re: Behind the scenes pictures

That pose by Bogie sure reminds me of his reaction at the finale of "The Roaring Twenties" (1939) when Cagney is pointing his pistol at him, and about to shoot.

Letter from Ayn Rand to Barbara Stanwyck, asking her to read Atlas Shrugged and give her thoughts on it (1957)



October 5, 1957

Dear Barbara:

Thank you for your letter. As you see, I don’t forget, even if Warner Brothers do. I will be very interested to hear your reaction to ATLAS SHRUGGED. Would you write to me, at the above address, when you have read it? Before I make any decision in regard to the movie rights of this novel, I would like to know whether you feel about Dagny Taggart as you did about Dominique Francon.

Cordially,

Ayn Rand

On October 7, Stanwyck replied that in reading Atlas Shrugged, she “lost a week’s sleep” which answers “how much I enjoyed [the book].” She thanked AR for remembering her and for considering her for the part of Dagny Taggart (the novel’s heroine), but she said that Hollywood would want someone “young, beautiful, and all the rest that goes with it.”