Editing Gloria Swanson (section)

==Career==

===1914–1918: Essanay/Keystone/Triangle===
[[File:Bobby Vernon, Gloria Swanson, and Teddy the Dog.jpg|thumb|left|[[Bobby Vernon]] with Swanson and [[Teddy (dog)|Teddy the Dog]] in ''[[Teddy at the Throttle]]'' (1917)|alt=Black and white photo of a young man, a young woman, and a dog]]
Her family once again residing in Chicago, the adolescent Gloria developed a crush on actor [[Francis X. Bushman]] and knew he was employed by [[Essanay Studios]] in the city. Swanson later recalled that her Aunt Inga brought her at the age of 15 to visit Bushman's studio, where she was discovered by a tour guide. Other accounts have the star-struck Swanson herself talking her way into the business. In either version, she was soon hired as an extra.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=11–12}}

The movie industry was still in its infancy, churning out short subjects, without the advantage of today's casting agencies and talent agents promoting their latest find. A willing extra was often a valuable asset. Her first role was a brief [[Walk-on (actor)|walk-on]] with actress [[Gerda Holmes]], that paid an enormous (in those days) $3.25.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=12}} The studio soon offered her steady work at $13.25 ({{inflation|US|13.25|1914|fmt=eq}}) per week.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=13}}{{inflation-fn|US}} Swanson left school to work full-time at the studio.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=13}} In 1915, she co-starred in ''[[Sweedie Goes to College]]'' with her future first husband [[Wallace Beery]].{{sfn|Shearer|2013|pp=18, 25}}
[[File:Gloria Swanson - Portrait (1917).png|thumb|upright|Portrait (1917)]]

Swanson's mother accompanied her to California in 1916 for her roles in [[Mack Sennett]]'s [[Keystone Studios]] comedy shorts opposite [[Bobby Vernon]] and directed by [[Clarence G. Badger]]. They were met at the train station by Beery, who was pursuing his own career ambitions at Keystone.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=20–23}} Vernon and Swanson projected a great screen chemistry that proved popular with audiences. Director [[Charley Chase]] recalled that Swanson was "frightened to death" of Vernon's dangerous stunts.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=23, 30}} Surviving movies in which they appear together include ''[[The Danger Girl (1916 film)|The Danger Girl]]'' (1916), ''[[The Sultan's Wife]]'' (1917), and ''[[Teddy at the Throttle]]'' (1917).{{sfn|Birchard|2009|p=135}}{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=35}} Badger was sufficiently impressed by Swanson to recommend her to the director [[Jack Conway (filmmaker)|Jack Conway]] for ''[[Her Decision]]'' and ''[[You Can't Believe Everything]]'' in 1918.{{sfn|Birchard|2009|p=135}}{{sfn|Shearer|2013|pp=40-42}} Triangle had never put Swanson under contract, but did increase her pay to $15 a week. When she was approached by [[Famous Players–Lasky]] to work for [[Cecil B. DeMille]], the resulting legal dispute obligated her to Triangle for several more months. Soon afterward, Triangle was in a financial bind and loaned Swanson to DeMille for the comedy ''[[Don't Change Your Husband]]''.{{sfn|Birchard|2009|pp=135–136}}{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=35}}
[[File:Male and Female (1919) - Swanson Bath.jpg|thumb|Swanson in ''[[Male and Female]]'' (1919)]]

===1919–1926: Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures===
[[File:Gloria Swanson - Screen Acting.jpg|thumb|left|Swanson in the 1920s]]
At the behest of DeMille, Swanson signed a contract with Famous Players–Lasky on December 30, 1918, for $150 a week, to be raised to $200 a week, and eventually $350 a week.{{sfn|Birchard|2009|p=138}} Her first picture under her new contract was DeMille's World War I romantic drama ''[[For Better, for Worse (1919 film)|For Better, for Worse]]''.{{sfn|Birchard|2009|p=139}} She made six pictures under the direction of DeMille,{{sfn|Beauchamp|2009|p=109}} including ''[[Male and Female]]''{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=55}} (1919), in which she posed with a lion as "Lion's Bride".{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=56}} While she and her father were dining out one evening, the man who would become her second husband, Equity Pictures president [[Herbert K. Somborn]], introduced himself, by inviting her to meet one of her personal idols, actress [[Clara Kimball Young]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=58, 61}}

