Gloria Swanson: The Ultimate Star

by Stephen Michael Shearer, Jeanine Basinger (Foreword)

Gloria Swanson defined what it meant to be a movie star, but her unforgettable role in Sunset Boulevard overshadowed the true story of her life. Now Stephen Michael Shearer sets the record straight in the first in-depth biography of the film legend.Swanson was Hollywood's first successful glamour queen. Her stardom as an actress in the mid-1920s earned her millions of fans and millions of dollars. Realizing her box office value early in her career, she took control of her life. Soon she was not only producing her own films, she was choosing her scripts, selecting her leading men, casting her projects, creating her own fashions, guiding her publicity, and living an extravagant and sometimes extraordinary celebrity lifestyle.She also collected a long line of lovers (including Joseph P. Kennedy) and married men of her choosing (including a French marquis, thus becoming America's first member of "nobility"). As a devoted and loving mother, she managed a quiet success of raising three children. Perhaps most important, as a keen businesswoman she also was able to extend her career more than sixty years. Her astounding comeback as Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard catapulted her back into the limelight. But it also created her long-misunderstood persona, one that this meticulous biography shows was only part of this independent and unparalleled woman.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Film, Media Tie In

528 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2012

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Gloria Swanson truly was the ultimate movie star. Gloria Swanson was one of the first global movie stars. She was the rare silent movie star to make the transition to "talkies" and eventually tv. Everything we expect a movie star to be is modeled after Gloria Swanson. Gloria Swanson lived in a mansion and drove the best cars. She was one of the first movie stars to wear couture clothes in everyday life. She was married 6x and slept with whoever she wanted to. Gloria Swanson was living a macrobiotic lifestyle before Madonna & Gwyneth Paltrow's parents were born. Without Gloria Swanson I don't know if the Hollywood we know today would even exist.

I like most people first saw Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard, I was a teenager and I found myself transfixed by this perfectly insane movie and I immediately looked Gloria Swanson up and set out to watch all her movies. Since that time I've watched most of her movies but sadly I'll never be able to watch all of her films because some of them are lost but of the films I've seen I must say I prefer her silent films.

Stephen Michael Shearer has written an all encompassing biography of not just one of the greatest movie stars of all time but its also a history of early Hollywood. Gloria Swanson The Ultimate Star is a fascinating and impressively researched biography. He brings Ms. Swanson to life within these pages.

Recommended to lovers of Old Hollywood and anyone who loves badass independent women.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than a close-up
WOW! What a wild ride. Swanson had more lives than a cat. She was an actress, both silent and mainstream, on Broadway and Off Broadway, and on TV. She was a writer of her autobiography and or multiple articles on multiple topics and a play write. She was a director, producer, and financier/fund raiser for some of her movies. She was a whole foods maverick and alternate medicine advocate. Here are is a list of a few more of her incarnations: mother of three, devoted daughter, inventor, war relief worker, political and life style activist, and I’m sure I’m leaving out some roles. She also had six husbands and many lovers including Joseph Kennedy, the president’s father. She was a dynamo.

Swanson was born in Chicago and began acting when she was in her early teens and never looked back. Though she was a highly productive person she was not good at business and made many costly mistakes and suffered heartbreak as much as most of us. Being adept at continually renewing and recreating herself was one of her success secrets but her ability to work long hours and her dedication to whatever she tried to accomplish was just as important as her talent…though she had plenty talent. Even in her later years there were those who couldn’t keep up with this little work horse.

Shearer’s biography is amazingly comprehensive. He quotes extensively from “Swanson on Swanson” but he often does it in a sly way that points out how self serving and sometimes delusional Swanson was capable of being. One of the reasons she had trouble making and holding on to money from her vast efforts was because she surrounded herself with yes people. Anyone who dared to point out where things were going wrong she ignored. Per her autobiography and in interviews she freely re-wrote the parts of her life she didn’t like or that showed her in a less than positive light. Don’t get me wrong…I came away from “Gloria Swanson” a huge fan. Swanson worked practically to her dying day. The book includes a group of pictures that span her life and what a gorgeous woman she was. Anything negative about her was balanced out two fold by her positive attributes. If you’re looking for an over view of the silent film era this is book is great resource. It also works as a larger than life look at an extraordinary woman.

*The book includes extensive end notes.

This review is based on an eBook provided by the publisher.
(Disclaimer given as required by the FTC.)

