It's Christmas again in a blink of an eye, but Chen Qiang feels that last year's Christmas is still vivid.

Stepping off the train and standing on the platform of the train station, Chen Qiang looked around and noticed that the Los Angeles train station had not changed.

"It's been a year." Chen Qiang couldn't help but sigh lightly.

If there was no war, 1940 would have been a very busy year for Chen Qiang, because 1940 was an Olympic year, and Chen Qiang would represent China to participate in the Olympic Games, brush up a few medals, and break several world records.

It's a pity that the war made the Olympics come to naught, and Chen Qiang did not have the opportunity to stand on the stage of the Olympic Games for the third time to win glory for the country.

However, the busyness of his career also made Chen Qiang busy from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. If Chen Qiang thought about it carefully, he also did a lot of things this year, found more than a dozen franchisees for the gym, made it impossible for the Japanese to buy scrap iron, helped Hu Shi get the "Huaxi loan", and he himself became a millionaire by selling hula hoops.

Thinking of the precarious days when he first came to this era, when he was a newsboy, he came together every morning, first of all, to calculate whether he could earn money before dinner today, Chen Qiang suddenly felt that he was really lucky, now he not only does not worry about eating and drinking, but also has some industries in the United States, and if he invests in Microsoft and Apple in the future, he can also be a billionaire, and his children and grandchildren will not have to worry about money for generations.

Thinking of future generations, Chen Qiang couldn't help but think of Esther, that is, his wife.

"I haven't seen Esther in half a year, and I don't know if she's fat or thin."

Chen Qiang walked out of the train station, and saw Esther's figure from afar, she was originally a beauty, and today she wore a red coat, which was particularly conspicuous in the crowd.

"Chen!" When Esther saw Chen Qiang, she ran over quickly and poured directly into Chen Qiang's arms.

The so-called little farewell is better than the newlywed, these two people are small goodbye and newlyweds, naturally all kinds of shows of affection, dog food scattered all over the ground.

The two usually correspond frequently, and Esther already knows that Chen Qiang has made a lot of money selling hula hoops, and now they can build a villa for two people on the land they bought before.

And Chen Qiang also knows that Esther has begun to embark on the road of an actress, and she has played several inconspicuous small roles in MGM movies, commonly known as dragon sets.

Now Chen Qiang is also a millionaire, so Chen Qiang is quite optimistic about Esther's acting career, anyway, the family has money, even if Esther uses acting as a ticket, it doesn't matter. If Esther is willing, Chen Qiang can even contribute money to invest in a movie for Esther.

This year's Christmas, Chen Qiang still spent time at Louis Williams' house. However, this year's atmosphere is different from last year, with less embarrassment and more harmony.

When I came to Los Angeles for the New Year last year, Chen Qiang and Esther were still lovers, and Louis Williams even had a feeling of "I treat you as a friend, but you sleep with my daughter", and the Williams were somewhat embarrassed to face Chen Qiang. And this year, Chen Qiang and Esther are married, and the Williams are more able to play the role of "parents", and Chen Qiang has experienced the feeling of "home" that has not been seen for a long time.

……

The firewood in the fireplace made a squeaking sound, and the dog raised by Louis Williams was lying at Chen Qiang's feet with a comfortable face, perhaps because Chen Qiang would always feed it something to eat when eating, so the dog liked Chen Qiang, the new member of the family, very much.

On the radio next to him, Roosevelt was giving a speech.

The 1940 presidential election in the United States was over, and Roosevelt was victorious and began his third term.

In the past month, the situation in Europe has also taken a sharp turn for the worse, the battle of Britain has entered a white heat, Germany has bombed Britain, Britain has also bombed Germany, and the skies over the English Channel have become meat grinders for the air forces of the two countries.

This was a crucial battle, although Britain suffered huge losses in the battle, but Germany was never able to gain air supremacy in the English Channel, could not disintegrate the British naval and coastal defense forces, so it could not land in the British Isles, the Germans had to abandon the "Sea Lion Plan" to invade Britain, and instead formulated the "Barbarossa Plan" to invade the Soviet Union, and then millions of German troops fell in the ice and snow of the Soviet Union.

In this situation, President Roosevelt, who had just been re-elected, began his twelfth "fireside chat," which is now playing on the radio.

In 1933, on the eighth day of Roosevelt's inauguration as president of the United States, Roosevelt was interviewed by ABC and CBS in front of the fireplace in the reception room downstairs of the presidential palace.

During his more than 10 years as president of the United States, Roosevelt held dozens of "fireside chats." The first few "fireside chats" were all aimed at the Great Depression, and it was also because Roosevelt led Americans out of the Great Depression that "fireside chats" were well known to the majority of Americans.

In this fireside chat, Roosevelt strongly stated that the United States did not agree with the so-called "new order" of Germany, Italy and Japan, and at the same time, Roosevelt also made it clear that the United States would provide large-scale military aid to Britain and China.