[[File:Glora Swanson and Rudolph Valentino in 'Beyond the Rocks', 1922.jpg|thumb|right|Swanson and Rudolph Valentino in a scene from [[Beyond the Rocks (film)|''Beyond the Rocks'']] (1922)|alt=Black and white photo of a man and woman embracing]]
''[[Why Change Your Wife?]]'', ''[[Something to Think About]]'' (both 1920), and ''[[The Affairs of Anatol]]'' (1921) soon followed.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=439–440}} She next appeared in 10 films directed by [[Sam Wood]],{{sfn|Thomson|2014|p=1016}} starting with ''[[The Great Moment (1921 film)|The Great Moment]]'' (1921) and including ''[[Beyond the Rocks (film)|Beyond the Rocks]]'' in 1922 with her longtime friend [[Rudolph Valentino]].{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=59}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Beyond the Rocks |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/2845-BEYOND-THEROCKS?sid=893f4dd9-5389-4cd4-8050-1ca3a6ed9301&sr=9.378596&cp=1&pos=0 |website=catalog.afi.com |publisher=AFI |access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref> Valentino had become a star in 1921 for his appearance in ''[[The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (film)|The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]'', but Swanson had known him since his days as an aspiring actor getting small parts, with no apparent hope for his professional future. She was impressed by his shy, well-mannered personality, the complete opposite of what his public image would become.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=93–94}}

After her films with Wood, she appeared in ''[[Zaza (1923 film)|Zaza]]'' (1923) directed by [[Allan Dwan]]. During her time at Famous Players–Lasky, seven more of her films were directed by Dwan.{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=423}} 

In 1925, Swanson starred in the French-American comedy ''[[Madame Sans-Gêne (1925 film)|Madame Sans-Gêne]]'', directed by [[Léonce Perret]].{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=123}} Filming was allowed for the first time at many of the historic sites relating to Napoleon. While it was well received at the time, no prints are known to exist and it is considered to be a [[lost film]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=150, 370}} Swanson appeared in a 1925 short produced by [[Lee de Forest]] in his [[Phonofilm]] sound-on-film process.{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=86}} She made a number of films for Paramount, including ''[[The Coast of Folly (1925 film)|The Coast of Folly]]'' (1925), ''[[Stage Struck (1925 film)|Stage Struck]]'' (1925) and ''[[The Untamed Lady]]'' (1926).{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=443–444}} Before she could produce films with United Artists, she completed ''[[Fine Manners]]'' with Paramount and turned down an offer to make ''[[The King of Kings (1927 film)|The King of Kings]]'' with DeMille.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=167, 169–170}}

===1925–1933: United Artists===
[[File:LibertyMagazine7Mar1925.jpg|thumb|Swanson on the March 7, 1925, cover of ''[[Liberty (general interest magazine)|Liberty]]'' magazine]]
She turned down a one-million-dollar-a-year ({{Inflation|US|1000000|1927|r=-5|fmt=eq}}){{inflation-fn|US}} contract with Paramount in favor of joining the newly created [[United Artists]] partnership on June 25, 1925, accepting a six-picture distribution offer from president [[Joseph Schenck]].{{sfn|Balio|2009|p=58}} At the time, Swanson was considered the most bankable star of her era.{{sfn|Balio|2009|pp=57–58}} United Artists had its own Art Cinema Corporation subsidiary to advance financial loans for the productions of individual partners.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=169}} The partnership agreement included her commitment to a buy-in of $100,000 of preferred stock subscription.{{sfn|Balio|2009|p=58}}

====Swanson Producing Corporation====
The Swanson Producing Corporation was set up as the umbrella organization for her agreement with United Artists.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=171}} Under that name, she produced ''[[The Love of Sunya]]'' with herself in the title role.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=175}} The film, co-starring [[John Boles (actor)|John Boles]], was directed by [[Albert Parker (director)|Albert Parker]], based on the play ''The Eyes of Youth'' by [[Max Marcin]] and Charles Guernon.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=171}} The production was a disaster, with Parker being indecisive and the actors not experienced enough to deliver the performances he wanted. The film fell behind in its schedule and, by the time of its release, the end product had not lived up to Swanson's expectations.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=174–177}} While it did not lose money, it was a financial wash, breaking even on the production costs.{{sfn|Balio|2009|p=83}}

[[File:Glorija 2.png|thumb|Portrait of Gloria Swanson by [[Milena Pavlović-Barili]]]]

