Chapter 2 #2
Vicky pursed her lips and toyed with her green beans, not joining in the conversation.
She’d wanted to play the heroine of the story, Josephine March, but Papa had insisted I play her.
Jo was a dynamic, tomboy character with grit and determination.
I was born for the part. Vicky would play Jo’s older sister, Meg, who was steady, dependable, and motherly.
In Vicky’s estimation: boring.
“We’re all rooting for you, Grant.” Mary smiled. “All of you. Hollywood would not be the same without the Bennett family.”
“Who is playing Laurie?” Norma Shearer turned her pretty gaze toward us. “Because next to Jo, Laurie is the most important character. I would think you’d want someone very special.”
Theodore Lawrence, also known as Laurie, was the hero of Little Women. He was the boy next door who fell in love with Jo, though Jo never returned the feelings. He was a wholesome character with some worldly experience. Wealthy, handsome, and Jo’s best friend.
“We’re still looking for our Laurie,” Mama finally chimed in.
Her tone was nonchalant, but finding an actor to play Laurie had been our greatest concern for weeks.
He had to be just right or the whole picture could fail.
We’d been through dozens of actors, and the only ones who would have been good wanted an exorbitant amount of money we didn’t have.
“I’ve always said I’d love to see Hollywood’s sweetheart in a movie with Hollywood’s leading man,” Norma said with a twinkle in her eyes. “Wouldn’t that be a spectacular performance?”
“If you mean Spencer Hayes—” Chaplin took a sip of his punch—“I’ve heard he’s taking a break from acting.”
There were murmurs around the table, though few people seemed surprised at the news. Spencer’s career had recently suffered from a horrible romantic scandal, leaving one woman in a coma while the other spent time in jail.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if MGM dropped Spencer’s contract,” Mary said.
“Despite everything,” Chaplin countered, “he’s still one of their biggest names. I think Mayer has a different plan up his sleeve.”
As if on cue, Mr. Mayer tapped the microphone to begin the awards ceremony.
My gaze slipped to Spencer Hayes, who sat in the back corner of the darkened room. He’d been nominated for best actor, though the award had gone to Emil Jannings. It surprised many people that Spencer would show up to the ceremony, since the scandal was still so fresh.
He was a handsome man, and it didn’t surprise me that he was a popular actor. His fresh face and all-American good looks were exactly what the public clamored for. It was the reason he’d been so believable in the part of Cole Goodman in the Sydney Ducks movie.
Did Spencer know the history behind the movie? Could he answer my questions? We’d hardly ever said a word to each other in the past. Would he be surprised if I approached him now?
He must have felt me watching him, because his dark eyes shifted and his gaze pierced mine, even from across the ballroom.
The awards ceremony lasted fifteen minutes, and then a dance began after the room was cleared and the potted floral trees were pushed to the edges of the dance floor.
Prohibition had made the production and sale of alcohol illegal in the United States since 1920, but people still managed to sneak in spirits.
Several pulled flasks from their inner coat pockets and spiked their drinks as I turned away.
“Congratulations, Janet,” I said to the winner of the best actress award as she walked past me. She’d been honored for three movies she’d starred in the previous year.
Janet kissed my cheek. “Perhaps next year it will be you. I’ve heard you’re going to play Jo March. A part tailor-made for you. Every woman in Hollywood would love that role.”
I only smiled. Our production window was going to be dangerously small, since Papa wanted to release the movie before Christmas. And without our Laurie, we were already behind.
As the orchestra began to play and couples started to pair up on the dance floor, I moved toward my parents, who were talking to Louis B.
Mayer. Vicky had found a friend, and they were busy chatting at a nearby table.
Both of us had moved out of our parents’ home years ago, but with the sudden decline in revenue and the lack of income we had received from the studio, we’d both agreed to move back home.
It hadn’t been easy learning how to live with my adult sister again, especially with so much unpleasantness between us, so on a night like tonight, it was good for us to spend some time with other people.
Papa’s arms were crossed as he shook his head at whatever Mr. Mayer was saying. L. B. was a big personality in Hollywood, and his company was flourishing because it was hard to say no to him. Would Papa be the first?
I moved closer to them as Mama’s concerned gaze fell on me.
Both Mr. Mayer and Papa also turned at my arrival.
“There she is now,” Mr. Mayer said with a congenial smile. “We were just talking about you, Ally.”
“Oh?”
