I don't really like to call something Old Hollywood if one of the main players in the blind didn't die until the early 2000's, but when he won his Oscars was many many decades ago. He was permanently A list and foreign born. His parents were spies, so it shouldn't be a shocker the actor son turned out to be one too. The actor though took the sides of two countries opposed to the US. First, the Soviets, and then up until his death was spying for China and taking their money to lead a very extravagant life.
The thing is, he was almost exposed decades earlier. Our actor was attending a film festival and the film festival had arranged to bring in a delegation of Soviets. At least two of the Soviets were the actor's handlers and also were meeting with other spies in Northern California using the festival as cover.
What no one foresaw was that a studio head of a studio that is on a lifeline right now, somehow caught the actor and the Soviets in some kind of very close quarters which didn't look right. Now, to be fair, the studio head hated anything or anyone Communist and was never shy expressing it. He also saw things the way he wanted to see them rather than always with an open eye. In this case, he was right, he just didn't know it. He got hammered drunk and then gave a speech at the festival and then started talking about how awful Communists are and then started talking about seeing the actor hanging out with the Soviets. After he finished that sentence, someone came up behind him and took the microphone from him and he was ushered to his seat and then later out of the building, while our actor took over the hosting duties and paid huge compliments to the Soviets.
Peter Ustinov/Paramount/George Weltner
No comments:
Post a Comment