:23:02
He really transformed himself over
a long period of time into somebody else.
:23:06
And that was the person that I knew.
:23:09
Rains accepted the role of the Phantom,
with one special provision.
:23:13
He refused to wear an elaborate make-up.
:23:16
He dreaded being typecast in fright films,
:23:18
and had previously turned down the Basil
Rathbone part in Son of Frankenstein.
:23:25
The opera, of course,
always has its prima donna.
:23:29
When it came to Universal monsters,
there was only one contender for the title.
:23:34
The great Jack Pierce,
the dictator of all dictators.
:23:38
Nobody was ever late
at Jack Pierce's office.
:23:41
You never dared to be five minutes late.
When he said be there at 7.30,
:23:46
or sometimes 5.30 in the morning,
you had to be there.
:23:50
I was late once at Jack Pierce's office.
:23:53
The first and the last time.
I never did it again.
:23:57
Pierce's authority was never challenged
for a simple reason:
:24:02
Jack Pierce was a marvellous make-up
man, and the best in the business.
:24:07
Pierce had to keep simplifying
the Phantom's face of fire
:24:10
until it met with Rains' approval.
:24:12
Sensitivity to returning combat veterans,
many of them disfigured,
:24:17
also caused the producers
to tread carefully.
:24:25
As late as December 1942,
:24:28
Universal's junior songbird
Gloria Jean seemed to have the part.
:24:32
But when prerecording
started before Christmas,
:24:34
the role of Christine
was being played by Susanna Foster,
:24:37
a 17-year-old singing prodigy
from the Midwest.
:24:42
Susanna had grown up in awe
of Hollywood singer Jeanette MacDonald.
:24:46
She rivalled her idol
in beauty and star presence.
:24:50
Christine, you're going to be
a great and famous singer.
:24:54
The kind of a star Susie Foster is,
:24:56
is somebody that you feel
is absolutely sincere in what she does.