Dick Cavett had her and JANIS JOPLIN as guests on the same show! Talk about contrast but Gloria was always the elegant and classy diva and a good sport. I´m going to watch it again.
She was so advanced. Her knowledge of good diet and good wardrobe go hand in hand. Her wit could cut like a knife and her sense of humor was deadly. Finding someone like her today would be like hitting the lotto.
My exposure to her actually started with the Beverly Hillbillies, she did a short story arc in the series as herself (Granny thought she was her “lookalike”). It was very funny (she would have been in her 60s) and showed that she didn’t take herself that seriously. And, of course, Sunset Boulevard…..
I think she was very brave to do Sunset Boulevard. Can you image putting yourself out there like that knowing people will more than likely assuming it would be autobiographical? Especially at a time aged actresses were simply put to pasture. Very brave!
In the spring of 1981 I met Gloria Swanson on Madison Avenue walking with her uniformed chaufeur. I was exiting a stationary store having just purchased a Mother's Day card for my mother. I bumped smack into them, I immediately recognized her! I told her I was born in Chicago too, just as she had. I knew she was a legendary germophobe. I asked her, 'may I kiss you?' She said, "yes", so I did. As she continued on her way walking arm in arm with her driver, I heard her say to him, "wasn't that sweet?" Up until that point, she was the most famous person I had ever met, I can still smell the perfume she was wearing everytime I think of that experience.
I read “ Swanson on Swanson “ TWICE. ( her autobiography) her own account of her life is candid and exciting, and interesting. Imagine making over $7,000 a week?! She deserved it and I put her among the very top of the most original and exciting Hollywood stars.
I read it long ago, (25 years?) and vividly remember portions of it, like her description of the foods she ate before seeing the doctor and changing her diet. I recently purchased it again. It's a must if you like actresses of that time. Fabulous!
@@2244ntho66 I agree wholeheartedly. Even if you’re not interested in silent film stars ,the book is indeed fascinating, as were the “ roaring twenties “and Miss Swanson herself. I love the the line on the inside jacket that goes something like this: “ She swam in a sea of champagne, but was careful of the sharks among the bubbles.” I love that, and Miss Swanson, the lady.
Surprisingly, her finest performance came in Sunset Boulevard which was released twenty years after the Silent Era ender! It told of a has been Silent Screen actress in 1950 that believes that she's still at the top! She could easily have won the Oscar for her performance!
That year she was up against Bette Davis and Judy Holiday and someone else I think for the Oscar. Holiday won but I think Gloria had the best performance (Davis a very close second). Sunset Boulevard was such a great film.
Actually, Eleanor Parker was also nominated that for Best Actress that year. But she seemed to get forgotten surrounded by such powerhouse performances.
She was a survivor in a very competitive industry. I first saw her on an episode of, "The Beverly Hillbillies" and was taken by her presence even on TV. She was a great one, indeed!
I read in a Joe Kennedy biography that as her business manager of Gloria Swanson Productions, he gave her a Rolls Royce as a gift. He had charged it her company's account.
I read her autobiography years ago. I was left with the feeling that this woman was a wonderful personality, & that she & I agreed on a great many things -- and that, sadly (since I, ofc, never knew her), we would have been/could have been the very best of friends too!! So, go look for her book; it's a great read!!
There’s always the legend but this really clarifies the magnitude of Gloria’s influence. Mocking the Hayes Committee & surviving both success and failure (in the public eye), clearly she was a force of nature and always herself. Kudos to this artist.
She was amazing! Definitely ahead of her times. You didn’t mention that she was among the first on television when it began gaining increased interest in the late 1940s. Apparently she turned down being a TV host because she didn’t like the hectic schedule of live TV. If you revise this video please include that. I’m sure many people would like to know, especially fans of not only Gloria Swanson but also of the Silent Film and classic Hollywood Era. Thanks for your presentations and the work you do.
Jonathan Farrall , thank you for that info . I never knew that about Gloria Swanson ... would have been interesting to see her as a TV host back in the early days of broadcasting .
I don't know who I'd cast to play the late great Ms Swanson but It's hard to believe that this bio flick hasn't to date been made. If they'd got to it decades ago I'd have loved to have seen Dame Maggie Smith in the lead... I just can't even think of an actress today who could portray a woman as facinating as Gloria.
