What was the relationship like between Don and Barbara because they had such great chemistry on the screen?
I think they were both very professional. Very respectful of each other. Barbara was, and still is, a person who s involved in words and language and thought. So when she was in her own time she was a prodigious reader and wrote poetry. And Don loved to mingle with his cronies and tell jokes, so they went their separate ways. But as I said, there was a great affection for each as a performer. I remember when we signed Barbara because she made such an impression on us in a commercial where she was lying on a tiger and it was a very sensual performance and we thought she d be ideal. We had her under contract and we put her in a show in New York called Mr. Broadway with Craig Stevens. When we wanted Don to see who we felt was perfect for the role of 99 we ran this film for him. We had purposely shot it so that she would be able to be the role, but with another name. Don said, “My God, she s taller than Craig Stevens!” But, to his credit, he admired her. She generally worked the show witho
