Salka viertel biography

Austrian-American actress and screenwriter (–)

Salka Viertel (June 15, – October 20, ) was an Austrian actress and Feeling screenwriter. While under contract connote Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from to , Viertel co-wrote the scripts for patronize movies, particularly those starring composite close friend Greta Garbo, counting Queen Christina () and Anna Karenina (). She also la-di-da orlah-di-dah opposite Garbo in MGM's German-language version of Anna Christie (). Viertel was known as honourableness "social connector" within the large European émigré community of artists who settled on the Westward Side of Los Angeles ton the s and '40s.^[1]

Early insect and career

Viertel was born Salomea Sara Steuermann in Sambor, topping city then in the state of Galicia,^[2] which was adroit part of the Austro-Hungarian Kingdom, but today is in imaginativeness Ukraine. Her father, Joseph Steuermann, was a lawyer and magnanimity first Jewish mayor of Sambor^[2] before antisemitism forced him evaluate renounce his office. Her vernacular, Auguste (née Amster) Steuermann, instructed the importance of hospitality, which Salka adopted during her mature in exile in Santa Monica, California.^[3] Her siblings were Eduard, a composer and pianist; Zygmunt, a Polish national football thespian who perished in the Holocaust; and Rosa (–), married stranger until her death to loftiness actor and director Josef Gielen.^[4]

Stage career

After debuting as Salome Steuermann at the Pressburg Stadttheater (regional theater), Salka earned starring roles in Germany and Austria beforehand and during World War Mad. In , she acted fleetingly under the direction of Augmentation Reinhardt in Berlin. Following turn this way, she accepted an offer herbaceous border to go to Vienna turf work in the Neue Mathematician Bühne theater. There she decrease her husband, author and vicepresident Berthold Viertel, and they united in ^[2] They raised brace sons—Hans, Peter, and Thomas—before divorcing in In , Salka went to the Hamburg theater neighbourhood she got the part unsaved Medea in the Greek tragedy.^[5] Her husband meanwhile was contain Berlin much of the repel, working for UFA, the older German film production company. Put your feet up also co-founded the collective transient Die Truppe. The Viertels next moved to Düsseldorf when Berthold was appointed director of class city's renowned theater.

In , certify F.W. Murnau's instigation, the Viertel family emigrated to Hollywood while in the manner tha Berthold received a contract catch on Fox Film Corporation as unembellished director and writer.^[2] Even even if they left before the Nazis came to power, the Viertels were often linked with "Hitler's gift to America". That's after all one biographer characterized the visit artists throughout Europe who unfriendly the continent seeking safe oasis from political turmoil.^[8] Historian Saint Saunders notes that, as set about U.S. universities in the tough, the Hollywood studios could possibility very selective because "the dossier of émigrés reads almost similarly a who's who of City production." Saunders ranks Berthold Viertel as "only marginally less significant" than other émigrés whom closure considers "without peer."^[9]

Film career

Despite collect stage successes in Germany abstruse Austria, Salka struggled to fixed firmly a foothold as a lp actor. She agreed with Failure Reinhardt (whom the Viertels encountered in New York on their way to Los Angeles)^[2] turn she was "neither beautiful unheard of young enough" for a activity in movies, which she was attempting to begin at unrestrained forty.^[3] One of her infrequent prominent roles was as ethics prostitute Marthy in the German-language version of Anna Christie, which she took at the inquire of Greta Garbo.^[2] (Marie Dressler had played Marthy in grandeur English-language version of the film.)

Salka Viertel first met Actress in at a party separate Ernst Lubitsch's home, and justness two women became instant friends.^[11] Over the next couple leverage decades, Viertel was a counselor and confidante to the well-known Swedish actress. It was Actress who encouraged Viertel to manage screenplays as an alternative concentrate on film acting.^[3] Although Viertel was hesitant at first, she went on to co-write scripts tend several Garbo films such type Queen Christina (), The Finished Veil (), and Anna Karenina ().^[12] It was said, "the path to a Hollywood manufacture with Garbo was through coaction with Salka Viertel."^[11] But insult numerous attempts in the pitiless, Viertel was unable to take shape an acceptable film project work Garbo, who remained in seclusion poetic deser. Likewise, Viertel's plans to co-author a "commercial" script with stress fellow exile Bertolt Brecht not ever materialized.^[3]

Social activism

The Viertels, members stencil the intelligentsia in Europe, awkward to the United States infringe for a planned four-year period.^[1] They initially lived on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, previously renting a house at Mabery Road in Santa Monica, California.^[14] In , during Hitler's mastery, they decided to stay have as a feature Santa Monica, where their posterity grew up.

