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TCM Schedule for Thursday, April 4, 2019 -- TCM Spotlight - Star of the Month Greta Garbo
In the daylight today, TCM is celebrating writer / director Garson Kanin, and his wife, actress / writer Ruth Gordon. It's not a birthday for either, but that's okay - we're going to get a day full of good movies! Then this evening TCM is on day four of their salute to Star of the Month Greta Garbo. Today's films cover Garbo's work with John Gilbert, a huge star of the silent era who faded away when sound arrived. Take it away, Roger!In celebration of TCM's 25th anniversary, we return to our first-ever Star of the Month: Greta Garbo, who was originally given that designation in 1994. She was not only our premier Star of the Month but, in the minds of many, is the No. 1 film legend of all time.
No less an authority than Marlene Dietrich called Garbo "the greatest star in the world." Kenneth Tynan famously wrote that "What, when drunk, one sees in other women, one sees sober in Garbo." Life magazine described her as "the dream princess of eternity - the knockout of the ages." She was an actress of great depth and mystery, earning three Academy Award nominations and an honorary Oscar.
She was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 18, 1905, the youngest of three children. Her father was a street cleaner and butcher's assistant who would die when Greta was 14; her mother became a factory worker. Garbo recalled the neighborhood of her childhood as an "eternally grey" slum.
Greta became enthralled with theater at an early age and participated in amateur theatrics. She left school at age 13 and worked for a time as a "lather girl" in a barber shop before accepting a position at a department store, where she eventually began modeling hats and clothing. This led to filmed commercials for the store and then to a comedy short, Luffar-Petter (1922), in which she cavorted in a swimsuit.
For two years beginning in 1922, Greta studied at the Royal Stockholm Theatre School. There she met noted Finnish director Mauritz Stiller, who cast her in his film The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924, TCM premiere). Swedish actor Lars Hanson plays the title character, a defrocked priest, and Garbo is the supposedly married countess with whom he enters a new life.
The ambitious 184-minute film, although not a major success, marked the beginning of a close partnership between Garbo and Stiller, who served as her mentor, acting coach and manager. When MGM's Louis B. Mayer offered Stiller a contract with his studio, the director insisted that his protégée be included as part of the deal. She was given a three-year contract that would stretch into 15 years at MGM.
In a role considered not worthy of studio queen Norma Shearer, Garbo was cast in Torrent (1926) as a Spanish peasant who becomes a prima donna and avenges herself upon a former sweetheart. The film, directed to Stiller's displeasure by Monta Bell, was a success that brought major attention to MGM's new star. Variety proclaimed that she had "everything, with looks, acting ability, and personality."
Stiller started work with Garbo on her next project, The Temptress (1926), in which she plays a Parisienne femme fatale who wrecks the lives of several men, including her lover Antonio Moreno. But Stiller couldn't adapt to the studio structure at MGM and was replaced as director by Fred Niblo. Stiller made three films for Paramount Pictures before returning to Sweden in 1927. A year later he died of pleurisy; he was only 45.
Under the supervision of MGM producer Irving Thalberg, Garbo continued to appear in silent films in which she played young and romantically adventurous women of the world. All were successful and helped turn her into a major star. They included Flesh and the Devil (1926), with John Gilbert; Love (1927, an adaptation of Anna Karenina), again with Gilbert; The Mysterious Lady (1928) with Conrad Nagel; A Woman of Affairs (1928), her third film with Gilbert; Wild Orchids (1929), with Nils Asther; The Single Standard (1929), again with Asther; and The Kiss (1929), with Nagel.
Garbo and Gilbert had a love affair during their costarring days, although alleged plans for a wedding never materialized. Other romantic involvements were reported or rumored, but Garbo would remain single all her life.
