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would have appealed to him simply because of his Broadway stature.” 8
To Minnelli, Saroyan seemed a good choice as the book writer for a proposed all-black revue with no less than Rodgers and Hart furnishing the score. Minnelli and producer Bela Blau commissioned Saroyan to write the script, paying him $200 to begin the project, which was in some ways Serena Blandish revisited. “[Saroyan and Minnelli] took the subway to Harlem,” says Leggett. “They went to the Apollo Theatre and they were impressed by seeing the black male dancers there and out on the street. It pleased Saroyan’s imagination but I don’t think they every really got anywhere with that project.” t
At one point, Yip Harburg replaced Rodgers and Hart as the revue’s composer. Saroyan continued to churn out sketches at an incredible rate, amazing Minnelli with his swiftness. Despite the remarkable talents involved, the all-black revue never materialized. Even so, memories of his visit to the Apollo and the lindy-hoppers dancing in the streets would remain in Minnelli’s mind when it came time to direct his first film.
IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT introductions in the history of Hollywood: Arthur Freed meets Vincente Minnelli. In terms of movie musicals, it was almost as noteworthy as the day Fred met Ginger, though, in later years, nobody could recall the details of the meeting. Did Yip Harburg make the introductions, or was it Roger Edens? Minnelli remembered it happening in the spring of 1939, while others believed that the two first met during the run of Very Warm for May . Whatever the circumstances, the point was that Arthur Freed had come calling and Vincente knew that this could be opportunity knocking.
A native-born South Carolinian, Freed had tirelessly scaled the show-business heights, first as a Tin Pan Alley tunesmith. In collaboration with composer Nacio Herb Brown, Freed would make his mark supplying lyrics for such sublime standards as “You Were Meant for Me,” “Good Morning,” “The Wedding of the Painted Doll,” and one of the most enduring and instantly recognizable tunes in the history of popular music, the unforgettable “Singin’ in the Rain.”
Just as the movies were beginning to talk, Freed found himself at MGM, and his songs graced the soundtrack of 1929’s Best Picture Academy Award winner , The Broadway Melody . A decade later, Freed served as the uncredited associate producer on The Wizard of Oz , one of the finest films (musical or otherwise) to come out of Hollywood and the movie that made Judy Garland, “the little girl with the great big voice,” a major star.
“Yep,” “Nope,” and “Terrific” were considered unusually long-winded responses for Arthur Freed, so he got right to the point: “How would you like to work at Metro, Vincente?” Minnelli was ordinarily as tongue-tied as Freed but his answer came quickly: “I’ve been there.” Vincente explained that his experience at Paramount had soured him on the movies. Freed persisted. “They simply didn’t understand you. Come on out for five or six months, take enough money for your expenses. . . . If you don’t like it at any time you can leave.” Minnelli would be working for Freed but without a title. He’d be devising musical numbers, maybe even directing some. What’s more,
he’d be doing it at the biggest studio in Hollywood. Said Minnelli: “Before I knew it had happened, I had already started.” 9
Suddenly, Minnelli found himself going Hollywood all over again, but this time there was a significant difference: The movies were ready for Vincente Minnelli. “I was getting a fraction of my salary at Paramount,” he noted with obvious disappointment. But otherwise, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer would prove to be a gold mine for Arthur Freed’s colorful new protégé.
As Minnelli was packing his bags, he received word that his mother had died at the age of sixty-eight in St. Petersburg, Florida. After Mina’s death,