In January, 1948, New York playwrights Ruth and Augustus Goetz received one of those rare and tantalizing calls from their agent: A Hollywood director wanted to meet them.
“We came down from the country and met him at the Pierre Hotel,” said Ruth of their first meeting with director William Wyler.¹
The couple met with Wyler for about three hours to discuss their successful stage play, The Heiress. Wyler was surprised the film rights were still available, and he wanted a Piece of the Action. “By the time we left him that day,” she said, “we knew he wanted us. I thought he was first rate.”2
The play, which opened in September, 1947, is a drawing room drama with a vicious twist. It’s an unflinching character study of a young woman named Catherine who realizes her nineteenth-century world is Not what she Thought It Was.
The Goetzes adapted the play from the Henry James novella, Washington Square. The production ran for 410 performances in New York (then 644 performances in London), and won two Tony Awards.
“We found the key to the story,” said Ruth, “the cruel fact that Catherine is a child her father didn’t love. It was brutal stuff, and nobody had put that in the theater before.”3
Through Paramount Studios, Wyler acquired the films rights and hired the Goetzes as screenwriters. The couple wanted a share of gross ticket sales, to which Paramount reluctantly agreed.
The final deal was this: Screen rights for $250,000, plus the Goetzes were to receive an open-ended salary of $10,000 per week to write the screenplay.
What else could they do? They Packed Their Bags and went to Hollywood.
It was Hollywood actress Olivia de Havilland, apparently, who first thought of adapting The Heiress to the big screen. She saw the play in New York, called her pal Wyler, and persuaded him to see the production. She also told him she Must Must play the part of Catherine.
Wyler and Paramount recruited an outstanding cast. Esteemed British actor Ralph Richardson was cast as the father, the fab Miriam Hopkins signed on to play Aunt Lavinia, and a young Montgomery Clift was cast as the fortune hunter Morris Townsend.
Ruth was, at first, unimpressed with Clift. “He slouched around in shoes with no backs,” she said. “He scuffed his feet as he walked just like a little boy…. I went to [Wyler] and told him, ‘He’s not serious. He looks like a bum… I want him to at least try to have the air of a man in the nineteenth century.'”4
Wyler’s answer was to enrol Clift in dance lessons, courtesy of a Paramount dance instructor. For three weeks, he took dance lessons every afternoon.
Ruth had observations of de Havilland, too. “She got a lot of attention from [Wyler] because he knew…she was no heavyweight,” she said. “[Wyler] believed he could get a good performance…if he kept at her.”5
(Note: de Havilland did win an Oscar for her performance, thanks in part to Wyler’s attention, which proves she was no idiot.)
The Heiress opened to good reviews in New York in 1949, but sales were disappointing in other areas of the U.S.; it took about six months for the film to break even. However, box office receipts were much better overseas, and helped the film eventually turn a profit.
The film won four Oscars, including de Havilland’s, and was nominated for four more, including Best Picture and Best Director.
As for the play, it has seen four more Broadway revivals to date. The 1995 revival won four Tony awards, and the 2012 version won another.
The Goetzes would continue to collaborate on plays and films until Augustus’s death in 1957. Ruth remained active in the NYC arts scene until her death in 2001.
The Heiress is a stunning film, with what film historian Pamela Hutchinson calls “one of the starkest endings in golden-age Hollywood, a caustic and complete act of revenge that reveals Catherine’s inner steeliness.”6
If you haven’t seen this film, we urge you to do so. It is a quality production in Every Way.
¹Herman, Jan. (1995) A Talent for Trouble: The Life of Hollywood’s Most Acclaimed Director, William Wyler. New York, NY: G.P. Punam’s Sons, p. 307. 2Ibid., p. 307. 3Ibid., p. 307. 4Ibid., p. 309. 5Ibid., p. 310. 6Hutchinson, Pamela. (2019) A Cruel Inheritance. Criterion Collection.
The Heiress starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson. Directed by William Wyler. Written by Ruth Goetz & Augustus Goetz. Paramount Studios, 1949, B&W, 115 mins.
It’s really well done. It doesn’t feel “stage-y”. The film takes place mostly in the house in Washington Square, and that acts like something of a pressure cooker.
Wonderful overview of the transformation from Broadway to the screen! Great collaboration between Wyler and the Goetzs and much deserved awards all the way around. Makes me want to watch The Heiress this weekend! de Havilland’s performance was astounding as usual. Thanks Ruth, as always a fantastic read…
Wow, what a story, and what a great review! I’m glad Olivia pushed for this movie to be made–the Goetzes were quite a team. Thanks again for joining the blogathon. 🙂
Although I didn’t enjoy this movie when I first watched it, I love your review of it. Absolutely perfect. Thanks for sharing the background info on the making of it also.
Fantastic post! I love to learn about those backstage stories, they make a film much richer than it already is. I’m now thankful for Clift’s dance lessons and Wyler’s attention to Olivia, as botth were perfect in their roles.
Wow. How in the world have I not seen this? This just blows me away….that cast! I am so grateful to have you nudge me in the direction of these films…..thank you.