By 1928 Garbo had surpassed Lillian Gish as MGM's top box office attraction. In 1929 New York critic Pierre de Rohan wrote that "She has a glamour and fascination for both sexes which have never been equaled on the screen." But, after other Continental stars with foreign accents had fallen victim to the sound era, MGM executives were nervous about introducing their prized performer to the "talkies."
The vehicle chosen as Garbo's introduction to sound was a film version of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie (1930), with Garbo as the Swedish prostitute running away from her past. The advertising tagline famously proclaimed, "Garbo Talks!" Her Swedish accent (actually quickly fading) was perfect for the role, her voice was throaty and expressive, and her career in sound films was off and running. TCM is also showing Garbo's German version of Annie Christie (1931), shot simultaneously and considered by the actress herself to be the superior film.
Garbo's sound follow-ups included Romance (1930), with Lewis Stone; and Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise (1931), opposite MGM's new male heart-throb, Clark Gable. (Studio gossip had it that they did not get along.) Then came three of her most celebrated vehicles: the glamorous Dutch spy Mata-Hari (1931), the fading Russian ballerina of the all-star Grand Hotel (1932) and the iconic title role of Swedish ruler Queen Christina (1933).
Garbo also starred in film versions of Somerset Maugham's The Painted Veil (1934) and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (1935). Many consider her finest performance to be in the title role of Camille (1937), playing Alexandre Dumas' tragic courtesan under the sensitive direction of George Cukor. The New York Times described the performance as "eloquent, tragic, yet restrained. She is as incomparable in the role as legend tells us that Bernhardt was."
After playing Countess Marie Walewska to Charles Boyer's Napoleon in the lavish yet unsuccessful production Conquest (1937), Garbo had another hit in the comedy Ninotchka (1939), which was promoted with the slogan "Garbo Laughs!" Her final film was another comedy, albeit a failed one, called Two-Faced Woman (1941).
As part of its tribute, TCM is screening the documentary The Divine Greta Garbo (1990), written by Newsweek critic David Ansen and produced, directed and edited by Susan F. Walker. The film, narrated by Glenn Close, includes many clips from Garbo films and emphasizes the importance of costumer Adrian, art director Cedric Gibbons and cinematographer William Daniels in creating the Garbo image at MGM.
In retirement, Garbo maintained a quiet and extremely private life. She eventually settled into a seven-room apartment in Manhattan where she lived until her death on April 15, 1990. It was said that fellow New Yorkers would dine out for months for a chance sighting of the elusive star.
Garbo's reclusive ways seemed a reflection of her character's assertion in Grand Hotel that "I want to be alone" - a quote often attributed to her personally. She later clarified that, in private life, "I never said 'I want to be alone.' I said, 'I want to be let alone.' There is all the difference."
by Roger Fristoe
No less an authority than Marlene Dietrich called Garbo "the greatest star in the world." Kenneth Tynan famously wrote that "What, when drunk, one sees in other women, one sees sober in Garbo." Life magazine described her as "the dream princess of eternity - the knockout of the ages." She was an actress of great depth and mystery, earning three Academy Award nominations and an honorary Oscar.
She was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 18, 1905, the youngest of three children. Her father was a street cleaner and butcher's assistant who would die when Greta was 14; her mother became a factory worker. Garbo recalled the neighborhood of her childhood as an "eternally grey" slum.
Greta became enthralled with theater at an early age and participated in amateur theatrics. She left school at age 13 and worked for a time as a "lather girl" in a barber shop before accepting a position at a department store, where she eventually began modeling hats and clothing. This led to filmed commercials for the store and then to a comedy short, Luffar-Petter (1922), in which she cavorted in a swimsuit.
For two years beginning in 1922, Greta studied at the Royal Stockholm Theatre School. There she met noted Finnish director Mauritz Stiller, who cast her in his film The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924, TCM premiere). Swedish actor Lars Hanson plays the title character, a defrocked priest, and Garbo is the supposedly married countess with whom he enters a new life.
