1
Garbo New Heart Affair Fires Her Acting By ROSALIND SHAFFER Hollywood, Cal. G ARBOis not attractive to the average man. Few men are ardent Garbo fam. She cL"CIW' her greatest fan following from the women, who have a better under.tanding of the thing. .he portrays. It takes a man of emo- tional temperament to appreciate her acting and her personality. Her love of retirement and the dif- ficulty of approaching her automat- ically repel most would-be admir- ers, the Hollywood beaux who cast their dinner parlner. at a pub- lic ca.!e with as much care as thllY would a leading lady In their new film. Yet Garbo is human. She likes the company of men. She enjoys hersell thoroughly when she feels she knows a man well enough to be at ease with him. She tells slightly naughty .tories, pia y s prankl, give. little parties, even has been in love twice. The key to the elusiveness of Garbo is her inferiority complex. She's afraid of people, of what they think of her, of what they say. She is sensitive about comments that come to her attention, either in print or by word ~outh. Vet the last year has .een a decided change in Garbo. Ftiendliness and informality have Increased to a marked degree. This il due to two things: Her success finally has re- assured her that she won't be laughed at. and her association with George Brent, charming and gay Irishman, has warmed her na- ture and given her the self-con- lidence that the knowledge of being loved give. any woman. eee Greta Garbo'l Ufe has not been a happy one aside from her IUC- cess in films. Born and reared in poverty, h"r father dying when she was a child, her sister dying when Garbo was just achieving luccess in America, a land whose lan- guage she did not know and whose . ideas were totally strange to her, the shy Greta with her introvert Nordic temperament found little outside her work to make her happy. Love as such had little chance in her life. They say she was In love with Mauritz Stiller, famous European director who introduced her to films and brought her to America. It is highly unlikely that the feeUng between them was love as American girls consider it. A middle - aged. pronouncedly unat- tractive man physically, Stiller would hardly inspire romance in a girl. The bond between them was more likely to have been admira- tion and ,gratitude on the part of the girl, whatever it may have been on the part of Stiller. 'J'ho~gh he dominated her lile completely on their arrival In Holly~9Od,~the domination did not last when thitlgs began going well for Garbo. This is not a criticism. Time showed that Garbo acted wilely and well in continuing with her studio con- tract when Stiller was let go after unsuccessful attem!:>tsto direct her at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.' The irony of it was that when Stiller, great director, was brought to Hollywood by Louis B. Mayer, Garbo came as excellS baggage. The studio wanted Stiller and took Garbo because he insisted on it. Stiller failed; Garbo succeeded. Her first fUm,•.The Torrent," start- ed under Stiller'. direction. Un- happy events made it necessary to take him off the film and turn it over to another director, who com" pleted it and made it into a great success for Garbo. When Stiller was taken off the film it was bruit- ed about that he felt that Garbo At rlghtl The merlEe u p crrtlIt hili merde grecrt chcmge. IA the Gerrboface. Here Is how ne ap- peared IA eerrly lUmL I-With RicerrdoCorte. IA ••T b e Tortent ", 2-wlth Lucy Beerumont IA the ~e plcryl 3- with Jac:k GUNrt IA •• A Womcm 01 JUfcdra." In Love. Aoain. but Will She Marry? I Mcrurltl Stille r iJltroduced Garbo to the filmacmdbrought her to Americer. should have quit in loyalty to him. Ifit had been a great love between them she doubtless would have. Women in love always do such silly things and make lust such .ao- rilices for men. Garbo stayed with her contract and achieved great success by u.ing common sense. Another proof that the much pub- licized and agonized-over love of Garbo for Stiller was not love is the fact that Garbo fell very much in love with Jack Gilbert when she was working with him in her third film, •.Flesh and the Devil." This wasn't gratitude; this was love. I saw it, and I know. At this stage Garbo wa. lust as .. gaga" as any Hollywood film girl. She went to openings with Gilbert, wearing the standard Hollywood regalia of er- mine coat and orchids, giggled and laughed