The Remarkable Life of John Weld (2018) - full transcript

♪♪

(water bubbling)

(gasping and sputtering)

(panting)

Hello, is anyone
out there?

Anyone out there?

(whoosh)

I see somebody.
I see somebody!

I see 'em
in the ocean!

Swim to me, swim to me!

Come on, hold the light.
Hold the light!



Give me your hand!
(whimpering)

Reach out!
Reach out, reach out!

Let's go.

Ohh.

Pull her back.
Pull her in.

There we go.

He's drowning!

Where?
John!

John...

[John] Those moments
which precede death

are likely to be filled
with images of one's past,

and so it was with me.

The sinking ship was sucking me
through the tiny orifice

which is the exit
from the world.



During the brief interval
of consciousness,

a myriad of remembrances
and reflections

spun through my mind.

I wanted to take with me as many
memories as I could conjure

and to review my misjudgments
and mistakes.

(water bubbling)

(laughing)
Look at him.

He's scared,
he won't do it.

[Boy #2] You chicken.
Come on, jump!

It's not deep.
You scared?

My little sister
would do it.

[Roger] Well, John was standing
on the side,

and an older boy yelled out,
"Are you afraid to come in?"

Come on, John,
jump!

That did it.

John just jumped right in,

even though he-- he'd never
been swimming in his life.

He couldn't swim.

[Lee] But he didn't care.

I think that was
probably the beginning

of that crazy, daredevil,

"I'm just gonna have fun with
all my friends, I don't care.

Throw caution to the wind."

[Sherri] This man
dives into life.

He dives into the moment,
he dives into the experience,

he dives into his relationships
with people.

[Lou] He's also one
of these characters

that tended to show up
in the most unusual places

and have the most
wonderful experiences

and friends and opportunities.

There was never
a dull moment.

There were hard moments
and not-so-hard moments,

but never dull.

[Sherri] John's mom planted
the seeds in him.

"There's love out there.
Expect it and find it."

[Sena] I believe it was
definitely the love of a

woman like Katy

that changed
John Weld's life forever.

The love that they
carried and shared

and showed others...
was phenomenal.

John was lucky, I must say.

But, you know
why he was lucky?

'Cause he made his own luck.

It was the journey
for John...

and not the endpoint
that he was looking for.

Uh... it was--
it was that journey.

♪♪

[Chris] John Weld was
born in Hendersonville,

North Carolina.

Unfortunately,
his father died

not too long
after his birth

when he was about
six months old.

Although his father
was in the insurance business,

he never bought
any life insurance,

and so when he passed away,

there was no money in the estate
and they were broke.

And my great grandmother,

having difficulty
with finances

and wanting to provide
a, uh, a father,

met a man in Atlanta,
Mr. Lewis.

And, uh, they were married.

[John] Mr. Lewis and I did not
get along well.

I was jealous of him,
and we were always vying

for Mother's attention.

He moved mother,
my sister Eleanor, and I

to Birmingham, Alabama.

We settled into an apartment
on 13th Street,

and in the building's basement
I met a man

who became
like a father to me.

His name was Brown.

Not Mister Brown or George Brown
or Ambrose Brown.

He was just plain Brown.

Brown, look
what I found!

Well, shut my mouth!

Ain't that a find?

I think Brown was quite
a great influence on John

at a time when he needed a--
a man to look up to.

I got a speculation
you was born with a caul.

What's a caul?

It's like a heavenly cap

that some folks
is wearing when they born.

The Lord put it there
to show 'em that they extra.

[Sena]
He saw something in John.

He wanted John to really know
that he was special.

You special.

That he had a special
quality about him.

I think that was
probably the first time

John got the idea that,

"Oh, maybe I can go places
and do things."

[John]
After schooling and chores,

I'd spend time with Brown,

helping out with jobs
around the building.

During the summers,
my mother packed me off

to my aunt's home
in North Carolina.

Her husband, my Uncle Billy,
was a doctor.

[Roger] Uncle Billy was
a classic country doctor.

He'd have a horse and buggy,
and John would go with him.

(horse nickering)

John always marveled that

he always treated white people
and black people the same.

There was no difference.

[Young John]
Uncle Billy, how come

you treat the black folks

just the same
as the white folks?

Well, John, you should
always judge and respect a man

on the basis of his character,
not his color.

You understand?
Yes, sir.

[Roger] He was a
great influence in his life.

Never spoke profanity.
Never raised his temper.

He was just a very good man.

[John]
Uncle Billy and Brown

did more to build
my psychic structure

than any teachers I've known.

(distant train whistle)

[James]
Weld tells us

that he got his first job
delivering papers.

What's interesting
about that

is it reminds us
of the primacy of newspapers

in the time in which
Weld was growing up.

Newspapers were the media.

I mean, radio is beginning,

visual things like television
were years away,

and the world
centered around newspapers.

That's how you learned
what happened.

[John] I read sections of
the "Birmingham Age-Herald"

each morning,
and I enjoyed the poems

submitted by readers.

Each morning along my route,
a big dog snarled at me,

so I wrote my first poem
about that dog.

I rhymed "bite" with "fright"
and "hit" with "stick."

Uhh!

It must have been awful,

but the "Age-Herald"
printed it.

[James] And he got the thrill,
which is unlike any,

of seeing his name
in print.

[John] I spent my high school
years at a military

school in Tennessee,

mainly to get me
out of the house

and away from my stepfather.

"I have no life but this,
to lead it here.

Nor any death but less
dispelled from there."

[John] During the summers,
I stayed at school

and lived in a co-ed
boarding house.

One day, after
visiting hours had ended,

I found myself
in the second floor room

of a lovely young lady.
That's beautiful.

Emily Dickinson.

That's your
favorite, right?

I just feel so scandalous
having you in my room.

We haven't done
anything scandalous.

[Lee] The landlady...
Yet.

...that would come by
at a certain time

and knock on everybody's door
to make sure

you're in your rooms,
'cause it was co-ed.

You're not supposed to be
in somebody else's room,

especially if it was a female.

John started hearing
the landlord

knocking on the doors.

(knocking on door)

[woman]
Miss Lisa?

Open this door!

There. At least now it'll
be worth the repercussions.

[Lee] He's on the second story,
so he's like,

"Oh, I gotta get outta here."

♪♪

[John] I had no idea at the time
that this embarrassing stunt

was a harbinger of much riskier
things to come.

I started college

at the Alabama
Polytechnic Institute,

which later became
Auburn University,

and enjoyed the writing program.

But at the close
of my first year,

Mother had sent a letter
along with a check for $100.

She explained that she was
divorcing my stepfather.

I felt sad for her,
but I wouldn't miss Mr. Lewis.

But this meant the end
of my college days.

I'm sorry to push you
out of the nest so soon,

but I think it best
you start seeing the world.

You might go to Kansas City
where your sister is living.

Good luck,
and write to me often.

She had done all she could to
get me started up life's ladder.

My umbilical cord
had been cut.

Suddenly, I was alone.

[Debora]
My sense of John is

he was pretty good
at picking himself up

and getting on with it.

[Lou] He was in Atlanta
with some friends of his.

(car horn blares)
He was 17 years old,

and Hollywood beckoned.

(laughing)
Where you guys been?

Tommy here was
holding us up.

Been waiting
for an hour.

[Lou] And so they got in a car,

and I think they had
$5 to their name,

and headed cross-country.

[John] Los Angeles,
here we come.

♪♪

[John] Although we four
adventurers were without funds,

we were not
without resources.

We had learned
that one can cover

a multitude of deficiencies with
graciousness and good manners.

We keep rolling?

(engine starts)

[Lou] Back in those days,
there was no Central Casting,

so every movie studio
had their own casting office,

and so they would
make the rounds

to the various studios
back then

and try to get work
as an extra,

because an extra paid
$7.50 per day,

which was a lot of money
back then.

