Editing Norma Shearer (section)

=== Hollywood ===
Shearer left New York around February 17.<ref>Vieira, ''Irving Thalberg''.</ref> Accompanied by her mother, she felt "dangerously sure of herself"{{sfn|Lambert|1990|p=34}} as her train neared Los Angeles. When she was not welcomed, even an hour after her arrival, she realized that there would be no star treatment from her new studio. Dispirited, she allowed Edith to hail a taxi.

The next morning, Shearer went to the Mayer Company on Mission Road to meet with Thalberg. Shearer was momentarily thrown by their confused introduction, but soon found herself "impressed by his air of dispassionate strength, his calm self-possession and the almost black, impenetrable eyes set in a pale olive face".{{sfn|Lambert|1990|p=42}}

[[File:Norma Shearer portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Shearer in an early [[MGM]] publicity photo]]

Shearer was less impressed, however, with her first screen test: "The custom then was to use flat lighting, to throw a great deal of light from all directions, in order to kill all shadows that might be caused by wrinkles or blemishes. But the strong lights placed on either side of my face made my blue eyes look almost white, and by nearly eliminating my nose, made me seem cross-eyed. The result was hideous."{{sfn|Lambert|1990|p=42}}

The day after the test had been screened for Mayer and Thalberg, cameraman [[Ernest Palmer (American cinematographer)|Ernest Palmer]] found Shearer frantic and trembling in the hallway. Speaking with her, he was struck by her "fierce, almost raging disappointment", and after viewing the test himself, agreed that she had been "poorly handled". Under Palmer's own supervision, a second test was made and judged a success by the studio brass. The lead in ''[[The Wanters]]'' seemed hers, until the film's director, [[John M. Stahl]], objected, finding her "unphotogenic". Again, Shearer was to be disappointed, relegated to a minor role.

[[File:Norma Shearer in "Slave to Fashion".jpg|thumb|Shearer in ''[[A Slave of Fashion]]'' (1925)]]

She accepted her next role in ''[[Pleasure Mad]]'', knowing "it was well understood that if I didn't deliver in this picture, I was through". After only a few days of shooting, things were not looking good. Shearer was struggling. Finally, the film's director, [[Reginald Barker]], complained to Mayer that he could get nothing out of the young actress, and when summoned to Mayer's office, she fully expected the axe to fall: <blockquote>"But to my surprise, Mr. Mayer's manner was paternal. 'There seems to be a problem,' he said, 'tell me about it.' I told him that the director had shouted at me and frightened me. Nobody had warned me that Mayer was a better actor than any of us, and I was unprepared for what happened next. He staged an alarming outburst, screaming at me, calling me a fool and a coward, accusing me of throwing away my career because I couldn't get on with a director. It worked. I became tearful, but obstinate. 'I'll show you!' I said to him. 'You'll see!' Delighted, Mayer resumed the paternal act. 'That's what I wanted to hear', he said, smiling."{{sfn|Lambert|1990|p=44}}</blockquote> Returning to the set, Shearer plunged into an emotional scene. "I took that scene lock, stock, and barrel, fur, fins and feathers",{{sfn|Vieira|2009|p=28}} she remembered, earning her the respect of her director and her studio. As a reward, Thalberg cast her in six films in eight months.

The apprenticeship served Shearer well. On April 26, 1924, Louis B. Mayer Pictures was merged with [[Metro Pictures]] and the [[Samuel Goldwyn Company]] to form [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]. Shearer was cast with [[Lon Chaney]] and [[John Gilbert (actor)|John Gilbert]] in the studio's first official production, ''[[He Who Gets Slapped (film)|He Who Gets Slapped]]''. The film was a conspicuous success and contributed to the meteoric rise of the new company, and to Shearer's visibility. By late 1925, she was carrying her own films, and was one of MGM's biggest attractions, a ''bona fide'' star. She signed a new contract; it paid $1,000 a week and would rise to $5,000 over the next five years. She bought a house for herself and Edith at 2004 Vine Street, which was located under the [[Hollywood Sign|Hollywoodland sign]].