‘king of Kings’ Will Not Be Revised, De Mille’s Representative Declares

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

“No revisions are planned to be made on the film, ‘King of Kings.’ There is no opportunity for any revisions,” declared H. McMahon, publicity manager for Cecil De Mille, to the correspondent of the Jewish Daily Bulletin.

Mr. McMahon also denied that John Flinn of the New York office of the De Mille organization, who has just arrived in Hollywood, is here to confer with Mr. De Mille on revising the “King of Kings,” “Mr. Flinn came here to confer with Mr. De Mille on our film output of 1928,” Mr. McMahon stated.

Coutrary to the belief expressed by some, Cecil B. De Mille, does not deny his Jewish origin, it was stated in Hollywood. While the film was in the process of making the frequently spoke of his Jewish mother to various actors whom he had known to be Jews, always saying that he was proud of having Jewish blood in his veins. In a statement issued some time ago the publicity department of De Mille Studio designated Mr. De Mille’s mother as “Mathilda Beatrice Samuels, an English Christian Jewess, a teacher at Lockwood Academy for Girls in New York.”

Henry De Mille, Cecil’s father, was an instructor at Columbia University and a close friend and collaborator of David Belasco. De Mille’s publicity department states: “Always incisive, critical, direct, Miss Samuel was undoubtedly responsible for changing Henry De Mille to the writing of plays from his intention of becoming a minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church.”