[John] Day after day,
exuding charm to make friends,

we went the rounds of these
fantasy factories.

So you ever done
any background work before?

N-No, sir.
But I'm a fast learner.

I pick up things
real fast.

And I love the movies.

Especially the--
the cowboy pictures.

You ride horses?
Uh, yeah, sure can.

If you wanted to be
in the film industry,

you just had to show up
at one of the studios

and find out when they're
gonna have a casting call.

And there was a man at the gate
who could tell you,

"Yeah, there's going to be one
here tomorrow morning at 8:00."

It was difficult because
they weren't the only ones

out in Hollywood
looking for work.

A lot of other people
were out there,

so there was a lot
of competition.

Well, after a couple of weeks
in Hollywood, you know,

they couldn't find
any extra work,

and so his friends
decided they'd had enough,

and they headed back to Georgia
and took the car,

left him a note saying,
"Goodbye, we're outta here."

So, John was left
out here by himself.

♪♪

You know, he's a very physical
guy, very athletic,

and so he actually
joined the swim team

at the Ambassador Hotel
and swam competitively for them.

So while he was swimming
for the Ambassador Hotel,

he noticed that there was a call
there for extras for a film,

and they needed swimmers.

And so they held the auditions
at the Ambassador.

[Marc] They were asking people,
"Can you swim?"

First of all, "Can you swim?"
That's number one.

Can you dive?
"Can you dive," number two.

Yeah, you bet.

Can you be available
this Monday?

We're taking a whole unit
out to Santa Cruz Island.

I-- I'm hired?

I mean, yes, I-I can.
I mean, I am.

Great. You're gonna
be featured in a big
fantasy sequence.

You'll need to come
by the studio tomorrow

to be fitted
for your fish suit.

Sorry, a-- a fish suit?

So, Fox was sending the cast
and crew to Santa Cruz Island.

While they were there, there was
a stunt that was coming up.

Now, mind you,
John and his buddy

were just background swimmers.

But all of a sudden,
there's this stunt

that two stuntmen were supposed
to jump off this cliff.

It was like 135 feet.

Back then and even today,
we calculate how much

you're gonna get paid per stunt
and the danger involved.

I think back then,
it was a dollar a foot

for the first 25 feet,

$5 a foot to the next
50 feet,

and then 10 per foot after that,
so on and so forth.

So, it turns out

that this stunt
was gonna cost $1,000.

That's a lot of money back then.

Gotta cut the dive.

Rubbish, we're not
cutting the dive.

The dive is the scene.

Look, just ask
one of the extras.

They look fit enough.

I'm not sure
that's a good idea.

Oh, please.

Gentlemen...
would either of you

care to make a little
extra money today?

Yeah, sure.
Great.

Horace here
will fill you in.

Good luck.

How's 60 bucks sound?

Well, what do we gotta do?

Dive off that cliff
into the cove.

It's not very high.

Yeah, not high at all.

Great.
Let's get you into place.

We're losing daylight.

Sure you
wanna do that?

It's pretty high.

Yeah, well, 60 bucks

just made it
a whole lot lower.

[Lee]
It was a lot of money.

It was a lot of money
back then.

And he was young, first--

"Yeah, I'm gonna
do a stunt.

Absolutely,
I'm on a movie set."

[John]
It was imperative

that I do the dive.

At that time in my life,

I badly needed self-confidence
and a proud heart.

It was my first movie stunt.

But in getting
to the top of the cliff,

a rock had dislodged
and struck me on the head.

The doctor took
three stitches to my head,

and after two shots of bourbon
to calm my nausea,

I set out again.

Hey, are you okay?

Uh, no, actually,
I took a pretty bad--

He's fine!
Let's go again!

[Lee] Stuntmen back then
had to definitely have

some kind of athletic ability,
for sure.

But, more so
than that... that...

that crazy edge to them,

that they're just gonna do
anything you ask them to do.

Here we go!
Walk all the way out!

I can relate.
(laughing)

A little furth--
What's his name?

Uh...

John Weld.

[Lee] The big difference
between stunts

back in the early '20s, '30s,
compared to today,

number one, is safety.

Not just the safety
precautions that--

that go along within setting up,
prepping a stunt,

but, um...
also, the equipment.

And besides that, back then,
there wasn't any training.

You just did it.

He was taking a big risk,
because there was no regulation

of any kind
of sets in those days.

Okay, John,
you're doin' great!

Keep going,
all the way to the edge!

[John]
Looking down,

I was dumbfounded by
the distance to the water.

[Director]
Here we go, right there.

[Lee]
So at 135 feet,

when you're jumping in
and you're diving headfirst,

you can snap your neck.

You could really do
a lot of damage.

That was a serious stunt,

as a first stunt,
especially.

Roll?

Roll camera!

Rolling!

(camera clacking)

And... action!

Dive!

Look at him, he's scared.

[Boy]
You chicken.

(echoing)
Come on, jump!

(seagulls calling)

[John] I was astonished
I was still alive.

My back ached and blood
streamed down my face

as I swam out of the scene.

My scalp needed
18 stitches.

-Hey.
-Hey... you okay?

That was the first time
that he really

applied the confidence
that he had from growing up

and his ability to really
assess and use his gifts

and his talents to say,
"I'm here... what can I do?

"Oh, okay, I can do that.

I can figure it out."

He just had a look around
and he literally,

in a crazy way,

just dove in and really
embraced the situation

as it presented itself.

Once that stunt happened,

word got around Hollywood
really quick.

The offers
really came in for him,

so it really kind of catapulted
his career at that point.

John worked with
very famous stars,

which he would double
for them in stunts--

Charlie Chaplin,
John Barrymore, Tom Mix.

[Lee] He was doing high dives
and riding horses,

jumping on the top of trains,
which is highly complex.

Coming out of cars, flipping
cars, turning cars over.

He just went for it.

The guy had a lot
of gumption, man.

[Lou]
John was very handsome,

well-mannered,
and in great demand

to accompany the women that were
single to various social events.

And, so, that got him
into a lot of parties

and a social crowd

that he probably wouldn't
otherwise get into.

Getting into parties got me
into some wonderful situations,

and some that I
should have avoided.

Mainly situations with women.

[Lou]
John Weld met Josephine Butterly

while they were dancing
at the Coconut Grove,

and the two hit it off
immediately.

I find you a most charming
companion, Mr. Weld.

I can't say when I've had
a more wonderful time out.

The feeling is quite mutual,
Miss Butterly.

[Lou]
He was very taken with her.

She's telling him
her sad tale of woe

about how she was
engaged to be married

and her boyfriend
jilted her.

I think you're feeling
what I'm feeling.

Am I right... John?

I believe I am,
Miss Butterly.

She actually
proposed to him and said...

Let's get married.

He was very impetuous
and thought...

Sure, why not?
Let's.

[Lou]
And so he did.

So, John had told her he was 23.
He actually was 19.

And he had no money.

So that marriage
did not last long.

Give me one second!
I promise--

[John]
The whole affair ended

about as fast
as it had begun.

I had no more business
marrying Josephine

than I had going to the moon.

It was utterly reckless of me
to say that I would, but I did.

But for me, marrying a girl
I hardly knew was in character.

Josephine!

I was rescuing
a lady in distress,

but I didn't
learn my lesson well.

In no time at all,
I was involved

with another eager lady,
Elizabeth Buemiller.

When she took John over
to introduce him to his mother,

they hit it off,
but then her--

her mother advised
she was going to Europe.

Bon voyage.

Thank you, Mr. Weld.
Cheers.

How long
will you be gone?

About six months.
Mm.

I asked Betty
to go with me,

but she said she'd rather
stay here with you.

(chuckling)
Oh!

I'm flattered.

I don't want
to leave her alone.

John said, "Well,
I'll watch out for her."

And her mother said...

That's what worries me.

I don't want you two
living together.

