1914–1918: Essanay/Keystone/Triangle with Swanson and
Teddy the Dog in
Teddy at the Throttle (1917)|alt=Black and white photo of a young man, a young woman, and a dog Her family once again residing in Chicago, the adolescent Gloria developed a crush on actor
Francis X. Bushman and knew he was employed by
Essanay Studios in the city. Swanson later recalled that her Aunt Inga brought her at the age of 15 to visit Bushman's studio, where she was discovered by a tour guide. Other accounts have the star-struck Swanson herself talking her way into the business. In either version, she was soon hired as an extra. The movie industry was still in its infancy, churning out short subjects, without the advantage of today's casting agencies and talent agents promoting their latest find. A willing extra was often a valuable asset. Her first role was a brief
walk-on with actress
Gerda Holmes, that paid an enormous (in those days) $3.25. The studio soon offered her steady work at $13.25 () per week. Swanson left school to work full-time at the studio. In 1915, she co-starred in
Sweedie Goes to College with her future first husband
Wallace Beery. Swanson's mother accompanied her to California in 1916 for her roles in
Mack Sennett's
Keystone Studios comedy shorts opposite
Bobby Vernon and directed by
Clarence G. Badger. They were met at the train station by Beery, who was pursuing his own career ambitions at Keystone. Vernon and Swanson projected a great screen chemistry that proved popular with audiences. Director
Charley Chase recalled that Swanson was "frightened to death" of Vernon's dangerous stunts. Surviving movies in which they appear together include
The Danger Girl (1916), ''
The Sultan's Wife (1917), and Teddy at the Throttle (1917). Badger was sufficiently impressed by Swanson to recommend her to the director Jack Conway for Her Decision and You Can't Believe Everything in 1918. Triangle had never put Swanson under contract, but did increase her pay to $15 a week. When she was approached by Famous Players–Lasky to work for Cecil B. DeMille, the resulting legal dispute obligated her to Triangle for several more months. Soon afterward, Triangle was in a financial bind and loaned Swanson to DeMille for the comedy Don't Change Your Husband''.
1919–1926: Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures (1919) At the behest of DeMille, Swanson signed a contract with Famous Players–Lasky on December 30, 1918, for $150 a week, to be raised to $200 a week, and eventually $350 a week. Her first picture under her new contract was DeMille's World War I romantic drama
For Better, for Worse. She made six pictures under the direction of DeMille, including
Male and Female (1919), in which she posed with a lion as "Lion's Bride". While she and her father were dining out one evening, the man who would become her second husband, Equity Pictures president
Herbert K. Somborn, introduced himself, by inviting her to meet one of her personal idols, actress
Clara Kimball Young. '' (1920)
Why Change Your Wife?,
Something to Think About (both 1920), and
The Affairs of Anatol (1921) soon followed. She next appeared in 10 films directed by
Sam Wood, starting with
The Great Moment (1921) and including
Beyond the Rocks in 1922 with her longtime friend
Rudolph Valentino. Valentino had become a star in 1921 for his appearance in
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but Swanson had known him since his days as an aspiring actor getting small parts, with no apparent hope for his professional future. She was impressed by his shy, well-mannered personality, the complete opposite of what his public image would become. After her films with Wood, she appeared in
Zaza (1923) directed by
Allan Dwan. During her time at Famous Players–Lasky, seven more of her films were directed by Dwan. (1922)|alt=Black and white photo of a man and woman embracing In 1925, Swanson starred in the French-American comedy
Madame Sans-Gêne, directed by
Léonce Perret. Filming was allowed for the first time at many of the historic sites relating to Napoleon. While it was well received at the time, no prints are known to exist and it is considered to be a
lost film. Swanson appeared in a 1925 short produced by
Lee de Forest in his
Phonofilm sound-on-film process. She made a number of films for Paramount, including
The Coast of Folly (1925),
Stage Struck (1925) and
The Untamed Lady (1926). Before she could produce films with United Artists, she completed
Fine Manners with Paramount and turned down an offer to make
The King of Kings with DeMille.
1925–1933: United Artists '' magazine She turned down a one-million-dollar-a-year () contract with Paramount in favor of joining the newly created
United Artists partnership on June 25, 1925, accepting a six-picture distribution offer from president
Joseph Schenck. At the time, Swanson was considered the most bankable star of her era. United Artists had its own Art Cinema Corporation subsidiary to advance financial loans for the productions of individual partners. The partnership agreement included her commitment to a buy-in of $100,000 of preferred stock subscription.
Swanson Producing Corporation The Swanson Producing Corporation was set up as the umbrella organization for her agreement with United Artists. Under that name, she produced
The Love of Sunya with herself in the title role. The film, co-starring
John Boles, was directed by
Albert Parker, based on the play
The Eyes of Youth by
Max Marcin and Charles Guernon. The production was a disaster, with Parker being indecisive and the actors not experienced enough to deliver the performances he wanted. The film fell behind in its schedule and, by the time of its release, the end product had not lived up to Swanson's expectations. While it did not lose money, it was a financial wash, breaking even on the production costs.