and chattered gaily with her debonair escort. Once when I was prowling about the back lot at the studio, where I had beert watching a company that complet- ed its work and left me free to go back toward the publicity offices, I passed the huge stage where Garbo and Gilbert were working. In silent day. .tages frequently were rather flimsily made, with side. open to permit the free move- ment of sets and equipment, with large canvas drops iI privacy was desired or the weather inclement. This pcmicular stage, with its flap- ping canvas, had a sort of wing of canvas at the entrance, sheltered on three sides. As Ipassed, almost the length of the stage away I .aw Garbo and Gilbert in what would be described as a clinch by the proletariat. Having a polite aver- sion to peeking at people making love, I kept right on going, but the first look told me that this was no mere camera rehersal, but a very genuine piece of love-making be- tween two very-much-in-love young persons. I was the only spectator to the .cene In the canvas wing, but no one has ever been able to convince me since thai Garbo is cold and that she is incapable 01 the gentler emotion. eee The mercurial temperament of GlIbert, who though lovable was a most difficult person to get a10llg with, ended the love affair between the two. After making ..Anna Ka- rsntne," their second film, they let their love cool, but Garbo always' remembered Gilbert as long as he lived, and it was a most generous gesture that she m!.Xdewhen she insisted on having him in •.Chris- tina" as her leading man. By then Gilbert had lost considerable of hi3 popularity, and her generous act helped him recoup lost prestige and finances. Meanwhile Mauritz Stiller had returned to Sweden and, died, never having recaptured the pres- tige he lost in his Hollywood ven- ture. Garbo was overcome with grief when she heard of his death, but completed her scene in n Wild Orehlds," which she was making at the time, and then went home 2 Jerc:kGIlbert. the Icrte acreen Bomeo, with whom Gerrbo lell very much IA Itrle. 3 RouNn McrmouUem.the direc- tor, with whom the Swedish Iterr went Oil er motor trip. 4 The gcry lrilhmem. Georve .rent. hell ginn Greta a new leU-confidenc •• Although she crppecrra elUilve ad cold to mo.t men. Greter Gerrbo actually enJoYI the compcmy of men. for the rest of the day. Her grief was intense, but it was probably largely pity and gratitude, not love, that moved her emotion. , After the unhappy ending of her love aHair with Gilbert, Garbo, who had had a taste of the pub- licity that comes to prominent film Itars and their private affairs, began shunning company. GlIbett loved gay parties, lively peoplo around him. He had tried to.make her a part of it all, but though she had loved him, she could not over- come her innate ,Ihyne •• and pre- ferred to be alone with him,' with- out the gay, merrymaking crowd that, constantly attended him. Now that things had ended between them, Garbo began the complete avoidance of the spetlight that has characterized her since. If their love had evolved into a happy marriage the story of both their lives might have been quite different. Jack had hoped to marry her. He even had gone so far as to have a lovely boudoir completely fitted and furnished for her as a surprise. His little surprise went quite awry. She' was offended, feeling he had taken too much for granted. John, alway. the spectac- ular lover, the giver of lavish gifts, could not understand her attitude. They broke. Jack went on to love other women, but it was years be- fore Garbo feU in love again. In the meantime she never appeared at public cafes, openings, or par- ties. An occasional party at the home of a friend In ,a limited group, small informal partie. at her home on rare occasions, made up her social life. When Garbo attends a party she does it in good .pirlts -laughs, jokes, and enjoy. herself. She re- .ents the intrusion of strangers, however. At a party given by her good friend Salka Viertel. scenarist, there wal provoked an amullinc; example of her rather sharp wit and her dislike to be capitalized on. Thyra Samter Winalow, the writ- er, approached Garbo, saying, •.I'm going to tell all my friends In New York that I've met Garbo:' The retort was instantaneous: ..Don't forget to tell them it was an accident. will you?" During the filming of ..The Paint- ed Veil" reports came out that George Brent was besieging Gar- bo's heart. Brent's was the Iir.t name to be linked romantically with that of the ice princeSlt since the daY. of her aHair with Gilbert. It is true, of course, that gossip futilely attempted to conjure up I' romance out of the Swedish star's vacation trip into Arizona with 5 Leopold StokoW11d.the mae •• tro, hili been Gertbo'. 