[Rama Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

A biographical image of Gloria Swanson

Gloria Swanson was a beautiful woman who stood at 4’ 11” tall and graced with large blue eyes and brown hair. Although her features contrasted with those of the uniformly sweet-faced ingenues of that era, she adapted to films about sexual intrigue among the Wall Street tycoons. With elegance, poise and grace, she glided across opulent sets in satin, sequins and ermine tails. Her work in Hollywood was daring experiment in the early 1920's, because often, it glorified marital infidelity. In the most sensational production of ''Male and Female,'' based on James M. Barrie's play ''The Admirable Crichton,'' it depicted a cave-man making love to Swanson on a desert isle.

From 1921 to 1926, she starred in 20 movies. The early ones included ''Beyond the Rocks'' with Rudolph Valentino. In 1926, after having made scores of ''woman of the world'' epics and light comedies, she sought more substantive roles. She refused a $17,500-a-week contract offered by Jesse Lasky and Adolph Zukor and founded her own production company. The gamble led to an impressive performance in the title role of ''Sadie Thompson,'' based on the W. Somerset Maugham short story about a South Seas sensualist. In 1950, after a virtual 16-year absence from the screen, Swanson gained her greatest triumph in ''Sunset Boulevard,'' playing Norma Desmond, a reclusive, demented silent-film star vainly seeking a comeback. The actress won several honors for the portrayal, but an Academy Award eluded her. Gloria Swanson and Bette Davis for ''All About Eve,'' were regarded as the leading contenders for the 1950 Academy Award in the best actress category. The competition was intense, but the Oscar went to Judy Holliday for her performance in ''Born Yesterday.”

One of the controversial films that also ran her almost bankrupt was “Queen Kelly,” directed by Erich von Stroheim. This silent film was produced in 1928 and was never released for several decades. This story is about a European girl raised in a convent eventually becomes owner of a brothel. Kelly is first abducted and then seduced by a prince before being sent off to German East Africa to visit her dying Aunt. There are many interesting stories about making this film; on the first day of the shooting at Griffith’s Park in Los Angeles, CA. The scene included prince Wolfram (Walter Byron) and his guards ride through the street on which the Catholic Convent resides. Watched by Kitty Kelly (Swanson) and her friends who take bow at the prince, director Von Stroheim makes last minute amendments in which Kelly’s panties falls under her ankles and Stroheim had Swanson throw her panties at the prince. This scene was redone several times to the annoyance of Gloria. He also instructs the prince (Walter Byron) to caress and sniff her undergarments with ardor, passion and lust before placing it in his saddle bag. Stroheim also made last minute changes to the African scene which Swanson was supposed to dance in a bordello. The final insult came when the scene of Kelly marrying a lecherous old man played by Tully Marshall was performed over the deathbed of her aunt. An African priest gives her last rites that enraged Roman Catholic Church and KKK. This was an odd coincidence! Many movie insiders knew well that Stroheim was well known for overspending the budget; and his artistic talents had a thin-line between erotic art and pornography. He crossed this boundary at will and made many studio bosses steamed. Swanson lost much of her money on this extravaganza. She furiously argued with her married-lover and co-financier Joe Kennedy, father of President John Kennedy. Despite all negativity, it was revealed that some of the most audacious and stunning sequences were filmed for this movie. Movie critics gave rave reviews of director Stroheim’s work, but his movies rarely made any money.

Recalling the giddy era of Hollywood's youth, Swanson remarked: ''We lived like kings and queens, and why not? We were in love with life. We were making more money than we ever dreamed existed.'' She had incredibly feminine looks; but she had a masculine mind, said her daughter Michelle. She possessed star quality and allure that captivated her fans. She laughed frequently and lived to the fullest for the moment, and gratitude for whatever lied in her future.

In later years, she became known as a health-food advocate. Espousing proper diet and natural unsprayed foods. She designed budget-priced clothes under the label Forever Young and founded an Essence of Nature cosmetics line. In 1948 she went on live television with ''The Gloria Swanson Hour,'' a talk show in a setting simulating the living room of her Fifth Avenue apartment. Gloria Swanson was much more than just Norma Desmond. She lived to create opportunities in movies and entertainment at a time when women were resigned to marriage, children and housework. She saw no boundaries. Once she said that if you live long enough, the chances are that you will not abide by its restrictions.

I found this book very entertaining to read. If you are interested in the life and works of Gloria Swanson, you would love this book. Ever since I saw her films on TCM Movie Channel, I was fascinated by her work.