Psst—-Mrs. Charles is back. I missed her too much and have convinced myself that get get her back I HAVE to buckle down and learn that new editor. Anyway, she’s a dot org now, instead of a dot com. 😉
Sometimes the stories surrounding the production of a movie or play are as fascinating as the final product. I like how you captured the background to ‘The Heiress’.
I love the movie! It’s one of my favorite films. de Havilland is absolutely brilliant! It’s her best performance. Her transition from mousy spinster to dragon lady is vividly realized by the actress. And and what a great ending!
I found it fascinating that Ruth Goetz thought Olivia de Havilland “was no heavyweight.” Movies like Devotion, To Each His Own, and The Snake Pit all preceded The Heiress. Olivia was an accomplished actress long before The Heiress. As for the movie, it’s taken me many years to warm up to it, but it does seem have improved with age.
Oh I do need to watch this film. I have heard of it, but I am terrible for not watching movies that don’t have a happy ending. Not that I truly know the ending, as I’ve never seen it. X
This movie doesn’t have a conventional happy ending, but it has a very good ending. I hope you get the chance to see it, although you do have to be in the mood for it.
Those Broadway know it alls! Olivia was no heavyweight – hah! Of course, it’s great to have a guy like Wyler in your corner. Love this film and loved reading about it.
Silver Screenings 
Very interesting. Trust Wyler to see a great film in this play – and to cast it so well.
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You said it. Brilliant cast, isn’t it? Each actor is Perfect in their role.
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This film sounds fascinating, interesting to see a film of this play!
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It’s really well done. It doesn’t feel “stage-y”. The film takes place mostly in the house in Washington Square, and that acts like something of a pressure cooker.
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Hi. I haven’t seen it. How would you rate Clift’s performance?
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Clift is really good here. I totally believe he is Morris Townsend.
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Wonderful overview of the transformation from Broadway to the screen! Great collaboration between Wyler and the Goetzs and much deserved awards all the way around. Makes me want to watch The Heiress this weekend! de Havilland’s performance was astounding as usual. Thanks Ruth, as always a fantastic read…
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I never tire of this film, and you’re right about the well-deserved awards. If there’s such a thing as a perfect film, I think this would be it.
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Wow, what a story, and what a great review! I’m glad Olivia pushed for this movie to be made–the Goetzes were quite a team. Thanks again for joining the blogathon. 🙂
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The Goetzes were indeed quite a team, like you said. He was an office worker when they met, which is quite a change in careers!
Thanks for hosting this fab blogathon for four straight years. I always learn so much. 🙂
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I really want to see this—it sounds excellent!
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It is SUCH a good movie, with perfect casting. It was a difficult shoot, but you’d never know it.
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Now I just have to find it!
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Although I didn’t enjoy this movie when I first watched it, I love your review of it. Absolutely perfect. Thanks for sharing the background info on the making of it also.
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Thanks! Lots of behind-the-scenes stories here, to be sure.
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Never seen this movie, just heard about it… sounds great casting and you are adding yet another to the to watch list!!
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Oh yeah, the casting is SU-PERB! I hope you can see it. I’d love to hear what you think.
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Fantastic post! I love to learn about those backstage stories, they make a film much richer than it already is. I’m now thankful for Clift’s dance lessons and Wyler’s attention to Olivia, as botth were perfect in their roles.
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Clift’s dancing lessons was a brilliant idea, hey? They really made him seem like a 19th-Century man.
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Wow. How in the world have I not seen this? This just blows me away….that cast! I am so grateful to have you nudge me in the direction of these films…..thank you.
Psst—-Mrs. Charles is back. I missed her too much and have convinced myself that get get her back I HAVE to buckle down and learn that new editor. Anyway, she’s a dot org now, instead of a dot com. 😉
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Yay!! So, SO glad to hear Mrs Charles is back. That is great news! Let’s raise a glass to your fab blog. *clink!*
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*clink!* 😉
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Sometimes the stories surrounding the production of a movie or play are as fascinating as the final product. I like how you captured the background to ‘The Heiress’.
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So true. Many times the background stories are as interesting (or even more interesting) than the film itself.
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I love the movie! It’s one of my favorite films. de Havilland is absolutely brilliant! It’s her best performance. Her transition from mousy spinster to dragon lady is vividly realized by the actress. And and what a great ending!
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Oh yeah, she is A-MAZ-ING in this film. Her transformation is a big one, and so believable. It’s one of my fave films too.
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I found it fascinating that Ruth Goetz thought Olivia de Havilland “was no heavyweight.” Movies like Devotion, To Each His Own, and The Snake Pit all preceded The Heiress. Olivia was an accomplished actress long before The Heiress. As for the movie, it’s taken me many years to warm up to it, but it does seem have improved with age.
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I was surprised to read that too, especially given Olivia’s performance in The Snake Pit, etc., as you pointed out.
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Oh I do need to watch this film. I have heard of it, but I am terrible for not watching movies that don’t have a happy ending. Not that I truly know the ending, as I’ve never seen it. X
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This movie doesn’t have a conventional happy ending, but it has a very good ending. I hope you get the chance to see it, although you do have to be in the mood for it.
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Those Broadway know it alls! Olivia was no heavyweight – hah! Of course, it’s great to have a guy like Wyler in your corner. Love this film and loved reading about it.
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Oh yeah, with Wyler in your corner, you can’t lose. Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
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