Olivia de Havilland, and the Lawyer Who Helped Her Change Show Business (Guest Column)

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Bruce Ramer recalls how the relationship between Olivia de Havilland and his former law partner culminated in a groundbreaking 1944 court decision

Last month, Olivia de Havilland -- the last of the great actors from Hollywood’s Golden Age -- died at age 104. That in itself is remarkable for someone who in 1944, at the age of 28, was stricken with viral pneumonia, running a high fever, coughing blood and down to 90 pounds. She was suffering in the South Pacific while entertaining troops, all because she had been effectively blacklisted by Warner Bros. And she was waiting.

Gang was diminutive in stature, but a giant in heart and mind. He was as affable as he was brilliant. As one of his longtime partners would recall, “He had a great love of people. He had an enthusiasm about people that carried over, so that he never met a person he didn't like. That was true. He always found something that he liked about them. He'd say, 'He's a terrible lawyer, [but] isn't he charming.

This was headline news in the industry, with the trade press declaring de Havilland a “free agent”. Warner Bros. appealed, and during the appeal, Jack Warner was steadfast that de Havilland remained under contract. With her career in suspension, the actress toured military bases in Alaska and the South Pacific, and so vindictive was Jack Warner that he tried, unsuccessfully, to have her barred from these tours.

 

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