I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead (17 page)

Radio provided Agnes with the star roles that films denied her. In the
late summer of 1942 Agnes signed on to co-star with Lionel Barrymore in
what became a long-running radio comedy-drama,
Mayor of the Town
. Set
in the picturesque Midwestern town of Springdale, Barrymore was cast as
the crusty but warmhearted Mayor. Agnes was cast as Marilly, the Mayor’s
gossipy housekeeper, the comedic foil of the show. Typical shows dealt with
everyday themes and extolled patriotism, in a time of war. The first show,
telecast on NBC September 6, 1942, dealt with a young man in Springdale
who quits law school to join the Navy. Another show dealt with the town
tomboy, Amy Lou, who joins nurses overseas and serves in Bataan. But
typical domestic comedy themes were developed, such as the Hollywood
movie studio which runs a contest that the Mayor wins.

The first episode of
Mayor of the Town
received generally favorable
reviews. “The premier airing indicated the script would tilt markedly to the
war, that the typical small American community of Springdale gravitates
from its mayor and leading personality (Barrymore) and that the appeal is
to the whole family,” wrote
Radio Digest
. “It is evident from the script and
announcements that the program will be varied, and often amusing. If the
performances of future programs measure up to the first, folks are going to
stay home Wednesday nights during the winter.” Agnes’ debut as Marilly
was less well received. “Agnes Moorehead, the housekeeper, will probably
become a source of kitchen humor, though she is a bit weak as constant foil
for the lead character.”

The first few shows featured extensions of the Mayor’s family, such as his
granddaughter, but it was thought helpful to bring in a young boy with
Barrymore to interact with. They created the character of Roscoe Gardiner,
who would be commonly called “Butch” by the Mayor and Marilly. John
Dunning in his essential book,
The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio,
would
recall the origins of the “Butch” character and the evolution the show took
from that point on. “Butch . . . had come live with the Mayor (after the first
season) when his mother died and his dad went to fight with the Seabees.
On warm nights he liked to play under street lamps, chasing fireflies with
his friends . . . Often the stories were coming-of-age pieces, focusing on the
Mayor’s special relationship with Butch. They fished together and swam at
the hole near Rock Creek. Marilly entered the stories with complaints
about the mayor’s tardiness or repeating the gossip of her friendly enemy,
Abby Peters.” While he was “Butch” to everybody when he was behaving,
to the Mayor and Marilly, “Butch” was called by his full name when he was
misbehaving. Often a scene would begin with the crusty Marilly calling
Butch in for lunch:

M
AYOR
:
Aw, doggone it, Marilly — there’s no sense in picking on
him all the time.
M
ARILLY
:
If you could see how that bangin’ sets off my whole nervous
system . . .
M
AYOR
:
Oh, sure, sure.
M
ARILLY
:
Bang from the top of my head right down to my toes!
M
AYOR
:
Fine. Why don’t you enter your name as Miss Atom Bomb
of 1946?
M
ARILLY
:
Oh, you may laugh — you may wax ironical, Mayor — but
you won’t think it so terrible funny on the day I fly to pieces
and they deliver my straitjacket.
For the part of “Butch,” the producers selected twelve-year-old Conrad
Binyon.
Binyon doesn’t remember his first meeting with Agnes, but recalls that
when he worked with anybody who was famous in the industry — including
Agnes and Barrymore — he would do his best to be “worthy of that
opportunity. “(Agnes) was nice to me and I respected our professional
association.” Binyon has fond memories of both associations, of Barrymore
he would recall, “My friendship with Mr. Barrymore stemmed from my
great respect for his work, and that I was to be a part of that work in
supporting him in his roles when we worked together.” He remembers that
Barrymore, in private or rehearsals, often used salty language. “His
expletives were numerous but not smutty.” Binyon recalls Agnes as “quite
down to earth. We always sat next to each other on stage in the cast chairs
during the times we weren’t on mike . . . I did not find her to be a secretive
type of person. She’d always give me an answer if I ever questioned her
about anything I wanted to know of herself. Of course I didn’t go around
prying into her private life, for it was none of my business, but she never
said that to me.”
Interestingly, Binyon says that years later Agnes would reach back and
use bits of Marilly in her interpretation of Velma Cruther in the film,
Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte
. Certainly there were similarities. Marilly,
like Velma, didn’t take guff from anybody and didn’t hesitate to put her
employer in his place. Marilly also has a country accent, but not as
exaggerated as that of the New Orleans-born Velma.
Barrymore and Moorehead’s relationship, Binyon recalls, was “very
good . . . I never saw the slightest animosity between them.” Agnes would
later state, “I can think of no one I would rather be associated with (than
Barrymore). He’s one of the finest actors and personalities I know. He’s a
great artist in the theatre and a fine musician (Barrymore composed music).
He’s generous of spirit and a rare sense of humor.”
As for Barrymore, he was as much a curmudgeon as many of the
characters he portrayed.
Radio Life
did a profile of him and
Mayor of the
Tow n
: “Arriving early (to a rehearsal) we found ‘the mayor’ had not yet put
in his appearance so (with a sigh of relief over our temporary reprieve), we
collapsed meekly in an inconspicuous corner to await his entrance. Conrad
Binyon, “Butch” of the show, came in and surprised us by sitting down at
the piano and delivering an ear-pleasing rendition of ‘Clair de Lune.’ Agnes
(Marilly) Moorehead entertainingly related tales about her new film
assignment . . . Time was passing pleasantly when Mr. Barrymore came
on-stage, installed himself in his chair at the microphone and, beneath
furrowed brow, spouted a series of profane utterances. This over, the great
actor took script in hand, smiled benignly at all assembled and the rehearsal
began. For the next hour we watched with unwavering fascination while
Barrymore and company performed, once through the script for ‘practice,’
and then immediately again for the preview audience. It was a tremendous
treat. The most skilled of ad-lib actors, Barrymore and Moorehead vied for
laughs — he with his ‘Mayor’s’ grumble and she with ‘Marilly’s’ whine.
Obviously, both of these experienced performers thoroughly enjoy their
weekly ether antics.”