The ambitious 184-minute film, although not a major success, marked the beginning of a close partnership between Garbo and Stiller, who served as her mentor, acting coach and manager. When MGM's Louis B. Mayer offered Stiller a contract with his studio, the director insisted that his protégée be included as part of the deal. She was given a three-year contract that would stretch into 15 years at MGM.
In a role considered not worthy of studio queen Norma Shearer, Garbo was cast in Torrent (1926) as a Spanish peasant who becomes a prima donna and avenges herself upon a former sweetheart. The film, directed to Stiller's displeasure by Monta Bell, was a success that brought major attention to MGM's new star. Variety proclaimed that she had "everything, with looks, acting ability, and personality."
Stiller started work with Garbo on her next project, The Temptress (1926), in which she plays a Parisienne femme fatale who wrecks the lives of several men, including her lover Antonio Moreno. But Stiller couldn't adapt to the studio structure at MGM and was replaced as director by Fred Niblo. Stiller made three films for Paramount Pictures before returning to Sweden in 1927. A year later he died of pleurisy; he was only 45.
Under the supervision of MGM producer Irving Thalberg, Garbo continued to appear in silent films in which she played young and romantically adventurous women of the world. All were successful and helped turn her into a major star. They included Flesh and the Devil (1926), with John Gilbert; Love (1927, an adaptation of Anna Karenina), again with Gilbert; The Mysterious Lady (1928) with Conrad Nagel; A Woman of Affairs (1928), her third film with Gilbert; Wild Orchids (1929), with Nils Asther; The Single Standard (1929), again with Asther; and The Kiss (1929), with Nagel.
Garbo and Gilbert had a love affair during their costarring days, although alleged plans for a wedding never materialized. Other romantic involvements were reported or rumored, but Garbo would remain single all her life.
By 1928 Garbo had surpassed Lillian Gish as MGM's top box office attraction. In 1929 New York critic Pierre de Rohan wrote that "She has a glamour and fascination for both sexes which have never been equaled on the screen." But, after other Continental stars with foreign accents had fallen victim to the sound era, MGM executives were nervous about introducing their prized performer to the "talkies."
The vehicle chosen as Garbo's introduction to sound was a film version of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie (1930), with Garbo as the Swedish prostitute running away from her past. The advertising tagline famously proclaimed, "Garbo Talks!" Her Swedish accent (actually quickly fading) was perfect for the role, her voice was throaty and expressive, and her career in sound films was off and running. TCM is also showing Garbo's German version of Annie Christie (1931), shot simultaneously and considered by the actress herself to be the superior film.
Garbo's sound follow-ups included Romance (1930), with Lewis Stone; and Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise (1931), opposite MGM's new male heart-throb, Clark Gable. (Studio gossip had it that they did not get along.) Then came three of her most celebrated vehicles: the glamorous Dutch spy Mata-Hari (1931), the fading Russian ballerina of the all-star Grand Hotel (1932) and the iconic title role of Swedish ruler Queen Christina (1933).
Garbo also starred in film versions of Somerset Maugham's The Painted Veil (1934) and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (1935). Many consider her finest performance to be in the title role of Camille (1937), playing Alexandre Dumas' tragic courtesan under the sensitive direction of George Cukor. The New York Times described the performance as "eloquent, tragic, yet restrained. She is as incomparable in the role as legend tells us that Bernhardt was."
After playing Countess Marie Walewska to Charles Boyer's Napoleon in the lavish yet unsuccessful production Conquest (1937), Garbo had another hit in the comedy Ninotchka (1939), which was promoted with the slogan "Garbo Laughs!" Her final film was another comedy, albeit a failed one, called Two-Faced Woman (1941).
As part of its tribute, TCM is screening the documentary The Divine Greta Garbo (1990), written by Newsweek critic David Ansen and produced, directed and edited by Susan F. Walker. The film, narrated by Glenn Close, includes many clips from Garbo films and emphasizes the importance of costumer Adrian, art director Cedric Gibbons and cinematographer William Daniels in creating the Garbo image at MGM.