Why don't you get married?

Um...

And John was game
for it again.

What do you say?
Are you game?

Are you willing
to marry a pauper?

(gasps)
Of course.

(gasps)

He always wanted a home
and a loving woman, so forth,

so they got married.

(glasses clink)

Cheers.

[Roger] And the same thing
happened there.

They had no funds
and began to argue.

John, we needed
the money.

[John]
Betty became pregnant.

There were doctor bills.

It paid $20!
That's not the point.

You should have
asked me first.

[John]
Betty earned $20

posing for a photographer,

and this caused our first
serious quarrel.

I'll find a job, Betty.

[John] I'd been brought up to
consider it degrading for a man

for his wife to work.
(door slams)

And her doing so pointed up
my failure to provide.

[Lou]
When he got home one night,

his wife wasn't there,

and found out that she was
having an abortion.

Elizabeth.

You should go.

John, I'm done.

Just go. Please.

And that was the end
of the marriage,

which left him devastated.

♪♪

[John]
Sorely wounded by my marriage,

I cried inside.

For a while I avoided companions
and kept to myself,

trying to regain my balance
and self-respect.

[Deborah] John had a lot
of women in his life,

and I don't think
he was just philandering

as much as he was...
searching, I think.

I think he needed a woman
to lift him up.

His mother had...
not done that.

Was he looking
for a mother in women?

Maybe.

I think that's
what he was doing.

That's how I would
analyze it.

♪♪

[Marc] John had the opportunity
to "be in"

a film with ZaSu Pitts.

People know ZaSu Pitts
as a comedienne.

She was a quirky-looking woman
and with a strange voice,

but she was actually
a very serious actress.

In the story, the heroine
was really upset

about a relationship,
so she was going to

jump into these rapids
down below and kill herself.

They asked John
to do the stunt.

[John] We were on location
in Northern California

on the Feather River.

This was a mean
and roaring river,

frigid from the mountain
snowmelt of the Sierra Nevadas.

The jump is one thing.

Then your landing
in the river is another.

There are rocks in the river,
there's a current.

But this is another problem.

He had to wear
a full dress

and a hat and a wig
to do this jump.

That could be very dangerous
as well, it could get entangled,

and anything could happen.

This is a highly
dangerous stunt.

(river roaring)

(director)
Okay, John!

Wait for my signal.

Get ready to jump!

♪♪

Stand by, John!

[John] At once I was sucked
into the cascading stream.

(John sputtering
and coughing)

I think once he hit the water
and the current took him,

he's struggling,
gasping for air.

So he's doing his best to,
you know, survive at that point.

(John gasping and sputtering)

He's barely making it.
He's almost drowning.

[Lee]
A mile down the river...

he's able to pull himself
to safety.

(coughing and grunting)

[Marc] When they pulled him out,
they tried to ask him...

You okay?

(coughing)
Yeah, I think so.

All right, good job.
Movin' on!

[Marc] Once he said he's okay
and everything,

they just went on
to the next thing

like nothing had happened.

This is the life
of a stuntman.

"Thank you very much, but,
you know, let's move on.

We don't really give a damn."

[John]
I lay there panting

and thought how paradoxical
it is that man,

who lives in continual fear
of hunger, disease, ignorance,

poverty, and death,

struggles to stretch out
the time allotted him.

I think,
with a stunt like that,

when you're that close
to death's door...

it makes you
reevaluate everything.

The epiphany was, what am I
going to do with my life?

I climbed out of that frigid
river with too many questions.

Where do I go from here?

More of this
or something else?

I wish I had the clarity
of purpose and direction

that I saw in others,
like the young, aspiring actor

that I befriended
in my apartment building.

How do I look?

Mm, like a fool.

You're just jealous
'cause I get more ladies.

Mm! You sure
the movies are for you?

I mean, your name--
Clark.

It's sort of
namby-pamby for a marquee.

No, it's not.
Yeah, and your ears,

they stick out too far.

They're way too big
for your head.

Hey, do my ears
stick out too far?

No.
They look just fine.

Okay, let's get you
in front of the backdrop.

[Lou] Clark Gable, who at that
point was a dress extra,

which meant that
he had his own tuxedo,

and so, therefore, he could
appear in these costume films

and he got paid twice what
an extra would make normally.

They hit it off as friends.

[Marc]
Clark Gable was like John.

Both of them wanted to break
into the film industry.

But, you see, Clark
was very much focused

on being an actor,
but John wasn't.

John didn't particularly
want to be an actor.

John was waffling, "What am I
gonna do" kind of a thing.

He saw what you have to do
to be in this business

and looked at Gable and sort of
gave him his advice.

[John] I think the place for you
is the theater.

Movies are too phony.

There's no way you're ever
gonna become a movie star.

So this was the advice
that, of course,

that was given
to someone who became

one of the greatest actors
in film of all time.

(camera shutter clicks)

[John]
I admired Gable

for laughing away
my suggestions

and sticking
with his passion.

In return
for my useless guidance,

he gave me something useful--

the kick in the pants
to pursue my dream.

[Marc]
When you're in Hollywood,

part of your life experience
as being in the film industry

is the social life,
the Hollywood Colony.

You have to meet everyone--
the publicists, the writers,

the actresses, the actors,
the producers, directors.

You have to network
among all these people.

So, at one point,
he finds himself at a party

at the Beverly Hills home
of Marian Davies,

who was the common law wife
of William Randolph Hearst,

the most powerful publisher
in the world.

At that party
was Louella Parsons,

who was also a very,
very powerful columnist

who could make or break
careers in Hollywood.

You, sir, are either
an actor I don't know

or a young man
who should be an actor.

No, ma'am,
I'm not an actor.

Well, why not?

You're handsome
enough for it.

You do know who I am?

Yes, I do.
I read your column.

[Lou]
Louella Parsons says,

"I can get you
a screen test at MGM.

"You know, you'll get paid
$75 per week,

a seven-year contract."

Um, I am
very flattered, but...

He just resisted this

and decided to ask her
for something else.

What I really want to do
is write, like you do.

To be a reporter, to write
for maybe a newspaper,

'cause she was connected
to the Hearst newspapers.

Telephone this number.

[Marc]
And she did get him a job.

He left Hollywood
and went to New York.

He made the right choice
and Gable made his choice.

Gable was angry at him
for not taking the MGM job.

He wanted that job,
but it's obvious

that John didn't want that.

Thank you, Miss Parsons.

[Sherri] John had an incredible
sense inside himself

of what he was looking for,
so even though

all of these things
were exciting and glamorous,

it didn't seduce him.

It didn't take him off track.

Well, with Louella Parsons'
recommendation,

he was offered a job in New York
at one of Hearst's newspapers

and started there at $25 a week
as a cub reporter.

When John did something,
he committed to it.

And I think that's what he did
when he went to New York.

He listened to those who had
been doing it for a long time

and had the sense that,

"I could--
I could then do that."

The center of journalism in
the United States was New York,

not Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. at that time
was a swampy capitol

that no one wanted to have
anything to do with.

The center
of the United States,

when it came to
entertainment, theater,

banking, newspapers,
was New York.

So, if you wanted a job
that involved writing,

and you wanted to be
at the center of the action,

Weld was on the right path to
come to New York in the 1920s,

because that's when
newspapers were thriving.

It was the job to have
for an aspiring writer.

[John] It was hard for me to
believe that here I finally was,

a country boy who went to
Hollywood, became a stuntman,

and now at a desk
in a big city newspaper,

the "New York American."

I don't know what you get
from falling off a building.

It seems terrifying to me.

But the adrenaline rush that
you get as a journalist,

even today, is what attracts
many people to that.

First of all,
you get to be a witness.

You get to be a witness
to the greatest human dramas--

murder, politics,
scandals, corruption.

I mean, you're right there
seeing these things unfold.