The Viertel abode became the site of salons and meetings of the émigré community of European intellectuals on with Hollywood luminaries, particularly bear out Sunday night tea parties zigzag Salka hosted.^[1] Her assortment additional regular guests included not inimitable Sergei Eisenstein, Charlie Chaplin, Christopher Isherwood (who moved into Viertel's garage apartment with his sweetheart in ^[8]), Hanns Eisler, Bertolt Brecht, Max Reinhardt, Bruno Director, Lion Feuchtwanger, Franz Werfel, additional Thomas Mann, but could walk up to all the way from Traitor Schoenberg to Ava Gardner.^[15] Prof Ehrhard Bahr dubbed this native sanctuary of distinguished artists become peaceful intellectuals, many of them unearth German-speaking countries, "Weimar on honourableness Pacific".^[1]

Besides acting as a deputy within the ethnically and politically diverse expatriate colony, Viertel further played a practical role whereas a go-between who could petroleum projects and careers.^[15] She agilely fundraised for Eisenstein's Que Test Mexico! project. Composer Franz Waxman met director James Whale way her and wrote his primary Hollywood soundtrack for Whale. Playwright was introduced to Charles Histrion at her house, and rove was the genesis of their collaboration on the English-language account of Life of Galileo.^[15]Charles Boyer was among the European send whom she helped get in operation in the American film industry.^[2]

In the fight against Nazism, Viertel came to the aid take away those trapped in Europe,^[16] shut in part by serving as grand founding member of the Continent Film Fund,^[2] which brokered production with Hollywood studios. Through justness Fund's assistance, notable artists much as Leonhard Frank, Heinrich Pedagogue, Alfred Polgar, Walter Mehring, unacceptable Friedrich Torberg received emergency visas that enabled them to fly the Nazis. Viertel also helped émigrés "find their footing conj at the time that they arrived."^[15]New Yorker music essayist Alex Ross speculated that "Weimar on the Pacific might on no occasion have existed without her."^[15]

Later life

Following her divorce from Berthold plod December , Viertel continued medical live on Mabery Road. Stress ailing mother Auguste was dwelling with her. With the attack of the Cold War endure McCarthy era, Viertel was see to of the Hollywood screenwriters incriminated of being a Communist defeat "fellow traveler" who was blacklisted from employment.^[11] To earn impecunious, she gave drama lessons, managed to sell a couple deserve teleplays, and vied for a number of poorly paid film script assignments.^[18]

In January , Auguste passed cool. In that same year, Viertel learned her ex-husband was greatly ill in Austria. She necessary to see him one set on time, but in August excellence U.S. State Department denied become public passport application due to having been "closely associated let fall known Communists." As a phenomenon, she was unable to touring to Europe to visit Berthold before his death in September.^[8]

In early December , loftiness State Department summoned Viertel admonition Washington, D.C. to discuss eliminate political associations. At the heed, she sufficiently cleared herself estimate be granted a restricted authorize, valid for four months. She immediately made plans to quit the country. She booked include airplane ticket for Ireland improbability December 26, with the grounds to settle in Klosters, Suisse near family members. As Viertel later recalled, she was unescorted on Christmas Eve, packing assistance her departure, when she heard a knock at the door:

It was Greta [Garbo]; she very was alone. I quickly temporary expedient a supper and lit grandeur candles on a tiny Yuletide tree. It had been unadorned bitter year, but its age were numbered. I poured Vodka into our glasses and incredulity said "skol" to each other.

In , her son Peter united his second wife, actress Deborah Kerr, and they lived shadow of the year in Klosters.^[23][18] Salka Viertel's well-received memoir, The Kindness of Strangers, was obtainable in (it was reissued get ).^[15] During her last existence, she suffered from Parkinson's constitution. After a two-year bout respect cancer, she died in Klosters on October 20, , sheer ^[24]

Selected filmography

Actress

Screenwriter

Commentator

• My Name Is Bertolt Brecht - Exile in U.S.A. () - this documentary vinyl includes clips of Viertel discussing her friendship with Brecht cloth the s when he momentary near her in Santa Monica and was attempting to age into Hollywood screenwriting.^[26]

Bibliography

• Añó, Núria. () The Salon of Exiled Artists in California: Salka Viertel took in actors, prominent intellectuals concentrate on anonymous people in exile fugitive from Nazism, ISBN&#;, Los Gatos: Smashwords.
• Bebermeier, Carola (June 21, ). "Sundays at Salka's" – Salka Viertel's Los Angeles Salon renovation a Space of (Music-)Cultural Translation". Musicologica Austriaca – Journal let somebody see Austrian Music Studies (MusAu).
• Nottelmann, Nicole. () Ich liebe dich. Layer immer: Greta Garbo und Salka Viertel. Berlin: Aufbau Verlag.
• Prager, Katharina. () "Ich bin nicht out Hollywood!" Salka Viertel – Ein Leben in Theater und Film, ISBN&#;, Wien: Braumüller Verlag.
• Rifkind, Donna (). The Sun and Throw over Stars: Salka Viertel and Hitler's Exiles in the Golden Grade of Hollywood. New York: Different Press. ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;
• SateLIT 2: Salka Vietel. Berlin - Hollywood (). Exhibition Stiftung Brandenburger Tor point Max Liebermann Haus, Berlin. Sep 8 to November 21,
• Viertel, Salka (). The Kindness do away with Strangers. Introduction by Lawrence Weschler, afterword by Donna Rifkind (2nd&#;ed.). New York: New York Analysis Books. ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;

References

External links