Sons of Bitches

By 1933, Kelly and Henderson's successful vaudeville act had been transferring smoothly to film for a number of years but beneath the surface, the pressures and temptations of Hollywood had begun to manifest themselves. At first, all-too audible on-set bickering was put down as friendly jesting by cast and crew alike until Henderson called Kelly, "My little Greta Garbo." The latter stormed off set and holed up at Fatty Arbuckle's place for a few days until Hal Roach coaxed him back by allowing him to sing one of his own numbers in the final reel. Unfortunately, on- and off-set drinking had, by now, become the norm and in this hitherto unseen poster for their unreleased comedy, Sons of Bitches, the tension in Kelly's eyes is only too apparent.

Several weeks before filming, Henderson had set out on what transpired to be a successful solo tour of France, including a six-week residency at the Black Cat in Paris, where he drank, smoked, shrugged his shoulders and sang, while draped with the finest French models, in a manner that was said to have been a huge influence on Serge Gainsbourg, who, as precocious five year-old, used to paste on a false moustache and hang around the bar to pick up women. The great and the good flocked to see him:  Hemingway, Picasso, Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein all came to pay homage and pick up his bar tab and Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli composed Blues for Jimmy in his honour.

This latter point particularly rankled with Kelly; so much so, in fact, that he badgered George and Ira Gershwin to write a song for him and they promptly composed Isn't It a Pity?

On Henderson's return to Hollywood, Kelly flipped in spectacular style and the two almost came to blows. The Sons of Bitches shoot was so acrimonious that Hal Roach deemed it unworthy of release and the script was re-filmed that year as Sons of the Desert, a vehicle for Laurel and Hardy that is now regarded as one of their finest films.

The two hadn't talked for three years when  they were both invited to a roast for Gary Cooper. Appalled by Cooper's politics, Kelly sat and drunkenly crooned to Myrna Loy, unaware she had left the party after an hour and had been replaced by Randolph Scott. Before things got out of hand, Henderson dragged his old friend away, carrying him on his back across Hollywood and out to his Venice Beach bungalow.

Ray Milland, who had also attended the party, witnessed Henderson's selfless act, calling it, "valorous and Homeric" and determined to reunite them in a film. The chance came later that year when he persuaded director James P. Hogan to offer them supporting roles in Ebb Tide, although film historians claim their real turning point came the nest year in Michael Curtiz' Kid Hoodlums, where Henderson played a gangster on the lam hiding out in the Bowery and Kelly played the no-nonsense Father Crosby, who persuaded him to hand himself in and set a good example to the neighbourhood kids.