“Where is Spence?” Mr. Mayer looked over my head to scan the room. “You know him, don’t you?”
“Spencer Hayes? I can’t say that we’ve ever been introduced.”
“Let’s change that.”
“It won’t be necessary,” Papa said. “Ally would never agree, and I wouldn’t let her even if she did.”
“Agree to what?” I asked.
“There he is.” Mr. Mayer left us and went to Spencer’s side. He leaned down and spoke into Spencer’s ear, causing the actor to glance up at me, his handsome expression impossible to read.
“You don’t have to say anything.” Mama put her hand on my forearm. “Papa has already taken care of things.”
“L. B. needs to know that he can’t own everyone in Hollywood.
” Papa’s face was lined with concern. At the age of sixty-two, most men were starting to contemplate slowing down in life, but Papa had enough energy for three young men.
“He wants all the smaller studios to fold so he can monopolize the business, but I won’t give in. ”
“What are you talking about, Papa?”
It was hard to watch him become increasingly bitter and defensive as his world was changing.
At one time, Papa had been a leading filmmaker and movie artist. Now he was a Poverty Row member, unwilling to go into business with men like Mayer, who were more interested in celebrities, mass production, and fame.
“He made a ludicrous suggestion,” Papa said. “A business proposition, according to him, but I’m not sure it would even be ethical.”
“Does anyone care about ethics in Hollywood anymore?” Mama asked, her voice dry and disappointed.
“He’s bringing Spencer over.” Papa crossed his arms again. “Don’t worry about it, Ally.”
“Worry about what?” I was bewildered by their conversation. “What did Mr. Mayer suggest?”
Before Papa could tell me, Mr. Mayer arrived at our side with Spencer Hayes.
He was in his early thirties and had risen to fame over the past five or six years.
His charisma and charm on the screen had been irresistible.
In person, it was even more so. There was something that had always drawn me toward him.
Even without speaking, his magnetic persona made me curious, though I had no interest in getting my head turned by one of the biggest playboys in Hollywood.
“Mr. and Mrs. Bennett,” Mr. Mayer said, “may I present Mr. Spencer Hayes, my brightest star at MGM Studios. Spence, this is Mr. and Mrs. Bennett and their daughter Miss Ally Bennett.”
Spencer shook hands with my parents and then turned his practiced smile on me. His brown eyes were glossy from alcohol as he gave a slight bow. “Miss Bennett, your work precedes you. I enjoyed your performance in Annie Oakley last year. I had thought you were a shoo-in for the best actress award.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hayes.”
“Call me Spencer—or Spence.” He winked. “Whatever you prefer.”
“I was just telling the Bennetts that I’ve schemed up a plan that will benefit all of us,” Mr. Mayer said.
Papa’s jaw hardened as he began to shake his head.
“I want them to hear me out.” Mr. Mayer turned slightly, offering his back to Papa as the orchestra music continued.
“Spence, your reputation has suffered almost irreparable damage. Miss Bennett, if your family doesn’t make something of this last-ditch effort to stay afloat, you will be out of a job.
Your picture needs a famous leading man to play Laurie, and Spence needs to link himself to someone with a stellar reputation. ”
My lips parted at the proposition.
“I’m willing to loan Spencer to Bennett Studios to play Laurie in Little Women for free,” he said, “if you are willing to stage a romance with him to improve his public image. If people saw him dating Hollywood’s sweetheart, and we could get Photoplay or Film Daily to run some positive publicity, I think we could get the scandal to die down.
I’ve invested far too much money in Spencer’s career to let him fail now, and Grant, you’ve invested too much in your studio.
This will benefit us both. All you need to do is say the word. ”
Thankfully the orchestra was playing “Ain’t We Got Fun?
,” and everyone was either dancing or in conversation.
No one seemed to pay attention to the five of us in the corner.
I’d heard Mr. Mayer was famous for creating his stars’ images, but I didn’t think he’d go to such lengths.
Offering his biggest star to our small studio for free was unheard of.
“As I said”—Papa lifted his chin—“it’s out of the question. Ally has a spotless reputation because she’s stayed away from men like Spencer Hayes.”
“Grant.” Mama shook her head in a warning as Spencer stiffened beside me.
“It’s true.” Papa’s jaw tightened. “What would happen if Spencer’s poor reputation wore off on Ally instead? Then where would she be? At this point, even if my studio closes, Ally could still go anywhere in Hollywood and find a job.”