So, if you're
interested in humanity,

there's no better box seat
to the pageantry of life

than being a journalist.

[John] I quickly came to learn
that pictures

were an important ingredient
to the paper.

A few days into the job,
I was sent to Queens

to obtain photographs
of a woman

who'd been murdered
in Manhattan.

None of my competitors

managed to get into
her locked apartment,

but, drawing on
my Hollywood derring-do,

I climbed up
the back fire escape

and entered through
an unlocked window

and snagged
some framed photos

off the victim's dresser.

There's enormous pressure
on a young man

entering a newspaper like that
to have a scoop,

because if you had a scoop,

it had economic consequences
for the newspaper,

because for that next hour,
you dominated the sales.

After that,
the other paper could

and did steal your story
and reproduce it.

Nice work, Weld.
Don't know how you do it.

Probably don't wanna know,
but keep it up.
Okay.

[John] The next edition
of the "American"

was the only paper in New York
that printed the picture

of the deceased
and her family.

Thereafter, whenever there were
pictures to be procured,

I was sent to get them.

[James] So Weld got things
that no one else had.

That mattered
when news was competitive.

[John] Mostly my assignments
as a cub reporter

for the next few months were
interviewing celebrities

and reporting their scandalous
activities and marital troubles.

And they were
definitely, uh... involved?

[James] It's an intoxicating,
vivacious, exciting world

for a young man
with writing aspirations,

for somebody like John Weld,

to arrive in a newsroom
in New York at that time.

It was noisy.

It was using
all the latest technology.

They had telephones.

They had reporters
on beat systems,

calling in the stories.

[John]
As a cub reporter,

I saw so much of death
that I should have

come to understand it.

I covered tragedies,
victims of accidents,

the murdered,
and those who had died

by their own hands.

Today, in the 21st century,
if we want news,

we turn to CNN
or something like that

that's constantly updated.

That was the Internet.

That was the CNN of that time,

were these hourly papers
that were published

and on the street,
sold by those newsies,

those boys who hawked
the papers.

And so the big events
of that town were chronicled,

not in a lazy,
24-hour news cycle,

but were chronicled instantly
as they happened.

[John] Now and then, I wrote
a feature story

such as an old woman
who was evicted

because she kept
a house full of cats.

These early stories were heavily
rewritten by the editors.

Within a year, my authorship
actually appeared

much as I had written it.

I was becoming a writer.

In the 1920s, if you
aspired to be a writer,

Paris was the Mecca.

That's the place
you wanted to be,

and there were
a lot of reasons for it.

So, to start with,
if you were a person

who had very little money--
let's say, "writer,"

by definition-- Paris would be
the perfect place to go.

For a few dollars,
you could get

a walkup flat
on the Left Bank,

surrounded by inspiring
artists of all sorts,

and for a couple more bucks,
you could drink all day

in a café, while drinking

was outlawed
in the United States.

And also, it offered
sexuality of a kind

that America didn't.

I mean, America was just

a very puritanical country
in the '20s,

and Paris offered a kind of
liberation that was,

for somebody like Weld,
probably a perfect place to go.

This was the period of time
when Lindbergh

made his famous flight
to Paris,

and he had got
a great opportunity

to go to Paris to report
on this great flight.

[John] By then, Lindbergh
madness was at its height.

My job was to follow him
and note down

every word he uttered,
no matter how banal.

I reported everything he ate,
how he liked his eggs,

if he used cream in his coffee
or lemon in his tea.

[Chris] It didn't matter,
you know, how mundane.

They would write it down
and then report it

so it could be, you know,

broadcast out
on the newspaper.

And that was kind of
his start in-- in Paris.

♪♪

[John] When Lindbergh returned
to the United States,

I decided I'd stay put.

If I was going to
become a real writer,

then Paris is where
I needed to be.

He knew nobody and he trusted
that this was the opportunity

to learn to write, to make
connections with people.

He was completely immersed in,
"How do I learn?

"How do I refine my craft?

"How do I develop
my soul as a writer?

How do I develop my skills
as a writer?"

[John]
The sidewalk cafes alone

are worth the expense
of crossing the Atlantic.

There are theaters in which
you can sit for hours,

sipping liquids and watching
the drama of life.

So, Weld, as a stringer
in Paris, needing a job,

was attracted by the fact
that Paris had a daily,

English-speaking,
English newspaper,

the "Paris Herald Tribune,"

and that's where
a lot of writers ended up

getting their--
their money from

while they engaged
in creative writing at night.

It's also very important--
I mean, anyone

who came into Paris,
first thing you would do

would be pick up a copy
of the "Herald Tribune"

to see what had happened.

[John]
The fabulous '20s was an era

of literary hijinks
and wonderful nonsense,

and the Paris edition of
the "New York Herald Tribune"

was its chronicler.

One of the advantages
for Weld

being a reporter
for the "Paris Herald"

and being in Paris
is that it was

a destination of choice
for many famous Americans.

So, in the course of a week,
you know, people like

Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
who was then governor

of the State of New York,
would have come to Paris,

or other famous people,
so for somebody like Weld,

he would have had contact with
all of these luminaries easily,

and they would have
had to pay attention to him

because he was from the press.

So, as part of his daily work
for the "Paris Herald Tribune,"

it would have been normal
for an editor to say,

"Look who's coming
to town next week.

It's Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
You need to cover him."

[John]
As I came up, his son James

was escorting him
into the hotel.

Roosevelt
greeted me graciously

and answered questions
as I strolled alongside.

Governor, any comment on the
rumor you're running

for President?

(laughs)
Young man, I can't run.

[James]
That's not true.

If they want him
to run, he'll run.

Pay no attention to him,
he's my son.

Yeah, well,
it's a good quote.

Well, then quote him,
not me.
Thank you.

[James] A newspaper like
the "Paris Herald"

was a one-stop
entertainment machine.

It carried wire copy
with news from back home

and international news,
and perhaps most important

for a lot of people,
it contained gossip.

That's how when Weld
walked into the newsroom,

if there was a name he might
have known in the newsroom

from reading the paper, it would
have been Sparrow Robinson.

Un autre Gin Rickey,
s’il vous plait.

[John] Sparrow wrote a column
called "Sporting Gossip"

that was precisely that--

a record of his daily
and nightly wanderings

and the persons he met
and their chitchat.

It was the most popular feature
in the paper.

He was a heavy drinker,
and the alcohol

seemed to bring out
the best in him.

Paris was a community open
to somebody like John Weld,

but his trump card was,
of course, he had
an introduction.

As a reporter
for the "Paris Herald,"

being accompanied
by Sparrow Robinson,

he would have met anybody
that was important

in the creative world
of Paris.

It was an intoxicating moment
for a young man like Weld

with writing aspirations.

Paris, uh, was really
the dazzling place in Europe

for writers and artists

and anybody connected
with the arts.

Picasso was there,
Hemingway,

Eugene O'Neill,
Ford Madox Ford.

They were all there.

John Weld,
a man in his 20s in Paris,

was in the catbird seat.

I mean,
he would have had access

to everyone
that we now venerate.

Sparrow Robinson
would have been the key

to an introduction
to some of these people.

Sparrow,
you old dog, you.

I see you casting
an eye my way

and scribbling furiously.

She's just a distant
niece, nothing more.

Of course, Ethan,
nothing more.

And who might
this be?

This is John Weld.

Pleasure.
He's with the "Herald."

I'm giving him
the lay of the land.

[John]
How Sparrow managed

to make this pilgrimage

five nights a week
and stay alive

is one of the great
human mysteries.

We all marveled
at his durability.

For an aspiring writer
like Weld,

the opportunity to meet
successful writers,

writers that were on
the cutting edge of literature

at that point, would have
been frequent in Paris.

There were a number
of opportunities.

[John] Le Café Dome became
my sitting room,

dining room, and bar,
as familiar to me

as my office at the "Herald."