[Tim Evanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen Shearer's biography of motion picture star Gloria Swanson is a solid work for anyone who wants to learn the truth behind the legend. Swanson's notoriously self-serving autobiography is littered with omissions and falsehoods, and throughout this biography Shearer helps readers learn the truth about this great film star.

The book is a very quick read, with accessible and breezy prose. I can't say it's snappy prose, or prose that is witty or has great turns of phrase. But none of the text is clunky or dull, and it never becomes dense with unnecessary name-dropping or minutiae.

This is an absolutely comprehensive work. Through the 1940s and until her death, Swanson was involved in a wide variety of non-film enterprises: Buying up patents and selling them in the U.S., a line of cosmetics, fashion design, and more. This aspect of her life is often glossed over or ignored by other biographers, but is included here.

The book is kind of divided into two sections. The first, and best written and most detailed part, covers Swanson's early life and her silent film career. Shearer relies very heavily on existing published works for his biography, and this section of Swanson's life is exceptionally well-covered by other scholars. There seems to be little original research here, however. Whatever access Shearer had to the Swanson archives seems little-used; or, perhaps, is already so well-plumbed by others that there isn't much left to say.

Shearer covers this literature very well, and brings out many great anecdotes that help to bring the Gloria Swanson story to life. But there's a lot more to be done, which Shearer didn't do. As very good as this section is, there's almost no contextual material to help bring the Swanson story to life. For example: We're told that Gloria's father, Joseph, was a civilian working for the U.S. Army. He was "forced" to relocate many times with his unit. What we're not told is: Was this common??? It's a shocking claim, this treating civilians like military personnel. But if it is true, how common was that? Was this something unique to Joseph Swanson, or not? Why couldn't Swanson quit and find a different job? Was the pay that good, or Joseph's skill-set that poor, or the economy that bad, or just what? We're never told. Yet, Joseph's constant need to relocate proved critical in Gloria's childhood and in igniting her desire to be an actress.

While the reader is told about Gloria's extensive time in Florida and Puerto Rico, we're not told what this might have been like for her. Did the Swansons live in good neighborhoods, or bad ones? Were they middle-class, working-class, or poor -- compared to other Americans, their neighbors, or just who? What sort of housing did they live in? What was living there, at that time, like for Gloria? We're told that Gloria was "dragged" to church by her aunt, and it was there -- asked to sing and act in tableaux -- that she discovered her love of applause and her desire to act. Was going to church common for people like the Swansons? Was it common for their neighbors? What was this church? Was individual singing common there? Why was Gloria -- barely church-going, an outsider, probably considered heathen -- asked to sing? Who was this aunt? Why did she push Gloria into singing?

Including details like this can help make a story come alive. But Shearer has included none of this in his biography. The narrow focus on Gloria Swanson to the exclusion of the context in which she lived makes this biography an easy read, but it also reduces the biography to a sort of extended Wikipedia article. Everything is there, everything is cited.... but there's no life to it, no context to it, no great writing.

That's not to say that there aren't spectacular details in this book. One of the most astonishing is the reception given to her after the release of her film Madame Sans-Gene, in which her studio hired thousands of people to greet her at the train station, and thousands more to strew her path from limousine to dressing room with flower petals so that her feet might not touch the earth. We learn that in one year, she spent $4 million alone on jewelry, clothes, homes, artwork, parties, and boyfriends (although Shearer never tells us that this equates to $56 million in 2013 inflation-adjusted dollars). While making Queen Kelly, she was carried from her backlot bungalow to the soundstage in a a sedan chair carried by six muscular men -- so that she might not trip and ruin a dress or turn her ankle. But these details are already contained in other sources. It's difficult to say if Shearer is just collecting them in one place, at last, or whether he's just repeating things.

The second part of the book covers everything from the rise of talking pictures in 1930 to Swanson's death in 1983. This section is far less detailed. Indeed, a pattern quickly becomes apparent here: There will be two or three paragraphs about the genesis of a movie project, a paragraph about a director or co-star, two or three paragraphs about the making of the film, and two paragraphs quoting reviews (one for positive statements, one of negative statements). Repeat for the next film. This section of the book becomes a bit tedious. It's not clear whether Shearer himself has seen the films in question; he offers little in the way of critical assessment of the film, which is what you'd expect from a really high-class biography. Looking back from 2013, at the entirety of Swanson's career, was Film XYZ really a triumph? Or just popular? Was this film or that film really as bad as the box office said, or were there aspects of the film which stood out and should be recognized today?

