Hollywood: Advise und Consent

Seeing as Director Otto Preminger was in town anyway, the President of the U.S. invited him to dinner. But Preminger was fiercely busy, and he declined. John Kennedy understood, and he turned to questions of Berlin and the U.N. to pass the time. Next day he invited Preminger to lunch, and again he was turned down—heavy work schedule and all that. The President tried a third time. At last, Preminger gave in, and one day last week he joined Jack Kennedy for lunch.

Hollywood's aging (54), Austrian-born enfant terrible in the past has bulldozed sparkling performances even out of Frank...