James Joyce
came to the Dome.

He was slight, handsome,

wore a small Van Dyke beard,
and seemed unusually timid.

Mr. Weld, you're back.

Mind if I
join you again?

If it's not
too much distraction.

[John] I sat with him
whenever I could,

and in time, he became
comfortable with me.

You look like
you've had a long day.

Ugh!

The ability to ask the creator

why they did something
makes a huge difference

and would have had
an enormous influence

on Weld's sense of writing.

It was women...

and your exploits
with them.

Ah, just trying to find
the right one, I guess.

Women'll give you
the shirts off their backs,

and gladly.

Consider my wife.

I sit and write.

She sees me as an artist,

thinks I need
time to create.

[John] It's a pleasure
to talk with him.

I always come away
feeling encouraged.

I told him I was
having a hard time

finding a publisher
for my novel,

and he said that he had
always had difficulty

getting his work published.

So, I just need
to find the right woman

to get published?

It wouldn't hurt.

But perseverance
is the key.

Don't ever stop
writing, pushing.

[Sherri] One of the great
takeaways that John had

with hanging out
with James Joyce was that,

even though he was a reporter,
he didn't feel less-than.

He didn't feel like,
"Oh, you know,

"I'm in the presence
of this great writer,

and I'm just a,
you know, I'm a nothing."

He felt like,
"I'm a reporter,

and I'm moving toward
what I want to do."

[Roger]
John was actually working

on two books while in Paris.

One was "Gun Girl,"
which was about

a very pretty Italian
young girl of 18

who became a drug addict
who robbed cigar stores,

and ended up
killing a policeman

and went to
the electric chair.

The second one was "Stuntman,"
which was about

John's early life
as a stuntman in Hollywood.

And he had an incredible
opportunity with James Joyce,

and James Joyce made
such a difference to him

because he said two things.

"Tenacity,
tenacity, tenacity."

You know, the truth is,
to be a writer,

you've got to write
and write and write.

And, he said,
"Scrounge around."

You know, it was,
he was really saying,

"Don't worry if you're not
making money at it right now.

"Take this job,
take that job,

but don't give up
on the writing."

And that was one of
the most valuable things

he learned
from anybody in his--

in... really,
in his whole life.

(glasses clink)

On one of his reporting jobs,

John met a very attractive
young woman,

Patricia Warrington,

who happened to be
in Paris with her mother.

She was engaged
and waiting to be married

to a count,
Charles D' Rusell.

John and Patricia
seemed to hit it off,

and they took up
a little dalliance.

And how goes
the matrimony?

Ohh, heh.
I'm getting used to it.

I don't get it.

You are beautiful.
Oh!

Young, rich, intelligent,

and you give yourself up

to some old fogey
for a silly title?

Patricia ended up
marrying the count,

but that did not end
their liaisons.

It's a very real title,
I assure you.

Yeah, well.

How is he in bed?

Mmm! (laughs)
(laughs)

[Roger] She would tell
her husband, Count...

Average.

...who was not a real attractive
fellow, but anyway,

she'd tell him,
"I'm gonna go to my art class."

So, instead of going to art
class, she'd go over to John's.

[Deborah] And the count has her
followed by a private detective,

and one day,
they knock on the door.

(knocking on door)

Come in.

[Deborah]
And there she is,
having tea with John.

You're just in time
for some tea.

Is this your "art school"?

I've just...
come from there, heh.

You've done
nothing of the sort.

My private detective
followed you here

and notified me immediately.

What are you doing here?

Really, Charles.
We are just having tea.

Anyway, the count knew
that was just baloney.

You, sir,
have humiliated me.

I challenge you to a duel.

You will be at Porte d'Auteuil
Saturday at dawn.

I will bring the blades.

Come along, Patricia.

Wait-- uhh!
Sorry.

[John]
The count is challenging me

to a duel with foils--

a swordfight, so he can
defend his wife's honor.

On Saturday at dawn,

I am to show up
at the Porte d'Auteuil

and bring a second, a friend
in case I'm perforated.

My first reaction was that
it sounded like a joke.

He couldn't be serious.
One of us could get hurt.

We will fight until
the first man yields

or is otherwise beaten.

Okay.

[Roger]
He picked Sparrow Robinson

to be his second.
Good luck, kid.

Away they went,

back and forth,
back and forth.

[John]
The count had no idea that I'd

trained with foils
during my stunt days.

(men grunting)

[Chris] I think Sparrow the
whole time was saying, you know,

"This isn't for real.
You really--

You guys
don't have to do this."

(both grunting)

You can quit
whenever you'd like.

Not until you are beaten!

And, it turned out that they
were fairly evenly matched.

Gah! Hyah!

Finally, you know, the count
was just all worn out

because he was not
a young man, so to speak.

So, uh, Sparrow
stepped in and said...

Come on, fellas!
Stop this foolishness and...

let's go get a drink!

Is that it?

My honor is satisfied.

Permit me to apologize
for offending you.

So the count asked...

Where did you
learn to fence?

And he says,
"Well, you know,

"I was a stuntman
in Hollywood,

and it was John Barrymore
that taught me how to do this."

You surprise me, sir.

[John]
The whole episode was ludicrous

and it ended my brief affair
with Patricia.

John always looked,
at this time of his life,

for women who were,
I would say, his equal--

who were very smart,
bright individuals

that, you know,
he could talk to

and enjoy a conversation.

He met this woman,
Nan Sutherland,

who was sort of there
in a holding pattern

because she was engaged
to be married

to Walter Huston, the actor,

who was in the process
of trying to get a divorce

so they could be married.

Nan Sutherland,
uh, had been a stage--

accomplished stage actress
in New York

and was also
working in Hollywood

and ended up in Paris
at a party.

Well, they hit it off
and so forth, and--

both being
in their 20s--

John offered
to escort her

back to her hotel because,

you know, she was there
by herself.

[John]
Nan, to my utter surprise,

turned my face with her hands
and kissed me on the lips.

There, that's
for taking me home.

Well, one kiss
deserves another.

[John]
I was elated and emboldened.

We kissed again.

John could be very charming,

and evidently,
they became very close.

[John]
But there was a fervent,

intoxicating magnetism
between us.

You'll need
a proper escort.

I hereby volunteer.

That sounds lovely,
Mr. Weld.

[Roger]
She received word,

a wire from
Walter Huston saying,

"The coast is now clear.
Come on back to New York."

Should I call you
a taxi, madam?

Yes, thank you.

Should I see you
to the depot?

It's best we say
our goodbyes here.

Okay. Okay...

Goodbye for now.

[John] We kissed goodbye,
lovers no longer.

She said to me...

This isn't the end
of our friendship.

You're gonna sell
your book to the movies

and come to Hollywood--
mark my words.

[Roger] It was a few days
after Nan had left,

John received word
that McBride,

the publisher in New York,

had picked up his book,
"The Stuntman."

And, they sent him
a $300 advance check,

so he had money now
to come back to the U.S.

[Marc] When a book is published,
there's some publicity.

And Columbia Pictures decided,
possibly, to buy this story,

this book, and maybe
make a film out of it.

They do offer him
250 bucks a week

to come to Hollywood

and to write a screenplay
relating to this book.

He comes back, he was given
a little office space

in the special "writer's patio,"
they called it.

(typewriter clacking)

[John] There's nothing
like favorable publicity

to raise one's standing
in a community.

Suddenly, I was a person
of repute.

[Marc] He was in one of these
little cubicles,

writing this screenplay,
which, then, they decided,

"We should make this
a screenplay about a stuntwoman

instead of a stuntman."

I mean, this went on
back and forth.

After a month,
he turned in his outline

with all the suggestions.

They didn't like it, and he was
fired off his own project.

He was very disappointed,

but there wasn't anything
he can do about it.

That's the way
the game was played

in Hollywood in those days.

So he just accepted it
and moved on.

