Blind Item #12 - Mr. X - Old Hollywood

The subject of the previous BI was the front runner for the big screen adaptation of a long running Broadway musical which the producing studio hoped would be as big a blockbuster as another Broadway-to-Hollywood transfer. Behind the scenes, another challenger emerged for the role. This permanent A+ list singer/actress/diva had just finished wrapping the movie version of the Broadway show which made her a household name and was soon to win her one of the awards which would make her an EGOT. She knew she was too young for the part, but the buzz for her movie debut was enormous and she was striking while the iron was hot. Everything was set for the alliterate actress to star in this movie, which she hoped would be her comeback after a string of flops. The younger singer’s agent, who was considered one of the first super-agents in the biz, talked with the alliterate singer’s husband/manager behind her back saying that the younger singer would be better box office and that his wife would be all wrong for the part because she wasn’t as big a draw as she was in the past. When the alliterate singer found out about this, she hit the ceiling and called back the younger singer’s agent in a profanity laced tirade threatening to ruin her career. The part, as you all know, went to the younger singer and movie was not the blockbuster the studio was hoping for. The alliterate singer only made a few more movies after this debacle and she focused on TV from then on. to be continued…