Evening star., 1945-04-29
Talent Hunt Still Paws Off
Bv Harold Hefernan

Let a producer get his hands on a
sensationally popular book and the
first thing he thinks about is tai
ent hunt.
From Hollywood to Hoboken The
experts on beauty and talent stump
the countryside and the resultant
ballyhoo is invariably resounding.
Local boys and girls are inter-
viewed and in some instances tested.
Their hearts thump in anticipation
of great glory. Then the scout de-
parts for new and fertile fields Of
printed space.
The talent hunt always was and
probably always will be Hollywood S
most potent drum-beating weapon.
Sometimes a producer actually does
spear an unknown localite and hurIs
him or her to stardonl-but always
it's the amount Of attention the
stunt creates that rates first con-
sideration. An amusing volume
might be written on the experiences
of national talent digger er-uppers-to
say nothing of the Wiles of crafty
unknowns who seek to win their eye.
But She Wasn't Scarlet.
Perhaps the least publicized true
story concerning Gone With the
Wind" (gross now $30,0O0,000 plus
occurred one morning in 1889 when
David o. Selznick was awakened
by his butler, who asked him in
some agitation if he would mind
stepping downstairs.
Something very, very peculiar has
4oppapo5 cir he repOrte6
Slipping into dressing gown, the
producer descended the stairs into
his aver hall, where rather ex-
traoNinary sight awaited him
Stana4ng there, much larger than
life. was a 6-foot replica of the Mar
earet Mitchell novel, which he was
then in the throes of producing
And. as if in answer to his widely
heralded search for an actress to
play the principal feminine role. the
pages parted as he approached, ana
out stepped a young girl who SAID:
"I am Scarlet OHara.
Selznick looked at the giant vol
ume, at the girl in the green hoop
skirt and picture hat, and for mo-
ment must have thought he was
day-dreaming. Questioning her, he
learned that she was a telephone
operator from downtown Los An
geles: that this was the climax OF
a plan she had worked on for six
months and carried out at her own
expense. But to add to his dismay,
Paulette Goddard, then one of the
chief contenders for the role of
Scarlet O'Hara. and a next-door
neighbor of Selzrick, chose that
moment to telephone. Having seen
the book being driven up and down
the street in a truck, as the driver
looked for the correct address, Miss
Goddard had assumed that this was
Selznick's whimsical way of telling
her that she had got the part!
Killed Tale As Incredible.
Mr. Selznick extricated himself
from this predicament with as much
tact as he could muster, and es-
capped to his studio. Once there, he
called in his publicity director, Will
liam Hebert, and confided in him
what had happened, but told him
he must never publicize it. "For
one thing" said Selznick, nobody
WOulQ ever UcllcVc IL. SO Illc SlOI
was not released to the public.
But meanwhile it has. gained cir
culation as a result of Selznick tell
ing it on himself. And recently il
was repeated in the Photographic
studio of Paul Hesse. Among the
listeners was a blond girl from
Omaha who had been trying unsuc-
cessfuly to get into the studios fol-
three months, and it seemed to give
her an idea.
Detaching herself from the group
she disappeared from Mr.. Hesse's
ken for about three weeks. Then
she reappeared in big way, when
he learned that Virginia Huston o1
Omaha had had herself delivered
in 6-foot replica of THE Robe
at the house of Frank Ross, who is
producing the novel. She had COM
pletely duplicated the incident she
had heard about in the Hesse
studio. except that in stepping out