CASTING MELANIE

To: Mr. Daniel T. O'Shea
November 18, 1938

[...]As to Melanie, as I previously advised you, I think Dorothy Jordan is out best Melanie to date...[...]. Never having seen Geraldine Fitzgerald, I can't make any comment about her. Ditto for Priscilla Lane. However, I note that George saw Brother Rat, which I think is wrong. I think he should see Four Daughters, which is the picture that overnight established her as a big favorite.
Certainly I would give anything if he had Olivia de Havilland under contract to us so that we could cast her as Melanie. It should also be borne in mind that it is a long time since Georege has seen Fontaine...She certainly should have readings.
The same is true of Jane Bryan. I think it is silly to rule these girls out on the strength of a picture which was probably shot in three or four weeks...
[...]I think Ann Dvorak is a very remote possibility indeed for Melanie...I don't know why it was decided to rule out Julie Hayden, [she] is, I think a Melanie possibility.
I haven't had any word from you as to whether Janet Gaynor will cut her salary to play Melanie.
Warners have so far definitely refused to consider letting us have de Havilland for Melanie, but I think they might be persuaded, if we offer Goddard in trade, since I understand Jack Warner thinks well of Goddard. This would mean giving a star-making role to a Warner player, but it looks as though we may be stuck, in which case we may want to break our necks to get de Havilland...
Almost the same thing is true of Andrea Leeds, although I don't think she's as good as de Havilland for the role...