Mei Man: I drew Superman during the Great Depression

"From now on, stop all the company's 'hunting' preparatory plans for Superman actors..."

In the studio of Messenger Studios, the person in charge of Messenger Films, who was in charge of the publicity plan, had just arrived when he heard the 'bad news' from the new boss.

"However, sir, the company has invested nearly [-] US dollars in costs and a lot of manpower for this 'search visit'. Once the plan is suspended, it means that we will have a financial loss of more than [-] yuan on the books. The promotional investment of radio broadcasts for some time."

Although it has been nearly half a year since Roosevelt came to power, the haze of the Great Depression has not dissipated.

During the "Hundred Days New Deal", Roosevelt tried his best to push Congress to pass the "Agricultural Adjustment Act" and "National Industrial Recovery Act", passed the Federal Emergency Relief Act, established the Federal Emergency Relief Agency, and quickly allocated various relief funds and materials to the states.

Although such an approach guarantees the basic livelihood of the people, it cannot improve the huge unemployment population generated during the Great Depression.This is why, in the second year of his presidency, that is, in 1934, Roosevelt changed the simple relief to "relief for work", providing the unemployed with opportunities to engage in public work, and maintaining the self-reliance and self-esteem of the unemployed.

Today, the New Deal has just been introduced, and it is impossible to even make the most basic repairs to the American society that was riddled with holes under the Great Depression.

For this reason, the major studios in Hollywood are doing their best to reduce expenditures, and Messenger Films has invested a lot of money in promoting "Looking for" to create momentum, which is already unusual.

However, Ke Lin wanted to abruptly stop this activity after launching the promotion with great fanfare.

The person in charge could almost imagine how the "Los Angeles Times" would report the news the next day-the capital predators from New York crashed into the sand in Hollywood.

"I did not call you here for your advice, sir."

However, in the face of the person in charge's worries, Ke Lin was extremely calm. He looked directly into the other person's eyes and said, "You just need to follow what I said. Of course, if you feel too embarrassed, I can also do it with someone else."

"No, no, sir, I have no difficulty!"

Hearing this, the person in charge of publicity in the studio realized that today's Fox Films, no, it should be said that Colin Luper, the new boss of Messenger Films, did not gradually lose control of the studio due to bankruptcy. William Fox, the former boss of the studio, on the contrary, because of Louise's previous practice of firing and rehiring employees, the other party's control over the studio has been unprecedentedly huge.

The occurrence of the Great Depression had a profound impact on everyone in this era.

A decent job is the only difference between them and the homeless who roam the streets. No one dares to question his boss unless he wants to be one of the millions of unemployed.

……

"Ladies, we're here."

Beverly Hills, in front of the Messenger Studios studio, Louise said to Vivien Leigh and Maureen O'Sullivan in the car.

"..."

Hearing the reminder from the passenger seat, Vivien Leigh, who had been relieved by the reunion with her childhood friend, became tense again, and looked through the car window at the vast area of ​​the Messenger Studios in Beverly Hills. studio, Vivien Leigh couldn't help asking her friend.

"Maureen, can you tell me something about Mr. Colin Luper, what should I pay attention to?"

Sensing her friend's nervousness, Maureen O'Sullivan shook her head and replied helplessly: "Sorry, Vivien, I don't know much more about Mr. Colin Looper than you do."

Like Louise, she was also a little puzzled by the new boss's choice of Vivien Leigh as the heroine of the new movie.

Why Vivien?Where did the other party know about her, especially his relationship with Vivien?You must know that O'Sullivan has never disclosed this in public or in newspapers.

Suppressing the doubts in her heart, Maureen O'Sullivan reached out and patted Vivien Leigh's arm lightly, and said comfortingly: "But since Mr. Colin Looper chose you to act in the movie, there must be a reason for him In it, what you need to do next is to perform hard, isn't this what you have been pursuing, Vivien, this is an opportunity..."

"You're right, Maureen."

Maureen O'Sullivan's comfort gradually calmed down Vivien Leigh's uneasy heart. She looked up at the Messenger Studio studio in front of her and murmured: "This is an opportunity, it is very likely that I The only chance in this lifetime to be on the big screen."

Her husband Herbert's objection, after all, brought her a lot of pressure.

……

"...to sort out the list of actors that Fox has signed so far, I need to pick the actor who will be 'Superman'."

In the studio, listening to the conversations of Maureen O'Sullivan, Vivien Leigh and others, Colin explained a few words to the person in charge in front of him, then turned his head to look at the people in the studio entrance.

Sure enough, following Colin's gaze, Vivien Leigh and the others walked in under Louise's guidance.

"Mr. Colin, someone is coming."

Nodding his head, Colin's gaze followed Louise's introduction and landed on Vivien Leigh behind her with a somewhat awkward expression.

Vivien Leigh, or Vivienne Mary Hartley, as a well-known British stage play and movie actress in later generations, is still just an unknown stage play actor at this time, even a complete film None of the film works participated in the filming.

Who would have thought that such a British stage actor would win two Oscars in the coming days, becoming the first British actress to win an Oscar.

Of course, the reason why Ke Lin chose the other party to star in the Superman movie was that apart from Vivien Leigh's future achievements in movies, beauty was also one of the key reasons.

As mentioned before, he prefers Vivien Leigh as the heroine of a Superman movie compared to Katharine Hepburn.

After all, judging from the plot alone, the "Superman" movie does not need too profound acting skills. A beautiful heroine can always attract some audiences to buy tickets even if she stands there still.What's more, in terms of cost performance alone, Vivien Leigh, who is unknown at this time, is far more suitable than Katharine Hepburn or any actress in Hollywood.

