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The First True Life Story of
GLORIA
SWANSON
By luouella O. V arsons
(t,The second of Screenland's remarkable series of stories of our screen luminaries, tracing the career of the little Essanay extra girl.
P
-ii erhaps, when Gloria Swanson reflects bitterly on the pranks that fate has played on her, there is something reminiscent in her mind of the child who came to Essany Studios in Chicago, Illinois, one morning about nine years ago straight from the school room to carve out a career for herself. Perhaps, instead of the gorgeous woman, cold, cynical, bitter and harried at her two domestic tragedies, she sees that grey-eyed girl, slim, straight and full of expectant ideals. I still see the girl Gloria under the mask of indifference and the poise, that her contact with life's grim reality has brought her.
As An Essanay Extra Girl
youthful Gloria, the daughter of Joseph Swanson and Mrs Swanson from whom he was separated, was one of a group of girls who were destined to become famous. There was Agnes Hinkle, who changed her name to the more artistic and alliterative cognomen of Agnes Ayers; there was June Walker, now a Broadway actress featured in some of our best productions, among which are Six Cylinder Love and The Nervous Wreck, and on her way to stardom, if the word of such erudite dramatic critics as Heywood Broun and John Corbin count for anything; and Mabel Forrest, who later became Mrs. Bryant Washburn.
They were all housed in one large dressing room not far from the editorial sanctum where I used to hear their voices and their laughter. All of them light hearted and happy with not one thought beyond fixing up their clothes to get a job with E. Mason Hopper, Richard Baker or Ted Wharton,
H^How tragedy has robbed Gloria of her faith in life — but has made her an interesting actress
HSjloria Swanson as a bathing girl at Mack Bennett studios, with Phyllis Haver.
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