Encyclopedia Page L
Lady of Chance, A (1928, silent): Directed by Hobart Henley; Stars Norma, Johnny Mack Brown, and Gwen Lee; Based on a story by John lee Mahin. A similar plot line to The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, Norma plays a con artist who falls in love with one of her marks. Though Norma has no dialogue in the film, A Lady of Chance features some sound recordings. Notable because this was Norma's final silent film.A Lady of Chance Movie Page
Lady of the Night (1925, silent): Directed by Monta Bell; Stars Norma, Malcolm McGregor, and George K. Arthur; Based on a story by Adela Rogers St. Johns. Norma plays a dual role. A crucial moment in the film comes when Molly and Florence embrace in the back of the car. Joan Crawford, then still Lucille LeSueur, has her first onscreen appearance as Norma’s double.
In Complicated Women, film critic Mick LaSalle writes:
"The most elegant example of a Bell moment comes in Lady of the Night (1925). A beam of light shines through a hole in a shade onto a table. A man thinks about the woman he is about to lose and idly tries to trap the light in his palm. The image is a commentary on the nature of longing, and also on the medium of motion pictures. Splendor and life are contained in a ray of light that is there- that can't be touched, only seen....
Lady of the Night gave Shearer her breakthrough. After the film's release, MGM stopped lending her to other studios. She was too valuable. The picture, a kind of rhapsody on a theme of longing, told the story of two women who want the same man, a young inventor, desperately. The scenario was typical, but the casting was unique: Shearer played both women."
In Norma: The Story of Norma Shearer, Lawrence Quirk writes:
"Lady of the Night gave Norma her best acting opportunity to date. Her depictions of two women from radically disparate backgrounds who have in common only their love for one young man whose welfare is paramount to them show great contrast. When in the same frame, the two Normas are wonderfully striking. Since the public had associated her primarily with genteel lasses who reacted to events rather than caused them, it was pleasantly surprised by the versatility and range Norma displayed here; she was as convincing as the criminal-with-the-golden-heart as she was her more accustomed guise, the sweet-Miss-with-her-heart-on-her-sleeve who loves purely and honestly."
Lamarr, Hedy (9/13/1913-1/19/2000):
Last of Mrs. Cheyney, The(1929): Directed by Sidney Franklin; Stars Norma and Basil Rathbone; Based on the play by Fredrick Lonsdale. The plot focuses around an English jewel thief who hangs around with the richest people of England, and steals their possessions when they turn their backs. Despite being an enormous commercial success, the picture received an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, and Best Screenplay.In Complicated Women, film critic Mick LaSalle writes:
In The Last of Mrs. Cheyeny, she primarily announces to a suitor that she doesn't drink or smoke, and then drinks and smokes the second he is out the door. The sense of an icon defiled, or defiling herself, is part of these pictures' undercurrent. Later in Cheyney, a man catches her stealing jewels and agrees to let her go, but only if she sleeps with him. Shearer inspires a weird mix of reaction in these films- compassion and admiration mixed with a healthy dose of prurience.
Apparently, the censors found a few thing objectionable when MGM wanted to remake the movie in 1937 with Joan Crawford:
[The Story] tends to characterize Mrs. Cheyney as a habitual criminal and further tends to show that the stealing of the Duchess's pearls is the climax of a series of criminal associations with [her partner] Charles. Such treatment makes it necessary that it be indicated that both Charles and Mrs. Cheyney be drastically condemned and punished. (From Complicated Women)
The changes for the 1937 film seriously affected the public reaction. While Norma's 1929 version was highly successful, Crawford's was lukewarm, and the film tanked. It was another strike to their famous feud. (Trivia: The remake of Cheyney was the first of five Joan Crawford movies to bomb in a row, leading to her box office poison label.)
