Norma Shearer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Edith Norma Shearer (August 10, 1902 – June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s. Her early films cast her as the girl next door, but for most of the Pre-Code film era, beginning with the 1930 film The Divorcee, for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress, she played sexually liberated women in sophisticated contemporary comedies. Later she appeared in historical and period films. Unlike many of her MGM contemporaries, Shearer's fame declined steeply after retirement. By the time of her death in 1983, she was largely remembered at best for her "noble" roles in The Women, Marie Antoinette, and Romeo and Juliet. Shearer's legacy began to be re-evaluated in the 1990s with the publication of two biographies and the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and VHS release of her films, many of them unseen since the implementation of the Production Code some sixty years before. Focus shifted to her pre-Code "divorcee" persona, and Shearer was rediscovered as "the exemplar of sophisticated [1930's] woman-hood... exploring love and sex with an honesty that would be considered frank by modern standards". Simultaneously, Shearer's ten-year collaboration with portrait photographer George Hurrell and her lasting contribution to fashion through the designs of Adrian were also recognized. Shearer is widely celebrated by some as one of cinema's feminist pioneers: "the first American film actress to make it chic and acceptable to be single and not a virgin on screen". In March 2008, two of her most famous pre-code films, The Divorcee and A Free Soul, were released on DVD. Description above from the Wikipedia article Norma Shearer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
The Women
as Mary HainesA happily married woman lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays.
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The Kid Stays in the Picture
as Self (archive footage)Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans, based on his famous 1994 autobiography.
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That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage) (uncredited)Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50...
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Way Down East
as Barn Dancer (uncredited)A naive country girl is tricked into a sham marriage by a wealthy womanizer, then must rebuild...
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He Who Gets Slapped
as ConsueloAfter a baron steals his scientific discoveries, runs away with his wife, and slaps him in...
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Romeo and Juliet
as JulietYoung love is poisoned by a generations long feud between two noble families.
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Marie Antoinette
as Marie AntoinetteThe young Austrian princess Marie Antoinette is arranged to marry Louis XVI, future king of...
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That's Entertainment! III
as (archive footage)Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of...
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The Stolen Jools
as Owner of Stolen JewelsFamous actress Norma Shearer's jewels are stolen… (Star-packed promotional short film intended...
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The Barretts of Wimpole Street
as Elizabeth BarrettRemarkable poet Elizabeth Barrett is slowly recovering from a crippling illness with the help of...
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A Free Soul
as Jan AsheAn alcoholic lawyer who successfully defended a notorious gambler on a murder charge objects...
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The Flapper
as Schoolgirl (uncredited)A Southern teen at a ritzy boarding school gets into mischief while acting the sophisticated...
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You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
as Self (archive footage)Biographical portrait of one of Broadway's most brilliant songwriters. Told through the use of...
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1925 Studio Tour
as SelfA tour of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio in 1925 shows the people who make the movies there, and...
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The Divorcee
as JerryWhen a woman discovers that her husband has been unfaithful, she decides to pay him back in kind.
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Idiot's Delight
as Irene FellaraA group of disparate travelers are thrown together in a posh Alpine hotel when the borders are...
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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas,...
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Escape
as Countess Ruby von TreckAn American goes to pre-war Germany to find his mother and discovers her in a concentration...
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Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood
as Various Roles (archive footage)A look at the forces that shaped Pre-Code Hollywood and brought about the strict enforcement of...
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Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
as SelfThis 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including...
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A Lady of Chance
as Dolly MorganA con woman working the Atlantic City hotels targets a visiting businessman from Alabama.
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The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
as KathiA young prince falls in love with a beautiful barmaid while at university in old Heidelberg.
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Hollywood Goes to Town
as SelfThis short shows how Hollywood gets ready for the world premiere of an "important" movie. The...
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The Devil's Circus
as MaryIn 1913, Carl is released from prison, where he served a sentence for stealing. Spurned by his...
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Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading...
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Complicated Women
as Self (archive footage)Looks at the stereotype-breaking films of the period from 1929, when movies entered the sound...
