The Tyrone Power Story
- Episode aired Oct 8, 2010
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Even in death, Tyrone Power is abused by 20th Century Fox
The self-serving 20th Century Fox has done it again, this time with "The Tyrone Power Story" hosted by Tim Rothman. Rothman covers the actor's career at Fox, skewing it, and then trashes the rest of his career. If you didn't know the actor, one would think Power became a derelict putting the hit on someone for the price of a drink.
Rothman covers Power's post-war career by stating that Captain from Castile was a flop, which it was not, and neglects to mention that "The Razor's Edge" was Fox's biggest hit of 1946. He then states that "Nightmare Alley" flopped, neglecting to add that Zanuck removed it from release after one week and never publicized the movie.
Rothman goes on to indicate that once Power left Fox, his career was over, when in fact, his career was just starting. He played some of his best roles once he got away from Zanuck's straitjacket: "Mississippi Gambler," which Power co-produced and starred in, making him over $1 million, the title role in "The Eddy Duchin Story," which was an enormous hit, Marty in "The Long Gray Line," the captain of the sunk ship in "Abandon Ship," and Leonard Vole in Billy Wilder's "Witness for the Prosecution," for which he received a percentage of the gross plus salary. Rothman also doesn't mention that Power returned to his great love, the theater.
Power died a star, yet Rothman states that when Power married for the third time, "No one cared whether or not it would hurt his career, because he really didn't have one." Are you kidding? After claiming that Power had no career left, he shows the newspaper headlines declaring his death - gee, for someone who wasn't a star, he sure got big coverage on the front page of some huge international newspapers.
Why not tell the true story, Mr. Rothman? That Zanuck refused to loan Power out for important roles in Golden Boy and Kings Row, to name just two; and that Zanuck stuck him in costume pictures, and even when he really became too old to do them, put him on suspension if he turned one down. Any other actor's career would have been ruined. Power's wasn't because of his immense popularity and ability.
It's typical for a studio or any company to think less of their own home-grown product, and Power was that to Fox, the boy they brought up from obscurity and turned into a major star; because of this, they gradually prized him less as new, younger people came up. That's all fine - he broke out and finally started to have the career he deserved. But why, after Fox hurt his legacy with some junk films when he could have been off doing Golden Boy etc., and why, after Zanuck blacklisted Power's first wife and made his second wedding into a circus, does Rothman put salt in the wound now by insulting the man's image? Didn't they screw him enough when he was alive?
Rothman covers Power's post-war career by stating that Captain from Castile was a flop, which it was not, and neglects to mention that "The Razor's Edge" was Fox's biggest hit of 1946. He then states that "Nightmare Alley" flopped, neglecting to add that Zanuck removed it from release after one week and never publicized the movie.
Rothman goes on to indicate that once Power left Fox, his career was over, when in fact, his career was just starting. He played some of his best roles once he got away from Zanuck's straitjacket: "Mississippi Gambler," which Power co-produced and starred in, making him over $1 million, the title role in "The Eddy Duchin Story," which was an enormous hit, Marty in "The Long Gray Line," the captain of the sunk ship in "Abandon Ship," and Leonard Vole in Billy Wilder's "Witness for the Prosecution," for which he received a percentage of the gross plus salary. Rothman also doesn't mention that Power returned to his great love, the theater.
Power died a star, yet Rothman states that when Power married for the third time, "No one cared whether or not it would hurt his career, because he really didn't have one." Are you kidding? After claiming that Power had no career left, he shows the newspaper headlines declaring his death - gee, for someone who wasn't a star, he sure got big coverage on the front page of some huge international newspapers.
Why not tell the true story, Mr. Rothman? That Zanuck refused to loan Power out for important roles in Golden Boy and Kings Row, to name just two; and that Zanuck stuck him in costume pictures, and even when he really became too old to do them, put him on suspension if he turned one down. Any other actor's career would have been ruined. Power's wasn't because of his immense popularity and ability.
It's typical for a studio or any company to think less of their own home-grown product, and Power was that to Fox, the boy they brought up from obscurity and turned into a major star; because of this, they gradually prized him less as new, younger people came up. That's all fine - he broke out and finally started to have the career he deserved. But why, after Fox hurt his legacy with some junk films when he could have been off doing Golden Boy etc., and why, after Zanuck blacklisted Power's first wife and made his second wedding into a circus, does Rothman put salt in the wound now by insulting the man's image? Didn't they screw him enough when he was alive?
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- Oct 17, 2010
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