Paul Muni

Paul Muni was a acting sensation in the 1930’s. His run was fast and bright throughout the 30’s until his ambivalent relationship with Hollywood pushed him out. He is known as one of the best actors of the 1930’s with memorable films, like: Scarface, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, The Good Earth, The Life of Emile Zola, and more. His acting style seemed to be a blend of highly emotional and emotive actions mixed with the brewing method styles, a kin to Stanislavski, that were developing around him in New York.

His ability to portray diverse characters, and his use of makeup, caused many to compare him to Lon Chaney. I found his intense style of acting, at times, to be comparable to that of his contemporary, James Cagney. Muni’s core contribution to film took place in the 1930’s, however, his affect on the acting world is immeasurable.

Beginnings

Paul Muni, born Muni Weisenfreund, was born in Lemberg Austria, now Ukraine. Muni accompanied his acting parents as they traveled to Budapest, London, and eventually to America. His parents were fatigued, yet seasoned, actors destined to stay the course of long and hard working hours. Paul, and his brothers, were along for ride, learning, first hand, the toll that acting can have on one’s life.

The family all participated in the production, but not all of them onstage. The duties for the kids were focused more off stage. Muni’s parents, Salche (Sallie) and Nachum (Phillip), wished for their kids to lead different lives. Sally and Phillip saw music as the way out for their children. They paid large sums of money each week in order to teach the kids violin. Being in the pit would be better than the stage in their eyes.

Off to Cleveland

The Weisenfreund’s initially settled in New York upon arriving in America. They tried their luck in the big apple for a few years before heading to Cleveland in 1902. A recommendation made to them by the local actors union. The hope being that they could build up their resume and hone their skills in Cleveland before heading back to New York.

The family began to settle in to their new life in Cleveland. The family had to abandon their violin teacher in New York, but the kids were already progressing well. Muni was apparently good enough to sit in with members of the pit and hold his own.

Despite this, Paul Muni’s acting career would begin in a nickelodeon show, Two Corpses at Breakfast, in Cleveland around the age of 10. Muni was called up when a member of the troupe, set to play the old man, quit minutes before a performance. Without any previous stage experience, he donned a wig and beard and spoke the lines he had memorized while working behind the scenes. His performance astounded his parents, who did not expect him to rise to the occasion in the manner that he did. This performance sparked Muni’s love for acting and an eventual move back to New York.

Back to New York – Bella Finkel

By 1920, Muni had made his mark in Yiddish theater. Most notably at Maurice Schwartz’ Yiddish Art Theater in New York. He was becoming more and more well known amongst a flourishing viewership, other theaters in NY, and most importantly, by Bella Finkel.

Bella Finkel was deeply rooted in the New York theater scene. She was a daughter to a famed actress, Emma Thomashefsky (Finkel), a theater director father, Morris Finkel, and her extended family ran a theater. Bella’s family was at the center of tragedy involving an affair with her mother and a young actor. While Bella was young, her mother was discovered walking with local actor David Levinson, by her then husband Morris. Morris shot Emma in the spine, paralyzing her from the hips down, and took his own life. In an instant, the young beautiful actress, Emma, would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

The family survived the incident and continued on with their lives in New York. The community banded together to help the Finkel’s and Bella became an actress. As Muni became more well-known in the community, he was noticed by Bella’s sister as well as her mother. The family tried to set her up with Muni and it was eventually a success. The two were married by 1921.

Broadway

From the beginning of his career, Muni had played the “old man”. This trend followed him all the way to his first role on Broadway. After seeing Muni in the Yiddish version of The Student Prince, Albert Lewis and Max Siegel went backstage to talk to the aged actor. They were astonished to find that he was not an old man, but a 25 year old Muni. They quickly worked to get him on the roster of their upcoming project. On October 12, 1926, Muni took the Broadway stage in We Americans.

By this time, Muni and Bella’s relationship was strained. They had no kids and starting to live apart. Resentment and distrust had developed between them and Muni’s role on Broadway did not help.

Despite this, Muni’s performance in We Americans had been sensational and he was quickly cast again on Broadway. The next vehicle was Four Walls a play directed by George Abbot and written by Dana Burnet. This would be his first time starring on Broadway as a young man.