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Riptide
as Lady Mary RexfordMary is an impetuous romantic who marries British aristocrat Lord Philip Rexford on a whim....
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We Were Dancing
as Victoria Anastasia WilomirskaA penniless former princess weds an equally cash-strapped baron, so they support themselves by...
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The Hollywood Revue of 1929
as Self / JulietAn all-star revue featuring MGM contract players.
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Their Own Desire
as Lucia 'Lally' MarlettLally is a rich girl whose father writes books and plays polo. After 23 years of marriage her...
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The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
as Self (archive footage)This documentary revisits the making of Gone with the Wind via archival footage, screen tests,...
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A Man's Man
as Norman Shearer (uncredited)An aspiring actress goes to Hollywood to make movies and marries a soda jerk.
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Strange Interlude
as Nina LeedsAfter Nina Leeds finds out that insanity runs in her husband's family, she has a love child with...
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Smilin' Through
as Kathleen / MoonyeenOn the day of his wedding, Sir John Carteret's fiancée, Moonyeen, is killed by a jealous rival...
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The Romance of Celluloid
as Self (archive footage)Several behind the scenes aspects of the movie-making business, which results in the enjoyment...
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Going Hollywood
as Herself - Premiere Clip (archive footage)The film tells the story of Sylvia, a French teacher at an all-girl school, who wants to find...
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Private Lives
as Amanda PrynneAmanda and Elyot are one another's former spouse. Elyot is remarried to Sibyl and Amanda married...
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The Film Parade
as (archive footage) (uncredited)Pioneer filmmaker J. Stuart Blackton was intrigued by the idea of a film about the history of...
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Hollywood, la vie rêvée de Lana Turner
as Self (archive footage)Portrait of Julia Jean Turner, from her childhood to her rise of fame as Lana Turner, to her...
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Lady of the Night
as Molly Helmer / Florence BanningThe story of two baby girls, born near in proximity but worlds apart in society: Molly Helmer,...
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Upstage
as Dolly HavenDolly Havens, a small-town girl with big-town ambitions that are larger than her talents, hooks...
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Twenty Years After
as (archive footage)This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits,...
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The Restless Sex
as Reveler at Artists Ball (uncredited)A love triangle drama, based on a novel by Robert W. Chambers, who is better-known for weird...
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The Christmas Party
as HerselfIn this holiday short, Jackie Cooper wants to throw a Christmas party for his friends on his...
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The Trial of Mary Dugan
as Mary Elizabeth DuganA woman is tried for the murder of her lover. Director Bayard Veiller's 1929 courtroom drama...
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Strangers May Kiss
as Lisbeth CorbinAfter years of fighting off the advances of her old flame Steve, Lisbeth settles into a steamy,...
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Hollywood: Style Center of the World
as SelfThis short promotes the premise that movies often create a demand for the fashions seen in them....
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The Tower of Lies
as Glory/GoldieAfter his beloved daughter leaves for the city to pay off his debt, an old farmer goes mad when...
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The Wolf Man
as Elizabeth GordonGerald Stanley (John Gilbert) is an English gentleman who is engaged to Beatrice Joyce (Alma...
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Girl 27
as Self (archive footage)The reclusive Patricia Douglas comes out of hiding to discuss the 1937 MGM scandal, in which the...
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Master Will Shakespeare
as Juliet (uncredited)A short biography of William Shakespeare that highlights the various jobs he worked at in the...
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The Latest from Paris
as Ann DolanThe Latest from Paris takes place in New York's garment district, where business rivals Blogg...
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Her Cardboard Lover
as Consuelo CroydenA flirt tries to make her fiancée jealous by hiring a gigolo.
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Joan Crawford: Always the Star
as Self (archive footage)Glamorous and hugely popular Joan Crawford raised herself from brutal poverty to Academy...
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A Slave of Fashion
as Katherine EmersonKatherine Emerson, an Iowa girl hungry for the good things in life, leaves her small hometown...
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Judy Garland: By Myself
as Self (archive footage)As Hollywood biographies go, Judy Garland's story is one of the saddest success stories you'll...
