after she graduated from north community high school in 1939, gaylord wanted to go to college to study music and art. but then a friend of hers saw a notice in a magazine called "movie mirror." it said that the movie studios in california were accepting photographs with names and addresses to help them find new actors for movies. without telling gaylord, her friend mailed in gaylord's picture. not long after, gaylord got a letter telling her that she had been chosen to come to california for a tryout.