Encyclopedia Page V
Vance, Ethel: Author of the novel Escape. Norma starred in the movie adaptation.
Van Dyke, W.S.: (aka “One Take Woody”) Norma’s director of 1938’s Marie Antoinette. Van Dyke replaced Sidney Franklin because Mayer knew that Van Dyke would have the picture completed in about half the time Franklin would have taken. Van Dyke had the entire movie completed in ten weeks.
Veidt, Conrad (1/22/1893-4/3/43): Costarred with Norma in 1940's Escape.
The minute she saw her husband she said, “Irving, it just isn’t fair. I haven’t had a chance with Bayard-just one speech, that’s all he’d let me say. I think I ought to have another chance at it.”
I don’t suppose anyone in the world was more surprised than I was. Irving looked at me and said: “Don’t you like her? You don’t have to have her, I’ve told you that.”
I said: “Irving, somebody’s gone stark, raving crazy and it isn’t me. Norma has given me exactly what I wanted.”...
It took me about twenty minutes to explain to Norma that she was exactly what I wanted and that I had the greatest confidence in her ability to play the part. (Excerpt from, Norma Shearer: A Life.)
Viertel, Salka: Introduced to Norma via Greta Garbo in 1932 when Greta brought Viertel to the Thalberg home for Queen Christina (1933) negotiations. Salka considered Norma one of filmdom’s finest actresses. Sometime around the mid 1950s Norma was visiting Salka and began to confide her failure as a mother. When Norma began discussing Irving Jr. and his ideas about politics, Salka informed Norma that Irving Jr. was just taking in an open, non-biased view of the world. Norma, probably for the first time, felt truly proud of her son and his beliefs.