In a surprise to Muni, the play also featured Bella as the love interest. The pair were professional on stage and in rehearsal. However, their collaboration throughout the project did not result in a reconciliation. In the end, the play was a success and garnered Muni even more praise. For Bella, it silently marked what would be one of the last projects she would work on as an actor.

Transition to Film

By this time, silent films were beginning to phase out and talkies were all the rage. Muni had heard stories of fellow actors going to Hollywood and barely making it out in one piece. The prospect of being a film actor still intrigued him, as well as his friend Albert Lewis who just became an executive at Fox.

Bella and Muni reconciled their differences and moved to California in 1928. Muni had his screen test with Fox and nailed it. His ability to transform himself through makeup and perform as a character actor placed him into the conversation as the next Lon Chaney. Satisfied with what they saw, Fox signed him for two pictures, The Valiant and Seven Faces.

First Feature films

The Valiant (1929) and Seven Faces (1929)

Valiant is about an unknown man that commits murder. He immediately turns himself in and invents a name on the spot based off of a newspaper headline. His family sees his picture in the paper and believes that he is their long lost family member, yet he denies their claim. He instead tells a heroing story of the real Joe Douglas and heads to execution as the mother of Joe celebrates her hero.

The Valiant fits in to the shifting times of silent to talkie era. It blends in intertitles and heavy emotive acting, primarily by Muni, to tell the story. Most of the camera shots and scenes are staged like a silent film, mirroring a play. Muni’s acting skills are clear from the start in The Valiant. The film earned Muni an academy award nomination. His first film role and first academy nod.

Muni’s next film, Seven Faces, has become a lost film. His range was put on display as he played seven characters, the animated versions of the wax figures in his museum. His performance was supposedly well received, however, he chose to go back to Broadway.

Back to Broadway

Muni found success in his first two films, however the studio was not ready to give him only starring roles. The next film in the lineup was Liliom. The studio wanted Muni to play a supporting role, but Muni and Bella protested and Fox tore up his contract.

On their way back to New York, Muni would be nominated for his role in Valiant, the first year to have talkies as a part of the Academy Awards. Once they were back in New York, they set off to find roles in the theaters that they had left just a few years prior.

Muni began to find his rhythm on Broadway again and was not ready to re-enter the world of cinema. It was not until Howard Hughes approached him with his film, Scarface, that Muni decided to give it another try.

Scarface: The Shame of the Nation (1932)

Muni made his comeback to film in one of the most infamous films of the early sound era. Little Caesar (1931) and The Public Enemy (1931) set the stage for outrage against gangster films and Howard Hughes’ Scarface pushed that outrage to censorship.

Muni’s portrayal of Capone in Scarface was notably not realistic, in the sense of portraying Capone, and neither was the story. However, Muni was praised for his portrayal of such an engaging persona. Although the story was not based on Capone’s life, it did root itself in reality. The violence mirrored events like the Valentine’s Day massacre and other prohibition-era driven violence. The film pushed the envelope with its excessive violence, by early film standards, and immorality focused subjects and overall story line.

The film’s influence was significant. Not at the box office, but instead in catapulting Muni’s career and contributing to the increasing calls for film censorship. Scarface was filmed during the creation of the Motion Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, and was released prior to the rigid enforcement of the code in 1934. The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) developed and enforced the Hays Code and required Hughes to alter the film in order to comply with their code. This resulted in changes to ensure the cast of, almost, all gangsters, did not portray them in a good light or make their actions seem glorified. It also contributed to the incestuous ending and cowardly demise of Scarface.

I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932)

Muni’s next film, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang came out the same year as Scarface. Although, I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang was filmed much later than Scarface due to the censorship and revisions. Muni’s portrayal of James Allen, in contrast to Tony Camonte, highlighted Muni’s range.

In I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, Muni plays an honorable veteran that has been cast away from society only to be given a harsh 8 year sentence on a chain gang when he gets unwillingly intertwined with a murderous hoodlum. If the censor’s were afraid of Scarface turning regular citizens into hardened criminals, then they should have also been afraid of I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang causing an uprising against prison conditions and corrupt politics.

