The movie "The Wild Bunch" is not only a hit in Los Angeles but also has high attendance rates in cities like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Atlanta.
Many newspapers have reported on it.
The audience also highly praised "The Wild Bunch."
"This movie is very exhilarating to watch."
"Marisa is so beautiful, and her singing is even more enchanting. Watching her sing is much better than listening to a record. I’d be willing to buy another ticket just to watch her sing those few minutes again."
With the newspaper publicity and word of mouth from the audience, the popularity of "The Wild Bunch" continues to rise, maintaining high attendance over the past week.
At the Mayer Estate. Official source is novel•fire.net
A party is being held here, and many stars have come. Tonight, Ava Gardner is wearing a slim fitting, floor length evening gown, looking stunning and radiant. At this moment, she is surrounded by many people.
Last time she attended a party at the Mayer Estate, no one knew who Ava was and just thought she was a beautiful companion brought by someone else. But this time, she became the focus.
The success of "The Wild Bunch" instantly pushed her into the ranks of stars. Now, she has become the object of admiration.
Mayer looked at Ava in the distance and smiled at Hardy, "Hardy, you have discovered a treasure. With Ava’s beauty, sex appeal, and acting and singing talent, I believe she will become a big star in the future."
"Everyone knows that Mr. Mayer is the greatest star maker in Hollywood. The people MGM has launched—Gable, Crawford, Leigh, Garbo, and Tracy—aren’t they all superstars?" Hardy replied.
Mayer laughed heartily. This was indeed his achievement.
"Hardy, the box office of ’The Wild Bunch’ has been good. With the current trend, it is expected to reach 8 million. It is already November, and ’The Wild Bunch’ is likely to become this year’s box office champion."
"We both win, don’t we?"
"Mr. Mayer, I have already asked the company to submit ’The Wild Bunch’ for this year’s Golden Globe and Academy Awards. When the time comes, I hope Mr. Mayer can help." Hardy said.
In later years, Mayer had many titles, one of which was "Father of the Oscars."
In 1926, Mayer proposed that filmmakers unite and called for the establishment of a union to evaluate films. Thus, Mayer became the chairman of the ’Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,’ which later became known as the Oscars.
Mayer held the position of chairman for 30 years, until the 1950s. Hardy’s films being nominated for the Oscars certainly required Mayer’s support.
"The committee’s selection has always been fair, which is what makes the Oscars so appealing, isn’t it?" Mayer said calmly.
"Indeed." Hardy smiled and nodded.
Sometimes conversations between big shots are so subtle. Hardy expressed his request, and Mayer did not refuse.
"Do you have any new plans lately? MGM can collaborate with HD Films." Mayer asked.
"Indeed, I have. I have two scripts, one called ’Singing in the Rain,’ a musical drama. I had someone estimate the production cost to be around 1.5 million."
"The other script is called ’Once a Thief,’ a modern day heist film with an estimated cost of $2 million."
"Hardy, tell me about these two films."
Hardy first talked about ’Singing in the Rain.’
"This movie tells the story of two silent film stars and a not so pretty voice actress."
"With the maturity of technology, sound films emerged. Although the actress is beautiful, her voice is very unpleasant. The company finds a voice actress with a good voice and singing skills for her, and the story unfolds among these people."
"In their work, Don and Kathy fall in love, while Lina becomes jealous and constantly creates obstacles. In the end, the big star and the voice actress get together."
"A typical Cinderella story."
After hearing it, Mayer nodded and said, "It’s a good story. I think it will be very appealing as a movie. Tell me about the heist film."
"The heist film is called ’Once a Thief.’ A master thief adopts three orphans—two boys and a girl—and trains them to become art thieves."
"The opening scene features a clever heist, showcasing the art of theft. Later, while stealing a famous painting from an ancient castle, they are attacked, and the three get separated...."
Mayer listened attentively, imagining the thrilling heist scenes, anti theft mechanisms, and lock picking skills Hardy described. He thought it would be very captivating for the audience.
After Hardy finished, Mayer looked at him and said, "Hardy, I think both of these films have great potential. How about we collaborate on them?"
"Of course." Hardy agreed readily.
"Do you have any actors in mind for these two films?" Mayer asked.
"For ’Singing in the Rain’ I think Johnny Fontaine would be perfect for the male lead. He is a well known singer in America. As for the female lead, I think Judy Garland would be great."
Hardy considered this as returning a favor, not only to Judy Garland and Johnny Fontaine but also to the old Godfather.
Mayer laughed, "Hehehe, a plain looking voice actress—Judy Garland is indeed suitable for this role."
"As for the female lead in ’Once a Thief,’ I want Ava to play the role."
Hearing Hardy mention Ava, Mayer glanced at the tall woman in the distance. It was normal for Hardy to promote his women.
"As for the male lead, I think Gregory Peck would be perfect, and the second male lead can be chosen from other young and handsome actors." Hardy said.
Gregory Peck, who is thirty years old this year, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in "The Keys of the Kingdom" last year and is currently rising in fame.
Mayer also thought Gregory Peck was a good fit for the male lead.
"It’s settled then. We’ll collaborate on these two films, and let our subordinates handle the details." Mayer said.
Hardy raised his glass and clinked it with Mayer’s, sealing their verbal agreement.
Hardy and Ava drove away. Ava, sitting in the passenger seat, looked at Hardy and said, "I saw you talking with Mr. Mayer all night. What were you discussing?"
"About the new movies." Hardy replied.
"Are you planning to shoot a new movie again?" Ava asked eagerly.
"Then~~" Ava hesitated.
Hardy smiled "There is a movie called ’Once a Thief,’ and it has a female lead who is a modern day thief—charming and agile, with more screen time than in ’The Wild Bunch.’ She is the absolute female lead. Are you interested in playing the role?" Hardy asked.
"Yes, yes~~!" Ava answered excitedly.
"Thank you, Hardy." She hugged Hardy and kissed him.
Hardy was driving. Fortunately, he was driving slowly, and it was late at night with few cars on the road; otherwise, they might have had an accident.
Hardy steered the car to the side of the road and stopped.
Ava, excited, continued kissing Hardy passionately.