Let Alone

The lovely, and talented woman above is one Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, otherwise known as Great Garbo, born this day 1905 in Stockholm, Sweden. She began studying acting at the age of seventeen at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. That is where she met the director Mauritz Stiller who gave her the screen name of "Garbo." MGM's Louis B. Mayer saw her star in the 1925 silent film, The Joyless Street, and decided to bring her to Hollywood. There her star quickly ascended she was nominated four times for best actress between the years 1930 and 1939. She was an transcendent actress, Bette Davis (not a lady known for handing out compliments) said of Garbo; "Her instinct, her mastery over the machine, was pure witchcraft. I cannot analyse this woman's acting. I only know that no one else so effectively worked in front of a camera." Pretty high praise from someone who had just a shade bit of talent herself. Of course I have already blogged about one of my favourite Garbo lines that of the "wanting to be let alone." Look at some of the still pictures taken of her in her prime, the woman had eyes that could make a man's knees buckle. Hell they still do almost 70 years later. That is talent, that is heroic. Adding to her appeal is the rumours that she swung both ways. I never said that my heroes had to save lives, a hot Swedish bisexual is just as big a hero to me as Superman, and I wouldn't want to bang Superman. Garbo and the silent film actor John Gilbert had a famous affair, and he proposed to her three times before she said yes. Then she left him standing at the altar after she changed her mind about marriage (who can blame her? She was Great Garbo, does ANYONE remember John Gilbert?) She was a famous recluse, she never answered fan mail, and while during her prime, never gave any interviews. She made her last film in 1941 at the age of 36, and except for some long lost screen tests, was never in front of a camera again. Even with her "retiring" young she was STILL voted the fifth greatest actress of all time by the American Film Institute. She might have made it to the top if she had just kept acting, but that wasn't Garbo's style. She quit, and she quit when she wanted to quit, and quit on her on terms. In 1953, she bought a seven room apartment in New York City, and lived there for the rest of her life. So, for living life on her terms, and making some lovely films, and mainly for the "let alone" comment that I steal on a regular basis, Greta Garbo (September 18th, 1905- April 15th, 1990, of renal failure at the age of 89), you are my heroine of the day.