This is definitely the news that Chen Qiang wants to hear the most. Although the United States has been supporting China before, it has been in the form of loans, and each loan has collateral, whether it is tung oil, tin ore or tungsten ore, the value of these collateral exceeds the amount borrowed by the United States, so the United States has also made a lot of money through this so-called "aid".

Now, Roosevelt's twelfth fireside chat has released a new signal, that the United States' loans will be turned into aid, and it will also be "military aid", which is probably the most needed on the domestic battlefield of resistance against Japan.

"Good news, it is estimated that Special Envoy Song who is still staying in Washington must be eager to meet Roosevelt and talk to him about the 300 million US dollar aid!" Chen Qiang said secretly in his heart.

When Germany, Italy and Japan signed a military alliance, China borrowed 25 million US dollars from tungsten ore, and at that time, Special Envoy Song mentioned the aid of 300 million US dollars, which shows that Special Envoy Song still did not give up on his mission to the United States.

Chongqing's side also complained to US Ambassador to China Jensen in various ways, pestering Jensen every day, hoping that Jensen could say good things to Chongqing. And in the end, Jensen really reported to the White House that without the support of a large amount of foreign exchange, Chongqing would really collapse.

However, Chen Qiang knew that although the Song envoy was still trying his best to complete his task, the big man in Chongqing still did not put all his mind on the Anti-Japanese War, and he was thinking about how to solve the New Fourth Army in southern Anhui at this time.

The Japanese are about to fight in Chongqing, and the one who is still thinking about fighting in the nest is no wonder Roosevelt can't believe him!

……

Esther returned from MGM's set, pouting and looking unhappy.

Chen Qiang saw that Esther was a little unhappy, so he asked, "Esther, isn't today's shooting going well?" ”

"It's not for the sake of filming." Esther sighed lightly and continued: "I am competing for a supporting actress in a movie, and I was very promising, but the company said that this movie may not be made. ”

"Is it a MGM movie?" Chen Qiang asked.

"Yes. MGM began planning the film in the fall, and now that the script has been written, it was scheduled to be released in 1942. Esther nodded.

"If it's a movie that's been planned for months, why stop filming? Is it financial? MGM shouldn't be short of money. Chen Qiang said.

"I don't know exactly why, but I heard that MGM's top management plans to shelve this movie. I was expecting to rely on this movie to get rid of the role, but now it seems that there is no drama again, and I have to continue to play the trick next. Esther said with some bitterness.

"Honey, why don't I ask Louis Mayer for a meal!" Chen Qiang said.

Louis Meyer is at the helm of MGM, and Chen Qiang is planning to find the "king of Hollywood" through the back door.

Esther thought for a moment, then nodded, she knew that Chen Qiang was very rich now, and she guessed that Chen Qiang would have some way to help her win this role. Although Esther still wanted to speak with her strength, she really didn't want to continue to play tricks. Since there are shortcuts to take, it is impossible to take a path full of thorns.

……

After more than half a year, Chen Qiang met the "King of Hollywood" Louis Mayer again.

The two exchanged a few words, and Chen Qiang directly asked what the situation was with the new film that was likely to be dismounted.

Louis Meyer let out a long sigh, and then began to complain to Chen Qiang.

"Chen, the current film industry is really hard to do! Since September 1939, all anti-** films have been banned. Louis Meyer said.

"Why?" Chen Qiang asked a little puzzled. It is said that the position of the United States is pro-British and anti-German, and that kind of anti-** movie is absolutely politically correct, and it should be encouraged.

Louis Meyer went on to say; "Because the market, the European film market, accounts for 40% of Hollywood's revenue, and what is the situation in Europe now, you know, the Germans have occupied the European continent, and if we continue to make anti-** films, we will not be able to sell a single film in Europe. It's okay for the small studios to say that their films don't rely on the European market in the first place, but we are different from large companies like us, and we need the European market to maintain profits. ”

Chen Qiang nodded suddenly and succumbed to the overseas market, which is the consistent urine of big Hollywood studios. For example, when the Japanese economy is good in the future, the plot of 007 will run towards Japan, and Sean Connery will put on a fake nose to make him Japanese; After the rise of the Chinese film market, Hollywood blockbusters often invite a Chinese actor, and then paste it in a conspicuous position on the poster to trick the Chinese audience into the cinema, and when the Chinese audience actually enters the cinema, they find that the Chinese actor is just a soy sauce character, maybe just showing his face, or only one or two simple lines.

Louis Meyer went on to add: "To tell you the truth, we at MGM and Warner Bros. have been threatened by the Germans, and they will probably boycott our films all over Europe. ”

"Then this movie that is about to be disembarked is a movie with an anti-** theme?" Chen Qiang asked.

"Strictly speaking, it's not anti-**. I was going to make a story about a British family who lived a comfortable life and had their lives changed because of the war. So this should be regarded as a somewhat pro-British movie. However, this kind of film is not easy to make now, and the former ambassador to the United Kingdom, Joseph Kennedy, personally warned me not to make pro-British or anti-German films. Louis Meyer replied.

