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Gloria Swanson

Swanson on Swanson Hardcover – January 1, 1980

by Gloria Swanson (Author)

155 ratings

4.2 on Goodreads

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The star of the screen throughout the 1920s presents a candid look at her long life, chronicling the story of her six husbands and many lovers and her experiences with studio heads, Zukor, Lasky, DeMille, and Schenck

Print length

535 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Random House Inc
Publication date

January 1, 1980
ISBN-10

0394506626
ISBN-13

978-0394506623
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Stephen Michael Shearer
114
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Tricia Welsch
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Louise Brooks
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Inc; 1st edition (January 1, 1980)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 535 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0394506626
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0394506623
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds

Best Sellers Rank: #726,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5,963 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies

Customer Reviews:
155 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 star		80%
4 star		10%
3 star		4%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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The Hunt family of NYC

I love this book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 22, 2022

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I read this as a child , the book was in my mothers house but it disappeared I wanted a bound copy for my own bookshelf but settled on the E Book . Gloria is brutally honest on some hard matters in her personal life and the story of early Hollywood is priceless .

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 30, 2019

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Gloria Swanson, the film actress and star, shared her own take of her life in her autobiography Swanson on Swanson. Her father called her Glory, and this truly shows how her life progressed as she went from one place, event, film or husband to the next. Born as an only child in Chicago, her path to stardom started early while she was still in high school. She started in small acting sets on the North Side close to the historic Aragon Ballroom and went on to become an Army brat. She lived in New York, the Florida Keys and Puerto Rico and these versatile settings were the gods’ way of preparing her for eventual greatness.
This 519-page book kept me up as I read Gloria Swanson’s story where she shared many intimate details about her joys and her pain. She moved through six husbands, had two daughters and adopted one son. She became one of the first female millionaires and owned her own movie company.
I can safely say that she truly lived every moment of the life that the Creator afforded her. When one thing did not work, Gloria Swanson did not wallow or languish as opportunities, husbands, lovers and people moved in and out of her life. She continually picked herself up, brushed herself off and went on to the next money-making venture.
She prided herself on being an Aries with a resilient spirit and when her film career was over, she went on to work on television, radio, fashion design, painting and sculpting and succeeding in these new media formats. Oh, what a life! I did not want it to end.
She also shared pages and pages of pictures so that we could see her in her marvelous gowns, her children who she loved wholeheartedly, her husbands and some of her paramours. Her mother was usually right along side as a silent but steady rock as she moved around the world for most of her life.
This book made me laugh out loud and at other times I wanted to cry. Some of her experiences stunned me and had me taking a walk to breathe in the brisk Chicago air. I wrote down memorable quotes and advice that other greats offered her. Cecil B. DeMille told her to “Take the cream and leave the milk,” when dealing with the jealousy of others. Her father Joseph, told her, “Take your time. Life is 95% anticipation and 5% realization.” As the book was ending, I wanted to plead, “Don’t go.” But through this book, we still have some of Gloria Swanson with us!

12 people found this helpful

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Romanov1918

Loved This Book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 9, 2015

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What a fascinating book. I love how she describes not only life starting with the teens and twenties, but Hollywood in its early days. From driving a Pierce Arrow, to living in King Gillette's old mansion, to being married at 17 to 31 year old Wallace Beery. She worked for a living since she was 14 years old, and worked with some of the best: Cecil B DeMille and Jesse Lasky to name just two. If you enjoy reading about early Hollywood, you will enjoy this book. The one part the I didn't enjoy was the Joe Kennedy section. I always thought he was just a greedy, money hungry opportunist who didn't care who he destroyed while he wheeled and dealed, and that is exactly what happened to Gloria Swanson. He single-handedly almost destroyed her, he left her millions of dollars in debt while he was telling her he was saving her financially. She may have been a star, but she was a woman first and naive in some ways when it came to men. In the end, she was successful in other ventures, such as clothes designing, and of course, her role as Norma Desmond no one will ever forget. She will always be a big star, it's just the pictures that got small.

7 people found this helpful

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Book Woman

Enchanting . . .

