Editing Irving Thalberg (section)

==== Taking risks with new subjects and stars ====
{{quote box|width=30em|bgcolor=cornsilk|align=right|fontsize=101%|salign=right|quote="A temperate man in all his ways of living, in this one respect he was an inveterate gambler. If he believed in a man, or a project, or a story, he would stake everything on his conviction. ... Everyone who worked for Thalberg loved him. He had the quality, rare among showmen, and precious among men, of standing back after an achievement and letting the other fellow take the credit ... he never wanted to be known as the big promoter. He just saw a little farther than most of the others, and trusted his vision, and worked like a laborer until it came true. ... What he also had was a great kindliness, a love for his work, workers, friends and audiences."|source= —[[C. A. Lejeune]], film critic of the London ''Observer''<ref name=Thomas />{{rp|295}}}}

In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, ''[[Hallelujah (film)|Hallelujah]]'' was also a gamble by Thalberg. When [[King Vidor]], the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment."<ref name=Vieira-1 />{{rp|105}}

By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing [[Greta Garbo]] with [[John Gilbert (actor)|John Gilbert]], [[Clark Gable]] with [[Jean Harlow]], and [[William Powell]] with [[Myrna Loy]]. After experimenting with a few such films, including ''[[Mata Hari (1931 film)|Mata Hari]]'' (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, ''[[Grand Hotel (1932 film)|Grand Hotel]]'' (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, [[Joan Crawford]], [[John Barrymore]], [[Lionel Barrymore]], and [[Wallace Beery]].<ref name=Flamini />{{rp|6}} "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no ''Grand Hotel'' in the American consciousness."<ref name=Vieira-1 />{{rp|7}} The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932.<ref name=Vieira-1 />{{rp|167}}

Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]'' (1936), costarring [[Luise Rainer]]. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer [[Charles Higham (biographer)|Charles Higham]].<ref name="Higham">Higham, Charles. ''Merchant of Dreams: Louis B. Mayer, M.G.M., and the Secret Hollywood'', Donald I. Fine, Inc. (1993)</ref>{{rp|240}} Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press.<ref name="eyes">"Tantalizing Eyes Chief Appeal of Beautiful Luise Rainer" by Dan Thomas, ''[[Pittsburgh Press]]'', October 28, 1935, p. 14</ref> However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]].<ref name=Affron>Affron, Charles, and Edelman, Rob. ''International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers,'' St. James Press (1997) pp. 997–999</ref>

After her winning role in ''The Great Ziegfeld'', Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for ''[[The Good Earth (film)|The Good Earth]]'' (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant."<ref name=Verswijver>Verswijver, Leo. ''Movies Were Always Magical'', McFarland Publ. (2003) p. 142</ref>{{rp|142}} However, she again won the Oscar for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]], becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until [[Katharine Hepburn]]'s two Oscar wins thirty years later.<ref name="Affron" />