Future Favorites — Gordon Oliver (1938) 🇺🇸
If you were born two miles away from Hollywood’s motion picture studios, you haven’t a chance to break in pictures… that, at least, is the opinion of Gordon Oliver, young leading man out at Warner Bros. studios…
by John Schwarzkopf
Gordon, who comes from a Southern California “blue book” family, was born in Los Angeles… and spent most of his early life close to the inner workings of the industry of which he is now a part… it wasn’t, however, until he had completed his education at the U. of Oregon and at U. S. C., that he decided to take up acting as a profession…
Naturally, he cast his eyes towards motion pictures but the executives seemed in no frame of mind to hire any “local talent”… in fact, he couldn’t even get near a casting office to apply for bit or extra work… somehow he just didn’t seem to “belong”…
Not wanting to stray too far from his family or home, Gordon went to San Francisco, where he thought he might get a chance to play in a stage role… But the Bay City didn’t welcome the young socialite with open arms…
Then someone told him that the only way to “break in” would be to go East… It might take time, he was advised, but if he was serious about a screen career, he must go to New York… The big town treated Oliver much better than his home town or San Francisco.
He obtained bit parts here and there, but it wasn’t before long that his big opportunity came… He was given a role in the road company of Petrified Forest… just as the friend had told him, Hollywood became interested when he appeared in the important role… and a Warner Bros. executive offered him a contract, but Gordon didn’t grab it…
“You’ll have to pay my way to Hollywood, and also guarantee my return fare before I consider,” was the reply… The executive said okay but wondered why Gordon insisted on the return guarantee… “I’ve been to Hollywood before,” was the reply, “and you didn’t want me then, so why should I be confident of making good when you ship me back to my home town to make good?”… this seemed reasonable to the executive, or at least they agreed and even though Gordon had made good, he still insists on that “return” clause…
Personally Gordon has a very sunny disposition and goes out for all sports… he’s a husky lad and stands almost six feet in his “stocking feet”… you’ll like young Gordon Oliver especially after seeing him play opposite Kay Francis in Women Are Like That.
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Collection: Motion Picture Magazine, March 1938
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