We simply never learn these things from Shearer. But it seems to me that the biographer's duty is to make this sort of assessment. It's just far too easy for a movie reviewer in 1922 to lose perspective; and any reviewer, of course, cannot tell what the future might hold for a movie star. Only the biographer, looking back at a star's entire life, can really provide the perspective and critical eye that the reader needs. But Shearer doesn't. Perhaps he felt it wasn't his role, or he wasn't qualified to do so, or that he was merely a historian rather than biographer.

After a while, it becomes apparent in the last two-thirds of the book that there isn't nearly as much detail to be offered as in the first section about silent film. Whole years are passed over with a paragraph or two. Each section is footnoted, but many of the footnotes are observations by Shearer (clarifying something, or adding a detail irrelevant to Swanson's life) rather than citations to sources or archival material or interviews. Although Shearer makes a big deal in the introduction of the book about Swanson's fashion career, he glosses over this in small paragraphs dropped here and there in the book. "Gloria's fall 1966 line was chic, with a two-piece tan, chennile business suit with Chanel overtones" -- lines like that are dropped without any accompanying illustrations (not a single one of Swanson's fashion designs are depicted in the book), and the text reads more like advertising copy than it does an assessment of her work in fashion design.

There is juicy scandal here, and the earlier years of Swanson's sound career -- particularly her time at United Artists and shortly thereafter -- are well-documented, well-written, and better-detailed. In particular, there are eye-popping sections on her affair with Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., including stories in which John F. Kennedy (then just a child) walks in on his father having sexual intercourse with Swanson. And not just once. Several times. Again, much of this material has seen the light of day elsehwere, but it makes for some jaw-dropping reading. One wonders whether Swanson was not just sexually liberated or had a powerful sex drive, but whether she might not have actually been somewhat... well, depraved. (When Joe Sr. tells her that he wants his children to see him making love to her or wants John to make love to her, as a sort of sexual education, Swanson says she's scandalized. Kind of. But not much.)

Some things get lost in the rush of years, and I felt that issues Shearer raises earlier in the book get dropped. At one point in the early 1930s, Swanson has spent so much money and has made so few films that she's near bankruptcy. Just how she gets out of this financial quandary is never made clear by Shearer. He gets lost in discussing her incessant negotiations with studios for the "queenly" life she believes she is entitled to, or in relating her endless love affairs with her husbands and countless other men. Did Swanson cut back her spending? Did she find other sources of income? We're just never told. Shearer often says "Swanson sold X piece of property, but for just $2 million -- far less than it should have." Did this create problems for her? Did it solve her financial difficulties? Shearer's lack of assessment -- his almost refusal to put things in context -- leaves the reader at sea.

By the end of the book, the rush of factoids is so fast that you don't even care any more. Swanson may have gotten $1,000 a week in 1965 for doing a TV movie, but so what? You don't know if that's a lot of money compared to other stars, or a pittance. You don't know if that met her financial needs, or not. You can't tell if she was spending $25 on clothes a month, or $250,000. You can't tell if she was living on her assets, or just what. (Shearer does reveal, almost at the very end of the book, that Swanson had a modest income of about $75,000 a year [in 2013 dollars] in the 1970s from investments, royalties, and so on.)

The last 75 pages or so of the book are exhausting. There's so little information here, and yet pages go by. There's some good writing about Swanson's relationship with up-and-coming actor Dirk Benedict, but Shearer seems to rely far too heavily on Benedict's own telling of this story. Benedict practically seems to fawn over Swanson, and reading his quotations and about his relationship with Swanson one gets the feeling that not everything has been revealed -- and nothing everything was a hunky-dory as Shearer describes.

Shearer's discussion of Swanson's last marriage (to bisexual jouranlist William Dufty) and the role that writer Brian Degas had in her life, her finances, and the break-up of her marriage to Dufty are revelations here.

Overall, I came away from the biography feeling that I'd gotten a very solid overview of the life of Gloria Swanson. I had some juicy anecdotes to tell, and felt that there was a fair amount of detail.

But I never got the sense, either from the quality of the prose or the quality of the research, that this was an outstanding biography that ranked among the best.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tedious in beginning, but pace picked up!
Many years ago while shopping at Walnut Acres ( now closed) a well know health food store in Pa.Gloria Swanson was there shopping, just wandering around the store, in a fur coat .Staff told us she often shopped there ,having her driver, drive her down from NY.She was beautiful!
I found it interesting that she had so much luggage when she traveled because she brought her own food & cooking utensils.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I have decided that when I become a star,” Gloria triumphantly announced, “I will be every inch and every moment a star! Everybody from the studio gateman to the highest executive will know it.”

