Princess O'Rourke - Production

Production

The pairing of Robert Cummings (on loan from RKO Pictures) and top-draw Olivia de Havilland appeared to be a good studio decision, but the production soon ran into problems. Feeling that being cast in a lightweight role was limiting her future in Hollywood features, de Havilland also began to have medical problems that compounded her anxiety. To complicate filming, Cummings often was unavailable, as he was simultaneously at work on Between Us Girls at Universal Studios, forcing de Havilland to deliver lines to a stand-in. Aged actor Charles Coburn also frequently forgot his lines, leading to many retakes which sapped her energy further.

As the production struggled on, tensions came to a head as de Havilland fought openly with Warner Bros. Tired and suffering from low blood pressure, the formerly steady and hard-working actress began reporting late for work, leaving the set abruptly and going home when her frustrations became too much. She would eventually sue the studio in a landmark case, known as the "de Havilland decision", that set a seven-year limit on studio-player contracts. The film was completed, 10 days behind schedule, and due to the legal squabbling, was eventually released a year after the production wrapped.