On Norma Shearer—she was in my mind the most beautiful, and talented actress to grace the movie screens. Norma had “shear” sophistication. Norma took on roles that were for that day considered unbecoming, or smutty. The fascinating thing about her was how she was able to play these roles without being crude. Try doing that today, there might be one or two exceptions. Of course, issues such as divorce, illicit pregnancies, and infidelity are common today; we don’t understand what the fuss was all about. In the 1930′s these issues indicated “moral deficiencies.” Movies such as The Divorcee (1930), A Free Soul (1931), Let’s Be Gay (1930), and her shocking role as Nina in Eugene O’neil’s Strange Interlude (1932), were movies that rocked society’s foundation.
She maintained her star status even after playing these roles. She took on these challenging roles with “serene confidence.” She knew full well that what she portrayed was not real, in her life anyway.
An interviewer once asked her how she felt about young woman viewing her movies. Did she think she was “encouraging” them to do the same? She responded, “I wouldn’t advise them to,” she laughed merrily, “for it couldn’t be done. Not that I mean it would be impossible, but because in a picture things are made to work out. That has been attended to by the skill of the author before the picture begins. No matter how clever and attractive a woman might be, it could never be enough to bring things out her way in real life as we do on the screen.”
Early on in her career Norma took on a dual role in the silent movie, Monta Bell’s Lady of the Night (1925). Suffice it to say that if you can’t stay up tonight to watch it at 12:00 PM EST on TCM–TiVo it. Oh, and look out for Lucille Lasueur (later known as none other than Joan Crawford!) in a credit-less role, Shearer’s over-the-shoulder double.
Movie Plot: “Two women from opposite ends of the social spectrum seek love and happiness in Monta Bell’s Lady of the Night (1925). Conceived as a vehicle for rising Metro-Goldwyn star Norma Shearer to deliver a virtuoso performance — and seal her leading lady status — the film presents the actress in a dual role: as Florence, the pampered daughter of an affluent judge (Fred Esmelton), and Molly, an underprivileged dance hall girl. As fate (and a shamelessly sentimental script) would have it, both fall in love with the same man: David (Malcolm McGregor), an ambitious young inventor.” (Source TCM.com)
