In 1963, while visiting his friend Jimmy Stewart (who was on the lot shooting his first picture for Manka Bros.), Frank Capra had a chance encounter with Harry Manka in the halls of Manka Bros. Studio's main administration wing, Building 2.
According to those working in the building at the time who claim to have overheard the conversation, the two exchanged pleasantries followed by Harry mentioning that he'd love to have Capra do a film for the studio. Capra thanked the man and said that he did have a few ideas he'd been working on that he'd love to talk about.
Harry noted that he actually had a specific idea in mind, but one that he thought Capra would be interested in as it was an offshoot of ideas Capra had already touched upon in 'It's A Wonderful Life'. Harry confessed to the director that he had always considered the film a classic, if somewhat flawed. Taken aback by the statement, Capra questioned what Harry found flawed about the piece of work he personally considered his favorite.
"Don't get me wrong," said Harry, "it's a really interesting film. It's just... what does George really do? Doesn't leave town, marries a frump, has financial problems. Now the Sam Wainwright character, on the other hand, he's got the same humble beginnings there as George. And yet by the end of the film he's in London advancing George up to $25,000. There's the story! How in the hell did he become that successful? What the hell is he doing in London? We never really get to see. We get teased with a few brief scenes of him with dames on his arms but never really get the whole picture. And perhaps that was genius on your part as I think it really whet the audience's appetite for the real story - Sam's story. 'Hee Haw!!!' Sam is the character the audience wants! We thought we'd call it something like 'A More Wonderful Life - The Sam Wainwright Story'. What do you think?"
Mustering all the self-control he could, Capra told Harry that perhaps he didn't quite get the message that he was going for. That he was actually extolling the virtues of the common man. That even those with less 'newsworthy' lives have great value in the scheme of things if they are and have friends. That no man is insignificant, the common man being every bit as important as anyone else.
"Come on now, get serious Franco," Harry replied. "How do you expect to dupe a theater full of suckers out of their two bucks with movies about common shmucks like themselves? If they want that, they can get it for free from their mirrors. If you honestly care about the common man, like you claim to, you'll give him what he REALLY wants - mischievous monkeys and pirates! Oh, and dames. Did I mention dames?"
 |
 |
At Capra's request, Stewart walked off the set of a biopic that many had predicted would garner Oscar nods for both studio and actor. Harry vowed that he'd use all the power he had to make sure Stewart would "never work in this town again" and yelled to Capra as the two left the lot that he could recast and those common "John Shmos" Capra so loved would never know the difference. Longtime friend to the studio, Joey Levitch, was brought in, the script reworked and retitled, and in 1964 "The Two Mr. Napoleons" was released. The film met mixed reviews (most praising Stewart's portrayal of the emperor and criticizing the Levitch portions' over-reliance on flatulence jokes).
After the box office failure of the film, Harry demanded that the names of 'Capra' or 'Stewart' never be mentioned on the lot or in anything to do with the studio again. His mandate was finally lifted years later, however, when Manka Bros. spearheaded its Studio Film Colorization Rights campaign.
anonymous2 contributed to this story. The Two Mr. Napoleons is available on Manka Home Video & DIVX.
