“There are quite a number of feminine stars I should like to direct,” Hitchcock continued. “Carole Lombard, for instance.”
This was interesting. In this country Hitch has developed a reputation as a misogynist. Critics have often said that he treats his feminine characters unsympathetically. “It is true,” Hitch admitted, “that in certain of my British films I have concentrated largely on the development of the male characters at the expense of the females ones. But this is because I have always found it extremely difficult to get British actresses to respond naturally to a human situation.
“Plunge an English actress into a bath of cold water and she still comes to the top trying to look aloof and dignified.
“Her whole concern is not how best to express her emotions but how best to bottle them up. I do not imagine that American stars suffer from this inhibition to anything like the same extent. No girl could arrive at the pitch of efficiency achieved by Carole Lombard if her one consideration were how best to appear ‘society.’
“I should like to cast Lombard not in the type of superficial comedy which she so often plays but in a much more meaty comedy-drama, giving her plenty of scope for characterization. I believe that, imaginatively treated, Lombard is capable of giving a performance equal to that of any of the best male actors, like Paul Muni and Leslie Howard.”
Quixotando 