Norma's costar of the film, Basil Rathbone, latter said of her work in the film:
I was deeply impressed by her voice and her general bearing in The Last of Mrs. Cheyney. I remember telling her at the time that she would have had a fine career on the stage if fate turned initially in that direction, since she was disciplined, hardworking, totally dedicated, and had a very intriguing voice- unlike any I had ever heard.
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney Movie Page
“I was young and green and not a little frightened when I made the film, and she was wonderfully calm and reassuring and helped me give a relaxed performance-or it seemed that way when I saw it at a screening room later. I did not have too high an opinion of my acting potential them, and thanks to her I made a fresh start. She said to me: ‘Live the part! Become that person! Then the acting part will almost take care of itself, though you must watch everything, of course.”
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Laughton, Charles(7/1/1899-12/15/1962): Laughton made his stage debut in 1926, and was brought out to Hollywood in 1932 for the Cecil B. DeMille epic, The Sign of the Cross(1932). In 1934 Laughton played Norma's father in The Barretts of Wimpole Street, and during filming won an Academy Award for The Private Life of Henry VIII(1933). So impressed with his performance, Thalberg offered him to star with Norma in Marie Antoinette, but negotiations weren't easy and he was eventually replaced with Robert Morely.
Life Magazine: Norma appeared on the cover of the February 13, 1939 issue.
Gwen Lee (11/12/1904-2/20/1961): A bit player who worked with Norma in eight movies: Lady of The Night (1925; her first film appearance), His Secretary (1925), Pretty Ladies (1925), Upstage (1926), After Midnight (1927), The Actress (1928), and A Lady of Chance (1928). Lee eventually left Hollywood in 1938 when it was clear she would never become a true Hollywood Superstar.
The Legacy of Norma Shearer: When Norma died on Jun 10, 1983, newspapers had difficulty composing a decent obituary. They simply selected the films for which she had been nominated for an Academy Award, and wrote them off as her “important pictures.” When it came to her birth year, some obituaries listed either 1900 or 1902 but quite a few just left a question mark, and when it came to her life after films, almost all articles ended with, "she retired gracefully from the screen." –It left her an open for criticism. The ideas that irritate most critics are:-The previously mentioned "gracious retirement." In reality, her final years were anything but.
-Descriptions like "The Ultra Chic", "Gracious", "Eloquent", "Queen of MGM," make Norma haters shrivel with disgust.
-Her marriage to Irving Thalberg causes most to claim that she became a star after their marriage. In reality, she was MGM’s top female box office draw as early as 1925. (From 1928-1932 she placed second to only Garbo.) In the case of her movies, Thalberg certainly got her the prestigious productions, but it was Norma who had to act out all the characters emotions.
-The fact that Norma Shearer was a true top notch actress of her time. Critics will absolutely refuse to admit that, however, the reviews of her films from their initial release prove that true. (Example from Photoplay review of The Divorcee, June 1930, "It sets Norma Shearer at the very top of the acting class.")
Not one Norma Shearer fan can deny how much she has been forgotten. Fortunately, with the airing of Turner Classic Movies in 1994, Norma has had a serious turn around in popularity. As for the film community, well they have decided to continue to give Norma Shearer the cold shoulder. Fine, it’s their loss. They can continue to live in their world that sets Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn superior to Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford, but it is obvious that Norma and Joan who have the most loyal fans of them all.
The most famous quote about Norma Shearer coming from Joan Crawford, “How can I compete with her when she sleeps with the boss?” The complaining Joan Crawford did until her death about Norma gives the image of the spoiled Norma asking hubby for whatever she wants and getting it, while the hardworking Joan fends for herself. One can certainly see Crawford’s point. She was primarily placed in glorified B pictures, while Norma made epics like Marie Antoinette (1938). Joan Crawford’s rocky relationship with MGM, however, was between her and the studio, she just chose Norma as the prime reason to hide the real reason. Norma offered prestige to MGM, Crawford’s importance to MGM went just about as far as box office. That was it. The studio made no attempts to get her Oscar nominations, better roles, etc. Norma had little to do with it, were there any laws that there can only be one prestigious star?