Gloria Swanson Productions She engaged the services of director
Raoul Walsh in 1927 and together they conceived of making a film based on
W. Somerset Maugham's short story "Miss Thompson". Gloria Swanson Productions proposed to film the controversial
Sadie Thompson about the travails of a prostitute living in American Samoa, a project that initially pleased United Artists president Joseph Schenck. As she moved forward with the project, association members urged Schenck to halt the production due to its subject matter. The members took further steps by registering their discontent with
Will H. Hays, Chairman of the
Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. Walsh previously had his own battles with the Hays office, having managed to skirt around censorship issues with
What Price Glory? By bringing him to the table, literally over breakfast in her home, Hays and Swanson developed a working relationship for the film. Hays was enthusiastic about the basic story, but did have specific issues that were dealt with before the film's release. The project was filmed on
Santa Catalina Island, just off the coast of
Long Beach, California. Gross receipts slightly exceeded $850,000 (). At the first annual
Academy Awards, Swanson received a nomination for Best Actress for her performance, and the film's cinematographer
George Barnes was also nominated.
Gloria Productions '' (1931) By the end of 1927, Swanson was in dire financial straits, with only $65 in the bank. Her two productions had generated income, but too slowly to offset her production loan debts to Art Cinema Corporation. Swanson had also not made good on her $100,000 subscription for preferred United Artists shared stock. She had received financial proposals from United Artists studio head Joseph Schenck, as well as from Bank of America, prior to engaging the services of
Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. as her financial advisor. He proposed to personally bankroll her next picture and conducted a thorough examination of her financial records. Kennedy advised her to shut down Swanson Producing Corporation. She agreed to his plan for a fresh start under the dummy corporate name of Gloria Productions, headquartered in
Delaware. Upon his advice, she fired most of her staff and sold her rights for
The Love of Sunya and
Sadie Thompson to Art Cinema Corporation. Kennedy then created the position of "European director of
Pathé" to put her third husband
Henry de La Falaise on the payroll. Sound films were already becoming popular with audiences, most notably the films of singer
Al Jolson, who had success with
The Jazz Singer released in 1927 and
The Singing Fool in 1928. Kennedy, however, advised her to hire
Erich von Stroheim to direct another silent film,
The Swamp, subsequently retitled
Queen Kelly. She was hesitant to hire Stroheim, who was known for being difficult to deal with and who was unwilling to work within any budget. Kennedy, nevertheless, was insistent and was able to get Stroheim released from contractual obligations to producer
Pat Powers. Stroheim worked for several months on writing the basic script. Filming of
Queen Kelly began in November. His filming was slow, albeit meticulous, and the cast and crew suffered from long hours. Shooting was shut down in January, and Stroheim fired, after complaints by Swanson about him and about the general direction the film was taking. Swanson and Kennedy tried to salvage it with an alternative ending shot on November 24, 1931, directed by Swanson and photographed by
Gregg Toland. Only two other films were made under Gloria Productions.
The Trespasser in 1929 was a sound production, and garnered Swanson her second Oscar nomination. Written by
Edmund Goulding, with
Laura Hope Crews fine-tuning the dialogue, Kennedy approved funding for the go-ahead on the production. The film was a melodrama, complete with musical numbers sung by Swanson and completed in 21 days. The world premiere was held in London, the first American sound production to do so. Swanson was mobbed by adoring fans. Before leaving London, she sang at a concert carried over the BBC.
What a Widow! in 1930 was the final film for Gloria Productions.
United Artists stars on the radio Mary Pickford and her husband
Douglas Fairbanks hosted the March 29, 1928, episode of the
Dodge Hour radio program, originating from Pickford's private bungalow at United Artists, and broadcast to audiences in American movie theaters. The brainchild of Joseph Schenck, it was a promotional come-on to attract audiences into movie theaters to hear the voices of their favorite actors, as sound productions became the future of commercial films. On hand were Swanson,
Charlie Chaplin,
Norma Talmadge,
John Barrymore,
Dolores del Río, and
D. W. Griffith.
Gloria Swanson British Productions Ltd. in
Music in the Air (1934) in
Perfect Understanding (1933) Before she began filming
Perfect Understanding as Gloria Swanson British Productions Ltd., she finished a two-film package production for Art Cinema, which included
Indiscreet and
Tonight or Never (1931).
Perfect Understanding, a 1933 sound production comedy, was the only film produced by this company. Made entirely at
Ealing Studios, it co-starred
Laurence Olivier as Swanson's on-screen husband. United Artists bought back all of her stock with them, in order to provide her financing to make this film, and thereby ending her relationship with the partnership. The film was panned by the critics upon its release and failed at the box office.
