The sweater. The twisted pose. The cigarette. Her plain hair. The look in her eyes. The wrinkle of consternation in her brow. I could look at this photo forever and never quite be done with it.
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There’s a really enjoyable article on Garbo up at the hairpin, and in the comments somebody relays the best celebrity sighting story I’ve ever heard:
“I had an older friend (now passed away) who told me a story about a change meeting with Garbo in the mid 1970s, when she would have been about 70. He was in this small housewares shop in the east 50s and he noticed a tall woman with silvery-blond hair, a floppy hat and a very well-cut trenchcoat standing right across a counter from his. She was apparently trying to make up her mind about buying some placemats, and she raised her dark glasses to look a little more closely at the good. Instantly, he recognized her as Garbo.
He stared, naturally, and he says his heart was pounding so hard he thought he would faint. Then the woman glances up and sees him staring.
Again, he’s frozen, he can’t move. Garbo smiles and nods her head twice, indicating, “yes, that is who I am.” Then she puts a finger to her lips, smiles once more, and walks away.
He said it was the most perfect meeting with Garbo imaginable: no conversation, but a once-in-a-lifetime chance to share a secret with the most mysterious of all actresses.”
The article is here, if you want to read it:
http://thehairpin.com/2012/09/scandals-of-classic-hollywood-the-exquisite-garbo
I recommend the whole Scandals of Classic Hollywood series, actually. There’s a new one about Gloria Swanson up now.
Wonderful anecdote!! Goosebumps!
SUCH a good actress, too. I just adore her.
Queen Christina – it’s still shocking to see how modern she is, how unfussy, how bold, how NOT made-up she seems – washing her face in the ice and snow, etc. So so beautiful – but seemingly casual about it in a way that seems very timeless.