Voices Behind the Curtain

by Gordon Zuckerman

  On opening night, the sight of Sir Colin Meyer helping Gloria step from his Rolls-Royce limousine and escorting her along the red carpet had a captivating effect on the large crowd assembled to see the celebrated and muchadmired American actress.

  Impressed by the people’s reaction to the forgotten actress, British moviemakers were watching as the film’s director decided, at the last minute, to escort Gloria out onto the stage before the curtain was pulled open. With a spotlight focused on the two of them, he signaled for quiet before introducing Gloria Adams and briefly explaining how Miss Adams and Natalie Cummins had come to London as part of their effort to find work for Hollywood’s blacklisted unemployed.

  Before he could finish his remarks, a strong voice in the audience was heard shouting, “Gloria, love, tell us about Hollywood blacklisting.”

  Unafraid to respond to unrehearsed, spontaneously asked questions, the seasoned veteran found herself comfortably replying to the wide array of questions being asked by different members of the audience.

  Concerned people in the audience who had come to see the movie were growing impatient. The theater manager said, “Who has the last question for Miss Adams?”

  The film critics present that night were generous with their review of the film, but they reserved their stronger praise for Miss Adams’s preshow performance. One critic was moved to say, “Rarely in recent history have I had the pleasure of witnessing a more entertaining and timely presentation of satirical wit and humor. In a time of global adjustment and change, Miss Adams’s voice has emerged as a clear reminder of our need to remain vigilant of the values and ideas we most cherish.”

  * * *

  BY THE TIME GLORIA’S FILM WAS RELEASED FOR SHOWING IN THE small New England movie houses, her preshow town meeting services had been contracted. Filmmakers in Hollywood, London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, and Rome were paying close attention. The improved size of audiences, the higher ticket prices, and the longer runs were not going unnoticed.

  CHAPTER 38

  Fall from Grace

  NEW YORK, N.Y., DECEMBER 1949

  A difficult phone conversation with Manuel was unavoidable. When he was informed of the need to shut down the Mexican operation and return the war chest funds, Manuel had reacted more reasonably than he had anticipated. Later, however, when Jordan casually mentioned the necessity of providing a final accounting, Manuel immediately adopted a defensive tone.

  When he first began to object, Jordan interpreted it as the normal resistance to a task that would be something of a hassle. As he continued to press for an audited report, Manuel’s hostility rapidly intensified. Finally, Jordan offered what he thought was a constructive suggestion. “Why don’t I send a team of auditors down there to help you organize your books and produce the properly documented reports we will need?”

  Manuel blew up. “Jordan, I don’t need any of your goddamn bookkeepers down here snooping around in my records! I’ll send you a check and you can prepare whatever documentation you think is necessary.” Then he slammed down the receiver.

  A lifelong cynic, a confused Jordan had been long trained to assume the worst. “What is he concerned about? Has he failed to account for all the expenditures? Is some of the money missing? What am I going to tell all the clients who are bombarding me with phone calls regarding how much money they could expect to recover and when it would be returned?” The depressed leader quickly decided he would leave the problem of communicating the news for another day.

  After a long, difficult day, Jordan decided to stop at the health club, well before his flight to Washington was scheduled to depart. He needed to release the tension in his system and shift his thoughts from his problems with his wife and his work and begin to imagine how delightful his 3-day weekend with sweet Amanda might become. On previous occasions, he had learned to appreciate the seagoing hospitality of his old college friend Stanley Victor aboard his luxurious yacht.

  An hour later, refreshed after the penetrating bite of the strong hands of the club masseur, the relaxed lawyer slowly made his way to the sauna and its hot, steamy atmosphere. Seated in the foggy chamber, he let his mind wander to thoughts of Amanda, the young and sensuous younger woman and her voracious appetites. He had been introduced to her during the previous weekend he had spent on Stanley’s seagoing yacht. Afraid the wrong question might interfere with his delightful experience, he never summoned the courage to ask how it was that she was one of Stanley’s yacht guests.