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The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
as Fay CheyneyThere is a big charity function at the house of Mrs. Cheyney and a lot of society is present....
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Waking Up the Town
as Mary Ellen HopeJim Joyce runs a garage with old Abner Hope. When Hope's granddaughter, Mary Ellen, comes to...
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The Wanters
as MarjorieElliot Worthington falls in love with Myra, the maid in his sister's household. Myra is...
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The Man Who Paid
as Jeanne ThorntonIn her first leading role, a very young Norma Shearer played Jeanne, a wild girl of the Canadian...
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The Trail of the Law
as Jerry VardonIn Maine, a girl masquerades as a boy during the day after her mother is killed by an unknown...
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The Devil's Partner
as JeanneAn adventure tale set in the North Woods. The villain, smuggler Jules Payette, would give...
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Broadway After Dark
as Rose DulaneRalph Norton, man-about-town and wealthy favorite in Broadway society circles, is attracted to...
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We're switching to Hollywood
as SelfA German reporter visits Hollywood and is escorted through the MGM Studio by a German nobleman,...
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Pretty Ladies
as Frances WhiteMaggie, a headlining comedienne with the Follies, takes a fall off the stage into the orchestra...
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Married Flirts
as Norma Shearer (uncredited)Nelly is so intent on her writing career, that she neglects her appearance and her husband,...
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The Actress
as Rose TrelawnyA theatrical troupe from the west end of London loses its leading lady when she goes off to...
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The Waning Sex
as Nina DuaneNina Duane is a criminal lawyer whose gender was professionally resented by Philip Barry, the...
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Another Romance of Celluloid
as Self (uncredited)This second entry in MGM's "Romance of Film" series documents how celluloid movie film is...
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A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
as SelfThis short documentary, presented and directed by MGM sound engineer Douglas Shearer, goes...
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The Star Boarder
as Big V Beauty Squad Member (uncredited)Larry's absurdly plush life of ease as a convict comes to an end when his sentence is up. Tossed...
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Let Us Be Gay
as Kitty BrownDowdy housewife Kitty dotes on her self-centered husband but divorces him when his mistress...
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The Stealers
as Julie MartinRev. Robert Martin is an ex-minister who has lost his faith because of his wife's faithlessness,...
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The Bootleggers
as Helen BarnesJose Fernand seems interested in luring Helen Barnes onto his ship than he is in smuggling. The...
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The Demi-Bride
as CriquetteTrouble begins when Mme. Girard steps out on her husband, Criquette's father, to fool around...
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Excuse Me
as Marjorie NewtonA sailor and his would-be bride search their train for a clergyman to marry them.
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The Taming of the Shrewd
as Rose Del MarPart 5 of The Leather Pushers boxing film series.
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His Secretary
as Ruth LawrenceWhen a secretary overhears her boss disparaging her looks, she decides to show him how wrong he is.
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Lucretia Lombard
as Mimi WinshipLucretia Morgan has been married to an old man for the past seven years. The marriage is...
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Channing of the Northwest
as Jess DriscollA foppish Londoner joins the Royal Canadian Mounties and tries to break a smuggling ring.
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The End of the World
as Mary Ellen HopeJack Joyce, who worked in old Abner Hope's garage, was always dreaming of big schemes, but had...
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Broken Barriers
as Grace DurlandA young girl is forced to give up college when her father loses all his money. She soon meets...
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Empty Hands
as Claire EndicottClaire Endicott throws a wild party and her father walks in to find her flirting with the very...
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A Clouded Name
as Marjorie DareTo avoid seeing Marjorie Dare, Jim Allen visits Stewart Leighton at the latter's country home....
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The Snob
as Nancy ClaxtonTwo schoolteachers, married for love, are parted by the husband's obsessive desire for wealth...
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After Midnight
as Mary MillerWhen Joe, a hold-up man, tries to rob Mary, a nightclub hostess, she winds winds up knocking him...
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Man and Wife
as Dora PerkinsDora Perkins is a country girl who runs away to New York City. She gets work as a nurse and...
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