MOVIE

STORY BEHIND THE

What can you tell me about Heaven Can Wait? – A.

Director Ernst Lubitsch nearly lost his leading lady – because he shouted too much.

In their early days working together, Gene Tierney described the demanding filmmaker as a “tyrant”.

During one particularly angry exchange, she threatened to quit, to which Lubitsch replied: “I’m paid to shout at you.”

After a tense pause, the pair ended up laughing off their differences and developed a productive partnership.

The adaptation of Leslie Bush-fekete’s 1934 play Birthdays was nominated for three Oscars including best picture.