  His thoughts were interrupted by a voice from the next bench. “Jordan! Nice to see you at the club. Would you like to join me for a drink when we’re through?”

  Looking up, Jordan saw Alex Farrand, a fellow classmate at Harvard Law, a senior official in the Justice Department, and his regular partner in his Saturday morning golfing foursome.

  There was something in the tone of Alex’s voice that suggested the invitation was not entirely voluntary. Senior officials in the Justice Department didn’t extend casual offers.

  “Okay,” he said, “but it will have to be a quick one. I have a plane to catch.”

  A short while later, they were seated at a remote table in the far corner of the Men’s Grill, well out of earshot of other members. Alex wasted no time coming right to the point. “Jordan, this might not be the appropriate place to tell you what I have to say. If it weren’t so important, I could save it for another time. But the word around the office is that your Mexican friend, Señor Arena, is suspected of skimming the top off his movie receipts. Should that be the case, the IRS will become interested in his fraudulent reporting taxable income. Perhaps of greater importance is the risk he will incur should his Cuban investors learn of his efforts to steal monies to which they are entitled.

  “I thought you might want to warn him.”

  * * *

  JORDAN MAY HAVE HAD A DIFFICULT DAY AND HAD SPENT THE LAST 2 hours trying to relax and relieve some of the pressure, but his instincts were telling him there was much more behind what Alex was telling him.

  If the Justice Department has heard about Manuel’s possible skimming, other people have to know. If other people are aware, the chances must be pretty good the Cubans are already aware or will be shortly. What can I do? It’s late Friday afternoon. Why don’t I worry about it on Monday?

  * * *

  ON BOARD THE EAST COAST FLIGHT FROM NEW YORK TO WASHINGTON, Jordan was relaxed. He was leaning back in his chair. He had removed his shoes and was enjoying his Old Fashioned, when the thought flashed through his mind. Why would Alex warn me about Arena unless he knew of my prior relationship with him and of our Mexican war chest activities? Was Alex trying to warn me the Justice Department was aware of what my clients and I have been attempting to accomplish?

  Not even a second drink, thoughts of spending a weekend on Vic’s yacht, playing gin with his interesting friends, or the prospect of spending two complete evenings with “Sweet Amanda” could prevent him from thinking about the world that would be waiting for him when he returned to New York.

  CHAPTER 39

  The Head of the Serpent

  WASHINGTON, D.C., DECEMBER 1949

  Alex Farrand and Don Cerreta were engaged in one of their customary walks through one of Washington, D.C.’s, many public parks. The park was almost vacant of its normal complement of tourists, landscape workers, small children, and nannies pushing a pram. Reasonably confident they would not be observed or overheard, the two men were engaged in serous conversation. Clearly, they were pleased by the progress that had been made interrupting the Manual’s Club plan, but they both knew there was much more that needed to be accomplished.

  Alex was leading the conversation. “We may have prevented these industrial prime contractors from achieving their initial plan, but what will happen if they fall back and initiate a second plan, one that we are not privy to? One thing for sure, they may be frustrated by their initial failure, but they had to have learned by acting in concert, they are much more effective than when they act
independently. Shouldn’t we assume that it will only be a question of time before they conceive a second plan?”

  Don relied, “Alex, let’s face it. These CEOs still remain in charge of their companies. Their companies’ transitional problems haven’t changed. And, their aggregated power is still a source of incredible influence. To me, as tarnished as he may appear, I still regard Jordan’s leadership as a necessary ingredient to any new plan. If they plan to move in concert, who else would they trust to organize and lead a second attempt?”

  The two men had walked more than 100 yards when Alex asked, “Can you think of some way we could remove Jordan from the equation? If we cut off the head of the serpent, how much difficulty would we be able to cause?

