Joan Crawford always disliked Norma Shearer, her chief rival at MGM, because Crawford said, "Norma sleeps with the boss. Who can compete with that?" It's true, Shearer was married to MGM's production chief Irving Thalberg and, equally true, the great female roles at MGM did go to Shearer throughout the 1930s, but contrary to legend, Norma S. didn't become "the First Lady of MGM" simply because her husband wanted her to be. The public loved Miss Shearer.... for years. Nor did Thalberg have to push her into the public's affection the way William Randolph Hearst tried to do with his favorite actress Marion Davies. (A true case of Mission Impossible, Hearst was never able to make Marion the star he envisioned, no matter how hard he tried.) Hollywood's history books are full of attempts to create stardust where none was hiding, as when Samuel Goldwyn spent a bundle promoting Russian-born Anna Sten, only to have the public turn it's back on Sten and nickname her, ungraciously, "Anna Stench." But Norma S. clearly got the choice parts she did primarily because the public consistently lined up at the box-office whenever a new Norma Shearer film opened. That's not to say the public didn't line up for Crawford as well, but Shearer's great ace in the hole was the fact she infused her films with something Joan C. never could: class. List of films Today! on TCM The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) Idiot's Delight (1939) The Women (1939) Great Movie Actresses by Philip Strick Had Shearer been a star only because her husband had power, it would have all ended when he died, suddenly and tragically in 1936. But Norma had many of her greatest successes after Thalberg's death: Marie Antoinette in 1938, Idiot's Delight and The Women in 1939 and Escape in 1940. Further, she continued to retain such a hold on the public's affections, she was initially offered the leads in both Gone With The Wind and Mrs. Miniver, choosing to do neither. It was also by her own choice that she retired in 1942 principally because she'd just turned 41 and agreed with her late husband's credo that one should "always leave the party before you're asked to go." No offer could ever lure her back either, although Norma Shearer lived to be 82. She had several interesting post-Thalberg romances (including a fling with an 18 year old Mickey Rooney, and another with suave, underworld-connected George Raft), followed by a successful 40-year marriage to a Sun Valley ski instructor which lasted until her death. A fascinating woman, Miss Shearer. We'll give you many opportunities this month to see why she captivated moviegoers for so many years Ð and why the mere mention of her name never ceased to cause a major explosion in the vicinity of Joan Crawford. list of films!