The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-11

ant stock, from the lovely district
of Varmland, she spoke with the
warm, vibrant accent of her prov
ince, and to this day she has
never contracted the arti1ciality
and Sophistication of bourgeoise.
In the household she was
thrifty, ingenious with her needle
and able to make a kronor stretch
where most other women would
have needed at least two.
Fru Gustafsson knew very little
of her daughters secret warnings
to be an actress. She found far
more companionship in her elder
daughter, Alva, who had a talent
for writing little stories.
Greta's bent did not lie in this
direction. She was rather lazy
child. She did not play with toys
like other little girls. She wanted
to be an actress!
This was all the more remark
able because no one could re-
member any one in the Gustafs-
son family ever Being connected
with the stage. 1t was certainly
not an inherited tendency. And
then as the summer days length
ened, she wandered farther and
farther from home, until one eve
ming she stood beside the famous
Solder theater, and a new chap
ter opened in her career.
II
WHAT interested Greta most
w was to watch the actors
and actresses as they passed in.
talking rather loudly, posing a,
little. She soon got to know them
all by sight. AS time went on, and
she grew up in these surroundings.
the actors and theater staff
seemed to think she was connect
ed with the playhouse in some
way.
Greta was 9 when the World
War broke out; and although
Sweden was not engaged in the
conflict, the economic repercus-
Sions were such that the northern
cities felt them almost as much
as the combantant areas. Every
thing rose in price.
The years between 1914 and 1918
were particularly difficult for the
struggling Gustafsson family. With
all his exertions Carl Gustafsson
could not earn enough to keep
the wolf from the door. To make
matters worse so far as Gretae was
concerned, she began to outgrow
her strength.
NelghborS remember her as the
lanky little girl who was always
hungry" Greta's pride might help
her to hide her hunger at times;
but she could not hide her rap
idly increasing inches!
The one place where she could
really forget her childish troubles
was the theater yard. Little by
little she grew bolder. The stage
door keeper was a friendly soul,
and once he actually let her pass
the sacred portal.
This" she said long afterwards.
was the door of heaven for me-"
y q
CHE declares that the idea of
~ watching play from the
stalls never entered her remotest
dreams at this time. She was
actually Il years old before she
had a seat in from" in the
gallery at that The experience
left her curiously cold.
1t was not half so thrilling to
see the show as it was to stand
behind, near half-open dressing
room door. shifting the lovely
smells of makeup. imagining but
not daring to watch the mysteries
going on within.
In Sweden the cinema is known
as biograph and curiously enough
this did not attract Greta nearly
so much as the stage door where
she could feel herself in contact
with living actors. Mary Pickford,
Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fair
banks and Asia Nilsen were the
great screen favorites of Stock
holm at the time.
But their appeal for Greta could