  “When I think about how much influence these fellows have succeeded in inserting into our government, I wonder if our success in stopping them this time represents the end of the threat or the start of what could become a continuous problem. Would McWilliams’s removal slow things enough that we can become better prepared to identify and oppose their next effort?”

  “Boss, you may know him socially, but I can assure you, from an operational viewpoint, he would be a tough nut to crack. There is, however, one approach I would like to try. Challenging him head-on could prove very difficult, but there may be a way he might be ‘persuaded’ to withdraw.”

  “Now that is an original thought. How can you possibly believe there is a reasonable probability that he would voluntarily choose to retire?”

  * * *

  “BOSS, WE HAVE RECEIVED WORD THAT HE IS BEING OPENLY CRITICIZED by some of his clients. The disclosure of their records and the loss of their invested working capital has been very upsetting. In addition, they are frustrated by their inability to work from the shadows.

  “How do we not know Jordan is having his own misgivings about continuing? In addition to being underappreciated, he has to be concerned about his law partners believing he could be the cause of the loss of a substantial amount of legal revenues.

  “Then there is the problem of his knowing he is officially a subject on the Justice Department’s radar screen. When I think back over the course of his career, I have to conclude that his effectiveness depends upon the degree of trust his corporate clients, members of New York’s investment community, and high officials in the government have in him.

  * * *

  “AT WORK, HE HAS BEEN CANCELING APPOINTMENTS, NOT RETURNING phone calls, and spending long hours sequestered alone in his office. Aren’t these characteristics of a disturbed, unhappy man? If that isn’t enough, it’s been reliably reported, on weekends, he has been visiting an old friend, one Stanley Victor, in Georgetown. Together, with other friends of Victor’s, they have been enjoying weekend cruises in the company of a very attractive younger woman.

  “For some, that kind of behavior might not be considered so bizarre, but for a highly structured, all-work, high-profile attorney, it is really strange. How do we not know, under the right circumstances, he might ‘voluntarily’ choose to resign, take a long vacation, and channel his career in another direction?”

  “Don, I don’t want to be a pessimist. In a situation as serious as altering the appropriations process of the American government, doesn’t our opposition need to depend on something a bit more tangible?”

  “Absolutely. I think there may be a way whereby we can ‘encourage’ Mr. McWilliams to reach our desired conclusion. But before you ask, I will need a few days to work out the details of my plan.”

  CHAPTER 40

  The Fifth Estate

  CAMBRIDGE, OCTOBER 1949

  Following the multiple delays in the distribution of the modified and recut movie, its American fall premiere was finally scheduled to open in Cambridge’s boutique foreign movie house located near Harvard Square in late October. To capitalize on the interest of the college set, the preopening promotional program announced Miss Gloria Adams, the “Heroine of Hollywood,” was scheduled to recreate her highly acclaimed London preshow town meeting and accept questions from the audience. Ads promoting the coming attraction ran in the Cambridge Chronicle and the Harvard Crimson.

  When opening night arrived, to a packed audience, Gloria confidently walked out to the lectern placed in the center of an empty stage. Behind her, the curtain was closed, and on it was pinned a blown-up image of a New Yorker cartoon depicting Gloria hanging “Slick Dick” Bailey.

  Dressed in her trademark simple smock and chalk-white tennis shoes, she announced, “Hi, there, is there anyone in the audience who would like me to describe how it feels to defend your constitutional rights before the House Un-American Activities Committee? Please . . . by the whistling, clapping, and whooping,” the feisty lady said. “OK, but here’s the deal. I will tell you my version of what happened if you promise to ask me questions!”

  Not knowing what to expect, an excited audience stood up and provided the modest and unassuming little old lady in tennis shoes with the first of what would be several standing ovations. Fascinated by her stories describing some of the more memorable incidents of her appearance before the “Big Bad Wolf,” with her quick wit and sarcastic sense of humor, one question after another cascaded from the audience.

