The Cinderella Among Open-Air Theaters
The Ford transforms for a 1938 production of Goethe’s Faust.
2017 wasn't the first time The Ford’s amphitheater stage underwent a major transformation. In 1938, four years after his production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Hollywood Bowl, film director Max Reinhardt chose The Ford as the venue for his staging of Goethe’s Faust.
In the program notes, Reinhardt described the theater as “the Cinderella among open-air theaters — in my opinion, the most beautiful of them all.”
Under the direction of set designer Nicolai Remisoff, the production involved the creation of an elaborate Bavarian village, including a church, tavern, and prison. The Ford was transformed.
With a breathtaking set like this, it’s no surprise that a who’s who of 1930s era Hollywood movie stars packed the audience for the premiere. A Los Angeles Times review describes fans crowding the entrance with their autograph books as stars such as Hedy Lamarr, Peter Lorre, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Gary Cooper, Olivia de Havilland, and Lucille Ball arrived for the performance.
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