Gloria Swanson: Ready for Her Close-Up

NOTES

396 n o t e s Swanson produced many draft versions of her autobiography over many years. There are holographs as well as typescripts, notes, and lists, many annotated in her hand. I have referred to these in the notes as “GS manuscript,” indicating when relevant her efforts at revision or deletion. If the manuscripts are named, I have given their names. Swanson also recorded her memories on wire reels in the 1950s; these I have called “wire recordings .” In these manuscripts and recordings, Swanson often spoke more candidly and in greater detail than in her published autobiography. These materials are held in the Gloria Swanson Papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin (GSP). This collection also has Swanson’s correspondence, business records, and thousands of photographs. References to unpublished manuscripts on specific topics, such as Beauty฀Tricks฀and฀Truths, are also from the Gloria Swanson Papers. The Gloria Swanson Papers includes a massive clippings collection. I have given the fullest citation possible for all clippings found there. The designation “GSP” after a citation to a periodical indicates that it was found in this collection. Kevin Brownlow’s interview with Swanson was done in preparation for the Thames Television 1980 series Hollywood. Material from the author’s interviews with Michelle Farmer Amon is indicated. I consulted the following additional institutions for research material: British Film Institute Special Collections Cinémathèque Française George Eastman House Kent State University Special Collections Library of Congress Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum of American Illustration, New York Museum of Modern Art University of California at Los Angeles Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research n o t e s 397 aBBreviations GSP: Gloria Swanson Papers SOS: Swanson฀on฀Swanson (New York: Random House, 1980). NYT: New฀York฀Times CHapter 1. glory 1. SOS, 12. 2. Ibid., 16. 3. Wire recordings. 4. “Memory Snapshots,” undated manuscript, GSP. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. Chicago฀American, undated, GSP. 8. Beauty฀Tricks฀and฀Truths, 5.1, GSP. 9. Ibid. 10. Wire recordings. 11. Beauty฀Tricks฀and฀Truths, 5.3, GSP. 12. SOS, 19. 13. Beauty฀Tricks฀and฀Truths, 5.2, GSP. 14. Wire recordings. 15. Mrs. H. Crampton Jones to GS, January 4, 1983, GSP. 16. Wire recordings. 17. Ibid. 18. Beauty฀Tricks฀and฀Truths, 3.2, GSP. 19. Wire recordings. 20. Beauty฀Tricks฀and฀Truths, 15.2, GSP. 21. Lincoln School notebook, GSP. 22. Kiehn, Broncho฀Billy฀and฀the฀Essanay฀Film฀Company, 150. 23. Card, Seductive฀Cinema, 141. Bushman also claimed he had repeatedly shooed Swanson from the studio gates. Davis, King฀of฀the฀Movies, 65. 24. Wire recordings. 25. SOS, 28. 26. Ibid., 33. 27. GS manuscript, GSP. 28. Louella Parsons, “In and Out of Focus,” New฀York฀Morning฀Telegraph, April 16, 1922. 29. Lahue, World฀of฀Laughter, 30. 30. Wire recordings. 31. George C. Pratt to GS, January 20, 1956, GSP; see also her reply, February 28, 1956. 32. Maturi, Beverly฀Bayne,฀Queen฀of฀the฀Movies, 7. 33. Wire recordings. 34. Helen Dunbar played in four of Swanson’s starring vehicles: The฀Great฀Moment, Beyond฀ the฀Rocks, The฀Impossible฀Mrs.฀Bellew, and Fine฀Manners. 35. Bowser, The฀Transformation฀of฀Cinema฀1907–1915, 179. 36. Lahue, World฀of฀Laughter, 26. 37. Wagenknecht, Stars฀of฀the฀Silents, 95. n o t e s 398 38. Arnold, Lorenzo฀Goes฀to฀Hollywood, 167. 39. Joyce Milton says Chaplin tested Swanson to please Leona Anderson, his Chicago hostess and the studio founder’s wife. Gloria’s Aunt Inga was the Andersons’ nanny. Milton, Tramp, 85. 40. Chaplin, My฀Autobiography, 166. 41. SOS, 40–41. 42. Huff, Charlie฀Chaplin, 55. 43. Kobal, People฀Will฀Talk, 7. Swanson thought she looked less like Chaplin in Sunset฀ Boulevard because her face had thinned. 44. Brownlow, The฀Parade’s฀Gone฀By, 505. 45. Chaplin, My฀Autobiography, 165–66. 46. Louvish, Keystone, 100. 47. Wire recordings. 48. Ibid. 49. Kiehn, Broncho฀Billy฀and฀the฀Essanay฀Film฀Company, 223. 50. LeRoy, Mervyn฀LeRoy:฀Take฀One, 120. 51. Kennedy, Edmund฀Goulding’s฀Dark฀Victory, 118. 52. Brooks, Lulu฀in฀Hollywood, 28. 53. GS manuscript, GSP. 54. Wire recordings. 55. Ibid. She also claimed she left Essanay as a result of these remarks. 56. Morley, Tales฀from฀the฀Hollywood฀Raj, 35. 57. SOS, 38. CHapter 2. fUnny girl 1. SOS, 46. 2. Clarence G. Badger, “Reminiscences of the Early Days of Movie Comedies...