When John came to Hollywood,
he reconnected with Nan,

who was now married
to the actor Walter Huston.

[John] Through Nan, I got to
know Walter better.

There was an affinity
between Walter and me,

and we quickly became friends.

I've heard many, many stories
of their comings and goings,

and they really
believed in John.

He's in the Hollywood
social scene.

He's popular
for being an author

and having worked in Hollywood
as a stuntman.

And so he really gets to know
a lot of people,

and he knew how to party.

So he fit in
with this crowd.

And he was
a very charming man,

so he kept getting invited
to parties.

Eventually,
he meets this woman

by the name of Pancho Barnes,

who could
out-party anybody.

She was the most untraditional
woman I'd ever known.

Stocky, with a hearty laugh.

She dressed like a man,
drank like a man,

and played hard at everything
she endeavored.

Character-wise,
she was an iconoclast.

Nonconformist.
A rebel.

Pancho Barnes
was a very famous aviatrix.

She had the fastest plane
in the world.

She also flew stunts
for the movies in her planes

and organized the first union
in Hollywood for stunt pilots.

And so she and John Weld

connected right away
from that background,

and they got on famously
right off the bat.

He got invited to a party
at Pancho Barnes' house

down in Laguna Beach.

In fact, it was said

John was one
of the few people

who liked to party
as much as Pancho did.

[Lou] One of the great things
about her parties,

she was well known for having
the best liquor around,

and it was Prohibition.

By the way, she was married

to an Episcopal priest
at this time.

[John] Shortly after
being greeted by Pancho,

I met a couple
I did not know.

(laughing)
Hey!

Dillwyn, Gigi!

Hey, you
remember Ramon.

[John]
Gigi and Dillwyn Parrish.

At first sight of Gigi,

something went kerplunk
in my psyche.

[Pancho] And this is John Weld.
He's quite the stuntman.

[John]
I was startled by her beauty.

She embodied the woman
of my fantasies.

Hey, Dillwyn, come on,
let's grab some more hooch.

[John]
For me it was admiration,

lust, and acquisitiveness
at first sight.

Suddenly, I was face to face

with the most desirable woman
I had ever seen.

A spark was lit
that night, I think,

though I don't know if Gigi
was totally aware of it yet.

[John] For me to covet Gigi
was nonsensical, even idiotic.

I had little to offer
the beautiful young actress,

save a song
and a loving heart.

I must say, Mrs. Parrish,

you will no doubt
light up the silver screen.

I will myself
be first in line

on the opening night
of your first starring role.

Why, Mr. Weld...

I imagine you meet
a great many starlets

in your line of work,

and I'd wager you
say that to all of them.

A few.

[John]
Over and above that impediment,

she was married,
had a good job,

and was on her way
to becoming a celebrity.

In all sincerity,
Mrs. Parrish...

none as captivating
as yourself.

[Chris]
She got married when she was 16

to a gentleman,
Dillwyn Parrish,

and she had this desire
to get out to Hollywood.

She had grown up
seeing the movies.

So she ventured out on
a Harley Davidson with Dillwyn

and went across country.

He could tell when he met her,
right from the beginning,

that this is not
an ordinary gal,

even though it was a brief
meeting at Pancho's house.

[Sherri]
When John's mom set him free,

[Sherri]
When John's mom set him free,
she's planted the seeds that
there was a sense of a destiny,

she's planted the seeds that
there was a sense of a destiny,

and part of that destiny
was that there was a woman

who he was gonna join with.

And so as he moved
through these experiences,

they were
very "me" experiences.

But what happened,
when he finally saw the woman

that he was destined to be with,
his world changed.

He felt suddenly that,
"Now my dream is to be an 'us'."

I hope Mr. Weld was able

to keep you entertained
in my absence.

Oh, John's an
entertaining fellow.

He is indeed.

He's been sharing
some of the highlights

of his stunt career.

Quite exhilarating.

Nothing more than an honest
day's work, I assure you.

At this time, my life's tide
had fallen to its lowest ebb.

I couldn't be with Gigi,
and I had no job.

I wrote to the city editor
at the "New York American"

as a friend in need
and told him my tale of woe.

He promptly offered me
a reporters' wage,

so I headed back to New York.

♪♪

[Roger]
Back in John's stuntman days,

you know, he had a job
up in Northern California.

And while
sitting around one time

with one of the crewmen,
they were talking about

the Donner Party
and what transpired,

and John filed that away,
saying,

"That's a fascinating story.

It'd be great to maybe
write a book on that."

[John] I was going to work
on "The American,"

but that is not where
I wanted to spend my life.

The compulsion to write books
was still in me,

and the story of the Donner
Party would be my next venture.

[Roger]
It was in April 1846

that some American pioneers,

which, uh, were
migrating to California,

left Independence, Missouri,
heading for California.

And what happened between
November and February 18th,

they got caught in the worst
snowstorm in history,

and the snow
reached 22 feet high.

They quickly ran out of food,

and they finally
resorted to cannibalism,

'cause they were dying.

[Deborah]
John heads off to New York,

and Gigi is in Hollywood
working in the studios.

Her first movie
was "Roman Scandal,"

and when it
played in New York,

John was in the front row
to watch it.

[John]
By 1935, I had spent two years

splitting my life between
reporting for the paper

and writing the Donner book.

It was time to focus
solely on the book.

So I quit the newspaper
and decided to head back West

to continue my research
at the Bancroft Library

in Northern California.

John wired Gigi and Dillwyn

that he was coming out
to California,

so they invited him to dinner.

So he swung by there
before he headed North.

[John] In the taxi carrying me
to their home,

I was troubled about the ethics
of what I was doing.

Coveting another man's wife
breaks the Tenth Commandment,

and according to law,
Gigi belonged to Dillwyn.

(door squeaks open)

Welcome home.

I'm so glad that you let us
know that you'd be in town.

[Sena] He was very happy
to see her again.

The pleasure is
assuredly all mine.

[Sena] And I'm sure she was
very happy to see him again.

For you.
Thank you.

The penitent returns.

Ah, Dillwyn.

Welcome.
Thank you.

Won't you come in?

Of course.

[Sena]
But that was where, I believe,

that Gigi knew that there was
something in her heart for John.

So this book, it's based
on a true-life story?

Yes, about the, uh,
the Donner Party.

There's a great deal
of research material

up at
the Berkeley Library,

so I'm headed there
tomorrow.

I just thought I'd
stop in on friends,

since I was out here
on the west coast.

Glad you could
fit us in.

And how has your career
been progressing?

I did get to see
"Roman Scandal"
in New York.

Oh, that was
a wonderful experience.

I just did a picture
with John Barrymore

and Carole Lombard
called "20th Century."

I play
Barrymore's secretary.

Barrymore has quite
the reputation.

Did he try
to seduce you?

No such luck.

Dillwyn was there
to protect me.

But that cad of a director,
Howard Hawks,

he tried to seduce her.

Invited her back
to his house for dinner,

offered her a long-term
contract at Columbia.

You're being dramatic.

I went for
a dinner party,

only to discover
that I was the only guest.

And when he found out
that I was married,

well, the evening
ended abruptly.

(chuckling)

We need
another bottle.

I shall be
right back.

So he finally confessed to her
that he really came back...

Just to see you.

♪♪

I was wondering if you
were ever coming back.

No, John, I can't.
Why not?

She, of course, said,
"Well, I'm married."

I can't leave Dillwyn,
he needs me.

And-- and there's my career.
I-I won't give that up.

I'll support us.
I'll get a real job.

(door opens)

[Chris] I think she had warmed
up to John by that time.

It is so wonderful
seeing you again, John.

It has indeed
been wonderful.

But I must be headed
back to Knickerbocker.

I have an early train.

Well, let me give you a lift
back to your hotel.

That'd be fine,
thank you.

[Chris] And he went up
Northern California

to research his--
his book.

