Howard Wagner Quotes

As Titanic began production, there was an immediate chemistry between Barbara and myself—a lot of looks across the room. At this point Barbara Stanwyck was a legendary actress, universally respected for her level of craft and integrity. She also had the most valuable thing a performer can have: good taste. Besides a long list of successful bread-and-butter pictures, Barbara had made genuine classics for great directors: The Bitter Tea of General Yen and Meet John Doe for Frank Capra, Stella Dallas for King Vidor, The Lady Eve for Preston Sturges, Ball of Fire for Howard Hawks, and Double Indemnity for Billy Wilder. Barbara carried her success lightly; her attitude was one of utter professionalism and no noticeable temperament. As far as she was concerned, she was simply one of a hundred or so people gathered to make a movie—no more, no less.

Asked how it felt to be reunited with Wagner after so many years apart, Wood was revealingly honest. “Well, hopefully, we are more mature now and more solid in terms of what we want out of life. We appreciate the good times more now, having lived through some rough times,” she said in a breathless voice.

The concept was perfectly suited for Wagner’s cool image as a self-made adventurer and gave Powers the chance to portray a flirtatious writer with a superior mind and a gorgeous body.

After the couple kissed and made up, they were all smiles again. But Wagner was left with a nagging feeling of inadequacy; especially after his wife’s sensational performance earned rave reviews, sparking rumors of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.