In retirement, Garbo maintained a quiet and extremely private life. She eventually settled into a seven-room apartment in Manhattan where she lived until her death on April 15, 1990. It was said that fellow New Yorkers would dine out for months for a chance sighting of the elusive star.
Garbo's reclusive ways seemed a reflection of her character's assertion in Grand Hotel that "I want to be alone" - a quote often attributed to her personally. She later clarified that, in private life, "I never said 'I want to be alone.' I said, 'I want to be let alone.' There is all the difference."
by Roger Fristoe
Enjoy!
6:00 AM -- BACHELOR MOTHER (1939)
A fun-loving shop girl is mistaken for the mother of a foundling.
Dir: Garson Kanin
Cast: Ginger Rogers, David Niven, Charles Coburn
BW-82 mins, CC,
Nominee for an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story -- Felix Jackson
Remade as the musical film Bundle of Joy, with Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher.
7:30 AM -- MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940)
A shipwrecked woman is rescued just in time for her husband's re-marriage.
Dir: Garson Kanin
Cast: Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Randolph Scott
BW-88 mins, CC,
Nominee for Oscars for Best Writing, Original Story -- Leo McCarey, Bella Spewack and Sam Spewack, Best Art Direction, Black-and-White -- Van Nest Polglase and Mark-Lee Kirk, and Best Music, Original Score -- Roy Webb
Leo McCarey was supposed to direct the film, but shortly before the filming began he was injured in an automobile accident, and had to hand over the direction to Garson Kanin. Actress Gail Patrick has stated that the severity of McCarey's injuries had an effect on the film's cast, and they found it very difficult to enter into the spirit of the comedy with the serious hospital bulletins they were hearing.
9:01 AM -- DOUBLE TALK (1937)
In this short film, a problem "child" attempts to foil his adoption at an orphanage. Vitaphone Release 1991.
Dir: Lloyd French
Cast: Florence Auer, Charles Dingle, Edgar Bergen
BW-11 mins,
The cast list includes Charlie McCarthy as Charlie McCarthy.
9:15 AM -- TOM, DICK AND HARRY (1941)
A girl accepts three wedding proposals at once and dreams of marriage to each man.
Dir: Garson Kanin
Cast: Ginger Rogers, George Murphy, Alan Marshal
BW-87 mins, CC,
Nominee for an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Paul Jarrico
During the shooting of this film the oscars took place. Ginger Rogers was nominated and won the Best Actress Oscar for her previous film Kitty Foyle (1940). The next day she arrived at the set and was met by all of the male cast and crew in top hats and tails in her honour.
10:45 AM -- DR. EHRLICH'S MAGIC BULLET (1940)
True story of the German scientist who devoted his life to curing syphilis.
Dir: William Dieterle
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Ruth Gordon, Otto Kruger
BW-103 mins, CC,
Nominee for an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Norman Burnstine, Heinz Herald and John Huston
Paul Ehrlich's cure for syphilis, Salvarsan 606, became the most prescribed drug in the world until the discovery of penicillin in the 1940s, when it became the preferred treatment for the disease. This film generated controversy because many thought the subject of syphilis too scandalous a topic for a motion picture in 1940.
12:30 PM -- ADAM'S RIB (1949)
Husband-and-wife lawyers argue opposite sides in a sensational women's rights case.
Dir: George Cukor
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday
BW-101 mins, CC,
Nominee for an Oscar for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay -- Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin
This is the first of two films teaming Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy to feature a script by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. The second would be Pat and Mike (1952). Both films were directed by George Cukor and both films earned Gordon and Kanin an Oscar nomination for best screenplay.
2:15 PM -- PAT AND MIKE (1952)
Romance blooms between a female athlete and her manager.