@@loulou3472 yes she would have been great!! She could still play her in her older years though. Have her tell her story in the beginning like shes looking back on her life and then show her again towards the end.😍
Really GREAT, AOV! I feel like I've just met the lady and watched her entire life pass in 14 minutes. You are so articulate, so classy, so genteel, so morally right, so witty. Must catch up with other shows by you I'vebeen missing.
Ms. Swanson had the right attitude about her life. She was fortunate to have had the status she had as a celebrity. In spite of any financial shortcomings that befell her she still believed in the craft as much as the business.
In the 1960s she made an appearance live once a year on WPIX TV ch.11 on a weekend for the last classic movie she made. I was in awe of her as being a millionaire in the 1920s when my late grandparents were making already married with children. For me she was the best actress in Hollywood for comedy and drama.
Thank you all for watching the videos and a HUGE THANK YOU for those who support the channel on Patreon. Just as little as $5 a month helps the channel tremendously!!! click here: www.patreon.com/ageofvintage Thank you! 🙂
Gloria Swanson was indeed a Movie Star of the first order. Her silent features, including "Queen Kelly," are well worth watching - not only are they good films, one can see WHY she was such a big star. Her portrayal of Norma Desmond is indeed brilliant, but Miss Swanson, in her prime, was much, much more. Thanks for doing justice to her extraordinary career.
She was great but Queen Kelly is trashy smut. The perverse fantasies of two creeps. It’s a shame she allowed herself to be degraded by that filth after such a legendary career. Plus, she was 30+ playing a teenager. So embarrassing to watch.
Miss Swanson was a pioneer health advocate, in the 7o's, when the general public called "those people", health nuts. Now, who's laughing or who's crying, for not listening? However, tomorrow is a new day to renew.
Wow, haven't heard that phrase in a while now," health nut" but your right, I remember the 70s when that was a " buzz word", and thought to be somewhat obsessive, but now it's very normal and necessary behavior, she was way ahead of her time, I find her fascinating!
I think Gloria Swanson was beautiful and captivating on and off the screen. Women had it tough trying to get started in Hollywood. A survivor for sure. She had the opportunity to date anyone she wanted to. I liked her paired with Rudolph Valentino but they were so young. It's not easy for me actors and actresses to keep relationships strong. Her role in Sunset Boulevard was stunning and scary. A wonderful final curtain call. She will be one of my silent screen favorites.❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹
Try to watch Beyond The Rocks, starring Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino. Some libraries may have a DVD copy. Even though silent, it is superb! No surprise she was so popular.
Of all of her movies that she made, I think the only ones that I ever saw were SUNSET BOULEVARD and QUEEN KELLY, the latter of which was never completed, but was released on VHS decades later- very fascinating film, but I could see her and director Erich von Stoheim, two artistic geniuses, as being like fire and gasoline working together on film, one as lead actor/producer and the other as an autocratic director. I also saw her in the last decade of her life in the "Hollywood" documentary where she is interviewed, along with others from the era, about the American silent film. Fascinating, much see series if you can find it.
I love watching her movie with Valentino, "Beyond The Rocks". They were actually very good friends who went horseback riding together and would confide in each other. I always think of them when I watch "Sunset Boulevard" when she actually brings up Valentino a couple of times in the movie.
Nice video, but she was not the first American member of nobility. Wha about all the wealthy American heiresses who married into European nobility starting in the late 19th century?
I just found your channel and this is the first video that I’ve watched on it bc I think Gloria Swanson was a treasure and a wonder. You’re narration is creative, witty, and informative- I did not know that Gloria Swanson was such a nutritionalist…! Of course that lifestyle takes extreme discipline and conviction- of which Ms. Swanson had BooKoos of!!
Thank you for sharing this video with us. She was a remarkable and talented woman (often underrated by some). I recently saw her in a "talking" film set in an exotic location off the south seas. Most only remember her for Sunset Boulevard, where she played to perfection, a parody of herself. In real life, she was intelligent, open-minded and always eager to learn.
People don’t understand how huge the stars were then, measuring it by the stars of the 30s and 40s or, worse, the stars of today. Many of the greatest stars of the teens and 20s, who drew massive crowds, are now unknown to the masses.
