:02:04
These past 10 years as chief of
production at Paramount Pictures...
:02:08
... I've been lucky, or fortunate enough to
be involved with such unique pictures...
:02:13
... as Rosemary's Baby, True Grit,
Love Story, The Godfather...
:02:25
How did you get discovered
for the movies?
:02:28
Well, I got discovered by jumping
into a swimming pool.
:02:31
But I was an actor for many years
as a kid before that.
:02:35
I was at the Beverly Hills Hotel pool.
I was a businessman at the time.
:02:40
- What was your business?
- I was partners in Evan Picone.
:02:43
We made women's pants.
In other words, I was in women's pants.
:02:46
We actually started the fad
of women wearing slacks.
:02:50
I'll never forget it, because...
:02:52
It was the fall of 1956.
:02:55
I flew out to Los Angeles
to set up Evan Picone boutiques.
:02:59
One afternoon, I decided
to play hooky...
:03:01
...sit by the pool and get some
sun at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
:03:05
Suddenly a woman approached. "Excuse
me, young man, are you an actor?"
:03:11
Yeah, I was, a long time ago.
:03:14
It was Norma Shearer.
:03:16
Norma Shearer, at the time,
was one of the few remaining icons...
:03:19
...of Hollywood aristocracy.
:03:20
A petite blond in a striped, short robe.
:03:24
"Pardon me for being curious, young man,
but why are you always on the phone?"
:03:28
Gotta pay my bills.
"You're not a bookmaker, are you?"
:03:31
No, I'm not a bookmaker.
:03:33
Then she changed the
entire course of my life.
:03:36
"Would you like to play my deceased
husband, Irving Thalberg, in a film?"
:03:40
I looked at her. Looked at her again. I
didn't know what she was talking about.
:03:44
"They're making a film at Universal
called Man of a Thousand Faces.
:03:48
My friend Jimmy Cagney
is playing Lon Chaney.
:03:51
Irving discovered him and made
him the biggest star in silent film.
:03:54
He was only 20 at the time. He was
even too young to sign the checks.
:03:58
But not too young to run a studio."