Hollywood’s Most Famous Silent Film Actresses: The Lives and Careers of Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, and Mary Pickford

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures *Includes the actresses' quotes about their lives and films *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents At the end of the 20th century, the American Film Institute compiled a list of the 25 greatest actors and actresses in Hollywood over the past 100 years, but only a select few worked all the way back in the silent era of films, before “talkies” revolutionized the industry at the end of the 1920s. Among them was Mary Pickford, who was ranked 24th but was arguably the most influential actress when it came to creating the career template for all actresses who followed, from name changes to salary. Like many actresses of the early 20th century, “Little Mary” got her start by acting on the stage, and she eventually made it to Broadway. By the time she had finished her run there, she had caught the eye of film director D.W. Griffith, who would go on to make Birth of a Nation and was working for the Biograph at the time. Over the next several years, Pickford became the most famous actress in the industry, with only Charlie Chaplin rivaling her in popularity, to the extent that one film reviewer wrote she was “the best known woman who has ever lived, the woman who was known to more people and loved by more people than any other woman that has been in all history." Of all the great movie stars, there may be none more enigmatic than Greta Garbo, who remains internationally famous despite the fact her life and career raise more questions than answers. How did a Swedish actress with very little film acting experience in her native land arrive in the United States and achieve instant stardom? Most actresses had to wait years before they were offered starring roles in major films, yet Garbo was ushered to the front of the line and perched atop the MGM pantheon at a time in which it was the studio par excellence. How was she able to transition from silent films to “talkies” so fluidly, giving many of her most decorated performances during the 1930s? While stars like Charlie Chaplin never recovered from cinema’s transition to synchronized sound, Garbo flourished, which is made all the more amazing by the fact she had a foreign accent that could easily have alienated American audiences and threatened her career. Finally, and perhaps most mystifyingly of all, why would Garbo retire in 1941, at just 36 years of age and two years removed from Ninotchka, arguably her most acclaimed film? At the same time, for as famous as Greta Garbo is as an actress, her films are not remembered so positively, if they are remembered at all. While Garbo herself was nominated on three occasions for the Academy Award for Best Actress, only one film of hers, Grand Hotel (1932), was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. For the most part, Garbo acted in films that were seemingly well beneath her, which was certainly the case with her films from the silent era. It goes without saying that the most enduring image of Gloria Swanson is the famous shot of her in Sunset Boulevard (1950), head tilted backward, stating, “Alright, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close up.” Indeed, for many, the very mention of “Gloria Swanson” conjures the name of “Norma Desmond,” her character in Sunset Boulevard, directed by Billy Wilder. That the shot of Desmond requesting her close-up remains indelibly imprinted in the minds of so many speaks in large part to the power of Sunset Boulevard, one of the most revered films of its times and the most famous film of Gloria Swanson’s career. By dint of her performance in the film, Swanson has become almost synonymous with Hollywood’s silent era. In many respects,

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2016

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Paloma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review in English | Reseña en Español

As a fan of Old Hollywood and of the film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, I had had this book on my radar for quite some time and I must say it did not disappoint. The volume presents the biographies of three great actresses: Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo and Gloria Swanson. The three women were not only actresses –they were also entrepreneurs and key to the development of the film making industry as we know it today.

The book explores their lives since their early childhood to their final days, and does it in a very entertaining way –you just want to keep reading and learn more about the lives of these women, which were divas of the screen and led intense lives, but whose attitude was also the background for women empowerment. Many of the things they did seem to be forgotten nowadays, but for example, Pickford was founder of Paramount pictures and fought for the rights of film workers, while Garbo was able to make the producers respect her roles and demands and starred the films she wanted thus becoming one of the most enigmatic actresses of the century. They spoke up and were listened, and these were first attempts for more freedom of women. That said, I would like to note that this book is not really about women empowerment but just a really good biographical work.

I would recommend this book if you are interested in the subject, as it is quite interesting and contains great pictures from the three actresses.
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Soy una fanática del viejo Hollywood y de las películas de la década de los veintes, treintas y cuarentas –de hecho, una de las épocas en las que me hubiera gustado vivir es justo la época de oro del cine en Hollywood. Por lo anterior, había tenido este libro en mi radar y la verdad no me decepcionó. Este libro contiene las biografías de tres grandes actrices: Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo y Gloria Swanson. Estas tres mujeres no fueron solo actrices –fueron también emprendedoras y su trabajo fue clave para el desarrollo de la industria cinematográfica como la conocemos hoy en día.

El libro explora sus vidas desde su infancia hasta el final de sus días, y la narración es bastante amena –uno solo quiere seguir leyendo para conocer más sobre la intrigante existencia de estas mujeres, quienes fueron divas y llevaron vidas intensas pero que también abrieron el camino para el empoderamiento de la mujer, al cuestionar ciertos roles y jugar con su sexualidad. Mucho de lo que hicieron ha caído en el olvido pero, por ejemplo, Mary Pickford fue fundadora de Paramount Pictures y fue muy activa luchando por los derechos de los trabajadores de la industria, tratando de mejorar sus condiciones, mientras que Garbo fue muy inteligente para hacer respetar sus demandas y dirigir su carrera, a pesar de ser una extranjera en la meca del cine –y al lograrlo, se convirtió en una leyenda. Estas mujeres hablaron y fueron escuchadas, y esto pude considerarse como los primeros intentos para la libertad de la mujer. Sin embargo, aclaro que el libro no se trata de esto –es simplemente, un trabajo biográfico excelente.

Recomendaría este libro si están interesados en el tema, ya que en verdad es interesante y contiene también fotografías únicas de las actrices.

[Janet Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sirens of the silent movies!

A great book if you want to know about all those silent film stars but do not remember them then this is the book for you. Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, and Gloria Swanson Grace the leaves of this book! Hope theirs more to come!

[Faith A Zapora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was hoping for more bio background.