1938–1950: Creating new paths When she made the transition to sound films as her career simultaneously began to decline, Swanson moved permanently to New York City in 1938. Swanson starred in
Father Takes a Wife for
RKO in 1941. She began appearing in stage productions and starred in
The Gloria Swanson Hour on
WPIX-TV in 1948. Swanson threw herself into painting and sculpting and, in 1954, published ''Gloria Swanson's Diary'', a general newsletter. She toured in
summer stock, engaged in political activism, designed and marketed clothing and accessories, and made personal appearances on radio and in movie theaters. On July 10, 1947, she guest voiced on the CBS
Suspense radio drama "Murder by the Book" portraying the lead character Emily Carlyle, an acclaimed yet trouble authoress who becomes involved in a real-life murder investigation while dealing with her own peculiar issues.
1950–1977: Later career Sunset Boulevard in
Sunset Boulevard (1950) The film
Sunset Boulevard, about the deranged world of a once-famous silent actress, was conceived by director
Billy Wilder and screenwriter
Charles Brackett, and came to include writer
D. M. Marshman Jr. They bandied about the name of
Mae West, whose public persona even in her senior years was as a sex symbol, but she objected to playing a has-been. Mary Pickford was also considered for the lead role of Norma Desmond. It was director
George Cukor who suggested Swanson, noting that she was once such a valuable asset to her studio that she was "carried in a sedan chair from her dressing room to the set". The film follows faded silent actress Norma Desmond (Swanson), who lives in a mansion with her former-husband-director-turned-butler Max von Mayerling (
Erich von Stroheim), who enables her grandiose delusions. She takes in, and subsequently falls in love with, floundering screenwriter Joe Gillis (
William Holden). Desmond schemes at a career revival as Gillis grows ambivalent about their developing relationship. Desmond's dreams of a comeback are subverted, and when Gillis tries to break up with her, she kills him. In the final scene, von Mayerling coaxes an acutely psychotic Desmond toward police as reporters look on with newsreel cameras; the film ends with Desmond's exclamation, "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." The film's casting is heavily self-referential. In one scene, von Mayerling screens
Queen Kelly for Desmond and Gillis, leading critic
Roger Ebert to note that "for a moment, Swanson and von Stroheim are simply playing themselves". Desmond's
bridge partners, whom Gillis refers to as "
waxworks", are the silent stars
Buster Keaton,
H.B. Warner and
Anna Q. Nilsson. Cecil B. DeMille plays himself, with the film's version of DeMille having directed Desmond at the height of her stardom, just as the real DeMille had previously directed Swanson. Although Swanson had objected to enduring a screen test for the film, she had been glad to be making much more money than she had been in television and on stage. She found the overall experience of making the movie a pleasure, and later stated, "I hated to have the picture end ... When Mr. Wilder called 'Print it!' I burst into tears..." She was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, but lost to
Judy Holliday.
Final films Swanson received several acting offers following the release of
Sunset Boulevard, but turned most of them down, saying they tended to be pale imitations of Norma Desmond. Her last major Hollywood motion picture role was also her first color film, the poorly received
3 for Bedroom C in 1952. Nationally syndicated columnist
Suzy called it "one of the worst movies ever made." In 1956, Swanson made ''
Nero's Mistress, an Italian film shot in Rome, which starred Alberto Sordi, Vittorio de Sica and Brigitte Bardot. Her final screen appearance, in 1974, was as herself in Airport 1975''.
Television and theatre in the promo of
My Three Sons (1965)|alt=Black and white photo of a man and woman looking at each other Swanson hosted
The Gloria Swanson Hour, one of the first live television series in 1948 in which she invited friends and others to be guests. Swanson later hosted
Crown Theatre with Gloria Swanson, a television anthology series in which she occasionally acted. Through the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, Swanson appeared on many different talk and variety shows such as
The Carol Burnett Show and
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to recollect her movies and to lampoon them as well. On
The Carol Burnett Show in 1973, Swanson reprised her impersonation of Charlie Chaplin from both
Sunset Boulevard and
Manhandled. She was the "mystery guest" on ''
What's My Line. She acted in "Behind the Locked Door" on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1964 and, in the same year, she was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her performance in Burke's Law. She made a guest appearance on The Dick Cavett Show in the summer of 1970; a guest on the same show as Janis Joplin. She made a notable appearance in a 1966 episode of The Beverly Hillbillies'', in which she plays herself. In the episode, the Clampetts mistakenly believe Swanson is destitute and decide to finance a comeback movie for her – in a silent film. After near-retirement from movies, Swanson appeared in many plays throughout her later life, beginning in the 1940s. Actor and playwright Harold J. Kennedy, who had learned the ropes at Yale and with Orson Welles'
Mercury Theatre, suggested Swanson do a road tour of "Reflected Glory", a comedy that had run on the Broadway stage with
Tallulah Bankhead as its star. Kennedy wrote the script for the play
A Goose for the Gander, which began its road tour in Chicago in August 1944. Swanson also toured with
Let Us Be Gay. After her success with
Sunset Boulevard, she starred on Broadway in a revival of
Twentieth Century with
José Ferrer, and in
Nina with
David Niven. Her last major stage role was in the 1971 Broadway production of
Butterflies Are Free at the
Booth Theatre. Swanson starred in the 1974 TV movie
Killer Bees. Kevin Brownlow and
David Gill interviewed her for the 1980 British TV series
Hollywood, a history of the silent era. == Personal life ==