Norma’s legacy continues to be clouded by her feud with Joan Crawford, and most likely always will be. It’s false information though, and most write off Norma’s entire career to what a jealous Joan Crawford stated was true. Being one of the top four biggest legends of Hollywood history, compared to the public’s oblivion of Norma, makes it difficult for anyone to get the truth through people’s minds.
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Leigh, Janet: Norma discovered her in a photograph and had a screen test set up for her at MGM, the two remained friendly over the years.
Leigh, Vivien(9/5/1913-7/7/1967): English actress born in India who took over the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind (1939) when Norma turned it down. Leigh won the Oscar for Scarlett O'Hara, and a second for playing Blanche DuBios in A Streetcar Named Desire(1951).
Let Us Be Gay(1930): Directed by Robert Z. Leonard; Stars Norma, Rod La Rocque, Marie Dressler; Based on the play by Rachel Crothers. Rushed into production when she found out she was pregnat, Cedric Gibbons and Adrian were essential to hiding Norma's growing stomach. Norma received her Academy Award for The Divorcee (1930) during filming, and this film gave Norma another pre code box office success, earning an even bigger profit than Divorcee had made.Keeping Norma's condition hidden proved difficult, but Norma was determined to complete Let Us Be Gay, and have it released before she left to give birth and become a full-time mother. In Norma: The Story of Norma Shearer, Lawrence Quirk writes:
As in The Divorcee, Shearer hid her figure behind tables and chairs and drapes. When she had to wear anything of a more revealing nature, she got in stiff corsets and pored for hours over fitting designs. "It took a miracle to keep her svelte," Adrian later said, "but we performed that miracle and Irving later said it floored him."
Thalberg's mother disapproved mightily and let the family know that her son's wife was jeopardizing the child, but Shearer told Francis Marion, who had crafted the action to keep Shearer's physical movements at a minimum, that she was past caring what Mother Thalberg though. She was a grown woman of twenty nine and would use her own judgment.
Lombard, Carole(10/6/1908-1/16/1942): When Lombard threw a party at the Mayfair Club, Norma attended in a seductive backless red gown, even though the invitation had required that all the women wear white. Lombard and Norma engaged in an argument, and ignored eachother for the rest of the night.
Lonsdale, Frederick: Author of the successful stage play "The Last Of Mrs. Cheyney.".
Loy, Myrna(8/2/1905-12/14/1993): Loy worked with Norma in Pretty Ladies (1926) and by the end of the 1930s was one of MGM's top money makers.
Lucretia Lombard(1923, silent): Directed by Jack Conway; Stars Irene Rich (costar in Norma's 1931 film, Strangers May Kiss), Monte Blue, and Norma; Based on a story by Sada Owen. Produced and released through Warner Brothers. Mick LaSalle described how Lucretia Lombard is one of the earliest examples of the Shearer charm being present onscreen in Complicated Women:
Shearer’s charm made the audience root for the wrong woman. Even director Jack Conway seemed to be rooting for her. He cuts away from scenes featuring Rich to give Shearer private moments: She lies in bed, wondering if her fiancé is losing interest; then she touches her engagement ring to her face, comforting herself. Moments like these are rarely reserved for the antagonist in a movie. At twenty-one, Shearer’s star quality was hard to resist.
The climax of the film comes when Norma’s character dies in a forest fire. The scene, tinted a creepy blood red, was probably the most memorable moment of the movie. Though Rich walks off with the leading man in the end, the fire scenes are done with such detail, it’s the first scene that comes to mind when one thinks of Lucretia Lombard. Conway stuck to his word, and Norma walked off with the picture.
Anyone interested in viewing Lucretia Lombard, can find it at the Pacific Film Archive at Berkeley.
Pacific Film Archive's page for Lucretia Lombard. Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive website.