====Gloria Swanson Productions====
{{Main|Sadie Thompson (film)}}
She engaged the services of director [[Raoul Walsh]] in 1927 and together they conceived of making a film based on [[W. Somerset Maugham]]'s short story "Miss Thompson".{{sfn|Moss|2011|pp=100–101}} Gloria Swanson Productions proposed to film the controversial ''[[Sadie Thompson (film)|Sadie Thompson]]'' about the travails of a prostitute living in American Samoa, a project that initially pleased United Artists president Joseph Schenck.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=181, 183}} As she moved forward with the project, association members urged Schenck to halt the production due to its subject matter. The members took further steps by registering their discontent with [[Will H. Hays]], Chairman of the [[Motion Picture Association of America|Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=184–185}} Walsh previously had his own battles with the Hays office, having managed to skirt around censorship issues with ''[[What Price Glory? (1926 film)|What Price Glory?]]''{{Sfn|Moss|2011|pp=101–102}} By bringing him to the table, literally over breakfast in her home, Hays and Swanson developed a working relationship for the film.{{sfn|Moss|2011|p=103}} Hays was enthusiastic about the basic story, but did have specific issues that were dealt with before the film's release.{{sfn|Moss|2011|p=103}} The project was filmed on [[Santa Catalina Island (California)|Santa Catalina Island]], just off the coast of [[Long Beach, California]].{{sfn|Moss|2011|p=104}} Gross receipts slightly exceeded $850,000 ({{Inflation|US|850000|1927|r=-5|fmt=eq}}).{{inflation-fn|US}}{{sfn|Balio|2009|p=83}} At the first annual [[Academy Awards]], Swanson received a nomination for Best Actress for her performance, and the film's cinematographer [[George Barnes (cinematographer)|George Barnes]] was also nominated.<ref name=Oscars>{{cite web |title=The 1st Academy Awards: 1929 |date=October 8, 2014 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1929 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

==== Gloria Productions ====
[[File:Press photo of Gloria Swanson in Indiscreet (1931) (front) (cropped).jpg|250px|right|thumb|Swanson (left) in ''[[Indiscreet (1931 film)|Indiscreet]]'']]
By the end of 1927, Swanson was in dire financial straits, with only $65 in the bank.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=201}} Her two productions had generated income, but too slowly to offset her production loan debts to Art Cinema Corporation.{{sfn|Balio|2009|p=83}}{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=198–199}} Swanson had also not made good on her $100,000 subscription for preferred United Artists shared stock.{{sfn|Balio|2009|p=83}} She had received financial proposals from United Artists studio head Joseph Schenck, as well as from Bank of America, prior to engaging the services of [[Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.]] as her financial advisor.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=202}} He proposed to personally bankroll her next picture and conducted a thorough examination of her financial records.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=205}} Kennedy advised her to shut down Swanson Producing Corporation. She agreed to his plan for a fresh start under the dummy corporate name of Gloria Productions, headquartered in [[Delaware]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=205}} Upon his advice, she fired most of her staff and sold her rights for ''The Love of Sunya'' and ''Sadie Thompson'' to Art Cinema Corporation.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=207–208}} Kennedy then created the position of "European director of [[Pathé]]" to put her third husband [[Henry de La Falaise]] on the payroll.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=209}}

Sound films were already becoming popular with audiences, most notably the films of singer [[Al Jolson]], who had success with ''[[The Jazz Singer]]'' released in 1927 and ''[[The Singing Fool]]'' in 1928.{{sfn|Lennig|2000|p=276}} Kennedy, however, advised her to hire [[Erich von Stroheim]] to direct another silent film, ''The Swamp'', subsequently retitled ''[[Queen Kelly]]''. She was hesitant to hire Stroheim, who was known for being difficult to deal with and who was unwilling to work within any budget. Kennedy, nevertheless, was insistent and was able to get Stroheim released from contractual obligations to producer [[Pat Powers (businessman)|Pat Powers]].{{sfn|Lennig|2000|p=275}} Stroheim worked for several months on writing the basic script.{{sfn|Lennig|2000|p=276}} Filming of ''Queen Kelly'' began in November.<ref>{{cite web |title=Queen Kelly |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/11491-QUEEN-KELLY?sid=d5446da2-f8ea-4c1a-bf87-aeb9bb55a578&sr=10.787481&cp=1&pos=0 |website=catalog.afi.com |publisher=AFI |access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref> His filming was slow, albeit meticulous, and the cast and crew suffered from long hours. Shooting was shut down in January, and Stroheim fired, after complaints by Swanson about him and about the general direction the film was taking.{{sfn|Lennig|2000|pp=277–278}} Swanson and Kennedy tried to salvage it with an alternative ending shot on November 24, 1931, directed by Swanson and photographed by [[Gregg Toland]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=247}}{{sfn|Lennig|2000|p=288}}