Imagine interviewing Gloria Swanson on the same TV episode as Janis Joplin!? The Dick Cavett show in the 60s had them on the interview couch together. A great clip! Gloria fans should watch it next if you haven't seen it! Imagine Gloria & Janis talking in the green room before the show! To be a fly on that wall...
Funnily enough I stumbled across that footage here on RUclips the other day and was quite amused because the contrast between the two women couldn’t have been any greater. The Queen of chic and the Queen of bohemian chic..
@@andrewthornhill7042 How crazy it would have been to meet her, someone who starred in silent films! I wish they had interviewed Swanson and the other silent stars more often so we had more of their stories. I guess by the time that generation was dying off, nobody cared about silent films. Their stories (& films) are lost. I wish we had more candid accounts of what it was like on the set of those big silent films. Such an interesting time and place, of which we have precious few first hand accounts.
@@osborn.illustration That's it unfortunately; no one cared enough to do anything but basically disregard the silent stars. Some, like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd received due recognition, though mostly in latter years. And Lillian Gish, Louise Brooks, Colleen Moore, Viola Dana, etc were interviewed for retrospectives. But many others were ignored and forgotten: Marion Davies, Pola Negri, Mae Murray (why are they mostly women?), Mary Pickford, Norma and Constance Talmadge. And they had been BIG!! Swanson was one of the lucky ones.
I live a few miles from Essanay Studios. Unfortunately, they stopped doing tours a few years ago. I read her Chicago home is still standing. I like a few of her silent.films. Sunset Blvd is a cult classic.
Her character in Sunset Boulevard reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode "the 16mm shrine" which was one of my very favourites (diverting from the story a little) which starred Ida Lupino
Sad the Twilight Episode with Ida Lupino is so forgotten these days, even on Twilight Zone marathons. I don't think many people remember Ida Lupino any longer.
I love Swanson but she wasn’t the first American to wed into nobility. I don’t know who was the first but during the later half of the 1800’s, many of the super rich married their daughters into European nobility. Like Ava Vanderbilt who married the Duke of Marlborough. Even before that, during Napoleon’s rule, a Baltimore socialite had a child with Bonaparte’s brother. They were supposed to get married but Napoleon wouldn’t allow it. There is still an extant line of American Bonapartes carrying that name.
Gloria Swanson justified the silent film stars hedonistic lifestyle as there was no income taxes back then. Also she said, The public expected us to live like queens & kings!! So, we did!!
Mae West would be too campy to slash her wrists over some beefcake. Bette Davis might have carried it off, but why they didn't think of Swanson from the get-go I don't know? She was the natural for the part.
She was something alright!!!! I read her book, "Swanson on Swanson." In it, when referring to the "Kennedy Affair" and Rose Kennedy, she said - "She is either the most NAIVE woman in the world, or the MOST STUPID!" I HATE TO BURST YOUR BUBBLE THERE GLORIA, but Rose wasn't either. She was a GOOD CATHOLIC that didn't sleep with her husband afterward. I think it might have been after her last child, but I'm sure the "AFFAIR" had something to do with it.
Her affair with Joe Kennedy was just so disrespectful. He brought her to Hyannisport to the Kennedy home. Young John caught her and Joe bumping uglies in the boathouse.
Don't forget Lilliam Gish....... There were many from the silent years who survived well into the latter part of the Century including Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Luise Rainer.
Gloria Swanson certainly had a unique look for her entire life. Quite stunning. She was one of the most lovely older women I can think of today or ever. She never looked like an older woman.
I never knew much about Gloria but I remember her in ,sun,set boulevard the film,she had that wide eyed look that she was well know for ,she wasn't attractive but there was something about her that was,Rest in peace Gloria amen🌹🌸💓😘🌈💖
Of all of the publicity photos you showed from the making of Sunset Boulevard, I thought there might be one where Erich von Stroheim cracks a smile. It wasn't to be.
Clothes and hats. She loved hats because her hair was difficult. She also had stake in United Artists. She was a cool ass lady. I remember learning her clothing budget was $250,000 a year….plus hats.
Like Betty Davis, she is not especially pretty; in fact both are downright homely. But they both produce excellence in acting, so their success as actors becomes obvious despite their plain looks.
