:02:00
is a western, and not
a dry run for the movie at hand.
:02:04
Arthur Lubin had no choice
in making Phantom.
:02:07
It was assigned to him-he never knew
why-but he loved the film.
:02:10
Making it was a very happy occasion,
and he always felt very lucky
:02:13
that he was assigned to it.
:02:15
Arthur lived to be 94, and to the end
of his life, he was proud of this picture.
:02:20
His assistant director was Charlie Gould,
who was Lubin's regular assistant.
:02:25
This camera move,
coming off the chandelier
:02:28
to reveal Edgar Barrier at the curtains,
was Gould's suggestion.
:02:31
Lubin told me that Gould
was related to Ernst Laemmle,
:02:34
and he was a very creative man
full of wonderful suggestions,
:02:37
and that he wanted to be a director.
"He would direct me" said Lubin,
:02:41
and he'd whisper to his director "It would
be better if you'd go over this way",
:02:46
and suggest an alternate setup
for the camera.
:02:50
Lubin was born in Los Angeles in 1901.
:02:53
He was four years behind Harold Lloyd
at San Diego High School,
:02:56
and Lloyd got the teenage movie-crazy
Lubin into a real movie studio,
:02:59
Famous Players-Lasky,
during a summer vacation break.
:03:03
Lloyd said "If anyone asks,
you're my assistant."
:03:06
"Lie. Say you're the nephew
of Sigmund Lubin
:03:08
of the Lubin Studio in Philadelphia."
:03:11
Lubin watched de Mille direct
:03:13
and observed Lloyd create his
Lonesome Luke character for Hal Roach.
:03:17
Graduating from Carnegie Tech,
Lubin produced four plays in New York
:03:20
and became an actor in the theatre.
:03:22
He had worked for B Iden Payne
in a two-character drama, Jealousy,
:03:26
and Payne called Arthur in to help
on a new show, The Red Poppy.
:03:29
It seemed they engaged their lead
from Budapest,
:03:32
and when Mr Bela Lugosi arrived, they
found out he couldn't speak any English.
:03:36
Lubin was assigned to teach Bela English
between rehearsals and at night.
:03:40
I asked Mr Lubin
if he taught Lugosi phonetically,
:03:43
and Arthur just smiled silently.
:03:45
I then asked him "Did you teach him
with great difficulty?"
:03:48
and Lubin laughed affirmatively.
:03:50
Bela was grateful,
and they became friends,
:03:52
and Lubin was invited to the opening
of Dracula at the Fulton Theater in 1927.
:03:57
Lubin returned to California
in the late 1920s