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Page 2
Still, throughout the seventeen years Ava spent at MGM, she may have become a star, but she still received weak roles in mostly mediocre pictures. The studio counted on her looks and popularity to attract audiences and the gamble paid off. Unfortunately, this did not help Ava to develop her natural talent, which she never did acknowledge.
By that time, Ava had only read two books, Gone With the Wind and the Bible. She eventually took night classes and read voraciously to make up for her incomplete education. She was a dedicated student and earned high grades. Multi-millionaire Howard Hughes was another admirer. For years, he had spies on Ava so that whenever she broke up with a lover, he was there to step in. He even tried to jeopardize her other relationships so that he could better his odds. At this point, Ava had much more going for her than the suitors in her life. In 1953, John Ford helped Ava achieve her acting breakthrough. He cast her in Mogambo, a remake of the 1932 classic Red Dust. She played the Jean Harlow role, while Clark Gable played the same leading role that he had more that thirty years before. Grace Kelly filled out the third corner of the love triangle. The sassy, confident character was a perfect fit for Ava. She received an Oscar nomination for her performance. Coming up in part two: Ava meets the love of her life, learns flamenco, and escapes from Hollywood. Thanks to SilverScreenSirens.com for permission to use the beautiful photographs of Ava.
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