  Concerned that the audience was growing impatient to see the movie, the movie house manager ascended the stage to announce, “One more question and then we will start the movie.”

  A strong voice from the rear of the audience asked, “Miss Adams, what is your most vivid memory of all that you have been able to accomplish?”

  Taking her time to mentally scan all the drama that had been part of her more recent life, she smiled before saying, “I guess it’s my amazement of what an old broad can accomplish if she really becomes pissed off!”

  * * *

  IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS, SIMILAR EVENTS ORGANIZED UP AND DOWN the East Coast began to adopt the character of town hall meetings. Frequently, the showing of the movie had to be delayed for as long as an hour because the discussion was so lively. In Gloria’s wake, theaters continued to play the film, drawing healthy crowds week after week. In many towns, the film was shown in larger theaters, and more showings were scheduled as ticket prices increased.

  The “Heroine of Hollywood” was fast becoming the “Paul Revere” of the motion picture industry. Variety magazine reported: “Hollywood’s Loss is American people’s gain.” Miss Adams’s remarkable accomplishments served to warn grassroots America what can happen when fear of “isms” is allowed to override common sense.

  * * *

  REGARDED AS MERELY OVERNIGHT SUCCESSES, THE GENERAL PUBLIC was unaware of how much time, thought, and sweat had been required to generate large audience attention. Their unawareness was not shared by the small group of people who traditionally were searching for new material upon which they could create new Broadway musical shows.

  * * *

  ONE NIGHT, NATALIE AND GLORIA WERE ENJOYING THE HOSPITALITY of George White, the same Broadway director who had been responsible for directing Natalie’s first New York Broadway show. He had waited until the dessert had been served before asking the question, “How would you two feel about playing yourselves in a play written to tell your story? There is certainly no shortage of fresh material. Providing you agree to play yourselves, I think we could attract the cooperation of New York’s finest composers, choreographers, and best playwrights.

  “Think about all the people who are already familiar with both of you and your work. When you add it all up, when has there had to be a very large audience who would be interested in attending a properly produced show?”

  Gloria was intrigued with the idea. Natalie’s first reaction was not so positive. “George, this old actress would enjoy working with you one more time, but it’s important to me you understand I have moved on. Returning to the stage is not something I wish to do. For the first time in my life, I am living a life where people I admire respect me for my intelligence and regard my efforts to help others as a very serious endeavor
. I can’t even begin to imagine what could persuade me to give up ‘Natalie’s Bridge.’”

  Pleased with his former student’s response, George continued, “How would you react if I suggested we name the play Natalie’s Bridge and organize a musical around the idea of providing the Sentinels with the voice they need to reach grassroots America?”

  Caught off guard, the surprised Natalie reflexively asked, “Could we tell the real story? Do you think the American public is prepared to accept the story behind the story of how concentrations of wealth and influence conspire to abuse the privilege of Democratic Free Enterprise for self-serving purposes?”

  “Natalie, the real question you might be asking is, ‘Has the musical stage made sufficient progress in adapting itself to presenting subjects of social commentary where it is practical to believe they are ready for your satirical brand of commentary?’ I guess that is a question we will need to answer. Certainly, audience reactions to Gloria’s town meeting tour provides us with some indication, but it’s important you realize there is a world of difference between a movie audience and someone who has to pay a large price for the privilege of attending a live show.

  “There is a good example of what we are discussing that is currently being performed. The play is called Call Me Madam. It was written and composed by Irving Berlin and it stars Ethel Merman. I seem to remember both of them are not only good friends of yours but are great admirers of your work. If you wouldn’t mind staying an extra night, why don’t I get some house tickets, and the four of us can see the play, and then you can decide for yourselves if the musical stage is ready for what we are discussing. I’ll phone Sardi’s for a reservation at my private table, and after the show, we can enjoy an excellent dinner and talk about the show. I am very interested in learning of your opinions. I might even be able to convince Irving and Ethel to join us for an after-theater dinner.”