She had a wicked look to her actually, but somehow pulled it off, ,,and BD was homely yes, cute in her younger career, but did not age well, but what an actress she was!
SHE WAS A GREAT STAR , AND BRINGING THAT PERSONA TO HER ROLE AS NORMA DESMOND IS WHAT MADE THE MOVIE SO GREAT - ALTHOUGH EVERYONE IN THE FILM IS WONDERFULLY OVER-THE-TOP !
Dick Cavett had her and JANIS JOPLIN as guests on the same show! Talk about contrast but Gloria was always the elegant and classy diva and a good sport. I´m going to watch it again.
Gloria Swanson is a fabulous legend! Great video. ⭐🌟💫
She was so advanced. Her knowledge of good diet and good wardrobe go hand in hand. Her wit could cut like a knife and her sense of humor was deadly. Finding someone like her today would be like hitting the lotto.
She died at the age of 84 but you would’ve thought she’d live well into her 90s with a diet like that 😐
@@lasenoritacometa1977 For Hollywood that is a long time as many died younger from drug, alcohol and cigarettes and careless lifestyle.
My exposure to her actually started with the Beverly Hillbillies, she did a short story arc in the series as herself (Granny thought she was her “lookalike”). It was very funny (she would have been in her 60s) and showed that she didn’t take herself that seriously. And, of course, Sunset Boulevard…..
That was a funny arc - making a silent film that played at the Bijou Theater in Bug Tussle.
I first heard of her on old reruns of " I love Lucy ". I , of course, never heard of her , and I had to Google her.
Buddy Epson and Swanson were longtime friends, and both shared a passion for conservative politics.
I think she was very brave to do Sunset Boulevard.
Can you image putting yourself out there like that knowing people will more than likely assuming it would be autobiographical?
Especially at a time aged actresses were simply put to pasture.
Very brave!
My thoughts exactly. Same with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane". Hollywood greats!
@@wingman5985 Yes I understand that but right now we're talking about Gloria Swanson
@@nunyabizz3518 Do you understand how the Comments section of a RUclips video works?
@@jamesclendon4811👀 Apparently not. I would ask you how it works but I'm certain neither do you
Several other actresses said no for that exact reason.
In the spring of 1981 I met Gloria Swanson on Madison Avenue walking with her uniformed chaufeur. I was exiting a stationary store having just purchased a Mother's Day card for my mother. I bumped smack into them, I immediately recognized her! I told her I was born in Chicago too, just as she had. I knew she was a legendary germophobe. I asked her, 'may I kiss you?' She said, "yes", so I did. As she continued on her way walking arm in arm with her driver, I heard her say to him, "wasn't that sweet?" Up until that point, she was the most famous person I had ever met, I can still smell the perfume she was wearing everytime I think of that experience.
lucky you!
Do you know what perfume she was wearing?
sweet anecdone; thanks for sharing, Jack!
I used to run into celebrities all the X in Manhattan back in the early '90's.
Wonderful story from a fellow New Yorker!
I read “ Swanson on Swanson “ TWICE. ( her autobiography) her own account of her life is candid and exciting, and interesting. Imagine making over $7,000 a week?! She deserved it and I put her among the very top of the most original and exciting Hollywood stars.
Me too. It’s a great read.
I read it long ago, (25 years?) and vividly remember portions of it, like her description of the foods she ate before seeing the doctor and changing her diet. I recently purchased it again. It's a must if you like actresses of that time. Fabulous!
Great book.
@@2244ntho66 I agree wholeheartedly. Even if you’re not interested in silent film stars ,the book is indeed fascinating, as were the “ roaring twenties “and Miss Swanson herself. I love the the line on the inside jacket that goes something like this: “ She swam in a sea of champagne, but was careful of the sharks among the bubbles.” I love that, and Miss Swanson, the lady.
@@bobbyantonelli7978 She was indeed a Queen ahead of her time
I've always loved her and her story. Your video was a real treat for me. Thank you!!
So well done!
Her performance in SUNSET BOULEVARD is perfectly calibrated. It’s celebrated, but I think still underrated.
No 12 on the American Film Institutes list for the best films on all time...how is that underrated!
@@blaxwax - Her performance. It’s perfect. And most people giggle at it.
