“I never said, ‘I wanted to be alone.’ I said, ‘I want to be left alone.’” – Greta Garbo Photo: C.S. Bull (1931) “I have to thank Mauritz Stiller for everything in this world.” — Greta Garbo Here she is, on her way to the U.S. with her mentor/director in 1925. The […]
“My stars, boy, how women loathed me.” – Nita Naldi Source: Whitney Bolton (1961) Photo: 1923 “The woman pays and pays – but if she’s a smart little girl she gets away with an awful lot of change.” — Nita Naldi “I hate to do anything that requires exertion.” — Nita Naldi […]
“I wish you could say sometime – could you? – that when I do not seem to be acting, it is because of the part. Because they want me to be that way. It is the direction of the part. It is the same with any actress. If it were not so, why do we […]
“I pull a curtain, a black curtain on everything that happened more than 24 hours ago. I think it’s the only sensible way to live today.” – Lili Damita “Lili Damita – recently she painted the Lily with an ‘i.’ Her real name is Liliane Carre. She was born in Paris, July 10, 1906, […]
“There is no other occupation in the world that so closely resembled enslavement as the career of a film star.” – Louise Brooks Interpretive dancer/instructor Ruth St. Denis leads the Denishawn dancers through a routine. Among her pupils are Louise Brooks (standing left of center) and Martha Graham, kneeling below left of Brooks). Ted […]
“I’m Chinese by race and I love Chinese people and things. I love our traditions and even our ancient religions. I think there is poetry in our plural gods of the North Wind, the West Wind and the like. They are beautiful like the American Indian gods. My only regret is the limitation upon […]
“I had only one contract in Hollywood. That was at Paramount, where I stayed five years. Adolph Zukor wanted me to stay and offered me $2,500 a week. I said I would sign if I could decide what pictures I would do. He said if he gave that right to all his stars, he might […]
“You know, the greatest thing about our business is that we’re allowed to see ourselves as others see us. Some of these kids see themselves and think, ‘O, gee, I look pretty good.’ What they don’t see is the loving photography, the singing, posture, dancing lessons that have been given them free. And the publicity. […]
“Cleopatra was loads of fun. But the costumes, while they were very beautiful, were heavy and some of them difficult to move about in. I am rather glad to be mousey for a while.” – Claudette Colbert Source: Elizabeth Borton (1934) Photo: Cleopatra (1934) “I have an ordinary face. I guess it lends itself […]
“Always one must be so damn beautiful! It is work to be beautiful.” — Marlene Dietrich Source: Source: Helen Louise Walker (1935) Photographer: William Walling, Jr. (1935) “In silent pictures it was hard for me. My nose was always something the matter with it, or my chin was wrong or my cheek or […]