[Roger] About a month after John
was in San Francisco,

he got a letter from Gigi

saying that she and Dillwyn
were divorcing.

He had called her
immediately, and he said,
"I'll be right there."

[Chris] Dillwyn had actually
fallen in love himself

with another woman,

so I think they both
decided that it was, you know,

probably divorce
was the better way to go.

So that marriage ended,

and of course,
that was a delight for John.

[John] To me you are the most
beautiful, marvelous,

and darling woman on earth,

and I will devote myself
to providing, protecting,

adoring, and amusing you.

Together we will
have a wonderful life.

[Sena]
Gigi was not ready to commit.

She loved John very much,
but she was not ready to commit,

and she truly
was an independent woman.

[Gigi]
For the first time in my life,

I am an independent person.

To me, it's
a fantastic experience,

and at least for a while,
I don't want to be beholden.

She said,
"Well, wait a second.

I'd like to have
a little time."

Because she'd never
had any time by herself.

She married at 16.

And she has a good job.

So, she figured, "I want
to be on my own for a year

"while I'm getting a divorce,

and then we'll take up
after we get the divorce."

Gigi was everything
that John wanted in a woman,

perhaps had been looking for

in all the women
that he had been with.

She was strong and confident,
absolutely beautiful.

[Sena] I believe that Gigi
loved him for him,

not for what he might do
for her or for any other reason.

And I believe that
that confidence

for both of them was there.

They both came from
similar backgrounds.

Different stories,
but similar backgrounds.

And they came together
and lifted one another up

in a beautiful way.

Once John and Gigi
started their relationship,

John came to her and said...

Gigi isn't the name
for someone so beautiful.

You should have more than
some childhood nickname.

Well, I'm used to it.
It's-- it's mine.

And so he wanted her
to change her name to Katy,

which was a shortened version
of her middle name, Katherine.

Katy.

It's a strong name.

If it's all right
with you...

can I call you Katy?

If that's
what you want,

then I'm fine
with that.

Let's let Hollywood
and the world

still love you as Gigi...

but Katy will be the one
part of you that's mine.

I'll never ask you
to change anything else.

From that point forward,
she was Katy.

[Sherri]
They were like two free spirits

who found each other and became
like one delicious whole soul.

[John]
I continued polishing my book.

In the meantime,
as Katy awaited

her divorce to become final,
her career blossomed.

[Marc] She became voted in
as a WAMPAS Baby Star.

WAMPAS was an advertising
campaign for the film industry

in which they would find
or discover young girls

for the film industry
and make them stars.

Starlets, I should say.

[John]
To help cover expenses,

my dear friend Walter Huston
and his wife Nan

offered me work
as an assistant.

I could manage Walter's
film and theater work

and still have time for my book.

When Walter accepted the role
of Othello on Broadway,

he asked me to join him
in New York.

I told Katy that I'd be
leaving her for a long time.

Katy had to make a decision to
follow John to New York or not

when the Hustons moved there.

And John was wanting
to get married.

And Katy was not
quite there yet.

[Katy]
I thought about my future.

What am I going to do
with my life?

Am I going to stay in Hollywood

and hope to make it
in the movies?

Or am I going to get away
and find a happier life?

[Chris] She decided that
becoming married to John Weld

was really how
she saw her future.

So when John said

that he was going to go
with Nan and Walter to New York,

Katy decided that, well,
if she's gonna commit to John,

now is as good a time as any.

Well, Katy and John,
once she decided to go with him,

they took a car trip
across country

in her convertible,
in their little summer outfits,

and they were off
on an adventure.

Well, somewhere in Wyoming,
it started snowing.

And then a blizzard
came along.

And here they are
in this California car,

their California outfits.

[John]
I rarely turned off the engine

for fear it would freeze.

I can't feel my feet.

My feet became so numb,

Katy removed my shoes

and rubbed my feet
between her hands.

(laughing)
Is that better?

Ugh, a little.

[John]
The irony that we were suffering

a bit like the Donner Party
was not lost on us.

This is exactly what happened
to the Donner Party.

And in late September,
too-- it's just like us.

Well, that didn't
turn out so well for them.

Well, 48 of 87 survived.

By eating each other.

You know, if you needed
to eat me, John, to survive,

I'd be okay with that.

Nonsense, we have 100 horses
to pull us through.

Unless the horses
run out of gas.

(both laughing)

(sighs)

[Chris]
John always said,

if they could
live through that,

he felt pretty secure
in them making a life together.

[John]
We reached New York,

and my first mission was
to introduce Katy to my mother.

Like me, mother had followed
her stars to the big city.

John's mother, Debbie Lewis, was
a very well-known astrologer.

In fact, she was Nancy Reagan's
astrologer at one point.

And Debbie had done
their charts.

And she was very happy with
the results that she'd found.

Having been born on opposite
sides of the Zodiac,

you're very well balanced.

And because you've
both been married,

you should know what you're
getting yourselves into.

You each need an anchor,

and remember
that marriage is a union

of concordance
and mutual esteem.

Of loyalty
and steadfastness.

[John] A mother's blessing and
the affirmation of the firmament

were the finest endorsements
we could hope for.

My next stop in New York
was with a book editor

at Scribner's Publishing.

[Chris]
Scribner's was the publisher

for some of the greatest names
in writing at that time,

and if he could be on--
on their list of writers,

that was something special.

[Roger] They're the ones
that put Hemingway,

F. Scott Fitzgerald,
Thomas Wolfe on the map.

So he met with Max Perkins,

and he liked what he heard
about the Donner Party,

so he said, "Yeah,
get me a manuscript

and, uh, we'll see
what we can do."

That was a big win.

I think John...
would tell you,

you know, "You have
to make your mark."

And in his mind,
this was making his mark.

And also fulfilled Brown's,
you know, vision,

that someday he would
do something important.

[John]
News from my friend Walter

was not as uplifting.

His play closed
after a few weeks.

So Katy and I started
our drive back to California,

still with fingers crossed
that Perkins would accept

and publish
my manuscript,

and keeping an eye peeled

for the right place
to get married.

As we headed West,
it occurred to us

that Phoenix was a singularly
appropriate place

for our nuptials--

we had both risen
from the emotional ashes

of other marriages.

We found a judge
to perform the ceremony,

toasted our wedlock
with Coca-Colas,

and lit out for home.

When they got back home,

they received word
from Max Perkins.

It's from Scribner's.

(gasping)

Open it!

Uh...

(envelope tears)

"Dear Mr. Weld.

"Thank you for sending
along the manuscript

"for 'Don't You Cry for Me'.

All of us here at Scribner's
are excited by the work

and eager to publish it.

He really liked
the manuscript.

Thought it would be
a great book.

"Contracts and advance
to follow.

Sincerely, Max Perkins."

And it really
put John on the map

as far as being
a literary figure.

[John]
This is it!

I'm gonna be published
by Scribner's!

[John]
How mysterious and fragile

are destiny's doings.

What happened
over 100 years ago

would seem to have no bearing
on what happened today,

and yet
the Donner Party incident

changed the course
of my life.

[Sena] John's book,
"Don't You Cry for Me,"

was a big hit, and it was on
the New York Bestsellers List.

And he felt that,
"Now-- now I am a writer.

You know, I'm going to be able
to go on from here and write."

This was where he had tried
to go for a long time,

to be a well-received writer--
not just to be a writer,

but one that was well received
and had the accolades.

[John]
Suddenly, we were celebrated.

Friends lauded me.

People I barely knew
telephoned to congratulate me.

But then came the most
heartbreaking news

for Katy and me.

When Katy and John found out
about the fibroid tumors,

it was a very-- it was--

it was devastating
to both of them,

especially to Katy.

She wanted children.

She wanted to give John
children.

(crying)
I'm so sorry.

What? No. No.

I'm depriving you
of being a father.

Hey... I have you.

