Chen Qiang was discharged from the hospital, but his wound has not fully recovered and he needs to go to the hospital regularly to change dressings.

It was winter, most of the sports were out of business, and the only thing we could see was ice hockey. There is a professional ice hockey team in New York, that is, the New York Rangers, this team was founded in 1926 and has a lot of fans in New York, and the home stadium of the New York Rangers is also in the famous Madison Garden Square. The New York Rangers have also had a very good record this year and are likely to win the Stanley Cup again.

In addition to watching ice hockey, the theater on Broadway is also a great place to spend time. There are some of the best musical shows in the world and, of course, cinemas.

In January 1940, MGM released another super classic movie "Gone with the Wind", which won eight statuettes at the 12th Academy Awards.

Last year, MGM's "The Wizard of Oz" had already produced a sensational effect, and now "Gone with the Wind" has made MGM firmly in the position of the overlord of Hollywood movies. Paramount, Universal, and Warner Bros., were beaten by MGM and lost their armor.

"Gone with the Wind", a very influential classic in film history, Chen Qiang certainly won't miss it, but because of injury, Chen Qiang didn't catch the premiere of the film, and when Chen Qiang walked into the theater to enjoy this movie, "Gone with the Wind" has been in theater for more than a month.

On the walls of the movie theater, there are still posters of "Gone with the Wind", which show the two leading actors, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, kissing each other. However, next to the poster, there is a wooden man with a long nose, this wooden figure is very simple and ugly, if it is at night, you will be shocked when you meet this wooden man.

"Mr. Chen!" A voice suddenly sounded from behind him, and Chen Qiang looked back and saw a young man standing behind him.

"Stanley, are you also coming to see the movie?" Chen Qiang immediately recognized the other party.

This young man is Stanley Lieber, the tailor's son, who had ordered a batch of sportswear from Stanley Lieber's tailor's shop, and this young Stanley Lieber had helped his father deliver them. Chen Qiang still remembers that Stanley Lieber was very interested in superhero comics, and Chen Qiang also bought the first issue of Batman's comics because of Stanley Lieber.

Stanley Lieber nodded, then pointed at the wooden man, "yes, I'm going to see this." ”

"I thought you were also here to see Gone with the Wind." Chen Qiang said.

"Mr. Chen, I'm working as an assistant at Time Comics, so I want to watch more cartoons." Stanley Lieber continued: "I heard that this 'Puppet Adventure' was filmed quite well, so I came to learn and learn. ”

"The Puppet Adventure? Pinocchio? Chen Qiang immediately realized what the wooden man with the long nose was.

"Mr. Chen, have you heard of this animated movie?" Stanley Lieber asked, somewhat surprised.

"Something to do. But Disney's name is thunderous. Chen Qiang said.

At this time, Chen Qiang already understood why there was such an ugly and somewhat inferior wooden man in the theater, which was Disney at that time would adopt such a promotional strategy.

Disney in 1939 was already a large-scale company, at this time Disney had created classic cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and the Three Little Pigs, and in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were released, making Disney a world-class cartoon production company. Between 1940 and 1942, Disney introduced classic cartoon characters such as Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Bambi, which laid the foundation for the future of Disneyland.

In the late thirties, Disney had not yet built themed amusement parks, but it already had a lot of theaters, and models of classic cartoon characters created by Disney could also be found in Disney's theaters. Especially when "Puppet Adventures" was released, Disney produced a large number of Pinocchio puppets, which occupied almost all theaters in the United States. And this propaganda strategy is undoubtedly very successful, and the whole of America knows that there is such a cartoon character as Pinocchio who tells lies and has a nose that grows long.

Chen Qiang thought that Stanley Lieber liked superhero comics very much, so he continued to ask: "Stanley, you are now working as an assistant in the comic club, have you tried to draw comics yourself?" Like drawing a superhero like Superman or Batman? ”

"I'm still studying, but I've had some simple attempts, but they didn't pass, and I'll continue to work hard." Stanley Lieber replied.

"Well, if your comics are published, let me know and I'll buy them." Chen Qiang said casually.

"Mr. Chen, if one day, my comics can be published, I will definitely give you a copy in person." Stanley Lieber said right away.

"Well, don't forget to get me an autograph when the time comes." Chen Qiang replied with a smile.

……

After the release of "Puppet Adventure", a pair of classic cartoon characters appeared in front of the world. MGM has released an animated short called "Cat's Boots," which features a cat and a mouse. This is where the story of the cat and the mouse begins.

Chen Qiang also went to see the first animated short film of this cat and mouse in person, except that the picture is a little rough, the plot is very interesting in the eyes of Chen Qiang, a later generation.