Surprisingly, her finest performance came in Sunset Boulevard which was released twenty years after the Silent Era ender! It told of a has been Silent Screen actress in 1950 that believes that she's still at the top! She could easily have won the Oscar for her performance!
That year she was up against Bette Davis and Judy Holiday and someone else I think for the Oscar. Holiday won but I think Gloria had the best performance (Davis a very close second). Sunset Boulevard was such a great film.
@@supergristmill6195 Anne Baxter was the fourth Best Actress award nominee for her performance of Eve Harrington in 'All About Eve'.
I thought she was robbed. She def deserved it. Judy Holliday’s performance wasn’t that great & Bette Davis played Bette Davis.
Actually, Eleanor Parker was also nominated that for Best Actress that year. But she seemed to get forgotten surrounded by such powerhouse performances.
She was great in the silent film “Sadie Thompson.”
She was a survivor in a very competitive industry. I first saw her on an episode of, "The Beverly Hillbillies" and was taken by her presence even on TV. She was a great one, indeed!
She was a huge star in the 20's, a lot of the silent stars were famous on an international level because they didn't need translation.
I read in a Joe Kennedy biography that as her business manager of Gloria Swanson Productions,
he gave her a Rolls Royce as a gift. He had charged it her company's account.
I read her autobiography years ago. I was left with the feeling that this woman was a wonderful personality, & that she & I agreed on a great many things -- and that, sadly (since I, ofc, never knew her), we would have been/could have been the very best of friends too!! So, go look for her book; it's a great read!!
There’s always the legend but this really clarifies the magnitude of Gloria’s influence. Mocking the Hayes Committee & surviving both success and failure (in the public eye), clearly she was a force of nature and always herself. Kudos to this artist.
She was amazing! Definitely ahead of her times. You didn’t mention that she was among the first on television when it began gaining increased interest in the late 1940s. Apparently she turned down being a TV host because she didn’t like the hectic schedule of live TV. If you revise this video please include that. I’m sure many people would like to know, especially fans of not only Gloria Swanson but also of the Silent Film and classic Hollywood Era. Thanks for your presentations and the work you do.
Jonathan Farrall , thank you for that info . I never knew that about Gloria Swanson ... would have been interesting to see her as a TV host back in the early days of broadcasting .
Bette Davis on her playing Norma Desmond: she thought Swanson gave "A Heavenly Performance"
Why has there never been a bioflick done about Gloria. It would be a fascinating movie, I would cast Cate blanchet 💗
I think a unknown actress would be nice too as well as those two.❤ it would be kinda hard to do her justice. She was pretty awesome. Lol
A&E created her biography. It's so good!
I don't know who I'd cast to play the late great Ms Swanson but It's hard to believe that this bio flick hasn't to date been made. If they'd got to it decades ago I'd have loved to have seen Dame Maggie Smith in the lead... I just can't even think of an actress today who could portray a woman as facinating as Gloria.
@@loulou3472 yes she would have been great!! She could still play her in her older years though. Have her tell her story in the beginning like shes looking back on her life and then show her again towards the end.😍
@Margaret Kerr Cate's too tall....
This video has given me a new appreciation for Gloria Swanson as an insightful, intelligent and full of a love for life human being. ❤️🙏🏻
She was the best! Gloria was ahead of her time! One classy lady.
As was Mae West...err...ahead of her time.
Adultery not withstanding.
Really GREAT, AOV! I feel like I've just met the lady and watched her entire life pass in 14 minutes. You are so articulate, so classy, so genteel, so morally right, so witty. Must catch up with other shows by you I'vebeen missing.
Ms. Swanson had the right attitude about her life. She was fortunate to have had the status she had as a celebrity. In spite of any financial shortcomings that befell her she still believed in the craft as much as the business.
She was not common enough to be a celebrity. She was a star.
@@cincin4515 And a *Star* even!
In the 1960s she made an appearance live once a year on WPIX TV ch.11 on a weekend for the last classic movie she made. I was in awe of her as being a millionaire in the 1920s when my late grandparents were making already married with children. For me she was the best actress in Hollywood for comedy and drama.
Thank you all for watching the videos and a HUGE THANK YOU for those who support the channel on Patreon. Just as little as $5 a month helps the channel tremendously!!!
click here: www.patreon.com/ageofvintage
Thank you! 🙂
Wouldn’t that be an equivalent to about $50,000,000.00 in today’s money?
