Editing Luise Rainer (section)

===''The Good Earth'' (1937)===
Rainer's next film was ''[[The Good Earth (film)|The Good Earth]]'' (1937), in which she co-starred with [[Paul Muni]]; she had been picked as the most likely choice for the female lead in September 1935.<ref>"Luise Rainer Rated Most Likely Choice for 'Good Earth' Feminine Lead", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 17 September 1935</ref><ref>"Paul Muni, Luise Rainer, Slated for 'Good Earth'" by Eileen Percy, ''[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]'', 21 November 1935, p. 19</ref> The role, however, was completely the opposite of her Anna Held character, as she was required to portray a humble [[Han Chinese|Chinese]] peasant subservient to her husband and speaking little during the entire film. Her comparative muteness, stated historian [[Andrew Sarris]], was "an astounding tour de force after her hysterically chattering telephone scene in ''The Great Ziegfeld''", and contributed to her winning her second Best Actress Oscar.<ref>Sarris, Andrew. ''You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet: The American Talking Film History and Memory, 1927–1949'', Oxford Univ. Press (1998) p. 388</ref>

The award made her the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until [[Katharine Hepburn]]'s two wins thirty years later.<ref name="Affron" /> In later years, however, Rainer felt that winning the two Oscars so early may have been the "worst possible thing" to befall her career.<ref name=Morgan>Morgan, Kim.[http://entertainment.sympatico.msn.ca/Oscars/OscarStory.aspx?cp-documentid=2742849 ''Curse of the Oscar''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015210856/http://entertainment.sympatico.msn.ca/Oscars/OscarStory.aspx?cp-documentid=2742849 |date=15 October 2007 }}. Special to MSN Movies . Retrieved November 2007.</ref> She said that it made her "work all the harder now to prove the Academy was right."<ref name="hardest">"Hardest Job for Luise Rainer Is to Avoid Overacting Roles; Playing Part Comes Naturally", ''[[Evening Independent]]'', 8 April 1938, p. 9</ref>

Rainer later recalled early conflicts even before production. Studio head Louis B. Mayer, for example, did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it, wanting her to remain a glamorous film star: "He was horrified at [[Irving Thalberg]]'s insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant," she said. "I myself, with the meager dialogue given to me, feared to be a hilarious bore."<ref name="Verswijver">Verswijver, Leo. ''Movies Were Always Magical'', McFarland Publ. (2003)</ref>{{rp|142}} Rainer remembered hearing Mayer's comments to Thalberg, her producer: "She has to be a dismal-looking slave and grow old; but Luise is a young girl; we just have made her glamorous&nbsp;— what are you doing?"<ref name="Osborne" />{{rp|13}} She considered the part as one of the "greatest achievements" in her career, stating that she was allowed to express "realism," even refusing to "wear the rubber mask 'Chinese look,'" suggested by the makeup department. She was allowed to act "genuine, honest, and down-to-earth," she said.<ref name="Verswijver"/>

Other serious problems took place during production. Director [[George Hill (director)|George W. Hill]], who had spent several months in China filming backgrounds and atmospheric scenes, committed suicide soon after returning to Hollywood. The filming was postponed until [[Sidney Franklin (director)|Sidney Franklin]] could take over.<ref name="Worsley"/> A few months later, before the film was completed, Irving Thalberg died suddenly at the age of 37. Rainer commented years later, "His dying was a terrible shock to us. He was young and ever so able. Had it not been that he died, I think I may have stayed much longer in films."<ref name="Verswijver"/> The film's opening screen credit includes a dedication to Thalberg: "To the Memory of Irving Grant Thalberg&nbsp;– his last greatest achievement&nbsp;– we dedicate this picture."<ref>Thomas, Bob. ''Thalberg: Life and Legend'', New Millennium Press (1969) p. 298</ref>

[[File:Rainer - Dramatic School.jpg|thumb|With [[Paulette Goddard]] in ''Dramatic School'' (1938)]]
In late 1936, MGM conceived a script called ''Maiden Voyage'' especially for Rainer.<ref>"Luise Rainer Resuming Gay Mood In 'Maiden Voyage'", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 5 October 1936</ref> The project was shelved and eventually released as ''Bridal Suite'' in 1939, starring [[Annabella (actress)|Annabella]] as 'Luise'. Another 1936 unrealized film project that involved Rainer was ''Adventure for Three'', which would have co-starred William Powell. In 1938, she played [[Johann Strauss II|Johann Strauss]]'s long-suffering wife Poldi in the successful Oscar-winning MGM musical biopic ''[[The Great Waltz (1938 film)|The Great Waltz]]'', her last big hit.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

