(Taken from the book Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine. Some of the "facts" are are said to be just "fiction" but it is still a fascinating read.)
The Book
During the last week of January 1932, the opening and closing hotel lobby scenes of the film were shot on soundstage six. All of the principals, and sixty-five extras were on call to make their entrances and exits through the gigantic Art Deco foyer designed by Cedric Gibbons. To avoid contact with her co-stars, Garbo's scenes were scheduled for after lunch, but on the morning of the shoot Crawford called in sick and had her scenes rescheduled for the afternoon.
As the director rehearsed the extras, whose shoes had been soled with cork to prevent noise on the marble floors, Garbo sat apart in the spacious lobby, dresses in chinchilla, perched on a little box, eating an apple, her eyes half closed. “She cut the apple into little pieces with a knife,” said a reporter. “She would have bitten into it only it would have spoiled her make-up.” Her black maid Ellen, called “L-l-l-l-n” by the star, stood nearby, with a napkin and a brown paper bag in her hand, in which the core of the apple would be disposed of when her mistress was through. “The walls behind Garbo began to move,” said the writer.
Joan
"She turned, startled like a deer in the forest. She noticed the walls had wheels. It pulled away. ‘What ees thees?' Garbo cried. Suddenly from the other side of the walls came the sound of Bing Crosby's voice, singing ‘Can we talk it over, dear?' Garbo jumped, looked around her. ‘What ees these?' she asked again. ‘Miss Crawford's dressing room,' she was told.”
“Nice,” she said. The door of the palace opened. Joan Crawford put her head out and called to the man who did nothing but change the Bing Crosby records on the phonograph set up for her in the sidelines. “Put the other piece on, dear said Joan, preparing for her appearance in the lobby. “What other piece, Joanie?” the man answered. “You know, Ed,” she said. “What's the scene, Joanie?” “Oh, kind of gay and bright.”
Garbo, back on her box, looked from one to the other as their voices crossed, then called to her maid. “What ees the scene, L-l-l-l-n?” “You walk through the people in the lobby,” her maid answered. “Then it ees very sad,” answered Garbo. The director seated on the crane above the lobby asked for quiet, and instructed Garbo that she was to walk from left to right and exit through the revolving doors. “I valk on my own?” the actress asked. “Through a crowd of admirers,” the director said. “Do you wish to rehearse?” “No,” she sighed, “I rehearsed it in New York last week.”
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