'com- pcmlon crt seyercrl eY8nt&. Rouben MamouUan, the director, In 1934, but, as it turned out. the love factor was entirely absent in that motor trip. Brent studied Garbo, learned her likel and di.Uk•• , what intere.ted her. He talked to her, played ten- nis with her, treated her as a very friendly, enjoyable person. He never treated her as the great Garbo, the exotic unapproachable, to be worshiped with the incense of heavy fiattery and elaborate gifts. In other words, it was the old pal Ituff that Greta went for finally In a big way. Neighbors at Brent's home be- came accu.tomed to the figure in a long cloak that would run up the walk to the front door and be ad- mitted immediately and would loon emerge in .horts and jacket to play ball in the back yard. It wasn't a glamor lady, 'just a long- legged girl who waa having a lot of fun with a very attractive young man. They always se.med to have a great deal to laugh about. eee When Garbo started her most recent film, ..Camille," her holiday mood was mOlt perceptible to everyone In her company. She did her love scenes without a screen around her. She rode around the set on the camera per- ambulator, laughing. She told funny Itorie. with George Cukor, her director, and member. of the company. When they went on lo- cation she ate of the table with the company, spuming her regulation dressing room seclusion and th•• specially prepared Swedi.h lunch- eon that il usually provided for her, She even climbed a tree, got stuck, and had to be helped down by Bob Taylor. You may have noticed that the love scene. in,•.Camille" were the . 'armest and most spontaneous of my that Garbo has done I1nce the Joel she did with Gilbert in ..Flesh and the Devil." Being happy is very good for Garbo, as it i. for anybody. The hoUday mood was excep- tional enough for Garbo to accept an 'almost totally strange crew on the film. Due to circumstance, her favorite cameraman, am Daniels, was not available. No kick. from 6 Bobert Tcrylorp1cryedthe grecrt lo•• r oppoalte Garbo IA •• Ca- mlDe." Garbo; • h e went along good- humoredly with the new man. Many of the electrician. were new. No murmur from Garbo. Few people who are close to Garbo are willing to discuss' her. They know from experience that it is the one sure way to lose hor friendahlp. A couple of persons found that out by bitter experience. and no one doe. it any more. What are the chances that Garbo wUl marry Brent? Your guess is as good aa mine; the, only ones who really know won't tell. Recent developments have Garbo and Leopold Stokow.ki as dinner companions ~ as the gaglmitha have it, •.The mo.t famous handt and leet were seen at a Hollyw hot spot thi. week:' Garbo hcu been Stokowski's companion at several events given by local so- ciety people. Floyd porter, the electrician who has lighted Garbo before the cam- era for eleven years, layl: •.Miss Garbo is ideal from the electrician's viewpoint. She never argues, erit- icize., nor directs the lighting for her .cene., We follow the system Uled by Bill Daniell in the twenty filml in which he has photographecl ldiss Garbo. For gay scenes we, u.e .trong lightl; for dramatic leene., Including cloleup., less Ught; for very dramatic scenes, as in the deathbed sequence in •Ca- mille: we Ule fewest Ughtl:' Daniel.. her cameraman, say. that Garbo i. not a scene stealer, never trie. to force attention on herseU when a scene logically be- long. to another player. Thi. il a rare compliment in a businesl full of tricks to gain and keep the camera eye. o. Long .hots or big closeups are our rule for photographing Mis'S Garbo:' .ays Daniela. ..She is the ideal camera .ubject, because so much of her acting is not by gea- ture and polture al by litU. things In her eyes, sUght changes in ex- pression. She is superb in close- ups becouse of thil restraint in her actipg:' Clarence Brown has directed more of her picture. than any other director, yet Garbo doe. not prefe one director to another. She works well under any intelligent direo- tion. Garbo reached new emotioned helghta plcryiJlg oppoalte Robert TlIYlor IA •• Ccrmille:'

