The Cat's Meow

The Cat's Meow

Marion Davies

W.R. Hearst

Charlie Chaplin

Thomas Ince

Elinor Glyn

Louella Parsons

Margaret Livingston

George Thomas

Dr. Daniel Goodman

Celia

Didi

Jessica Barham

Frank Barham

Elinor's Driver

Kono

Servant

Servant (as Despina Morou)

Servant

Jay - Saxophone

Andy - Banjo

Pianist

Drummer

Silent Movie Director

Mr. Cannonball

Mrs. Ince

While shooting the exteriors in Greece the crew were cursed with bad weather. It went from sunny to rainy and back again at the drop of a hat which caused major problems with continuity. The whole crew decided that it was the ghost of William Randolph Hearst who was at the bottom of it, unhappy that they were making such a film about him. On set, each time the weather changed for the worst someone would shout "That's Hearst!!".

The soundtrack for this film includes several songs performed by Paul Whiteman, including Somebody Loves Me, Say it with Music, and Stumbling. In reality, Whiteman would go on to marry Margaret Livingston, who is portrayed in this film by Claudia Harrison.

Joanna Lumley's bits of narration at the beginning and end of the film were recorded in a single take.

Elinor Glyn rides off in the back of a late-1927 Ford Model A.

As the Charleston dancers file out of the dining room, led by the saxophonist and banjo player, the sax and banjo sounds fade out, but so do the sounds of a piano and drum kit (which remain in the room).

In the opening of the film, Chaplin's hair is wind-blown in wide shots and neat in the close-ups.

Charlie Chaplin: Did you really believe I would stay away?

Elinor Glyn: [voiceover] To this day no two accounts of that weekend cruise are the same, including who, in fact, who was on the boat. There are no logs, you see, no records or photographs of any kind. And not a single person who was there wrote or spoke about that weekend, that is until significantly after the old man's death, and even then, only in riddles. Soon after Tom's death, Margaret Livingston's salary inexplicably jumped from three hundred to one thousand dollars a week. Eventually she retired to manage her husband, Paul Whiteman, the band leader who popularized the Charleston. Lolly got her lifetime contract, and for the next thirty years became the most powerful and feared gossip columnist in America. Three days after Tom's funeral Charlie married Lita Grey in Mexico. It lasted two years. He did however re-cast her role in "The Gold Rush" and re-shoot all of her scenes. Despite costing a small fortune the picture was a smashing success. It took three more years for W.R. let Marion do a full-fledged comedy. As Charlie predicted, she triumphed. She retired in 1937, but stayed by Hearst's side until his death at the age of 88.

W. R. Hearst: You ever eaten a seagull, Tom?