I heard Maureen talking about it on Larry King. Infact, I found a transcript of that part of the discussion:
O'HARA: Harry Cohen was going to buy "My Fair Lady" for me, and...
KING: No kidding?
O'HARA: Yes, and a big company started bidding against him.
KING: Oh.
O'HARA: And he sent for me one day and he said, Maureen...
KING: Cohen was Columbia, right.
O'HARA: Right. Wonderful man.
KING: You were the one that liked him.
O'HARA: I loved him.
KING: Why did he tell jokes about people hating him?
O'HARA: He liked probably to cover up his soft heart.
(CROSSTALK)
O'HARA: I'll tell you -- if you have time I'll tell you a fabulous story about Harry Cohen.
KING: We've got a couple of minutes.
O'HARA: And they have never, ever printed it or done anything about it. I was under part contract with Columbia and I got on very well with Harry Cohen and he used to say she's the only dame that has the guts to come in and sit down and look at me and talk to me. But anyway, I did, because I liked him and I got a call one day from a secretary that I was to come in and see him that afternoon and I thought, oh, my God. What have I done now? I'm going get hell for something.
So I went in and he always gave me a kiss on both cheeks and he did and he said sit down, I wanted you to stay with me this afternoon and I thought stay with him, what for? And he said, Maureen you're the only person I know who understands Judaism and Catholicism and he said I know your whole background.
I've learned everything about you. I know your that your family was in the clothing business. You were Christians in the clothing business. I know your mother was a singer and he went through, my father was a sportsman, soccer, and he said, my boys and my wife are becoming Catholics this afternoon. Would you stay with me?
Well, every minute he was looking at the watch, looking at the watch and then the tears started to roll down his cheeks, this tough old boy, softy.
KING: What a story. They converted?
O'HARA: They converted and then suddenly he looked at his watch and said, all right. You can go now. And I got up and he gave me a big hug and a kiss on each cheek and he said thank you. Good-bye.
KING: When 3200 people came to his funeral and somebody asked George Gessel (ph) if he wasn't well-liked why did so many people come, and he said give the public what it wants and they'll show up.
O'HARA: He was a wonderful, kind man but he was a tough, tough businessman. But that's what he was supposed to be.
KING: So had bought "My Fair Lady" -- had he won the bidding you'd have been Eliza Dolittle?
O'HARA: And the other terrible disappointment in my life was Darryl Zanuck cast me in "Anna and the King of Siam" because I sing -- or I did sing and Lou Shriber was second-in-command at 20th Century Fox and Lou called me and said, Maureen I'm going into New York with your recordings to tie up the deal. Wish me luck because I have to see Rogers and Hammerstein. He went into New York. He saw Rogers and Hammerstein and he said Darryl Zanuck wants her to play Anna and they said, what, a pirate queen play our Anna? Never. And I didn't get to do it.
KING: "The King and I."
O'HARA: "The King and I," but years later I told them how I would have played it and they asked me, would I do it on Broadway in a revival and I said, you turned me down once. You don't get a second chance.
KING: You're tough.
O'HARA: That's me. No. I've got integrity.
KING: Why didn't you sing more in movies. You never got musicals, right?
O'HARA: No.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0010/28/lklw.00.html
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
Updated On: 10/1/05 at 12:24 PM