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 20, 2008

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What a broad, what a book! GS wrote her memoirs when she was well a senior, and what a story she has to tell. At 81, into her sixth marriage, this gal lets all of the ghosts out of her closet. Her first two husbands were pigs, number one being Wallace Beery who raped her on her virginal wedding night as a teenager, but number three was an honorable Frenchman (decorated in both world wars), the best of her husbands as far as I could tell, whom she deceived with the now infamous affair she had with Joseph Kennedy (JFK's papa). She blew through the silent screen into talkies, championed a group of Jewish inventors so that they could escape the Nazis, was an artist in bronze and canvas, an early fan of whole foods, and also became the most amazing businesswoman--while never forgetting that there are "sharks among the bubbles [of champagne]." Living from 1899 to 1983, she speaks little of her last three husbands and less than I would have expected of her role of Norma Desmond, the fading star of Sunset Boulevard that made her infamous. But every page is quite the tale, and you long in your imagination to see the many gorgeous dresses she wore during her career as the fabled beauty with the blue eyes. Such a long and distinguished career, but never an Academy Award . . .

9 people found this helpful

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Lynn S

Excellent book!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 9, 2022

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Very interesting book. Gives an insight into early Hollywood .

One person found this helpful

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Samantha Glasser

From Clotheshorse to Insane Washup

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 24, 2005

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Of all of the movie star autobiographies I've read, this one is my favorite.

Gloria Swanson was a major movie star in the teens and twenties, worked with such greats as Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille, and Erich von Stroheim. She was married several times, had a famous affair with Joseph Kennedy, and concieved several children (although a few of them she did not have- they are discussed in detail in this book). She failed when the talkies came, but triumphed again in 1950 when she played Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard for which she was nominated for an Oscar. For that reason, she regained her fame, but through it all maintained a level head and a great work ethic.

I personally have never been a great fan of Swanson's films outside of Sunset Boulevard; I find the plots to be contrived and dull. Because she was often used to show off the latest fashions, her roles lack in depth. However, this book made me change my mind about Gloria. As a person, she was wonderful and had more personality than all of her film roles combined. She was no great beauty, but she made up for that with her intelligence and wit.

This is a long book which can be intimidating because of its size, but it is highly entertaining and informative.

20 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

I. Bryant

You'll not read a better autobiography than Swanson's.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 6, 2018

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I'm wary of autobiographies as one usually gets a truer story from biographers, but this book gripped me.

In spite of never having seen one of her films, I was drawn to her after reading an alleged quote of hers : "Old age is no place for the faint-hearted", which suggested she was more than a Hollywood star.

What a life she led and what a gifted and determined lady she was: actress, entrepreneur, artist, clothes designer, sculptor - and writer if the book is really by her, helped by normal editors.

Her only weakness was for men - 6 husbands and several boy-friends, mostly silly choices by a girl who seemingly found it hard to say 'no' to men, curious as she handled career and business matters so firmly even in her late teens, but she showed true love with third husband Marquis de la Falaise and paramour Joe Kennedy.

I don't expect anybody is going to read my critique as this book, and indeed Gloria herself, are largely forgotten. If you do stumble upon 'Swanson on Swanson' get a copy from an Amazon dealer and give yourself a treat.

15 people found this helpful

julie dewett

Excellent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 9, 2022

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Excellent. item as described/ very quick delivery I highly recommend this company I will definetely shop here again

Lady Sue

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 3, 2014

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Fascinating memoirs by one of the greatest stars of the Twenties.

Ancient Spice

Take me back, take me back.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 13, 2012

Verified Purchase

Oh!

Reading Swanson by Swanson is a delight.
Strip away the bit of ooze Gloria coated on
'Cecil'; and really, she was little different
than others of her generation.

She had great looks, and a mother who helped
positively; but what she had in spades was courage.

For me it's a great read. The book is nicely bound,
well worth the wait and the money. Bravo the book-sender.
And bravo to Gloria Swanson. 'It's not easy to open the
secrets about your life for others to nose through.

Great stuff!

11 people found this helpful

Michael J. Greenspan

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 13, 2014

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Very good book and condition as stated. Good value.

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