The range that Muni portrays between the two characters just highlights his ability to embody a character. It is clear how he took the film world by storm in the 30’s. He is able to become the characters that he portrays and remain entrancing when on the camera. It is not surprising at all that this performance gave him his second Academy Award nomination for best Actor.

Black Fury (1935)

Black Fury is a story about a coal miner trapped in a system that he can barely make sense of and does everything he can to make it right. Paul Muni portrays Joe Radek, a dim-witted, yet well liked and well-intentioned, Slavic Miner, who gets tangled in a fight between a coal mining institution, the union, and union busters trying to profit off of supplying scab labor.

In I Am a Fugitive on a Chain Gang, Muni’s character was the focus and the injustice of the prison and criminal system was the backdrop for what is otherwise a focus on James Allen. For Black Fury, the focus is much larger on the union and the importance of solidarity. Radek is the glue that holds the story together, but that story is without a doubt the centerpiece of the film.

Muni continued to show his range and dedication to acting. His character has a thick Slavic accent throughout the film. I have no idea if this accent is any good when compared to someone of slavic decent, however, it is clear that he leaned in when portraying the character. His ability to play Joe as the lovable neighbor and companion of other members of the coal town and then ride the waves of high praise and deep condemnation was interesting to watch. His dim-witted nature made his character more relatable to the audience as we know he is being conned, while he is completely oblivious. The moments where he is able to catch up are heightened by Muni’s ability to convey the emotions honestly and authentically to the character.

Overall, the film was saturated with the pro-union story line that the other relationships and story development became less impactful. Still a good message, but, perhaps, just a tad heavy handed.

The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936)

By this time Muni had cemented himself as a character actor. His roles prior to The Story of Louis Pasteur allowed him to embody a character, however this role required him to portray someone specific. This is of course recognizing his role in Scarface was not portraying Capone.

It is impossible to know how similar or dissimilar his portrayal of Pasteur was to that of the real Louis Pasteur. However, it is clear that Muni disappears into the role and is almost unrecognizable. His earnest portrayal of Pasteur made the story immersive and this was heightened by Muni being masked behind the makeup. I had to remind myself periodically that Muni was the lead. It is not surprise that Muni was awarded the Oscar at the 9th Academy Awards for this film. Other noteworthy actors of the year were William Powell, Gary Cooper, and Spencer Tracy.

The film itself was not necessarily amazing or thrilling, like some of Muni’s prior films. However, the subject matter, while likely wildly exaggerated, is important. Of all of the lives to memorialize, Pasteur is certainly one worth considering.

The Good Earth (1937)

Pearl S. Buck’s historical fiction novel, The Good Earth, was a sensation. Resulting in a best seller status, a Pulitzer prize, and the Nobel prize for Literature in 1938. The story follows Wang Lung (Muni), a poor farmer in rural china, and his wife O-Lan (Luise Rainer). The epic begins from the day of his marriage to O-Lan and follows them through sickness and health, poverty and wealth, peace and turmoil, culminating in the death of O-Lan.

At the start, it appears that this film is going to be about Wang. However, it quickly becomes clear that the story’s protagonist is actually O-Lan. The resilient, ever-steady, and dutiful (to a fault) wife and mother. She sacrifices everything for her families survival and it is not until the very end that she gets a fraction of the praise and recognition she deserves.

It seems ridiculous to have Muni and Rainer star as Chinese characters. I know the concept was typical of the era, and for a long time to come. However, this cast was about as white as it gets. The only cast members of Chinese, or otherwise Asian descent, were a handful of secondary characters. I am glad that the studio was able to at least get a couple people suited for the roles.

The film won Luise Rainer the Academy Award for Best Actress and Karl Freund the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Other nominations went to Irving Thalberg and Albert Lewin for Outstanding Production, Sidney Franklin for Best Direction, and Basil Wrangell for Best Editing.

The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

The Life of Emile Zola is a biographical film that tells both the story of Emile Zola as well as Alfred Dreyfus, during what would be known as the Dreyfus Affair. The film focuses on the impact the Dreyfus Affair had in French Nationalism and the proliferation of antisemitism. Zola’s efforts in the affair culminated in the famous editorial, J’accuse…, and rehabilitation of Dreyfus into society. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the Dreyfus Affair only helped fuel antisemitism, distrust with the military, and helped seed the climate leading into both World War I and World War II.