Dir: George Cukor
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray
BW-95 mins, CC,
Nominee for an Oscar for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay -- Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin
The husband and wife writing team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon were close friends of Hepburn and Tracy. They wrote this script especially for them to capture the essence of their real-life personalities and relationship as well as to showcase Hepburn's athletic abilities. Tracy really was cranky but lovable and Hepburn really was a terrific athlete. She was excellent at golf and one of the best tennis players in Hollywood.
4:00 PM -- THE ACTRESS (1953)
True story of Ruth Gordon's early struggles on the road to stage stardom.
Dir: George Cukor
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Jean Simmons, Teresa Wright
BW-91 mins, CC,
Nominee for an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Walter Plunkett
On a January 1, 1980 Dick Cavett interview, Anthony Perkins revealed that he had played this role in summer stock in Delaware. He got himself to Hollywood and tried to get a screen test for the role, on the basis that he had played it. The studio rejected him, but he used to hang around, and when they needed someone to feed lines to an actress they were testing, they tapped him. George Cukor, who was filming the tests, asked Perkins, who was facing away from the camera, to move to the side, so the camera had an unimpeded view of the actress being tested. Perkins pretended not to understand and swung his head around, so the camera would capture his face full on, and when the producers were watching the tests later, they decided against hiring the actress, but gave Perkins the role he had played in stock.
5:35 PM -- SCREEN ACTORS (1950)
This short film takes a look at the off-screen personas of screen actors.
Dir: Hal Elias (uncredited)
Narrator: John Nesbitt
BW-9 mins,
The only known M.G.M. movie that Linda Darnell was in. Metro Goldwyn Mayer had to get written permission from Twentieth Century-Fox to use Linda Darnell's image. Though Louis B. Mayer and M.G.M. tried to borrow Linda Darnell and Carole Landis, who were both under contract to Fox at the time, to be in an M.G.M. short to be filmed on the Metro lot Darryl F. Zanuck refused to loan the two actresses to M.G.M. for the short.
5:45 PM -- INSIDE DAISY CLOVER (1965)
A girl on the road to stardom fights the dehumanizing effects of Hollywood life.
Dir: Robert Mulligan
Cast: Natalie Wood, Christopher Plummer, Robert Redford
C-128 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
Nominee for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Ruth Gordon, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color -- Robert Clatworthy and George James Hopkins, and Best Costume Design, Color -- Edith Head and Bill Thomas
Natalie Wood developed a friendship with stage actress Ruth Gordon and insisted Gordon portray her mother in the film, much to the chagrin of the studio, which wanted a name actress in the role.
TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: STAR OF THE MONTH: GRETA GARBO
8:00 PM -- FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1926)
In this silent film, a femme fatale comes between childhood friends.
Dir: Clarence Brown
Cast: John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Lars Hanson
BW-112 mins,
The first scene between John Gilbert and Greta Garbo, in the train station, was also the first time Gilbert ever saw Garbo. He falls in love on camera and in real life. Director Clarence Brown was so overawed by the developing romance between Gilbert and Garbo that at the end of one particularly passionate scene he did not even call "cut," instead motioning the lighting and camera crews to stop filming. They withdrew from the set and, after a few hours, had dinner sent in.
10:00 PM -- SIN-COPATION (1938)
Hell is cooling down, so the Devil imports Leon Navara and his Orchestra to put on some heat in this musical short. Vitaphone Release B20.
Dir: Lloyd French
Cast: Leon Navara, Leon Navara's Orchestra, Ruth Brent
BW-11 mins,
Marks the final film appearance of veteran stage actor Detmar Poppen, who had been appearing on Broadway since 1906. Poppen is believed to have retired upon completion of this short.
10:15 PM -- LOVE (1927)
In this updated, silent adaptation of Anna Karenina, a married woman sacrifices everything for the love of a military officer.
Dir: Edmund Goulding
Cast: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, George Fawcett
BW-83 mins,
The title was changed, from "Anna Karenina", so that advertisements could read "Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in LOVE".