You're my child,
and I am yours.

We don't need children.
We have each other.

[John] I don't remember a day
so fraught with sorrow.

♪♪

[Sherri] Katy's inability
to have children

at first
was a shock for them.

But rather than living as if it
were a loss, they reframed it.

It took them
in a whole nother direction

because they knew now that there
wasn't going to be family.

[Sherri]
It really was another example

of how John embraced
what life presented.

You know, it wasn't a loss,

it was an opportunity to create
a whole new adventure.

♪♪

[Sena] John and Katy came
to Laguna Beach,

and they bought a fixer-upper
on the cliffs in South Laguna

called Pelican Perch.

I'll never forget
that home.

It was a beautiful home.

Very simple,
but very beautiful,

and the view
was unbelievable.

[John] We were going to make
the home our own,

a place from which we did not
have to move.

A shelter from storms
and a haven from adversity,

a place where Katy
could reign and embellish,

where I could work,
and we could play.

They loved that house.

From the time
they moved into it,

they worked hard on it.

They did a lot of the work
themselves.

And they made a home.

♪♪

[Chris]
They were very happy people.

They were very active,
they were very athletic.

A lot of swimming.

They loved go for their
morning and afternoon swim.

There was always people,
every day, there--

We were either visiting somebody
when I was staying with them,

or somebody
was visiting them.

I say they were
into health foods and that.

They did have
their cocktail hour.

They loved those martinis,

and they enjoyed them
with friends.

[John]
During World War II,

I put my writing skills to use

as a public relations manager
for an aircraft company.

After the war, I worked
in the marketing department

for the Ford Motor Company.

Then I founded
our hometown newspaper,

"The Laguna Beach Post."

[Chris]
He continued to write,

but they always felt
they could do more.

You know, they had two people
who had worked

in or behind the cameras,

that knew how to write,

and loved to travel
and were adventuresome.

They did put it together,

and they started
doing travelogues,

traveling to, uh, exotic places
around the world.

[John]
Katy and I could travel,

and we'd film our journey

and share the documentary
with whoever would watch.

He and Katy had never had
a honeymoon, so he decided,

we'll go around the world
and we'll shoot

a documentary of our trip.

[John] We would circumnavigate
the globe on freighters

and visit exotic
ports of call.

To begin the trip,
I had arranged for a cabin

on a Danish freighter leaving
California bound for Asia.

About 30 crew
and only six passengers.

I remember when they were
going off on their first trip,

there was a party and lots
of excitement and joy around it.

In January, 1961,

they boarded a ship,

the "Laust Maersk"
out of San Pedro,

heading for Japan.

That was the first leg
of their trip.

[Chris]
John started filming

from the very moment
they got onboard.

He had the cameras rolling,

and every day he was, uh,
shooting film of the voyage.

[Sena] When they were about
17 miles out of Yokohama,

John and Katy were enjoying
the evening with friends.

Well, I'm just happy
we got through those storms.

It was rather
a wonderful adventure.

I got some marvelous shots.

You would have damn well
end up in the Pacific

if I hadn't
had you on a rope.

We mustn't forget,
John's a daredevil.

The intrepid stuntman.

Mm.

[Sena]
And there was a loud noise,

a very loud noise.

(explosion)

[John]
There was a horrendous sound

of crunching steel,
and the ship shuddered.

For a moment,
all was still and quiet.

Within seconds
came the piercing sound

of mouth-blown whistles
and crewmen yelling.

Everyone on deck,
and grab your life jackets!
This is not a drill.

Hey, what's happening?

We've struck
another ship-- hurry.

(alarm blaring)
We've gotta go.

What had happened was,
another ship.

Mayday, mayday!

[Sena]
Cargo ship, had come in and--

it was foggy,
it was very foggy--

and hit this cargo ship.

It was devastating.

(overlapping shouting)

[man] Everybody's gotta get
off the deck now!

(alarm and chatter continues)

Come on, to the life boats,
let's go!

The whole ship
is gonna turn over!

We still have time.

Hey, look, see the lights?
Yokohama.

Help is on the way,
no doubt.

The water's coming in,

everybody's panicking
and freaking out.

As they're about to jump
off the ship into the water,

he realizes...

The film. My camera.

I have to get it!
No, wait, wait!

"I forgot the footage."

I'll be right back,
I promise.

Victor,
take her with you.
No, John!

He's like, "I'll be right back."
She's like...

Don't leave me!

[Victor]
Katy! John!

Katy, we
have to go!

John!
We have to go now! Katy...

[Lee]
He risks his own life,

goes back to get
his film stock.

[Chris] And John has to make
a crucial decision.

(chuckling)
Either he lets go

of his camera equipment
and film

and tries to escape
rushing water coming in...

uh, or he's gonna end up
going down with the ship.

[John] In the split second
before the sea swallowed me,

I took a deep breath,
all I could inhale,

well aware that it might
be my last.

Suddenly,
something uncommon occurred.

One moment, I had been
clinging maniacally to life,

and in a split second,
was welcoming death

as a long-sought friend.

I thought that man
goes through life

concerned with oncoming time,

and suddenly it occurred to me
that I had no future.

It was a glorious feeling.
I was truly free.

When you drowned,
you have this sense of euphoria,

and you just kind of
let everything go.

And he actually
went through that process,

thinking, "This is it."

[John]
Having accepted death,

I ran through the pattern
of my life.

From my mother, I had learned
the value of independence.

From James Joyce, I had learned
tenacity and how to scrounge.

From Pancho Barnes, I learned
a love for adventure.

From Clark Gable, I learned
to never give up on my dreams.

But my outstanding stroke
of good fortune

had been latching onto Katy.

From her,
I learned fidelity.

She had encouraged me and had
followed me courageously.

[Sherri] He was recounting
his entire life,

what he learned,
what the messages were,

what the lessons were.

He's having the biggest epiphany
of his entire life.

That life is so precious,
that love means everything.

Love is the most important thing
a person can have in their life,

and in that moment,
he fought like hell to live,

and he fought like hell to love.

♪♪

[Roger]
Katy, in the meantime,

crewmen had pulled her
onto a life raft,

so of course, she's yelling
for John, and so she jumped in,

tried to get him,
they pulled her back.

And she was terrified
that he was killed.

John!

John!

Next thing you know...

boom, he hits that surface,
and he survived.

(John gasping)

Oh, my God!

John!
Come on! Come on!

Swim this way!
John!

Come on, come on!

Hurry!

John! Come on, reach out,
reach out!

Reach out,
reach out! Good...

That's great,
right here!

John!
Come on!

Up, up, up, up!

I'm sure his wife
was pretty upset

that he risked his own neck
for his film,

but once a stuntman,
you're always a stuntman.

♪♪

John...

I thought
I'd lost you.

I almost lost you.

Don't ever...
leave me... again.

♪♪

It was a harrowing experience

that took them
to the depths of their souls

and almost took their lives.

And it did take
a few people's lives.

I was wondering if you
were ever coming back.

I think the story of John Weld
is really a story

about self-discovery,
self-actualization.

[Lee] You're talking about
a person that was fearless,

charmed, had honor
and integrity.

He's really
a renaissance person.

He did a little bit
of everything,

and apparently
did it really well.

'Cause he was
one of these people who--

who made up the rules
as he went along.

[Roger]
John had a love for life,

as much or more
than anybody I ever met.

We were always amazed
that he could make a living

and seem like he had
a lot of free time.

They loved each other
so deeply.

And had come to such
an incredible place

in their lives together.

It was true love to the very end
for those two.

[John]
What has life taught me?

That we can't control it.

That we are simply
guided by faith

and can only control
how we respond,

and I've learned Katy Weld

is the key to my joy
and delight.

The sinking of that freighter
solidified our union.

That brush with death
made us realize

the fragility
and brevity of life

and how much
we needed each other.

♪♪

♪♪