Hollywood! (1)
IMAGE: Paul in 1943 with Maurice Schwartz during a production of "The Family Carnofsky"
IMAGE: Paul in in 1955
MAX: So this is one angle, and then you must know an angle in our life that Paul came up in his long glory about Hollywood. You know that, don't you? He went to – you don't know nothing?shame on you! He went to Hollywood and he took a, what do you call it?... [screen] test! And he passed, and he got an agreement with... Warner Brothers... And one nice day in August, I don't remember the year, the contract from Hollywood and Warner Brothers came to our house and offered them a contract for seven years, with how much money?... a nice sum of money we should come to Hollywood. He's gonna work for Paramount, for Warner Broth... .And don't ask what was doing in the Leavitt family. Everybody was up, newspapers were doing writeups... So, me and Jenny started to prepare for the trip. And it came records from Hollywood, and what was the name of the woman who took part, a writer – a famous playwright. Brenda...
GEORGE: Brenda Weisberg.
MAX: Brenda Weisberg, see! She took personal interest in Paul and we, me and Jennie received letters. And the initiator was one fellow named Maurice Schwartz. Ever hear of a fellow named Maurice Schwartz? He was a Jewish actor, the best actor that the Jewish stage gave out in those years. He was not a cheap actor, he was the best, with a literary act like I couldn't tell you... I couldn't tell you who to pair him up [with] nowadays, big shots you know, but he was the best Jewish actor on the stage... And we received letters from Maurice Schwartz, and he [was] congratulating us: "Mr. and Mrs. Leavitt, we are having a second Paul Muni," you know Paul Muni? And meanwhile in the midst of our family people started to buy our furniture, cause they figured we're gonna pack in New York cause we were gonna go to California. This is a separate chapter of our life.
LISA: You were going to move to California?
MAX: Yeah!
LISA: You were gonna take Georgie with you too?
MAX: Everybody! He could be an actor too! On the record, Maurice Schwartz congratulated us on having a second Paul Muni, "and you're entitled to it, you're the best father and mother..." and everything was ready to shooting. When all of a sudden we received a letter from Paramount…
GEORGE: Warner.
MAX: Warner Brothers, they changed their minds, "he's too young for old roles, too old for young roles. Therefore, we are postponing the signing of the contract indefinitely." So that was the end of a thing. Needless to say, that it put us very backwards in our life. And we had to go back like plain people. But all were sure that we are gonna move to California.