Garbo In Love. Aoain. but Will She Marry?archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/tribune/box18/trib05161937002.pdfAoain. but Will She Marry? I Mcrurltl Stille r iJltroduced Garbo tothe filmacmdbrought

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    3

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Garbo In Love. Aoain. but Will She Marry?archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/tribune/box18/trib05161937002.pdfAoain. but Will She Marry? I Mcrurltl Stille r iJltroduced Garbo tothe filmacmdbrought

GarboNew HeartAffair FiresHer ActingBy ROSALIND SHAFFER

Hollywood, Cal.

GARBOis not attractive to theaverage man. Few menare ardent Garbo fam. She

cL"CIW'her greatest fan followingfrom the women, who have a betterunder.tanding of the thing. .heportrays. It takes a man of emo-tional temperament to appreciateher acting and her personality.Her love of retirement and the dif-ficulty of approaching her automat-ically repel most would-be admir-ers, the Hollywood beaux whocast their dinner parlner. at a pub-lic ca.!e with as much care as thllYwould a leading lady In their newfilm.Yet Garbo is human. She likes

the company of men. She enjoyshersell thoroughly when she feelsshe knows a man well enough tobe at ease with him. She tellsslightly naughty .tories, pia y sprankl, give. little parties, evenhas been in love twice.The key to the elusiveness of

Garbo is her inferiority complex.She's afraid of people, of whatthey think of her, of what they say.She is sensitive about commentsthat come to her attention, eitherin print or by word ~outh. Vetthe last year has .een a decidedchange in Garbo. Ftiendliness andinformality have Increased to amarked degree. This il due to twothings: Her success finally has re-assured her that she won't belaughed at. and her associationwith George Brent, charming andgay Irishman, has warmed her na-ture and given her the self-con-lidence that the knowledge ofbeing loved give. any woman.

e e e

Greta Garbo'l Ufe has not beena happy one aside from her IUC-

cess in films. Born and reared inpoverty, h"r father dying when shewas a child, her sister dying whenGarbo was just achieving luccessin America, a land whose lan-guage she did not know and whose .ideas were totally strange to her,the shy Greta with her introvertNordic temperament found littleoutside her work to make herhappy.Love as such had little chance

in her life. They say she was Inlove with Mauritz Stiller, famousEuropean director who introducedher to films and brought her toAmerica. It is highly unlikely thatthe feeUng between them was loveas American girls consider it. Amiddle - aged. pronouncedly unat-tractive man physically, Stillerwould hardly inspire romance in agirl. The bond between them wasmore likely to have been admira-tion and ,gratitude on the part ofthe girl, whatever it may havebeen on the part of Stiller. 'J'ho~ghhe dominated her lile completelyon their arrival In Holly~9Od, ~thedomination did not last whenthitlgs began going well for Garbo.This is not a criticism. Time showedthat Garbo acted wilely and wellin continuing with her studio con-tract when Stiller was let go afterunsuccessful attem!:>tsto direct herat Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.'The irony of it was that when

Stiller, great director, was broughtto Hollywood by Louis B. Mayer,Garbo came as excellS baggage.The studio wanted Stiller and tookGarbo because he insisted on it.Stiller failed; Garbo succeeded.Her first fUm, •.The Torrent," start-ed under Stiller'. direction. Un-happy events made it necessary totake him off the film and turn itover to another director, who com"pleted it and made it into a greatsuccess for Garbo. When Stillerwas taken off the film it was bruit-ed about that he felt that Garbo

At rlghtl ThemerlEe u p crrtlIthili merde grecrtchcmge. IA theGerrboface. HereIs how ne ap-peared IA eerrlylUmL I-WithRicerrdoCorte. IA••Tb e Tortent ",2-wlth LucyBeerumont IA the~e plcryl 3-with Jac:k GUNrtIA •• A Womcm 01

JUfcdra."

•In Love. Aoain. but Will She Marry?

IMcrurltl Stille r iJltroducedGarbo to the filma cmd brought

her to Americer.

should have quit in loyalty to him.If it had been a great love betweenthem she doubtless would have.Women in love always do suchsilly things and make lust such .ao-rilices for men. Garbo stayed withher contract and achieved greatsuccess by u.ing common sense.Another proof that the much pub-

licized and agonized-over love ofGarbo for Stiller was not love isthe fact that Garbo fell very muchin love with Jack Gilbert when shewas working with him in her thirdfilm, •.Flesh and the Devil." Thiswasn't gratitude; this was love. Isaw it, and I know. At this stageGarbo wa. lust as .. gaga" as anyHollywood film girl. She went toopenings with Gilbert, wearing thestandard Hollywood regalia of er-mine coat and orchids, giggled andlaughed and chattered gaily withher debonair escort. Once when Iwas prowling about the back lotat the studio, where I had beertwatching a company that complet-ed its work and left me free to goback toward the publicity offices,I passed the huge stage whereGarbo and Gilbert were working.In silent day. .tages frequentlywere rather flimsily made, withside. open to permit the free move-ment of sets and equipment, withlarge canvas drops iI privacy wasdesired or the weather inclement.This pcmicular stage, with its flap-

