Hollywood Studio Magazine (1977)

DORIS DAVENPORT la WE _ PAULETTE GODDARD A MARY ANDERSON ALICIA RHETT WITH LESLIE HOWARD at the Brown Derby and thought he found Scarlett. A former Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel beauty operator-manicurist, she was under contract to Darryl F. Zanuck. Selznick had her study under the tutelage of coach Gertrude Fogler until she was ready to test. But nothing came of Arleen’s brief flirtation with the coveted role. It was rumored that Selznick offered 20th-Century-Fox $50,000 for her contract but was refused. John Barrymore’s young daughter, Diana was asked to test at the old Paramount Studios at Astoria, Long Island with Richard Carlson, taking the part of Ashley Wilkes. Selznick later wrote Diana Barrymore, “ ... the odds were several thousand to one against you as a Scarlett, but since I wanted to see a test of you, I felt that it might as well be in a scene from GWTW-—especially since I know too littie of your work to cast you accurately in a test. I think you are probably right to try the stage first. I do hope you'll keep in touch with me looking toward the day when both you and we are ready for you to start in pictures.” Some of the “Scarlett Derby” discoveries were cast in other roles: Alicia Rhett, whom Cukor discovered in a rehearsal of “Lady Windermere’s Fan” in Charleston, was set to play India Wilkes; Marcella Martin was spotted in the audience of a Shreveport, Louisiana little theater by Max Arnow, ended up as Cathleen Calvert; Mary Anderson, a Birmingham, Alabama school girl played Maybelle Merriwether (she later drew spectacular critical notices in ‘“‘Guest In The House” on Broadway); Texan Evelyn Keyes was borrowed from Cecil B. DeMille to play Scarlett’s sister, Suellen; Ann Rutherford was loaned from MGM to play the other sister, Careen (Judy Garland was considered); Marjorie Reynolds and Claire James were among Scarlett’s young friends in the Twelve Oaks party sequence. In October, 1938 the search for Scarlett O’Hara had narrowed down to Paulette Goddard, Doris Jordan, Joan Bennett and Katharine Hepburn. The spirited Paulette signed with Selznick in 1937 and appeared in his “The Young in Heart” and to MGM for “‘Dramatic School” and ‘‘The Women” and then was sent to New Orleans to work on her Southern accent. Selznick thought her a strong possibility, but because of Paulette and Charles Chaplin’s unconfirmed marital status and fearful of the moral upset of 1939 moviegoers, he reluctantly ordered the search to continue. Selznick liked Katharine Hepburn. Because of Joan Bennett’s dark hair and new Hedy LaMarr image, Selznick also considered her. And who was Doris Jordan, a Margaret Sullavan look-alike? Max Arnow discovered her in New York working as a Powers model and immediately ordered a test. ‘‘Mr. Selznick interviewed me in New York and I was put under contract for a month while they decided whether they wanted to send me to the <a NORMA SHEARER WITH CLARK GABLE Collectors Bonanza of Facts and Rare Photos Coast,” Doris remembers. Selznick’s New York representative, Katharine Brown, was also impressed with her potential and sent her to Hollywood for further tests. Born Doris Davenport in Moline, Illinois, she grew up in Hollywood. As a Goldwyn Girl in “Kid Millions” at 16, she attracted Sam Goldwyn’s attention. He gave her the part of star Eddie Cantor’s sweetheart in the famous ice cream factory scene. She wangled a MGM stock pact before departing for New York. “‘In Hollywood, the camera crew making the new test were from MGM and every man on it knew me. They had seen me over at MGM hundreds of times. Mr. Arnow knew. He was wonderful to me and kept my secret. The choice had apparently narrowed down to Paulette Goddard and myself. I tested in October and through November and later into December, 1938. The testing took so much time and they were so exacting in all phases. I had seen so many girls tested for Scarlett that I began to believe nobody would ever be selected for it. One day when I was going on the stage for a hair-dress test I saw Vivien Leigh being tested for make-up. Saw her several times. She struck me as just another Scarlett. But I was so dizzy from the endless trips between make-up, hair-dress, wardrobe and testing stage and so blinded by the powerful new Technicolor lights that I probably couldn’t have told the difference between Clark Gable and Mickey Mouse.” Selznick wrote in a memo on November 21, 1938; ‘“‘I am anxious about Doris Jordan because I think, apart from the photography and hairdress her new test is even more promising than the first one and shows decided promise. I think that George (Cukor) has done wonders with her since her New York test, and I hope he is continuing to work with her daily. No pains should be spared in connection with the girl, since she is certainly one of our four or five final possibilities.”’ It was the Cukor tests that interested Sam Goldwyn to cast her as Doris Davenport opposite Gary Cooper in ‘“The Westerner.” Unfortunately, Goldwyn dismissed her as a flash in the pan who fizzled out in her big opportunity. History was to repeat itself three years later when Phyllis Isley Walker, a Powers model read for Katharine Brown for “Keys of the Kingdom,” resulting in a contract. When Selznick recovered from his shock of learning she previously worked at Republic in, 1939, he selected a new name. Jennifer Jones. On Christmas Day 1939, George Cukor gave a garden party at his home. The young English actress Vivian Leigh and Lawrence Olivier were among the guests. Soon after they arrived, Cukor took Vivian aside and told her Scarlett O’Hara had been chosen. She’d previously heard Katharine Hepburn was the winner. He shook his head, smiled, and embraced her. ““Guess we’re stuck with you.” A HOLLYWOOD STUD}#O Magazine 29