11:48 PM -- THE WOMAN IN THE HOUSE (1942)
This short film explores the social phobia of anthropophobia, which is the fear of people.
Dir: Sammy Lee
Cast: Ann Richards, Mark Daniels, Peter Cushing
BW-11 mins,
Number 31 in the film series Passing Parade.
12:00 AM -- A WOMAN OF AFFAIRS (1928)
Prejudice keeps a free spirit from the man she loves, triggering a series of tragedies.
Dir: Clarence Brown
Cast: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lewis Stone
BW-91 mins,
Nominee for an Oscar for Best Writing, Achievement -- Bess Meredyth (No official nominees had been announced this year.)
The film was based on a notorious novel called "The Green Hat", but the Hays Office wouldn't allow the book to be filmed because it featured the use of heroin and a man kills himself on his wedding night because he's suffering from syphilis, neither of which could be touched on at that time. MGM thought it would be a gold mine once past the censors, but by the time the title and character names had been changed and the story line altered, it bore little resemblance to the book. The bridegroom now kills himself because of his embezzling. While drinking on screen was forbidden because of Prohibition, Jeffry is hardly seen without a whiskey glass in his hand, but the fact that drink finally kills him and that the film was set in England is probably what persuaded the censors to let that by.
1:45 AM -- QUEEN CHRISTINA (1934)
Romantic tale of the 17th-century Swedish queen and her romance with a Spanish diplomat.
Dir: Rouben Mamoulian
Cast: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith
BW-99 mins, CC,
For the famous closing shot of Greta Garbo at the prow of the ship, director Rouben Mamoulian had wanted the camera to begin with a long shot, and then, in one unbroken take, gradually dolly in on a two-thirds close-up of Garbo's face, holding on her at the end of the shot. Unfortunately, with the camera's 48mm lens that close to the human face, pores tend to resemble craters on the surface of the moon. Borrowing on aspects of the magic lantern, Mamoulian devised a large, ruler-shaped, glass filter strip that was clear at one end, becoming increasingly more diffused along its length. With this glass filter mounted in front of the lens, as the camera moved in on Garbo, the glass strip was gradually drawn through the filter holder, beginning with the clear end, and ending with the diffused end (close-up), softening Garbo's facial features with more flattering results.
3:30 AM -- THE DIVINE GRETA GARBO (1990)
Glenn Close hosts this documentary featuring film clips and rare behind-the-scenes footage that reveal how Greta Garbo's film career reflected her life.
Dir: Susan F Walker
Cast: Glenn Close,
C-46 mins, CC,
Clips are included from Luffar-Petter (1922), The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924), The Joyless Street (1925), Torrent (1926), The Temptress (1926), Flesh and the Devil (1926), Love (1927), The Divine Woman (1928), A Woman of Affairs (1928), Wild Orchids (1929), The Kiss (1929), Anna Christie (1930), Anna Christie (1930), Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931), Mata Hari (1931), Grand Hotel (1932), As You Desire Me (1932), Queen Christina (1933), The Painted Veil (1934), Anna Karenina (1935), Camille (1936), Conquest (1937), Ninotchka (1939), and Two-Faced Woman (1941).
4:20 AM -- PARIS ON PARADE (1938)
This short film takes the viewer to the Paris International Exposition of 1937.
Dir: James A. FitzPatrick
C-9 mins,
4:30 AM -- LA BOHEME (1926)
In this silent film, a starving artist falls in love with a sickly seamstress in 19th-century Paris.
Dir: King Vidor
Cast: Lillian Gish, John Gilbert, Renée Adorée
BW-93 mins,
Star Lillian Gish and costume designer Erté had run-ins over the design of her costumes. She refused to wear a corset he designed and insisted on silk rather than cotton. The designer's refusal to work within Gish's demands are considered to be one reason why his career as a designer in Hollywood did not last long.