Wonderful documentary short ...
thank YOU
Gloria Swanson was indeed a Movie Star of the first order. Her silent features, including "Queen Kelly," are well worth watching - not only are they good films, one can see WHY she was such a big star. Her portrayal of Norma Desmond is indeed brilliant, but Miss Swanson, in her prime, was much, much more. Thanks for doing justice to her extraordinary career.
She was great but Queen Kelly is trashy smut. The perverse fantasies of two creeps. It’s a shame she allowed herself to be degraded by that filth after such a legendary career. Plus, she was 30+ playing a teenager. So embarrassing to watch.
I appreciate all your videos. They're just the right length. You're a good narrator, and you don't ruin your work with annoying music. Cheers.
Miss Swanson was a pioneer health advocate, in the 7o's, when the general public called "those people", health nuts.
Now, who's laughing or who's crying, for not listening? However, tomorrow is a new day
to renew.
Wow, haven't heard that phrase in a while now," health nut" but your right, I remember the 70s when that was a " buzz word", and thought to be somewhat obsessive, but now it's very normal and necessary behavior, she was way ahead of her time, I find her fascinating!
I think Gloria Swanson was beautiful and captivating on and off the screen. Women had it tough trying to get started in Hollywood. A survivor for sure. She had the opportunity to date anyone she wanted to. I liked her paired with Rudolph Valentino but they were so young. It's not easy for me actors and actresses to keep relationships strong. Her role in Sunset Boulevard was stunning and scary. A wonderful final curtain call. She will be one of my silent screen favorites.❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹
Don't forget Greta Garbo and Luise Rainer, as well as many others including Billie Dove.
I love the way she dressed! It would be wonderful if women could start being as glamorous as she was in her day.
Gloria Swanson wasa fine acreess and a real survivor.
Agree 100%
Try to watch Beyond The Rocks, starring Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino. Some libraries may have a DVD copy. Even though silent, it is superb! No surprise she was so popular.
She had a lot finesse and talent. What a beauty!
I read her bio three times. It was that good. She was quite a gal.
Obviously a great actress and knew how to spend, not much has changed really. Thanks for your excellent work once again. Brenton 🇦🇺
Of all of her movies that she made, I think the only ones that I ever saw were SUNSET BOULEVARD and QUEEN KELLY, the latter of which was never completed, but was released on VHS decades later- very fascinating film, but I could see her and director Erich von Stoheim, two artistic geniuses, as being like fire and gasoline working together on film, one as lead actor/producer and the other as an autocratic director. I also saw her in the last decade of her life in the "Hollywood" documentary where she is interviewed, along with others from the era, about the American silent film. Fascinating, much see series if you can find it.
I find her eyes captivating. Much more so than Bette Davis. A beautiful lady that embodies the image of the 20s in my mind.
Mistress of kennedy. Good actress with a strong personality.
She always underestimated her ability to handle comedy. I thought she did quite well with it.
I love watching her movie with Valentino, "Beyond The Rocks". They were actually very good friends who went horseback riding together and would confide in each other. I always think of them when I watch "Sunset Boulevard" when she actually brings up Valentino a couple of times in the movie.
She only brings him up once: at the NYE party when she says he said she needed tile for Tango. The other reference is in Joe’s narration.
I found Gloria while reading the BOOK "SUGAR BLUES" she was very health conscious and totally against sugar.
Distinctive Beauty ! One of kind, thank you !
It has been said that NO sugar was allowed on set or in her presence. My house and life is now sugar free in her honor. Sugar Blues worth a read.
Nice video, but she was not the first American member of nobility. Wha about all the wealthy American heiresses who married into European nobility starting in the late 19th century?
I just found your channel and this is the first video that I’ve watched on it bc I think Gloria Swanson was a treasure and a wonder. You’re narration is creative, witty, and informative- I did not know that Gloria Swanson was such a nutritionalist…!
Of course that lifestyle takes extreme discipline and conviction- of which Ms. Swanson had BooKoos of!!
I believe that I saw her in the play BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE.