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and an interesting lady. I don’t know how likeable she would have been, but she led quite a life.

[Helen Robare · Rating 3 out of 5]

First some background information: my father who was born in 1910 HATED Gloria Swanson. I thought I did too but once I saw Sunset Boulevard, I changed my mind a bit. I LOVE that film.

Anyway, I wanted to love this book and learn something new about an actress from the days of silent films. But I ended up skimming this book as it read like a textbook. I've read a lot of biographies and autobiographies and sometimes "just the facts" are what I'm looking for. Well, this book gives "just the facts". It was mostly about the films she starred in and little personal information. And what personal information seemed like I was reading a textbook.

I did learn a bit about Gloria that I didn't know but the writing of the book affected my interest in the subject. This is why I only gave it 3 stars. :( When it takes me almost 4 days to read a book, it probably isn't a book I'm thrilled with. :(

[Gillian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really hate to give a book a bad review because I know I could never write a book myself. But this is one of the WORST biographies I have ever read. It is simply a combination of (1) a catalog of almost every outfit this star ever wore in EXCRUCIATING detail and (2) a lazy compendium of quotes from other authors about her films and performances, presumably because the author was unwilling to do his own work. Honestly, I felt if I had to read one more dress description, I was going to throw the book across the room!! I think Ms. Swanson deserves a good biography. This is NOT it.

[Mary Matus · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just could not finish this book. I thought that reading a book about a glamorous movie star would seem, well, glamorous. But so far, it just seems like "And then she was in another movie. And then she was in another movie." I'm sure that she had a fascinating life. I should not be so bored by her biography.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Swanson deserves better.

[Susann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough and Amazingly Researched

This must be the definitive Gloria Swanson biography with an exhaustive compendium of her films and theater work. What a force of nature she was, what self promotional skill, intelligence, stamina, and confidence she had. She worked hard, traveled and vacationed a lot, had romances by the scores, a number of marriages and was a famed icon for most of her life. And she was more than a silent film star, designing clothes, developing scripts and shows, producing, and owning many businesses, including one for inventors. This is a long book and would be most appreciated by film and cinema history fans of which I am one. Gloria was an amazing one of a kind film star who may have reached her zenith in Sunset Boulevard. She is certainly best known for that classic but cannot be underestimated in her influence and popularity in the silent film era. The last fifth of the book is footnotes, bibliography, extensive photographs and index. By modern terms it is difficult to see her as a beauty but she certainly knew how to wear costumes with elan. I would have liked more emphasis and detail on the making of Sunset Boulevard and less on Queen Kelly. And since she was considered a fashion expert with flawless skin, I would have liked to know about her fitness and beauty regimen.

[Vickie (I love books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came away not like Gloria Swanson a lot after reading this book. She became an actress accidentally but acting totally dominated her life. She had the reputation of being difficult. This book details her acting roles and the many men in her life. She had 3 children that mostly lived apart from her all their childhood. Gloria struggled at the end of her life trying to maintain her image. I was surprised to learn that she started a parent business. Several Jewish inventors credited with saving their lives. She was a fashion designer and icon. You feel sorry for her at the end. She was often in debt spending all her income living in the standard she thought people expected of her. Her husbands all stayed in contact. I always remember her name being associated with Joe Kennedy and was surprised that she was only involved with him for 3 years. A lot of people in the book I have no idea who they are all being from another era and I ended up looking up a lot of them. It sometimes felt like I was reading a textbook , just statements of facts. An ok read I give it 2 1/2 stars.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

A superficial, painfully chronological treatment that is only skin deep. We don't see how Gloria Swanson thought, we only see what she did.

It's also bloated with irrelevant detail and confusing. The reader has to deal with so many names, often only in passing and yet the author refers to people in various ways, contributing to the confusion--for example, Herbert Marshall is either "Marshall," "Bart," or "Herbert."

Due to the painstaking (emphasis on "pain") level of detail with her films (which were talked about as they were being made, and then we had to backtrack to hear about their public reception, also a confusing strategy), we aren't clear if Swanson was a good actor or not. She seems inconsistent, mercurial, and picky, but given that she had such significant successes, we can't come away with the idea that she wasn't. However, the book doesn't help us out with our conclusion. It just throws information at us and expects us to somehow parse it.