Shortly after the release of Cat and Mouse, Chen Qiang received an invitation to a prom hosted by Louis Meyer, MGM's CEO and director of production.

Louis Meyer himself was one of the founders of MGM, and it was in his hands that MGM stepped into glory, and he was also the first high-ranking official in American history to be worth more than a million dollars. At the same time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the United States was also founded by Louis Meyer, and this Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selects an award every year, that is, the famous Academy Awards, so he is regarded as the "father of the Oscars".

Also because of Louis Meyer's outstanding contributions to film, he is known as the "King of Hollywood".

Chen Qiang is an athlete and has nothing to do with movies, but he was still invited by Louis Meyer. In fact, he has participated in many similar balls, and you don't need to be professional to participate in this kind of occasion, as long as you are a well-known person in New York, you can get a ticket to the ball.

You need a female companion to participate in the ball, so on the day of the ball, Chen Qiang took Esther directly to the scene of the ball.

Although there were many dressed girls at the dance party, the young and beautiful Esther still attracted a lot of people's attention, and many people envied Chen Qiang for having such an outstanding-looking female partner, and some people even secretly inquired about which female star in Hollywood was this.

Chen Qiang didn't know Louis Meyer, the "King of Hollywood", before, but Louis Meyer had seen Chen Qiang a long time ago.

"Mr. Chen, I still remember your heroic appearance at the Los Angeles Olympics. I went to watch the game for three days in a row and I saw you on the podium every day. Louis Meyer said with a smile.

"I also love MGM movies, especially The Wizard of Oz." Chen Qiang said politely.

Hearing Chen Qiang's praise of "The Wizard of Oz", Louis Meyer laughed a little proudly.

Speaking of MGM, we have to mention a man named Owen Thalberg, who is also one of the founders of MGM and was once a partner of Louis Meyer, and the two opened a studio together. When he was young, Owen Thalberg was called a "wizard" by Hollywood, and more than 400 of MGM's early films were all produced by Owen Thalberg, and for MGM at that time, Owen Thalberg played a much greater role than Louis Meyer.

However, such a movie wizard eventually died of a heart attack. After Owen Thalberg's death, Louis Meyer became MGM's man at the helm, and many Hollywood professionals at the time believed that MGM, without Owen Thalberg, would gradually decline. At that time, Louis Meyer was also under a lot of pressure, he endured a lot of criticism and doubts, and finally made a "The Wizard of Oz" that instantly brought MGM back to the top, and those doubts about him disappeared without a trace.

Therefore, "The Wizard of Oz" is also a turnaround battle fought by Louis Meyer after losing Owen Thalberg, and it is Louis Meyer's proudest work. When Chen Qiang praised "The Wizard of Oz", Louis Meyer naturally felt that there was a light on his face.

Chen Qiang continued: "MGM's recent cartoon movie, I have also seen it, the story of cat and mouse, very interesting. ”

"I didn't expect Mr. Chen to be interested in cartoons." Louis Meyer spoke.

"I love cartoons, but I think it would be nice if the mouse had a name." Chen Qiang said with a smile.

When the cat and mouse first appeared, they were not called Tom and Jerry, and in 1940 the first animated short film of the cat and mouse was released, and the cat's name was "Jasper", and the mouse was not named at all. Later, MGM named the mouse, but instead of "Jerry", it means "jinx", which means "unlucky", probably because in the early cats and mice, the mouse was always bullied by the cat.

Chen Qiang was influenced by later generations and felt that the cat Tom and the mouse Jerry were the real cats and mice, and the cat Jasper and the mouse were anonymous, which obviously made Chen Qiang have no sense of substitution.

Louis Meyer was very interested in Chen Qiang's suggestion, and he asked, "Mr. Chen, why do you think you should name a mouse?" Mouse, but the most humble of life. ”

"Because of the name, people remember them. I think it's important for a character in a film and television work to be remembered. For example, Miss Vivien Leigh, now that he walks down the street, I think there are a lot of people who call him Scarlett! Chen Qiang replied with a smile.

Vivien Leigh's role in "Gone with the Wind" is called "Scarlett", and now "Gone with the Wind" is popular, Vivien Leigh is a well-known actress in the United States, but many people will call her "Scarlett" when they see her.

When an actor creates a very classic image, people can't help but think of him as this classic image, and even change the title. For example, after Winslet finished acting in "Titanic", many people forgot her real name and simply called her "Ruth", and this title has been called for more than 20 years; Another example is Chris Evans, how many people now directly call him "Team America"; When it comes to "Men in Black 3", people will say that the starring roles are Will Smith and Thanos; The most powerful is Mr. Wang Gang, who shaped a Heshen, and I am afraid that no one will be able to surpass it by 2100.

