Lynne Carver (Who’s Who at MGM, 1937) 🇺🇸
Lynne Carver can tell no Cinderella story. Hers has been a hard, up-hill fight. She has great determination and is willing to work day and night to attain success. She has no illusions about the glamour and grandeur of Hollywood because she has taken plenty of knocks in her fight to gain a foothold on the ladder of screen fame.
Raised in Lexington, Ky., where she was born September 13, and Birmingham, Ala., Lynne is the daughter of a mining engineer. Her real name is Virginia Reid Sampson and her first trial picture, when she played a role with Myrna Loy in Penthouse, was under the name Virginia Reid.
She showed early promise as a singer and took lessons in voice training. After studying in New York, Lynne came to Hollywood with her family, and among the friends she made was Polly Ann Young, who brought her to the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Tests and a three months’ trial contract followed, during which the name Lynne Carver was decided on for her. Then came her first real chance, in the role of the sweetheart of Tom Brown in Maytime, starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. It resulted in a long-term contract and plans for important parts.
Voice Being Trained
Although she did not sing in Maytime, her contract with the studio has provided for vocal and musical training for her while acting, and she will have an opportunity to sing later.
Five feet six inches tall, with a graceful, willowy figure, light auburn hair and deep grey eyes. Miss Carver’s youthful charm is enhanced by a soft Southern accent.
Lynne is a very positive person, with decided views of her own. Like the busy bee, she is always planning for her future. Her days are completely “booked” for weeks in advance with music lessons, French, dancing and swimming. She takes as many as four different music lessons in one day. She laughingly admits having attended a class for a month to learn correctly “how to walk,” “how to sit in a chair,” and “how to enter a door gracefully.”
Born Friday the 13th
She is not the least bit superstitious and it is probably a good thing she isn’t, for she was born on Friday the 13th. But from the looks of her present achievements, the third time was certainly a charm for her, her third name, Lynne Carver, has decidedly proven to be a “lucky number.”
She believes that the necessary attributes of an ideal person are a sense of humor, unselfishness and intelligence. Her greatest fear is that she might unwittingly do a selfish act. Her greatest ambition is to accomplish something really worth while. She is anxious to visit all the strange ports of call in the world.
Corn Pone and Ice Cream
Her favorite plays are The Swan and Victoria Regina and her favorite movie was Green Pastures. She likes corn pones and ice cream above other foods. She plays the piano to accompany her coloratura soprano voice.
She enjoys listening to older and more experienced players and believes that she can profit by their advice. Among those who have taken a deep interest in her is Irene Dunne, with whom she played a role in Roberta. Another friend and mentor is May Robson, with whom she worked in Strangers All. Her other pictures are Old Man Rhythm and To Beat the Band.
Her most recent triumph was in The Bride Wore Red with Joan Crawford.
Collection: Who’s Who at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1937)