Not a winning biography. The reader gets bored because the writer gets bored and it shows, and that's a shame.

[Lisa Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swanson was a fascinating woman. She fully bought into her status as a "star" as she became a darling of the silent movie era and moved into "talkies". It was a bumpy road, indeed, as she spent more than she earned - and she earned a lot!

My quibble is with the structure of the book. It's densely written and the author has a habit of dissing his subject here and there. I found it off-putting. If he had cited a source in every case where he opposed something she'd said or written, that might have worked, but instead, he seemed to have disdain for Swanson. The book often became a duel with Swanson's autobiography. Perhaps legit but it came off a bit bitter at times.

[Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. I had originally tried to get a copy of her autobiography “Swanson on Swanson” but am glad I got this instead. What I enjoyed was how the author countered what Swanson said or claimed with facts. I feel that if I had read her autobiography it would have been entertaining it not as good.

[David Brimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indeed, the ultimate star, fated to known only for her portrayal of a faded star, when she was a faded star. Swanson’s early career was legendary, but what came next proves to be real meat of this biography. Extremely informative and imminently readable. Fans of silent cinema should check this one out.

[Julie Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed, unflinching look at a Hollywood star

I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about Gloria Swanson’s career and personal life, but mostly about herself and her personality. She was very complicated, seemed kind of detached and someways, and yet live life fully and made a real impression on people. Really interesting.

[Debi Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biography of an amazing woman!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A

[Maranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great biography of a woman who is called the Ultimate Star for a reason. Her acting began in the silent films, moved into the talkies, and she also designed clothes, wrote an autobiography, was a vegetarian who spoke at length about her macrobiotic diet and practice of yoga well before these things became popular. She was always ahead of the curve, and helped shape Hollywood and the idea of a Star! She was much more than just Norma Desmond. A must read for Old Hollywood lovers!

[Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite some very telling anecdotes (which make for the usual gossipy reading material), this ambitious and (I will say this) thorough retelling of Swanson's life follows a cookie-cutter structure. What would have been the result if Shearer had followed Swanson's own biography and maybe told this from a more impressionistic (dreamlike) viewpoint. I think that would have befitted a star like Swanson rather than this standard, though informative, movie biography. (For a real literary approach to Hollywood bio, look at Emily Leider's excellent Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino.)

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I expected from this book. I have been intrigued with Gloria Swanson since having first seen her in one of my favorite classic movies, Sunset Boulevard. The book provided great detail about the making of Ms. Swanson's silent movies and the various men she romanced and married. However, the book provided little depth as to the person Ms. Swanson was---maybe she was more the character "Gloria Swanson" than the person. I would recommend this book for classic movie fans for its good background on the early cinema and the art of silent movies. The book also provides interesting information about Gloria Swanson's life and about her relationship with Joseph Kennedy.

[Duane Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started strong and was very informative about Swanson's early life and silent career. The middle part of her life was covered fairly well but when the author got to the later part of her life which was also very interesting---he seemed to lose interest and gave her short shrift. To me, the author seemed much more interested in the actual movies than the star herself. She certainly led a very interesting life so I wish there had been more time spent on her later years as well. All in all though--it was a good read!

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography on Gloria Swanson, best remembered for her role as Norma Desmond in 'Sunset Boulevard', but who was originally one of Hollywood's biggest stars and fashion idols in the 1920s. Her sway, glamour, extravagant lifestyle and spending established our still-existing image of the Hollywood superstar. She might not have been the nicest person to be around, but was certainly interesting to observe! Today, Hollywood makes stars; back then, a star named Gloria Swanson made Hollywood.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative, well-researched study of Swanson's life and career. Without doing a hatchet job, Shearer nonetheless deals with behavioral issues that helped lead to Swanson's fall from stardom, blunted her comeback in "Sunset Boulevard" and kept other projects from taking off. You end up both sympathizing with Swanson and being frustrated with her.

[Laura Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Hollywood bios I have read in awhile. Enjoyed very much. Lots of photos! Would recommend to any film buff.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a shame that almost all of Gloria Swanson's silent movies have been lost - especially when you read Mr. Shearer's descriptions of them. A lively, interesting biography. Nice illustrations,too.

[Kathi Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading about "old" stars and this was a good account.

[Kelly M Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read on La Swanson. After reading Swanson on Swanson this is a must read