Louis Meyer is Hollywood's most professional filmmaker, and he certainly knows what it means for audiences to remember the names of their characters, and that's not just the success of the actors, but the success of the film. As the CEO of MGM, Louis Mayer wants every MGM movie to be remembered by the audience, which means that every movie is a success.

So Chen Qiang's proposal to name the mouse suddenly made Louis Meyer feel like he was piercing the window paper.

So Louis Meyer then asked, "Mr. Chen, what do you think should be the name of the mouse?" ”

"I think the name 'Jerry' is very good, and the cat, the name is too hard to remember, it might as well be called 'Tom'." Chen Qiang replied.

"Tom and Jerry? What two very common names! I guess the vast majority of male cats in the United States are called 'Tom'! Louis Meyer said with a smile.

Chen Qiang nodded: "Yes, it is precisely because it is easy to remember that it will be remembered by people, isn't it?" Especially for many children, Tom and Jerry are better remembered than other names. ”

Louis Meyer sensitively felt that Chen Qiang's suggestion of naming instantly multiplied the commercial value of the cat and the mouse several times, and two such easy-to-remember names may really shape the cat and the mouse into classics in the history of cartoon movies.

"This Chinese athlete doesn't seem to be the kind of person with developed limbs and a simple mind." Louis Meyer suddenly put away his contempt for Chen Qiang.

Then, Louis Meyer's eyes fell on Esther, who was beside Chen Qiang.

"Mr. Chen, your female companion is really radiant." Louis Meyer opened his mouth to praise.

"This is my girlfriend Esther Williams." Chen Qiang briefly introduced.

Louis Meyer said, "I think Miss Williams has the potential to be a movie star, and if you plan to pursue a career in acting, you might as well come to MGM." ”

"But I didn't learn anything about acting." Esther replied.

"It's okay if you don't act, you can come to study at the Academy of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, I'm the founder of the academy, and I can arrange for you to enroll directly." Louis Meyer spoke.

Esther was a little moved, but she looked at Chen Qiang beside her and didn't agree immediately.

Chen Qiang knew that Esther must want to give it a try, after all, every girl will have a dream of stardom, let alone a young and beautiful little girl like Esther.

……

Chen Qiang handed the fare and tip to the taxi driver, then stepped out of the car and led Esther home.

At this time, although it was already winter, the night in New York was still a little cold, and Esther was wearing a relatively thin evening dress, so Chen Qiang took off his coat and draped it on Esther's body, and Esther subconsciously leaned on Chen Qiang's shoulder.

"Go ahead and try it!" Chen Qiang suddenly spoke.

"Try what?" Esther asked, a little puzzled.

"Louis Meyer's proposal to go to Hollywood and become an actor. I can sense that you're interested. Chen Qiang said.

Esther hesitated for a few seconds, but finally shook her head: "Forget it, I don't want to leave you." ”

"How can this be considered a departure from me? You're just going to do something that interests you. Chen Qiang hugged Esther and said: "Your home is in Los Angeles, if you can go to Hollywood to develop, it is also a very good thing." ”

"Then we will be far away, I am the westernmost part of the United States, and you are the easternmost part of the United States, we don't know how long it will take for us to meet! I want to be with you, I don't want to be separated from you. Esther said with a choked voice.

"I was able to expand my gym business to Los Angeles very quickly. And I believe that transportation will become more and more developed, trains will become faster and faster, and it will be more and more convenient to take a plane, and when the time comes, it will only take a few hours to fly from Los Angeles to New York, or vice versa, and you will be there with a good night's sleep. Chen Qiang said.

Esther asked sensitively, "Are you trying to drive me away?" You don't like me anymore? Do you have another woman? ”

"How is that possible! I don't want to be separated from you either. But I don't think I should stop you from developing your career, and you don't need to give up anything for me. Chen Qiang replied.

"You swear, you really don't have any other women?" Esther said with some willfulness.

"Okay, I swear, I only have you in my heart, and I want to be with you forever!" Chen Qiang said helplessly.

Hearing this, a satisfied smile appeared on Esther's face.

Chen Qiang felt that in the TV series of later generations, the scumbags seemed to deceive ignorant little girls like this.

……

A year later, Cat and Mouse released a new animated short, and this time, the mouse had a "Jerry" name, and the cat's name was changed from "Jasper" to "Tom". At the end of the film, where similar to a special acknowledgement, a subtitle thanking Chen Qiang also appears.

And in the future, every cat and mouse will be specially "special thanks" to Chen Qiang in the end credits, and this has become an unsolved mystery in the history of cartoons, why do cats and mice thank Chen Qiang?

It wasn't until a few years later, when Chen Qiang's memoirs were published, that people learned that Chen Qiang was the one who named the cat and mouse.

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