Thank you for sharing this video with us. She was a remarkable and talented woman (often underrated by some). I recently saw her in a "talking" film set in an exotic location off the south seas. Most only remember her for Sunset Boulevard, where she played to perfection, a parody of herself. In real life, she was intelligent, open-minded and always eager to learn.
She spent $ 8 million because she’s an absolute legend. Nuff said.
Or just shitty at finances…. God! I just can’t with your generation
@@alejandromolinac I’m 46.
Amen 🙏 well said
People don’t understand how huge the stars were then, measuring it by the stars of the 30s and 40s or, worse, the stars of today. Many of the greatest stars of the teens and 20s, who drew massive crowds, are now unknown to the masses.
About being a natural food activist, she was miles ahead of her time
Imagine interviewing Gloria Swanson on the same TV episode as Janis Joplin!? The Dick Cavett show in the 60s had them on the interview couch together. A great clip! Gloria fans should watch it next if you haven't seen it! Imagine Gloria & Janis talking in the green room before the show! To be a fly on that wall...
Funnily enough I stumbled across that footage here on RUclips the other day and was quite amused because the contrast between the two women couldn’t have been any greater. The Queen of chic and the Queen of bohemian chic..
@@Anton1091 I wish there was more footage of them talking just unscripted like that! Yes loved the contrast between the two!
@Salem Osborn Michael Parkinson had Swanson on an episode of his talk show next to Olivia Newton-John and Dame Edna Everage!
@@andrewthornhill7042 How crazy it would have been to meet her, someone who starred in silent films! I wish they had interviewed Swanson and the other silent stars more often so we had more of their stories. I guess by the time that generation was dying off, nobody cared about silent films. Their stories (& films) are lost. I wish we had more candid accounts of what it was like on the set of those big silent films. Such an interesting time and place, of which we have precious few first hand accounts.
@@osborn.illustration That's it unfortunately; no one cared enough to do anything but basically disregard the silent stars. Some, like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd received due recognition, though mostly in latter years. And Lillian Gish, Louise Brooks, Colleen Moore, Viola Dana, etc were interviewed for retrospectives. But many others were ignored and forgotten: Marion Davies, Pola Negri, Mae Murray (why are they mostly women?), Mary Pickford, Norma and Constance Talmadge. And they had been BIG!! Swanson was one of the lucky ones.
This is wonderful. I do wish that the photos were in more of timeline.
I live a few miles from Essanay Studios. Unfortunately, they stopped doing tours a few years ago. I read her Chicago home is still standing. I like a few of her silent.films. Sunset Blvd is a cult classic.
Her character in Sunset Boulevard reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode "the 16mm shrine" which was one of my very favourites (diverting from the story a little) which starred Ida Lupino
Sad the Twilight Episode with Ida Lupino is so forgotten these days, even on Twilight Zone marathons. I don't think many people remember Ida Lupino any longer.
@@richardmcleod1930 Yes, it is a shame as Ida, as well as being a top-notch actress, was also a talented director.
She was very funny on the Carol Burnett Show.
I love Swanson but she wasn’t the first American to wed into nobility. I don’t know who was the first but during the later half of the 1800’s, many of the super rich married their daughters into European nobility. Like Ava Vanderbilt who married the Duke of Marlborough. Even before that, during Napoleon’s rule, a Baltimore socialite had a child with Bonaparte’s brother. They were supposed to get married but Napoleon wouldn’t allow it. There is still an extant line of American Bonapartes carrying that name.
I read somewhere years ago that she wanted Sunset Blvd to made in to a play on Broadway so that she could star in it.
Reading her autobiography now, fascinating actress and woman.
Gloria Swanson justified the silent film stars hedonistic lifestyle as there was no income taxes back then.
Also she said, The public expected us to live like queens & kings!!
So, we did!!
Mae West would be too campy to slash her wrists over some beefcake. Bette Davis might have carried it off, but why they didn't think of Swanson from the get-go I don't know? She was the natural for the part.
She was something alright!!!! I read her book, "Swanson on Swanson." In it, when referring to the "Kennedy Affair" and Rose Kennedy, she said - "She is either the most NAIVE woman in the world, or the MOST STUPID!" I HATE TO BURST YOUR BUBBLE THERE GLORIA, but Rose wasn't either. She was a GOOD CATHOLIC that didn't sleep with her husband afterward. I think it might have been after her last child, but I'm sure the "AFFAIR" had something to do with it.
