Evening star., 1944-05-07
HOLLYWOOD.

Lester Cowan has discussed with
Embassy his wishes to produce fllm
based on glorious epic of Norway's
merchant marine featuring you in
the main role (stop). We feel that
through your genius as an actress
such a film would be a noteworthy
contribution to the war effort be-
sides depicting the great saga of
our seamen"
That 55-word telegram did the
trick, and though I haven't seen
her signature on the dotted line,
Producer Lester Cowan swears he
has it in his safe, neatly written on
a contract which is exactly as I
presented it to Greta Garbo, and
not for the price she got for her
last picture which was $250,000,
either"
How much them" I asked. Mr..
Cowan turned his S feet Z in the
big leader chair and replied with a
CLEAN of satisfaction in his eyes,
II really can't tell you. Money isn't
of prime Importance. Miss Carlo
is making the picture because she
wants to, and because the Norwegian
Minister to the United States asked
her to, as you can see in this tele-
gram" Again he pushed that magic
telegram with the 55 words toward
me which the Minister had sent
from Washington to Miss Garbo
after Lester Cowan had told him
the idea.
Shooting Starts June 1.
did you know that Norway's
merchant marine is the third largest
in the world, that it delivered half
the gasoline used in England during
the beginning of the war, and"
Lester Cowan went on with numer-
Gus figures and pride which made
one think that he must have been
born on the threshold of Oslo.
1.-THE picture" he continued, will
get under way June l. AS yet
don't know If Garbo will be woman
captain of a boat or not, but I
think so.
GLAMOUR" he repeated my ques-
tion with some disgust and con-
tinued, mo, we are not trying to
glamorize Miss Garbo-that is, with
the exception of the glamour OF
woman at war"
But Miss Garbo's Forthcoming pic
ture isn't all Lester Cowan has on
his mind. On his desk are huge
photographs taken of Ernie Pyle, the
popular war correspondent, and he
picked them up to show me.
Look" he said, you see how
many different men Pyle looks like.
On the first who Is it?" he inquired,
very much like they used to at
school. I answered promptly, Gary
Cooper" Cowan smiled broadly in
approval and went on, What about
picture No. 2?". That" I said, "is
like VIII Rogers" Again there was
a nod of satisfaction from teacher.
And that?" he said, pointing at the
third photograph of Pyle. THAT" I
said, '.is Jimmy Gleason"
Correct, and that is precisely
why it is SO hard to cast the right
actor in the part, but we shall find
him. You may not believe it, but we
receive hundreds of letters from men
who are fiftyish, baldheaded and
weigh 112 pounds, just because they
may look like Pyle. They think they
can act, too.
You know, it was most peculiar
circumstance which made me buy
Here Is Your War Actually, I
don't think that Ernie was very
enthusiastic about selling it. but I
met him in New York through mu-
tual friends and somehow We saw
eye to eye and hit it of pretty well.
Sure, had to promise number Of
things, none of them unreasonable,
but what Pyle insisted on most was
that all the other war correspond
ents be shown in the picture, too;
no hero stuff for him"
Was Due ii Years Ago.
left this little man full Of en-
thusiasm and went over to Lucey's
restaurant to have lunch with an
other Independent producer-in fact,
the youngest In town-James B. Cas-
sidy.
The 3l-year -old Mr.. Cassidy, a
former advertising man from New
York, told me about Green Man
sions," one of the all-time best-sell-
ers, which will be his first produc-
tion.
"R-K-o." he said, wanted te
make the picture II years ago with
Dolores Del Rio, but never go,
around to it, so 1 bought it.
1T Is picture which can't pos.
sibly miss. 1t will be a good-neigh-
Dor film, and I only hope that we
shall be able to project the spiritua
qualities OF the book on the screen
IT iSy,t 0oin0 tn - ~osr L,,x