ping canvas, had a sort of wing ofcanvas at the entrance, sheltered onthree sides. As I passed, almost thelength of the stage away I .awGarbo and Gilbert in what wouldbe described as a clinch by theproletariat. Having a polite aver-sion to peeking at people makinglove, I kept right on going, but thefirst look told me that this was nomere camera rehersal, but a verygenuine piece of love-making be-tween two very-much-in-love youngpersons. I was the only spectatorto the .cene In the canvas wing,but no one has ever been able toconvince me since thai Garbo iscold and that she is incapable 01the gentler emotion.

e e e

The mercurial temperament ofGlIbert, who though lovable was amost difficult person to get a10llgwith, ended the love affair betweenthe two. After making .. Anna Ka-rsntne," their second film, they lettheir love cool, but Garbo always'remembered Gilbert as long as helived, and it was a most generousgesture that she m!.Xdewhen sheinsisted on having him in •.Chris-tina" as her leading man. By thenGilbert had lost considerable of hi3popularity, and her generous acthelped him recoup lost prestigeand finances.Meanwhile Mauritz Stiller had

returned to Sweden and, died,never having recaptured the pres-tige he lost in his Hollywood ven-ture. Garbo was overcome withgrief when she heard of his death,but completed her scene in n WildOrehlds," which she was makingat the time, and then went home

2 Jerc:kGIlbert. the Icrte acreenBomeo, with whom Gerrbo lell

very much IA Itrle.3RouNn McrmouUem.the direc-

tor, with whom the SwedishIt err went Oil er motor trip.

4 The gcry lrilhmem. Georve.rent. hell ginn Greta a new

leU-confidenc ••

Although she crppecrra elUilve ad cold to mo.t men. Greter Gerrbo actually enJoYI the compcmy of men.

for the rest of the day. Her griefwas intense, but it was probablylargely pity and gratitude, notlove, that moved her emotion., After the unhappy ending of herlove aHair with Gilbert, Garbo,who had had a taste of the pub-licity that comes to prominent filmItars and their private affairs,began shunning company. GlIbettloved gay parties, lively peoploaround him. He had tried to.makeher a part of it all, but though shehad loved him, she could not over-come her innate ,Ihyne •• and pre-ferred to be alone with him,' with-out the gay, merrymaking crowdthat, constantly attended him. Nowthat things had ended betweenthem, Garbo began the completeavoidance of the spetlight that hascharacterized her since.If their love had evolved into a

happy marriage the story of both

their lives might have been quitedifferent. Jack had hoped to marryher. He even had gone so far as tohave a lovely boudoir completelyfitted and furnished for her as asurprise. His little surprise wentquite awry. She' was offended,feeling he had taken too much forgranted. John, alway. the spectac-ular lover, the giver of lavish gifts,could not understand her attitude.They broke. Jack went on to loveother women, but it was years be-fore Garbo feU in love again. Inthe meantime she never appearedat public cafes, openings, or par-ties. An occasional party at thehome of a friend In ,a limited group,small informal partie. at her homeon rare occasions, made up hersocial life.When Garbo attends a party she

does it in good .pirlts -laughs,jokes, and enjoy. herself. She re-

.ents the intrusion of strangers,however. At a party given by hergood friend Salka Viertel. scenarist,there wal provoked an amullinc;example of her rather sharp wit andher dislike to be capitalized on.Thyra Samter Winalow, the writ-

er, approached Garbo, saying,•.I'm going to tell all my friends InNew York that I've met Garbo:'The retort was instantaneous:..Don't forget to tell them it wasan accident. will you?"During the filming of ..The Paint-

ed Veil" reports came out thatGeorge Brent was besieging Gar-bo's heart. Brent's was the Iir.tname to be linked romanticallywith that of the ice princeSlt sincethe daY. of her aHair with Gilbert.It is true, of course, that gossipfutilely attempted to conjure up I'