Okay, how about doing one on Greer Garson!
I think its interesting to see how the definition of beauty has changed over the decades. It really is such a cultural thing.
She was so glamorous! She was way too good for Kennedy.
I'm still big, it's the movies that have gotten small.
In Chicago we would call Lakeview, a neighborhood, not a district.
Her affair with Joe Kennedy was just so disrespectful. He brought her to Hyannisport to the Kennedy home. Young John caught her and Joe bumping uglies in the boathouse.
Wow, it's wild that she was a silent film star yet still alive in the 80s. Technology has moved so fast.
Lillian Gish died at the age of ninety-nine in 1993!
Don't forget Lilliam Gish.......
There were many from the silent years who survived well into the latter part of the Century including Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Luise Rainer.
The lady invented the concept of the movie star. She was the very first movie star and the most special.
She was a friend of John & yoko - which i think was another cool thing about her.
My Gran met Joan Crawford at a party...love this era
She did it her way… good for her.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Great video thanks for posting
I never thought of Gloria as a raving beauty but she certainly had style. She was a tiny lady.
Gloria Swanson certainly had a unique look for her entire life. Quite stunning. She was one of the most lovely older women I can think of today or ever. She never looked like an older woman.
This was a fascinating breakdown. Thank u.❤
Interesting vid bout Gloria Swanson. She always looked chic. She sure spent a lot of money tho. Wonder if she had any children? Thank u !
Yeah, $8 million in 1920's money is like $800 million in today's money 💰
She had no children.
@@angelasotolongo6271 It says in the video that she had 3 children.
@@angelasotolongo6271 She had 3 children, two girls (Gloria and Michelle) and one son (Joseph)
They said Kennedy helped her a lot to spend it!
I enjoyed watching that. Thanks!
That's a 'killer' outfit she's wearing @ 8:31 (that would still look cool now in 2022). Sunset Boulevard was a masterpiece!
She rocked!
My grandmother Ann Novak Lazlo looked a lot like her ! Classy and sweet...
I never knew much about Gloria but I remember her in ,sun,set boulevard the film,she had that wide eyed look that she was well know for ,she wasn't attractive but there was something about her that was,Rest in peace Gloria amen🌹🌸💓😘🌈💖
What a Life.
May west would have shown a side of herself none of us had ever seen, she also would have been nominated for an Oscar had she had the guts.😁😎🥰🥰🥰
Good actress.
Of all of the publicity photos you showed from the making of Sunset Boulevard, I thought there might be one where Erich von Stroheim cracks a smile. It wasn't to be.
Nope, he was a stone face,lol!
Thank you. More please. 🌺
LEGEND!
I told a friend that Gloria Swanson's first husband was Wallace Beery, and he said, "I don't have to believe it if I don't want to."
My friends went to the auction when she died. They bought a door from her house.
Thanks AOV😊
Clothes and hats. She loved hats because her hair was difficult. She also had stake in United Artists. She was a cool ass lady. I remember learning her clothing budget was $250,000 a year….plus hats.
very enlightening. what a wonderful woman
Like Betty Davis, she is not especially pretty; in fact both are downright homely. But they both produce excellence in acting, so their success as actors becomes obvious despite their plain looks.
yes: always thought her looks were overrated, BUT she was wonderful in SUNSET BOULEVARD
She had a wicked look to her actually, but somehow pulled it off, ,,and BD was homely yes, cute in her younger career, but did not age well, but what an actress she was!
@Steven Torrey I always thought Swanson looked quite exotic, especially in her later years.
Love this channel❤
Thank you so much! 🙂
It would be wonderful if her clothing were somewhere displayed so people could pay to see it. I would.
The title needs to change, as this biopic has 99.999% info not explaining the title
I've seen videos of Gloria Swanson appearances on "What's My Line".
SHE WAS A GREAT STAR ,
AND BRINGING THAT PERSONA TO HER ROLE AS NORMA DESMOND IS WHAT MADE THE MOVIE SO GREAT - ALTHOUGH EVERYONE IN THE FILM IS WONDERFULLY OVER-THE-TOP !
No need to shout.
Sunset Boulevard one of the very best.
Gloria? One of the very best.!!