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<blockquote data-quote="ClassyCo" data-source="post: 339130" data-attributes="member: 7">Garson came to MGM in 1939, and was perceived as a more serious actress to take over the prestige-type pictures Shearer had done. After Irving Thalberg, Norma&#039;s husband and head of production at the studio, passed in 1936, Shearer&#039;s own relevance with MGM wavered.I&#039;ve seen it enough places to believe that Shearer was still the studio&#039;s original choice for MRS. MINIVER, although she declined it to do HER CARDBOARD LOVER instead, which ended up being her swan song. Garson gladly took over the role, winning an Oscar in the process. There was a small uproar in 1940 at MGM when Vivien Leigh wanted to do PRIDE AND PREJUDICE with her boyfriend Laurence Olivier, while Crawford wanted to do WATERLOO BRIDGE, and Garson was supposed to do SUSAN AND GOD. MGM wanted Garson for PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, put Leigh in WATERLOO BRIDGE, and Crawford took over for Garson in SUSAN AND GOD. Louis B. Mayer was quite open -- or so I&#039;ve read -- about Hedy Lamarr being his intended successor to Garbo. But the studio ultimately found Lamarr too difficult and hard to please. She turned down a lot of roles, with CASABLANCA being one of them, and she never quite made the splash Garbo did. MGM snatched up a young Julia Jean Turner and rechristened her Lana Turner in late 1937. It is widely believed that MGM saw Turner as a successor to Jean Harlow, who had passed away suddenly earlier that same year. Turner, however, really lacked the sense of humor Harlow employed, and she ultimately ended up doing the types of melodramas Crawford would&#039;ve craved.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="ClassyCo, post: 339130, member: 7"] Garson came to MGM in 1939, and was perceived as a more serious actress to take over the prestige-type pictures Shearer had done. After Irving Thalberg, Norma's husband and head of production at the studio, passed in 1936, Shearer's own relevance with MGM wavered. I've seen it enough places to believe that Shearer was still the studio's original choice for MRS. MINIVER, although she declined it to do HER CARDBOARD LOVER instead, which ended up being her swan song. Garson gladly took over the role, winning an Oscar in the process. There was a small uproar in 1940 at MGM when Vivien Leigh wanted to do PRIDE AND PREJUDICE with her boyfriend Laurence Olivier, while Crawford wanted to do WATERLOO BRIDGE, and Garson was supposed to do SUSAN AND GOD. MGM wanted Garson for PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, put Leigh in WATERLOO BRIDGE, and Crawford took over for Garson in SUSAN AND GOD. Louis B. Mayer was quite open -- or so I've read -- about Hedy Lamarr being his intended successor to Garbo. But the studio ultimately found Lamarr too difficult and hard to please. She turned down a lot of roles, with CASABLANCA being one of them, and she never quite made the splash Garbo did. MGM snatched up a young Julia Jean Turner and rechristened her Lana Turner in late 1937. It is widely believed that MGM saw Turner as a successor to Jean Harlow, who had passed away suddenly earlier that same year. Turner, however, really lacked the sense of humor Harlow employed, and she ultimately ended up doing the types of melodramas Crawford would've craved. [/QUOTE]

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