http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/312222549

Women in Film oral history interview, Fay Wray

Fay Wray (1907-2004) discusses her childhood in Salt Lake City, Utah and her interest in acting from an early age. She continues with her family's move to Los Angeles, California when she was fourteen years of age and talks about her initial impressions of Hollywood, her first acting contract with Hal Roach Studios, and her friendship with Janet Gaynor (1906-1984). She continues with her contract with Universal and acting roles in Westerns, her release from Universal, and casting in The wedding march (1926). She continues with a discussion about the Hollywood star system and its treatment of women, her uneasiness in the public light, protecting her privacy, the loss of silents, the beginning of the sound era, and her roles in Ann Carver's profession (1933), Viva Villa (1934), The affairs of Cellini (1934), and The bowery (1933) before launching into extended dialogues concerning her most memorable roles as Ann Darrow in King Kong (1933) and as Mitzi in Erich Von Stroheim's The wedding march. Wray then discusses differences between American and British contracts, particularly the morals clause in the former, salaries, publicity agents, and later roles. She continues with the influence of her mother, her marriages to John Monk Saunders (1895-1940) and Robert Riskin (1897-1955), and her relationships with Cary Grant (1904-1986) and Clifford Odets (1906-1963). Wray then discusses the chemistry between a male and female star and the image of Gary Cooper, her belief that films take on a strong social responsibility, and her impressions of directors Michael Curtiz, Joseph Von Sternberg, Frank Capra, William Wellman, Karl Freund, Eddie Buzzell, George Abbott, Gregogy La Cava, and Dorothy Arzner. She continues with the most memorable women she has worked with behind the scenes, the influence of Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) on her life, and her impressions of Howard Hughes (1905-1976). She then talks about her role in the 1953-1955 television series, The pride of the family, working with a young Natalie Wood, and television's impact on the movies. Wray continues with her film roles during the 1950s, the Hollywood Red Scare, and concludes with a discussion of her writing and winning the Crystal Award.

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