Wif~? A Famous Players-Lasky Super Production. A Paramount-Artcraft Picture. A Cecil B. DeMille Production. Director: Cecil B. DeMi[[e. Scenario by Sada Cowan and Olga Printz[au. from a story by William C. deMi[[e. Art director: Wi[fred Buck[and. Production manager: Howard Higgin. Photography: A[vin Wyckoff. Fi[m editor: Anne Bauchens Picture started: September 2. [9 [9. Picture finished: October 22. [9 [9. Length: 7.6[3 feet (eight reels). Cost: $[29,349.3[. Re[eased: May 2. [920. Gross: $ [.0 [6.245.87 Cast: Thomas Meighan (Robert Gordon). G[oria Swanson (Beth. his wife). Bebe Danie[s (Sally Clark). Theodore Kos[off (Radinoff). Sylvia Ashton (Aunt Kate). Clarence Ge[dart (doctor). Maym Ke[so (Harriette). Lucien Litt[efie[d (but[er). Edna Mae Cooper (maid). and Jane Wolfe (a woman client) Why Change Your Wife? was never intended to be aCecil B. DeMille production. The story was developed by William deMille, who was also supposed to direct, but circumstances led Cecil to take over the property. His first choice for a follow-up to Male and Female was an adaptation of the novel Susan Lenox, Her Fall and Rise by David Graham Phillips, author of Old Wivesfor New. Negotiations for the novel bogged down over price, and Jesse Lasky was concerned that DeMille could not "picturize the story so that it might not stir up grat [sic] censorship agitation ."1 DeMille's second choice was Walter Browne's 1911 allegorical play, Everywoman. He and Macpherson were also developing a story with the working title Mother-in-Law. However, dollars and sense intervened as Jesse Lasky looked to Cecil B. DeMille's box-office reputation. "We are all of the opinion, that it is a mistake for you to do Every Woman," Lasky wrote on May 9, 1919. "Our idea being that we can sell Every Woman produced by a less important director at a big profit and that we can get as much for another DeMille special with a less expensive story built along the lines of your great successes.... We are very short on special 150 Why Change Your Wife? / 151 pictures for next season and the above plan would allow us one extra special-Every Woman-in addition to the DeMille special."2 DeMille was disappointed but philosophical about the company's decision. "I had already started preparation for Everywoman," he replied . "Have engaged [Theodore] Koslofffor [the character of] Passion and one or two girls for smaller parts. However, I agree with your business judgment in the matter and will do Mother-in-Law after Crichton. This change will take at least a month longer as it is more difficult to prepare script ofan original for which I haven't even a story than it would have taken to prepare script for Everywoman."3 The reason DeMille was so accommodating was that Jesse Lasky offered a plum prize that DeMille was most anxious to make, a biblical spectacle called The Wanderer. Lasky wired: PROVIDED YOU WOULD LIKE TO PRODUCE IT WE CAN CLOSE IMMEDIATELY WITH MORRIS GEST AND DAVID BELASCO FOR THE WANDERER WOULD WANT YOU TO PRODUCE THE PICTURE NEXT SEASON TO BE SHOWN IN TWO DOLLAR THEATRES THE SAME ELABORATE PRODUCTION AND CAST AS JOAN THE WOMAN PLEASE GIVE THIS YOUR MOST SERIOUS CONSIDERATION ... AS WE WOULD NOT CLOSE FOR PLAY UNLESS YOU ARE CONVINCED YOU CAN MAKE GREAT SPECTACULAR TWO DOLLAR PICTURE 4 The prospect of having a crack at another big production fired DeMille's imagination. "Think your idea of doing Wanderer excellent," he answered. The story has much more physical appeal than Joan. I could take the high spots from half the great Biblical stories of the world such as great chariot race and other smashing incidents of the kind. The sensuous life of a great ancient eastern city has never been, in my mind, touched and the story has stood the test of eighteen hundred years. [Scenario editor] Frank [Woods], Jeanie [Macpherson] and Bill [deMille] agree that it has wonderful possibilities.5 .•. Have started already preparing , assuming that it is closed. Will you send on manuscript 152 / C~cil B. D~Mill~'s Hollywood and any material Gest may have.... I can do WANDERER immediately after Crichton which would have it ready for you for a New Years opening. Whereas if! do MOTHER-INLAW first you could not get WANDERER...