In 1942 George filmed the George Cukor movie Her Cardboard Lover with Norma Shearer and Robert Taylor. In this comedy Shearer is in love with George (of course) but he makes her miserable because he takes her for granted and treats her badly, but she cannot resist him (naturally). She decides to discourage George from contacting her because she always goes to him when he calls (who wouldn’t!). To this end she hires Robert Taylor, who is in love with her, to pretend to be her secretary and keep her from being alone with George and tempted to return to his arms. However, when George shows up she falls for him again and tries to get rid of Taylor so she can go to George on his boat. After many comedy scenes, one involving a hilarious fight between George and Taylor, Shearer falls in love with Taylor (I can’t understand how). This is a fun film to watch but hard to find. Incidentally, it is one of the two movies, the other being Rage In Heaven (1941), that caused Louie B. Mayer to decide that George would be a fine romantic leading man, which he would have. To this end Mayer invited George to lunch to discuss the prospect. However, George wasn’t interested so he didn’t show up for lunch. George said that romantic stars must continually be concerned about maintaining their looks as they age and that they frequently fall from stardom fast. Whereas, to quote George “a good character actor is virtually indestructable”.
Another movie which George filmed in 1942, in which he was the leading man and which brought him much critical acclaim, was The Moon and Sixpence . This is the film version of the book of the same title written by W. Somerset Maugham . The film is loosely based on the life of the artist Paul Gauguin. George plays Charles Strickland, a staid London broker who in the pursuit of his dream of becoming a painter deserts his wife and family and betrays his friends and associates. The film take us through Strickland’s life in Paris and finallly to Tahiti where, after living a life devoted to painting and the pleasures of the senses, Strickland is forced to confront himself as he dies of leprosy. In the film George has a beard and although he is undeniably drop-dead gorgeous still I prefer to see his entire face unadorned by any facial hair.
I am quoting now from of a review of the movie which I found at Answers.com: