Here is an excerpt from the book:
He was a wreck when I arrived and was being yanked in a third direction although not even these erudite morons could be sure of what was going on in the mysterious recesses of John's exchequer. Villains and heroes were hopelessly tangled . the financial mess supposedly attracting me.
Lionel, who lived a stone's throw away, refused to acknowledize my presence by even meeting me. Only the Thalbergs were my allies because we shared the same hope. We were the only ones who really wanted John back on his feet, vital, productive, happy and, frankly, improving our lot.
My contract at MGM was proving to be the farce I should have anticipated. Good or bad, the test was as important to my career as my history regents exam at Julia Richman. I was asked to be patient. After all, I had to be introduced to the public wisely. The proper vehicle had to be found that would carry me to the heights I considered my natural habitat. John, in the meantime, was not recovering quickly from the fortnight with the boys and Mr. Thalberg had reason to worry.
The projected Camille was planned as another prestige film and though the handsome, popular new star Robert Taylor was going to be Garbo's naive lover, Armand Duval, and a magnificent cast that included Broadway's Laura Hope Crewes, Rex O'Malley and Lenore Ulrich were signed, Thalberg wanted Lionel and John Barrymore to be the classic pillars that would support the great actress's Marguerite Gautier.
There has never really been an actress of Garbo's quality on the screen before, then, or since as far as I'm concerned. John thought her a singularly gifted woman and, of course, the rarest of beauties. They had worked together a few years before in Grand Hotel and had amazed their co-workers by getting along famously. John, sensing her genuine shyness and vulnerability, was as considerate and co-operative as only be could be. As for Garbo, she broke her hermetic seal and, most unusually, shared her leisure moments on the set with John
| Price | 4.50 |
|---|---|
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| Total | Sold |
