Greta Garbo Los Angeles on their own, but another five weeks passed with no contact from the studio. On the verge of returning to Sweden, she wrote to her boyfriend back home: "You're quite right when you think I don't feel at home here… Oh you lovely little Sweden, I promise that when I return to you my sad face will smile as never before." A Swedish friend in Los Angeles helped out by contacting MGM producer Irving Thalberg, who agreed to give Garbo a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying. Thalberg was impressed
Greta Garbo "Romance" (1930). After filming ended, Garbo—along with a different director and cast—filmed a German-language version of "Anna Christie" that was released in December 1930. The film's success certified Garbo's successful transition to talkies. In her follow-up film, "Romance" (1930), she portrayed an Italian opera star opposite Lewis Stone. She was paired opposite Robert Montgomery in "Inspiration" (1931), and her popularity was used to boost the career of the relatively unknown Clark Gable in "Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)" (1931). Although the films did not match Garbo's success with her sound debut, she was ranked as the most popular female