To finish up our week of Gloria Swanson immersion, here’s Gloria’s appearance on Ralph Edwards ‘This Is Your Life’ from 1957. If you’ve never heard of the program the format takes some explaining. The subject was invariably a celebrity of the past and people from the persons distant life were trotted out onto the stage to say hello to the subject and reminisce a bit. The gimmick was that the guest was not informed prior to the show of their imminent participation. Elaborate pains were taken to lure the week’s guest into a social situation–a meal at a restaurant, a drink at a friends house–where a camera crew was hidden. On live television the unsuspecting subject was then surprised to hear that they were, in fact, on television and about to be broadcast nation-wide without any prior warning. It didn’t always work out well–Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were clearly uncomfortable and unhappy about their unexpected appearance–but audiences apparently loved the surprise aspect of the whole thing. Remember, this was the era that saw the soaring popularity of Allen Funt’s awful ‘Candid Camera’.
But Gloria Swanson was nobody’s fool and somehow she found out about the plans to surprise her and have her on the show. She was nothing if not in control and she wasn’t about to be taken off guard and plopped in front of the entire nation without adequate preparation. To Edwards credit, he didn’t cancel the show when they discovered that Gloria had sniffed them out. (He probably couldn’t get anyone else on short notice). So the show went on with Gloria impeccably in control of the whole thing. It’s a rather remarkable piece of television as many old silent film figures are brought out to pay tribute to Gloria. We actually get a glimpse of the then 77 year old Mack Sennet, silent star Rod La Roque (who apologizes for the absence of his wife, silent star Vilma Banky), director Allan Dwan, producer Jesse L. Lasky…all in all a wonderful collection of Hollywood has-beens (except for Dwan who was still busily directing and would continue to do so into his eighties). Gloria accepts the various tributes with grace and aplomb and just a hint of distaste that she’s being treated as if she were Norma Desmond, a relic of the past. The truth was that she had moved on in life, become a radio host in New York, a stage actress and health food advocate. She also painted and sculptied and, in 1954, published Gloria Swanson’s Diary, a general newsletter. She engaged in political activism, designed and marketed clothing and accessories, and made personal appearances on radio and in movie theaters. She was far from moldering in a Beverly Hills mansion with a pet monkey and a bald, German butler (a former husband no less). She even starred on Broadway in ‘Butterflies Are Free’ in the 1971/72 season. She died in 1983, age 84, shortly after returning to her Manhattan penthouse after a vacation at her home on the Portuguese Riviera. Who wouldn’t sign up for an ending like that?
One Response
This should be a movie. She is such a classy gal.