Director William Dieterle and producer Henry Blanke worked on many projects in their careers, a recent collaboration, prior to The Life of Emile Zola, was another biopic, The Story of Louis Pasteur. Both films starred Paul Muni in the title role. Dietrle and Blanke seemed to share a passion for telling stories about influential French historical figures.

The story of Emile Zola, and Dreyfus, is important, however, this is about Muni. Paul Muni found a new persona that he could embody, in Zola, and he did his thing. At a certain point though, it is difficult to see if he is portraying these various characters or if he is just himself labelled as them.

Overall, the performance seems to be fine. It is hard to say that he is truly differentiating many of these characters at this point. At the very least, however, it is clear that his presence is commanding.

Ambivalence towards Hollywood

Muni continued to have a love/hate relationship with Hollywood. He would receive praise for acting roles, but, at the same time, miss acting on stage. In 1940 he was offered a role in a gangster film, but turned the role down. He was not interested in playing another gangster. That film turned out to be High Sierra and catapulted Humphrey Bogart’s career. While back in New York, Muni decided to get involved with a stage play. Bella found an available script, Emlyn Williams’ Yesterday’s Magic.

Unfortunately, the project was stressful for Muni due to the rigid adherence to the portrayal of the play written for a British audience. It was also a stressful time given the attack on Pearl Harbor, spirits were generally not high at the time. Muni’s efforts would be fruitless as the playwright was told, in a worldwide address, that his play was just “all right”.

Muni eventually sold his place in New York and moved to some land he had purchased in California. He brought Bella with him and they began to settle down in the warmth of California. Once Muni got settled in California, he connected with Sidney Buchman, a prominent screenwriter in Hollywood. Some of Buchman’s works include, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, and The Awful Truth.

Buchman had a project in mind for Muni. He knew that Muni wanted to work on a biographical film about Beethoven. Buchman had another idea. He found the story of Chopin to be better suited and that Muni would be perfect for the role of Chopin’s teacher, Jozef Elsner.

A Song to Remember (1945)

A Song to Remember focuses on the fictionalized life of composer and Pianist, Frédéric Chopin, (Cornel Wilde) as he juggles the pursuit of his music career and the fight between Poland and Russia in the 1830’s. Chopin’s teacher, Józef Elsner (Paul Muni), supports him along the way; ever present in Chopin’s musical and nationalistic endeavors.

Angel on my Shoulder (1946)

Angel on my Shoulder has an interesting set up. A gangster named Eddie (Paul Muni), known for being the muscle, is killed by his, softer yet emboldened, partner, Smiley (Hardie Albright), while on the way home from being let out of jail. Eddie quickly runs into the devil (Claude Rains), who realizes Eddie is a doppelganger for do-gooder judge on his hit list. The devil quickly enlists Eddie into his plan to corrupt the judge’s reputation through a body swap. However, once in the judge’s body, Eddie realizes that he could have led a more fulfilling life and struggles with performing the devil’s bidding.

Muni does a great job at embodying the deplorable version of Eddy and navigating the rise to reform. Eddy begins the tale as a mouthing off hoodlum and slowly transitions to a life of contrition. The selflessness that grows in him as he portrays the judge reaches a final test when it becomes time to decide if he takes the new lease on life in the judges body, or if he relinquishes his new flesh to restore it to its rightful owner, the judge.

There is a different tone from Muni throughout the film. It is not a biopic, like many other roles. It does have a rise-fall-rise sort of trajectory that, generally speaking, follows the arc of films like The Good Earth or Black Fury. However, Muni’s character does not start off as the oaf. Instead, he begins as if Scarface had been captured instead of killed and has been released. A minor reprise of his early character that is being given a second chance at life.

Nobel, Death of a Salesman, and Retirement

Muni left film after Angel on my Shoulder, for what seems like a long time. He was not getting offers for films and decided to take a break. The lull in work led to a resurgence in a project that interested him that he had set aside, a biography of Alfred Nobel.

