Sued Paramount Pictures over
Josef von Sternberg's adaptation of his novel "An American Tragedy" (
An American Tragedy (1931)), forcing the studio to put back deleted scenes
to make it conform better to the book. After seeing a preview of
Paramount's
Jennie Gerhardt (1933), based upon his eponymous 1911
novel, he was so pleased that he sent a telegram to Paramount boss B.P.
Schulberg, "Jennie moving improvisation upon my theme; excellently cast,
beautifully interpreted.".