Louis Meyer's former ambassador to the United Kingdom, "Joseph Kennedy", will later be called "Joseph Kennedy Sr" because his eldest son also inherited his name, also called "Joseph Kennedy".

When the surname "Kennedy" is mentioned, people inevitably think of the famous group of American politicians "Kennedy" and the assassinated President Kennedy. This old Joseph Kennedy was the father of the future President Kennedy. It can be said that Joseph Kennedy Sr. is the founder of the Kennedy family.

Joseph Kennedy Sr.'s eldest son, Joseph Kennedy Jr., was a pilot who died in the European theater of war in 1944. The second son is John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, whom we are familiar with; The third son, Robert F. Kennedy, served as U.S. Attorney General, and the fourth son, Edward Kennedy, served in the Senate for 47 years. And Joseph Kennedy Sr. himself has served as chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, chairman of the US Maritime Commission, US ambassador to the United Kingdom, and other positions.

Joseph Kennedy Sr. started his early investment in stocks, he made $4 million by speculating in the 1929 U.S. stock crash, and he also invested in entertainment, shipping and real estate, and made $55 million by importing a large amount of Scotch whisky during the 1933 U.S. Prohibition, and Joseph Kennedy Sr. was a multimillionaire before World War II. His position as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission was also earned by providing Roosevelt with a large amount of campaign money.

Joseph Kennedy Sr. was a political opportunist, and when Roosevelt was in power, he defected to Roosevelt and rose to prominence; After the outbreak of World War II, a large number of Jews came to the United States to seek refuge, and there was a wave of anti-Semitism in the United States at that time, and Joseph Kennedy Sr. became an anti-Semite; Later, when "McCarthyism" became popular in the United States, Joseph Kennedy Sr. allied with McCarthy, you must know that McCarthy is a Republican, and the Kennedy family has been a Democrat for generations.

In 1940, Joseph Kennedy Sr. also showed his true colors as an investor, because on the European battlefield, Britain was losing and Germany was soaring, so Joseph Kennedy Sr., who was still serving as the U.S. ambassador to Britain at that time, put the treasure on the Germans and became a pro-German faction, he believed that Britain would not last long, so the United States should compromise with Germany. Joseph Kennedy Sr.'s attitude was obviously contrary to Roosevelt's, how could Roosevelt let a man who thought about Britain's surrender every day be the U.S. ambassador to Britain, so he removed Joseph F. Kennedy Sr. from his post.

As mentioned earlier, Joseph F. Kennedy Sr. has invested in the entertainment industry, including the Hollywood film industry. Back in the mid-twenties, Joseph F. Kennedy Sr. owned dozens of theaters, had film studios, ran a film company, and invested in many films. So Joseph Kennedy Sr. was quite influential. Perhaps it is also because of the influence of the Kennedy family in Hollywood that the future Marilyn Monroe will be involved with the Kennedy family.

It is precisely because of Joseph Kennedy Sr.'s influence in Hollywood that Louis Meyer was very scruptuous, when Joseph Kennedy Sr. warned Louis Meyer not to make pro-British and anti-German films.

Getting back to the point, Louis Meyer complained bitterly, and Chen Qiang asked, "Mr. Meyer, is MGM planning to stop this movie?" ”

Louis Meyer nodded: "I hope the film can continue, but most of MGM's top management is worried about losing the European market, and at the same time afraid of Joseph Kennedy's warning, so they don't agree to make this film." In particular, if several major shareholders refuse to let go, then the company will not approve the funds for filming, and without money, the film can only be stopped. ”

"It's a problem that money can solve." Thinking of this, Chen Qiang smiled slightly, and then asked: "Mr. Meyer, I am very interested in this movie, I hope that this movie can continue, and if there are difficulties in terms of funds, I am willing to invest." ”

Louis Meyer is also an old man, he has been in Hollywood for so many years, and he has long guessed that Chen Qiang is here to invest money. He has also seen a lot of this situation, a rich female star, with the father of the financial owner behind her, came to meet the producer, of course the producer knows what the other party wants.

I only heard Louis Meyer look at Chen Qiang, and then at Esther beside Chen Qiang, and said: "If Mr. Chen is willing to invest, then naturally he can't ask for it." In fact, the second female lead in this film is very suitable for Miss Williams, and if this movie can start filming smoothly, I would like to invite Miss Williams to be the second female lead in the movie. ”

Chen Qiang nodded with satisfaction, he raised his wine glass and said, "Mr. Meyer, may we cooperate happily." ”

"Happy working together!" Meyer is also very happy, exchanging a female No. 2 for the investment of the owner's father, this transaction will definitely be profitable. In the future, any producer will be ecstatic when he encounters this kind of thing.

Chen Qiang put down his wine glass, and then asked: "By the way, Mr. Meyer, I forgot to ask, what is the name of the movie I want to invest in?" ”

Louis Meyer immediately replied: "The film you invested in is called Mrs. Minifer. ”

——————

Ask for a ticket!