He began to research Nobel and decided to visit Europe, specifically Sweden, to try to gather all the information necessary to write a treatment. Unfortunately, his travels left a lot to be desired. He did not find a lot of useful information and even felt that those that knew Nobel were withholding information. His hunch was that Alfred Nobel was a closeted homosexual, but no evidence rose from his research. Instead, he abandoned the project and returned to New York.

Once Muni was back in New York, he decided to get back into acting. He found himself signing on to live television programs and a revival of the 1924 play They Knew What they Wanted. The play opened along side Death of a Salesman and was completely overshadowed. Luckily, for Muni, Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller offered him the role of Willy Loman in the upcoming London production.

Excitedly, Muni decided not to see Lee J. Cobb perform the role on Broadway. Muni hoped to build the character from the ground up and not recreate how Cobb portrayed the character. The London performances were successful and Muni traveled back to America, this time to California.

To Muni, and Bella’s, surprise, he did not have any offers for films, plays, or any acting gigs. Muni found himself in retirement and with a new hobby, collecting dictionaries.

His retirement would not last forever. In 1952 he went to Italy to work on a film, Imbarco a mezzanotte. After this, he stayed busy. Muni primarily stayed on the stage and when he was in front of a camera it was for television. A medium that had grown a lot over his lifetime and would become relevant in his next, and final, picture.

The Last Angry Man (1959)

In 1958, Muni was presented with an offer for what would become his final film, The Last Angry Man. The film follows a tv producer, Woody Thrasher (David Wayne), as he tries to put together a live television broadcast. The producer is being financed by a major pharmaceutical company and is feeling the pressure to deliver something that is both good for advertising as well as entertaining.

He stumbles onto the story in the newspaper of a selfless doctor, Sam Abelman (Muni) that lives in the slums. His story feels fresh and endearing, providing a source for the subject of the new television program. Thrasher sells the idea to the pharmaceutical financial backer and heads off to try and sell the deal to Abelman.

Thrasher quickly discovers that the doctor’s selflessness is even greater than the article describes. Unfortunately, he also discovers that the doctor is stubborn to participate in his show and might be too honest to participate in the production. Thrasher is eventually able to bring him on board. However, a foreshadowing issue presents itself.

A neighbor kid named Josh Quincy, played by Billy Dee Williams in his first role, has a mysterious illness that sends him into uncontrollable “fits”. These fits derail the doctor in key moments throughout the film when the producer needs him most. Ultimately, when the show is about to go live, Abelman heads out to help Josh and ends up having a heart attack. The incident results in the show getting cancelled and Abelman dying in his bedroom.

Overall, the story seemed lacking. The conversations seem fast and superficial and the characters don’t seem to develop as much as just float along in the story. The only character with any weight is Abelman, and Muni did everything he could with that.

I am glad that Muni was able to star in something again before his death. The Last Angry Man allowed him to finally play the aged man on screen that he had portrayed for 5 decades throughout his career. He approached this character with a little less emoting, like was seen throughout a lot of his films in the 30’s and 40’s. It is also interesting that Muni’s final film performance portrayed him as dying of a heart attack considering that he would die eight years later of heart disease.

Post Film Life

After filming The Last Angry Man, Muni and Bella sold their place in New York and settled down on their land in Montecito, California. Muni’s health began to decline in the years following The Last Angry Man. He fought with Bella, rejected opportunities to act, and, as reported from Bella, became isolated and, at times, almost catatonic.

The slower pace of life seemed to keep him at ease. Apparently, Muni spent his time reading dictionaries and lounging on the beach. Those that knew Muni best, commented to Muni’s friend, Jerome Lawrence, author of his biography, that Muni put so much into Muni as the actor and did not leave enough for Muni the person.

Muni was taken by ambulance to the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles in the summer of 1967. He underwent surgery for a pacemaker, but died shortly thereafter.

His legacy continues on today. Not only by those, like me, that seek out information on historical figures of acting and film, but also the countless actors and filmmakers that became influenced by Muni’s performances and drive. Muni will forever be a forerunner for the method style of acting and as a distinguished character actor.

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References

Lawrence, Jerome. Actor: The Life and Times of Paul Muni. Samuel French, 1984.