After initially airing on NBC for the first six weeks of its run,
Mayor of
the Town
moved to CBS where it aired on Saturday nights. On air night the
actors would perform the script twice, which was common practice. The
show was broadcast live with a studio audience in Studio C at CBS studios
in Hollywood. The actors gathered the Thursday prior to the Saturday
show, in the late afternoon, to do a read-through of the script and then
another reading at the microphones for timing and sound effect rehearsals.
Then a “preview” audience was allowed in and the script was done for them
to gauge their reaction, with changes made based on their response. On the
actual air date, another audience was brought in for a six o’clock live
performance for the east coast (nine o’clock in New York) and then another
show was performed at nine o’clock for the west coast. In the two-plus
hours between performances, the cast would sometimes leave for home,
or socialize at Brittingham’s, a restaurant located on the lower floor of
Columbus Square — the CBS complex in Hollywood.

The show proved highly successful and ran for seven years. Initially
Agnes would be paid $300 per week, and every season it was on the air she
received a $100 per week pay raise; by the end of its run in 1949, Agnes
was earning $1,000 per week for her work on
Mayor of the Town.

Once she became established on
Mayor of the Town,
every movie contract
that Agnes signed had a provision included stating that if she was shooting
while
Mayor of the Town
was in production she had to be released on
Saturdays by noon. The provision was necessary and used many times in
the next seven years due to the fact that Agnes was working constantly in
films at this time.

In 1943 in addition to
The
Youngest Profession,
she was lent out
to Twentieth Century-Fox to shoot
Jane Eyre
for producer William
Goetz, who was also the son-in-law
of MGM studio head, Louis B.
Mayer. This film reunited Agnes
with Orson Welles, who was cast as
the darkly handsome Edward
Rochester. To be believable as the
romantic lead in this film, Orson
went on a crash diet and steam bath
regiment, as well as wearing a corset
under his wardrobe. As the adult
Jane, Joan Fontaine was cast. Peggy
Ann Garner was cast as young Jane
and Margaret O’ Brien, in her first
film with Agnes, played Adele, who
the adult Jane eventually becomes
governess of. Agnes plays Mrs. Reed, the harsh aunt of young Jane, who
shows Jane no affection and eventually sends her to the Lowood
Institution, where Jane would spend ten years. The script was developed by
David O. Selznick, and then sold to Twentieth along with Fontaine (who
was under contract to Selznick). It is faithful to the Charlotte Bronte
novel. Welles wasn’t enthusiastic about doing the film, he was only a
“hired gun” actor, but on his radio shows over the years he had performed
adaptations of the Bronte novel many times and considered it an “old
warhorse” of his. Welles did have one bit of advice for Agnes, though; he
suggested that she play Mrs. Reed “along the lines of Aunt Fanny.” There is
a certain resemblance, but where Fanny was at times a gossip with devastating
results, she was generally a good person who longed for love. Mrs. Reed is
out-and-out pure evil; Agnes’ first truly despicable character on film.

Welles and Fontaine didn’t get along during the shooting and this may
have influenced Fontaine’s attitude toward Agnes, who was still at the time
considered a “Welles protégée.” Years later, once Agnes had carved out a
career independent of Orson’s, they did work together again and, while
never friends, did become friendly acquaintances.