"On his first visit, which was from mid May until August 1940, he accompanied eight well-known American painters out to Hollywood. These included Grant Wood, George Schreiber, Ernest Feine, George Biddle, Thomas Hart Benton, Robert Philipp, Raphael Soyer, and James Chapin. They had all been brought together by Reeves Lewenthal, the director of the Associated American Artists' Gallery, who had made an agreement with Walter Wanger to have them paint scenes from the film Wanger was currently producing, The Long Voyage Home, an adaptation of four of Eugene O'Neill's shorter plays. And since there was nothing serious about this venture my father was included as one of the 'American' artists.

"The movie was directed by John Ford and included his usual company of actors: John Wayne, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond, and Thomas Mitchell among others. And each artist was to choose an aspect of the movie to paint with its cast serving as models. The film itself was one of those characteristically brooding black and white atmosphere films from the forties, of the sea, with colorful seamen engaged in daring exploits and a glancing hint of social significance added. Though Eugene O'Neill's presence may somehow have been discerned, it was John Ford's film and if you are familiar with those old John Wayne, Ward Bond, Thomas Mitchell, Barry Fitzgerald films then you can pretty well imagine what kind of movie it was. Each of the artists chose an aspect of the film to paint, generally reflecting the overall mood of damp nighttime docks and drunken seamen in saloons singing barbershop quartet style. Only the Spaniard chose a bright and colorful theme and did the women in the film, the Bumboat Girls."

From Waiting at the Shore