romance out of the Swedish star'svacation trip into Arizona with

5 Leopold StokoW11d.the mae ••tro, hili been Gertbo'. 'com-pcmlon crt seyercrl eY8nt&.

Rouben MamouUan, the director, In1934, but, as it turned out. the lovefactor was entirely absent in thatmotor trip.Brent studied Garbo, learned her

likel and di.Uk•• , what intere.tedher. He talked to her, played ten-nis with her, treated her as a veryfriendly, enjoyable person. Henever treated her as the greatGarbo, the exotic unapproachable,to be worshiped with the incenseof heavy fiattery and elaborategifts. In other words, it was theold pal Ituff that Greta went forfinally In a big way.Neighbors at Brent's home be-

came accu.tomed to the figure ina long cloak that would run up thewalk to the front door and be ad-mitted immediately and wouldloon emerge in .horts and jacketto play ball in the back yard. Itwasn't a glamor lady, 'just a long-legged girl who waa having a lotof fun with a very attractive youngman. They always se.med to havea great deal to laugh about.

e e e

When Garbo started her mostrecent film, ..Camille," her holidaymood was mOlt perceptible toeveryone In her company. Shedid her love scenes without ascreen around her. She rodearound the set on the camera per-ambulator, laughing. She toldfunny Itorie. with George Cukor,her director, and member. of thecompany. When they went on lo-cation she ate of the table with thecompany, spuming her regulationdressing room seclusion and th••specially prepared Swedi.h lunch-eon that il usually provided forher, She even climbed a tree, gotstuck, and had to be helped downby Bob Taylor.You may have noticed that the

love scene. in, •.Camille" were the. 'armest and most spontaneous ofmy that Garbo has done I1nce theJoel she did with Gilbert in.. Flesh and the Devil." Beinghappy is very good for Garbo, asit i. for anybody.The hoUday mood was excep-

tional enough for Garbo to acceptan 'almost totally strange crew onthe film. Due to circumstance, herfavorite cameraman, am Daniels,was not available. No kick. from

6 Bobert Tcrylorp1cryedthe grecrtlo•• r oppoalte Garbo IA •• Ca-

mlDe."

Garbo; • h e went along good-humoredly with the new man.Many of the electrician. were new.No murmur from Garbo.Few people who are close to

Garbo are willing to discuss' her.They know from experience that itis the one sure way to lose horfriendahlp. A couple of personsfound that out by bitter experience.and no one doe. it any more.What are the chances that Garbo

wUl marry Brent? Your guess isas good aa mine; the, only oneswho really know won't tell.Recent developments have Garbo

and Leopold Stokow.ki as dinnercompanions ~ as the gaglmithahave it, •.The mo.t famous handtand leet were seen at a Hollywhot spot thi. week:' Garbo hcubeen Stokowski's companion atseveral events given by local so-ciety people.Floyd porter, the electrician who

has lighted Garbo before the cam-era for eleven years, layl: •.MissGarbo is ideal from the electrician'sviewpoint. She never argues, erit-icize., nor directs the lighting forher .cene., We follow the systemUled by Bill Daniell in the twentyfilml in which he has photographeclldiss Garbo. For gay scenes we,u.e .trong lightl; for dramaticleene., Including cloleup., lessUght; for very dramatic scenes, asin the deathbed sequence in •Ca-mille: we Ule fewest Ughtl:'Daniel.. her cameraman, say.

that Garbo i. not a scene stealer,never trie. to force attention onherseU when a scene logically be-long. to another player. Thi. ila rare compliment in a busineslfull of tricks to gain and keep thecamera eye.

o. Long .hots or big closeups areour rule for photographing Mis'SGarbo:' .ays Daniela. .. She is theideal camera .ubject, because somuch of her acting is not by gea-ture and polture al by litU. thingsIn her eyes, sUght changes in ex-pression. She is superb in close-ups becouse of thil restraint in heractipg:'Clarence Brown has directed

more of her picture. than any otherdirector, yet Garbo doe. not prefeone director to another. She workswell under any intelligent direo-tion.

Garbo reached new emotioned helghta plcryiJlg oppoalte Robert TlIYlorIA •• Ccrmille:'