Only two other films were made under Gloria Productions.{{sfn|Thomson|2014|p=1016}} ''[[The Trespasser (1929 film)|The Trespasser]]'' in 1929 was a sound production, and garnered Swanson her second Oscar nomination.<ref name=1931Oscars>{{cite web |title=The 3rd Academy Awards: 1931 |date=October 9, 2014 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1931 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref> Written by [[Edmund Goulding]], with [[Laura Hope Crews]] fine-tuning the dialogue, Kennedy approved funding for the go-ahead on the production.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=232}} The film was a melodrama, complete with musical numbers sung by Swanson and completed in 21 days.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=235–236}} The world premiere was held in London, the first American sound production to do so. Swanson was mobbed by adoring fans. Before leaving London, she sang at a concert carried over the BBC.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=239}} ''[[What a Widow!]]'' in 1930 was the final film for Gloria Productions.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=444–445}}<ref>{{cite web |title=The Widow |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/13168-WHAT-A-WIDOW?cxt=filmography |website=catalog.afi.com |publisher=AFI |access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

====United Artists stars on the radio====
[[Mary Pickford]] and her husband [[Douglas Fairbanks]] hosted the March 29, 1928, episode of the ''Dodge Hour'' radio program, originating from Pickford's private bungalow at United Artists, and broadcast to audiences in American movie theaters. The brainchild of Joseph Schenck, it was a promotional come-on to attract audiences into movie theaters to hear the voices of their favorite actors, as sound productions became the future of commercial films.{{sfn|Hershfield|2000|p=17}} On hand were Swanson, [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[Norma Talmadge]], [[John Barrymore]], [[Dolores del Río]], and [[D. W. Griffith]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Listen In on the DODGE HOUR |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52127592/listen-in-on-the-dodge-hour/ |access-date=May 27, 2020 |work=St. Louis Globe-Democrat |date=March 29, 1928}}</ref>

====Gloria Swanson British Productions Ltd.====
[[File:Press photo of John Boles and Gloria Swanson in Music in the Air (front) (cropped).jpg|left|250px|thumb|Swanson and [[John Boles (actor)|John Boles]] in ''[[Music in the Air (film)|Music in the Air]]'' (1934)]]
[[File:Press photo of Gloria Swanson and Laurence Olivier in Perfect Understanding (front) (cropped).jpg|250px|right|thumb|Swanson and [[Laurence Olivier]] in ''[[Perfect Understanding]]'' (1933)]]
Before she began filming ''[[Perfect Understanding]]'' as Gloria Swanson British Productions Ltd., she finished a two-film package production for Art Cinema, which included ''[[Indiscreet (1931 film)|Indiscreet]]'' and ''[[Tonight or Never (1931 film)|Tonight or Never]]'' (1931).{{sfn|Balio|2009|p=84}} ''Perfect Understanding'', a 1933 sound production comedy, was the only film produced by this company.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=282, 445}} Made entirely at [[Ealing Studios]], it co-starred [[Laurence Olivier]] as Swanson's on-screen husband.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=282, 284}} United Artists bought back all of her stock with them, in order to provide her financing to make this film, and thereby ending her relationship with the partnership.{{sfn|Balio|2009|p=84}} The film was panned by the critics upon its release and failed at the box office.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=286}}

===1938–1950: Creating new paths===
When she made the transition to sound films as her career simultaneously began to decline, Swanson moved permanently to New York City in 1938.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=299}} Swanson starred in ''[[Father Takes a Wife]]'' for [[RKO Radio Pictures|RKO]] in 1941.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=303–304}} She began appearing in stage productions and starred in ''The Gloria Swanson Hour'' on [[WPIX-TV]] in 1948.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=316}} Swanson threw herself into painting and sculpting and, in 1954, published ''Gloria Swanson's Diary'', a general newsletter.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=349, 384}} She toured in [[summer stock]], engaged in political activism, designed and marketed clothing and accessories, and made personal appearances on radio and in movie theaters.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=303–304}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Palley |first1=Maggie |title=Gloria Swanson is back and full of organic beans |magazine=Life |date=September 17, 1971 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TEAEAAAAMBAJ&q=Gloria+swanson%2C+painter+and+sculptor&pg=PA77 }}</ref>

