While languishing in temporary exile from Hollywood, Otto Preminger was hired to direct the play of Margin of Error on Broadway and because of his still rather bad English, he generally found it easier to simply act out the required parts for the actors. In spite of being Jewish, Preminger actually seemed much more at home in the Nazi role than the actor playing the role, a Viennese named Robert Forster.

Oddly enough, Forster revealed himself to be a real Nazi when he disappeared one day leaving a note which said, "Dear Otto, I am leaving to rejoin Adolf." The playwright insisted that Preminger take the absconding actor's place and the play turned out to be so successful that the rights to it were bought by 20th Century Fox.

The producer at Fox insisted that Preminger repeat his role for the film and offered him what was then a small fortune to do so. But still Preminger insisted that he wanted to direct the film, otherwise he would not play the part. Luckily for everyone, Darryl Zanuck, who had been responsible for banishing Preminger from the director's chair in the first place, happened to be over in Europe fighting other, bigger battles. So the producer got his star, Preminger got back in the saddle and the film was a big hit. Happy Ending - that is until Zanuck returned. The studio boss threw a fit and promptly banished Preminger to the movieland Siberia of the "B" picture unit, "to produce, yes - to direct, never!".

It was Zanuck, however, who learned his lesson when the first script to land on Preminger's desk became the film that established him as a director forever after: Laura. Andrew Horn