Her four other films for MGM, ''[[The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937 film)|The Emperor's Candlesticks]]'' (1937), ''[[Big City (1937 film)|Big City]]'' (1937) with [[Spencer Tracy]], ''[[The Toy Wife]]'' (1938) and ''[[Dramatic School (film)|Dramatic School]]'' (1938), were ill-advised and not well received, though Rainer continued to receive praise. ''The Emperor's Candlesticks'', in which Rainer was cast in November 1936, reunited Rainer with Powell for the final time. For the film, she wore a red wig and wore costumes designed by [[Adrian (costume designer)|Adrian]], who claimed that Rainer, by the end of 1937, would become one of Hollywood's most influential people in fashion.<ref name="adrian">"Luise Rainer Next Will Appear As Attractive Red-Haired Woman in Picture Now Before Cameras", ''[[Evening Independent]]'', 27 April 1937, p. 11</ref> On set, she received star treatment, having her own dressing room, diction teacher, secretary, wardrobe woman, hairdresser, and makeup artist.<ref name="adrian" /> ''The Emperor's Candlesticks'' was Rainer's first film for which she received criticism, it being claimed that she did not improve in her acting technique.<ref>"Penn's 'Candlesticks' Lively Screen Yarn" by Florence Fisher Parry, 3 July 1937</ref>

[[File:Luise Rainer - Paramount.jpg|thumb|right|1930s publicity photo]]
Even though reviews of Rainer's performance in ''Big City'' were favorable, reviewers agreed that she was miscast in a 'modern role' and looked "too exotic" as Tracy's wife.<ref>"Luise Rainer Teamed With Spencer Tracy in Her First Modern Role", ''[[Sun Journal (Lewiston)|The Lewiston Daily Sun]]'', 24 September 1937, p. 21</ref> Despite the criticism and announcements of leaving Hollywood, Rainer renewed her contract for seven years shortly after the film's release.<ref>"Best Actress of the Year ... So she'll stick around after all" by Paul Harrison, ''[[The Palm Beach Post]]'', 11 October 1937, p. 15</ref>

Most critics agreed Rainer was "at her most appealing" in ''The Toy Wife''.<ref name="hardest" /> The final MGM film Rainer made was ''Dramatic School''. At the time she was cast in the film, her box office popularity had declined considerably, and she was one of the many well-known stars—along with MGM colleagues [[Greta Garbo]], [[Joan Crawford]], and [[Norma Shearer]], and [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Mae West]], [[Fred Astaire]], [[Kay Francis]] and others—dubbed "[[Box Office Poison (magazine article)|Box Office Poison]]" by the Independent Theatre Owners of America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/20/archives/screen-news-here-and-in-hollywood-luise-rainer-will-be-star-of-mcms.html|title=Luise Rainer Will Be Star of MCM's Dramatic School'|date=20 May 1938|work=The New York Times|access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref>

Rainer refused to be stereotyped or to knuckle under to the studio system, and studio head Mayer was unsympathetic to her demands for serious roles. Furthermore, she began to fight for a higher salary, and was reported as being difficult and temperamental.<ref name="shipman" /> As a result, she missed out on several roles, including the female lead in the [[Edward G. Robinson]] [[gangster film]] ''[[The Last Gangster]]'' (1937), losing out to another Viennese actress, [[Rose Stradner]].<ref>"For Your Amusement by Eddie Cohen", ''[[The Miami News]]'', 26 September 1937, p. 6</ref> Speaking of Mayer decades later, Rainer recalled, "He said, 'We made you and we are going to destroy you.' Well, he tried his best."<ref name="glamour">{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Brown|author-link=Mick Brown (journalist)|title=Actress Luise Rainer on the glamour and grit of Hollywood's golden era|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/6398728/Actress-Luise-Rainer-on-the-glamour-and-grit-of-Hollywoods-golden-era.html|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=22 October 2009|access-date=22 October 2009}}</ref>