===1950–1977: Later career===

====''Sunset Boulevard''====
{{Main|Sunset Boulevard (film)}}
[[File:Press photo of William Holden and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (front) (cropped).jpg|right|250px|thumb|Swanson and [[William Holden]] in ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]'' (1950)]]
{{box quote|width=30em|bgcolor=cornsilk|fontsize=100%|salign=center|quote=“It should be pointed out that Gloria Swanson was ''not'' Norma Desmond. Unlike her delusional screen counterpart, Swanson was fiercely realistic. She lived in the present {{ndash}}not in the past{{ndash}} and pursued many interests with passionate zeal. She was also a good actress. Judging by the number of people who think she was Norma Desmond, maybe a little ''too'' good.” {{ndash}} Biographer Lon Davis in ''Silent Lives: 100 Biographies of the Silent Film Era. (2008).''<ref>Davis, 2008 p. 344: Note: Lon Davis included Swanson’s “interests” as “nutrition and sculpting” in complete quote, excised here w/o ellipsis. Also: italics in original quote.</ref>}}The film ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]'' was conceived by director [[Billy Wilder]] and screenwriter [[Charles Brackett]], and came to include writer [[D. M. Marshman Jr.]]{{sfn|Phillips|2010|p=109}} They bandied about the name of [[Mae West]], whose public persona even in her senior years was as a sex symbol, but she objected to playing a has-been.{{sfn|Phillips|2010|p=112}} Mary Pickford was also considered for the lead role of Norma Desmond.{{sfn|Phillips|2010|pp=111, 112}} It was director [[George Cukor]] who suggested Swanson, noting that she was once such a valuable asset to her studio that she was "carried in a sedan chair from her dressing room to the set".{{sfn|Phillips|2010|p=112}}

The storyline of the film follows a faded silent movie actress Norma Desmond (Swanson), in love with a failed screenwriter Joe Gillis ([[William Holden]]).{{sfn|Phillips|2010|p=114}} She lives at the mansion with her former-husband-director-turned-butler Max von Mayerling ([[Erich von Stroheim]]), who personally disliked the role and only agreed to it out of financial need.{{sfn|Phillips|2010|pp=109–110, 113}} A clip from ''Queen Kelly'' was used for the scene where Joe and Norma are watching one of her silent films, and she declares, "... we didn't need dialogue, we had ''faces''".{{sfn|Phillips|2010|p=115}} Norma plays a card game of bridge with a group of actors also known as "the [[Wax museum|Waxworks]]". They included [[Buster Keaton]], [[H.B. Warner]] and [[Anna Q. Nilsson]].{{sfn|Phillips|2010|p=122}} During the scene leading up to Cecil B. DeMille's cameo, where Max chauffeurs Joe and Norma to the studio, her [[Isotta Fraschini]] luxury automobile was towed from behind the camera, because Stroheim had never learned how to drive.{{sfn|Phillips|2010|pp=114, 117}} Norma's dreams of a comeback are subverted, and when Gillis tries to break up with her, she threatens to kill herself, but instead kills him. She becomes delusional by the time the police and news media arrive. Max sets up the studio lighting towards her on the staircase and directs her down towards the waiting police and news cameras,{{sfn|Phillips|2010|p=123}} where she says, "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=David |title=Beyond The Frame: Sunset Boulevard – |website=ascmag.com |date=November 30, 2018 |url=https://ascmag.com/articles/beyond-the-frame-sunset-boulevard |access-date=May 27, 2020 |publisher=The American Society of Cinematographers}}</ref>

Although Swanson had objected to enduring a screen test for the film, she had been glad to be making much more money than she had been in television and on stage.{{sfn|Phillips|2010|p=112}} She found the overall experience of making the movie a pleasure, and later stated, "I hated to have the picture end ... When Mr. Wilder called ‘Print it!’ I burst into tears...”{{sfn|Phillips|2010|p=118}} She was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, but lost to [[Judy Holliday]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The 23rd Academy Awards 1951 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1951 |website=Oscars.org |date=October 4, 2014 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