"Welcome to New York."

Averting his eyes from Vivien Leigh's gray-blue eyes with a little anxiety and uneasiness, Colin welcomed them with a smile.

While Ke Lin was looking at the other party, Vivien Leigh was also silently observing the other party.

In this era of underdeveloped information, it is not easy to know a person's information, especially the UK where Vivien Leigh lives is still separated by a vast ocean from the United States.

Therefore, most of Vivien Leigh's understanding of Mr. Colin Looper came from the pieces pieced together from the newspaper's half-knowledgeable reports, and she sketched a vague image of a newspaper boss and a Hollywood tycoon in her mind.

However, when they met for the first time, the impression Ke Lin left on Vivien Leigh was quite different from the image she had always drawn from the news papers.

"Mr. Colin Luper is younger than expected and..."

Just as Vivien Leigh was thinking inwardly, the words of Colin in front of her brought up her previously let go heart again.

"Sorry, Ms. Vivien Leigh..."

"I knew how it was possible for a Hollywood movie to choose a young British stage actress with no reputation as the heroine. Sure enough, Vivienne, all this is just your wishful thinking, or, like Herbert As I said, I should give up the unrealistic dream of acting and return to..."

Looking at Vivien Leigh with a frozen expression in front of him, Colin continued: "The plan has changed, and you may not have much time to adapt and adjust, so you need to participate in the shooting."

"I understand, Mr. Colin Looper."

Nodding her head, Vivien Leigh was about to say something with a smile on her face, but she became astonished again in the next second, and the situation seemed a little different from what she thought.

Vivien Leigh: "Wait a minute, Mr. Colin Luper, you mean I can continue to participate in the filming of the movie?"

Colin: "Of course."

Vivien Leigh: "The heroine?"

Colin: "Heroine."

Looking at Vivien Leigh, who looked astonished and looked cute, Colin, who has [Super Brain Power], understood the reason why the other party was like this with just a thought. After reassuring the other party, Colin let Louise Taking the other party away, he turned his head to look at the studio built behind him.

"I need results in three days."

Hearing Colin's words, the movements of the hands of the busy workers in the studio became a little busier.

……

"Sir, here's your list of studio actors."

Messenger Film Company, Louise handed over the list of actors that Colin had ordered earlier.

"How is Vivien Leigh's adaptation?"

After taking the list from Louise, Colin asked casually.

"Maybe because of the relationship with acquaintances, Vivien Leigh's performance is quite adaptable. Not long ago, she even asked me about the script of the movie. It seems that she intends to know the content of the next movie in advance."

"Give her the script and let her get familiar with the script as soon as possible. In the next time, the studio will focus on shooting the "Superman" movie."

Nodding his head, he explained something to Louise, and then Colin set his sights on the list in his hand.

With superhuman speed, it took Colin less than a second to read through the thick stack of lists that the company spent hours sorting out.

Unfortunately, there are no actors who are too satisfied with him.

Affected by the economic crisis of the Great Depression and William Fox's mismanagement of the company, resulting in a serious loss of producers and actors, coupled with the relationship in the silent film era, in early Hollywood, female actors were often more influential at the box office than male actors, compared to male movie stars , The major studios are also more inclined to promote female movie stars.

After all, compared with male actors, actresses have higher added value, whether it is styling clothing or posters, they can bring more actual benefits than male actors.It was not until the 50s that the rise of the "six beautiful boys" - Monty, Brando, Newman, Dean, Hudson, and Burton - made the popularity of Hollywood male stars unprecedentedly high.

It is precisely because of this that it is not easy to find an actor who fits the image of Superman in Colin's mind during this period.

"Maybe I should change my mind."

Putting down the list of actors in his hand, Colin couldn't help thinking to himself.

"Since the purpose of filming the "Superman" movie is to gain more [faith], why can't I play this role myself." For Colin who has [super brain power], acting skills are the last thing he needs Something to worry about, if only he was willing to be able to become the world's greatest actor in a matter of minutes.

"Maybe, that's the right thing to do, with Superman playing 'Superman.'"

After understanding the key point, Colin's heart, which was originally oppressed by time, suddenly opened up.

In Hollywood, it is not easy for an actor to play the role he desires, and it requires the compromise of multiple capitals.

However, for Ke Lin, this is a piece of cake, and the fact is exactly the same. The whole process was finalized in less than 5 minutes from the moment he decided to play in person.

Even as the news spread, the entire Messenger Films Company had a lot of discussions about it. Some people even thought that the reason why Colin wanted to play Superman was to get close to Vivien Leigh, the heroine of the movie. Not long ago, Louise had brought When Vivien Leigh came to the film company to sign the contract, the other party was indeed an extremely beautiful actor.

This practice of using movies to get close to actresses is not too uncommon in Hollywood. The most famous case since this period of time is the love affair between Howard Hughes and Katharine Hepburn, which was revealed by newspapers.

Of course, more people have maintained a pessimistic attitude towards the box office of the next film "Superman". The protagonist's case.

This news, as reported by the "Los Angeles Times", caused a stir in Hollywood.

Many studios have criticized the series of practices of Messenger Films in the past, thinking that Colin Luper does not understand movies at all and is a complete layman. Messenger Films will not take long in his hands. Complete bankruptcy, just like Paramount before, and this capital tycoon and newspaper tycoon from New York will eventually leave Hollywood in despair.

There are not a few people who think like a studio.