Greta Garbo of 1931 and 1932, respectively, and Garbo was dubbed "the greatest money-making machine ever put on screen." Garbo's close friend Mercedes de Acosta then penned a screenplay for her to portray Joan of Arc but producers rebuffed the idea and the film was shelved. After appearing in "As You Desire Me" (1932), the first of three Garbo films which co-starred Melvyn Douglas, Garbo's MGM contract expired and she returned to Sweden. After nearly a year of negotiations, Garbo agreed to renew her contract with MGM on the condition she would star in "Queen Christina" and her salary would be increased
Greta Garbo Berling". Her performance caught the attention of Louis B. Mayer, chief executive of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), who brought her to Hollywood in 1925. She immediately stirred interest with her first silent film, "Torrent", released in 1926; a year later, her performance in "Flesh and the Devil", her third movie, made her an international star. Garbo's first talking film was "Anna Christie" (1930). MGM marketers enticed the public with the tagline "Garbo talks!" That same year she starred in "Romance". For her performances in these films she received the first of three Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. (Academy rules at the