====Final films====
Swanson received several acting offers following the release of ''Sunset Boulevard'', but turned most of them down, saying they tended to be pale imitations of Norma Desmond.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=342, 382–383}} Her last major Hollywood motion picture role was also her first color film, the poorly received ''[[3 for Bedroom C]]'' in 1952.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=343}} 
Nationally syndicated columnist [[Aileen Mehle|Suzy]] called it "one of the worst movies ever made."<ref>{{cite news |title=Gold Coast – Suzy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52265745/gold-coast-suzy/ |work=The Miami News |date=June 24, 1952|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref> In 1956, Swanson made ''[[Nero's Mistress]]'', an Italian film shot in Rome, which starred [[Alberto Sordi]], [[Vittorio de Sica]] and [[Brigitte Bardot]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=343, 447}} Her final screen appearance, in 1974, was as herself in ''[[Airport 1975]]''.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=447}}

==== Television and theatre ====
[[File:Fred MacMurray Gloria Swanson My Three Sons 1965.JPG|thumb|left|Swanson with [[Fred MacMurray]] in the promo of ''[[My Three Sons]]'' (1965)|alt=Black and white photo of a man and woman looking at each other]]
Swanson hosted ''The Gloria Swanson Hour'', one of the first live television series in 1948 in which she invited friends and others to be guests.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=316}} Swanson later hosted ''Crown Theatre with Gloria Swanson'', a television anthology series in which she occasionally acted.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=347–348}}

Through the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, Swanson appeared on many different talk and variety shows such as ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'' and ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' to recollect her movies and to lampoon them as well.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=355, 377}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Gloria Digs TV |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59519311/victoria-advocate/ |access-date=September 19, 2020 |work=Victoria Advocate |date=September 16, 1973}}</ref> On ''The Carol Burnett Show'' in 1973, Swanson reprised her impersonation of Charlie Chaplin from both ''Sunset Boulevard'' and ''Manhandled''.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=377–378}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Clipped From The Montgomery Advertiser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59526255/the-montgomery-advertiser/ |work=The Montgomery Advertiser |date=September 20, 1973}}</ref> She was the "mystery guest" on ''[[What's My Line]]''.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=355}} She acted in "Behind the Locked Door" on ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'' in 1964 and, in the same year, she was nominated for a [[Golden Globe]] award for her performance in ''[[Burke's Law (1963 TV series)|Burke's Law]]''.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=358}}{{sfn|Shearer|2013|p=368}} She made a guest appearance on ''[[The Dick Cavett Show]]'' in the summer of 1970; a guest on the same show as [[Janis Joplin]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=346, 354–355, 381}} She made a notable appearance in a 1966 episode of ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'', in which she plays herself.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=358}} In the episode, the Clampetts mistakenly believe Swanson is destitute and decide to finance a comeback movie for her – in a silent film.{{sfn|Desjardins|2015|p=11}}

After near-retirement from movies, Swanson appeared in many plays throughout her later life, beginning in the 1940s.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=307}} Actor and playwright Harold J. Kennedy, who had learned the ropes at Yale and with Orson Welles' [[Mercury Theatre]], suggested Swanson do a road tour of "Reflected Glory", a comedy that had run on the Broadway stage with [[Tallulah Bankhead]] as its star.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=305}} Kennedy wrote the script for the play ''A Goose for the Gander'', which began its road tour in Chicago in August 1944.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gerard |first1=Jeremy |title=Harold Kennedy, Producer, Dies |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/15/obituaries/harold-kennedy-producer-dies.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525084712/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/15/obituaries/harold-kennedy-producer-dies.html |archive-date=May 25, 2015 |access-date=May 27, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=January 15, 1988}}</ref>{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=308}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fitz Henry |first1=Charlotte |title=La Swanson Likes the Stage |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1944-08-20/ed-1/seq-41/ |access-date=May 27, 2020 |work=The Evening Star |date=August 20, 1944 |page=41, col. 6}}</ref>

Swanson also toured with ''Let Us Be Gay''.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=314}} After her success with ''Sunset Boulevard'', she starred on Broadway in a revival of ''[[Twentieth Century (play)|Twentieth Century]]'' with [[José Ferrer]], and in ''Nina'' with [[David Niven]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=339, 341}} Her last major stage role was in the 1971 Broadway production of ''[[Butterflies Are Free (play)|Butterflies Are Free]]'' at the [[Booth Theatre]].{{sfn|Welsch|2013|pp=374–375}} [[Kevin Brownlow]] and [[David Gill (film historian)|David Gill]] interviewed her for ''[[Hollywood (British TV series)|Hollywood]]'', a television history of the silent era.{{sfn|Welsch|2013|p=396}}