It was no secret to much of the world that media titan William Randolph Hearst had more than just a little interest in the young actress Marion Davies. While his wife kept up appearances on the east coast, Ms. Davies was installed in Mr. Hearst's west coast palace in San Simeon, California. Filled to the brim with antiquities, paintings and opulence, it was the residence of WR's dreams. It's not hard to see who truly held his heart.
In keeping with his "guardianship", Mr. Hearst also guided Ms. Davies' acting career. To highlight his beloved Marion, he often chose roles for her and supplemented the movie's budget with his own funds. Such was the case in 1936's Cain and Mabel.
Starring opposite the legendary Clark Gable, Marion was assisted by the largesse of her benefactor, who paid $100,000 for Warner Brothers to enlarge one of its sound stages to accommodate the large set pieces.
Vain starlets aren't the only ones getting something lifted in Hollywood.
An enormous carousel was also custom built for an elaborate musical sequence at a cost of $35,000 which was also borne by Mr. Hearst. Keep in mind, this was in 1936 during the depths of the depression.
Brother can you spare 350,000 dimes?
The elaborate scenes and costly production was all for naught; the brothers Warner and Hearst lost their shirts on this one, though Marion did gain a carousel out of the deal. Mr. Hearst paid for the carousel to be dismantled and moved to Ms. Davies' Southern California mansion where it was used as a prop for their lavish parties.
