Background

Loretta Young was named Gretchen by her parents, Gladys (Royal) Young, movie editor, and John Earle Young, a railroad auditor, when she was born on January 6, 1913, in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. She joined sisters Polly Ann and Betty Jane, who became the actress Sally Blane; a brother John Royal Young came along later. Loretta had one more sister, named Georgiana Young, an actress.

Education

One day in 1916, Earl, Loretta's father, left for work and did not come back. Gladys, Loretta's mother, packed up her children and moved to Hollywood, where she opened a boarding house to support her family. Gladys's brother-in-law, Ernest Traxler, lived nearby. An assistant director for Famous Players-Lasky, he persuaded Gladys to let her older girls become movie extras. When Gretchen (Loretta) turned four, she too started earning money as an extra. Her first role was as a fairy in "The Primrose Ring" (1917). Mae Murray, the picture's star, liked the little girl and asked Gladys if she could come live with her. Gladys consented, when "Maetsie" agreed to take Gretchen's cousin Carleen Traxler, too, and allow them to return home whenever they wanted. The two girls lived with Maetsie and her husband for over a year. John, Loretta's brother, also went to live with another family; he never returned permanently.

When Young was 10, her mother married George Belzer. The union produced daughter, Georgiana, in 1925. The couple would later remain friends after their divorce. Young's mother was a devout Catholic, who saw to her daughters' educations by sending them to parochial schools, including the Ramona Convent Secondary School and Catholic Girls' High School, and by inviting priests for dinner.

As a student, Young would get days off from school whenever the studio needed her as an extra. Often her classroom was a corner of the studio stage and her teacher a tutor. With determination and help from others, she managed her academic problems in reading and spelling. She would eventually discover her learning disability was dyslexia.

In her early years on movie sets, Young gained attention by doing things a little differently. If the children were supposed to sit, she stood. If they were supposed to move left, she moved right. This attention garnered her juvenile bit parts, when she was 11, a studio contract, when she was 12, and starring adult roles, when she was 14.

Career

One of Young's first roles was in the silent film "Sweet Kitty Bellairs" (1916). In 1917, she played the role of a fairy in "The Primrose Ring". Young got her first adult part after asking a telephone caller if she could substitute for her sister Polly, who was unavailable, at a casting call. Colleen Moore, the star of "Naughty But Nice" (1927), in which Young appeared, noticed her uniqueness and talked the studio into giving her a screen test. The studio officials did not like the name Gretchen, though. Moore had a favorite doll, named Lauritia and suggested that as a name. Thinking the name too European, it was decided Loretta was a better choice. Young read about her new name in the newspapers. The studio also saw another problem with the girl - her protruding front teeth. Fortunately, Mrs. Young found out about their plan to remove the teeth and replace them with ones going inward. Young would eventually have her bite corrected with braces and retainers.

"Naughty But Nice" (1927) led Loretta to a contract and the stardom she had wanted nearly all her life. By 1929, she was making a half dozen pictures a year and bringing in $250 per week, when the average family made $50 a month.

Despite her screen presence, some at First National studio did not want to try Young in the "talkies" because they thought her voice was too low. They acquiesced, when studio president Al Rockett said he would sign her personally if the studio did not. Young appeared in First National's first sound motion picture, "The Squall" (1929). Because there were no soundstages then, it was filmed at night, when there was not as much noise around. For 13 years, Young worked under yearly option deals. After that, a studio offered her a five-year, $2 million contract. To the dismay of everyone she knew, she turned the deal down.

In 1931, after divorce with Grant Withers, whom she married in 1930, Young started receiving "star treatment", that would continue for decades. She appeared as the subject of a story or cover photo nearly every month that year, although she gave few personal interviews. It is estimated she posed for more than 125,000 photographs during her career, but never in the gauzy drapes, that made the model look undressed.

In 1947, Loretta was sent a script, that would showcase her acting abilities. Thinking she could not do a convincing Swedish accent, she at first declined playing "Katie" in "The Farmer's Daughter". Once she accepted the part, she worked with Ruth Roberts, who had coached the Swedish accent out of Ingrid Bergman, to cultivate one. Young's performance was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The film was the seventy-fourth of her adult career.

Young was nominated for a second Oscar for her role as a nun in "Come to the Stable" (1949). It was while working on this movie, that she placed her first "swear box", which would become a fixture on subsequent projects. Profanity on movie sets was always common, but Young thought blasphemy on the set of "Come to the Stable" was intolerable. She established a fine of 25 cents for anyone, using blasphemous language.

Before retiring from the big screen in 1953, Loretta made nearly 100 motion pictures. Her last picture was "It Happens Every Thursday" (1953) with John Forsythe.

It's also worth noting, that, radio theatre was favorite family entertainment before television sets became affordable. Every week, the Lux Theatre of the Air, under Cecil B. DeMille's direction, in front of a live audience and with a full orchestra, presented condensed versions of old and current movies to an estimated 50 million listeners. Young made a record number of star performances on the program. She also made appearances on other radio broadcasts, including the "Hallmark Hall of Fame", and was a regular on the "Family Theatre of the Air", a radio program, focusing on moral problems, begun by Father Peyton in 1947.

The early 1950's saw many radio and motion picture actors moving to television. Young wanted to be one of them. In 1953, as mentioned above, she retired from motion pictures and developed a television pilot, that Proctor & Gamble snatched up. Titled "Letters to Loretta", Young's weekly show began with her reading a fan letter at her dressing table, which posed a question, answered by a presentation. Though ratings were adequate, they were not great, "and some critics were not kind, labeling "Letters" 'treacle' and 'a disappointment'. Thirteen weeks into the program, the show was renamed "The Loretta Young Show" and the format changed. The show now started with Young, making her trademark entrance, twirling into her television studio living room in a lovely gown to introduce the evening's story.

Young acted in 165 teleplays for "The Loretta Young Show", playing the lead in many and hosted 300 programs. The show itself became television's most awarded anthology program. Also, in 1955, friends filled in 18 weeks for Young, while she recovered from a life-threatening infection. None used "her living room door"; all ended the show with "Goodnight, Loretta".

Loretta's shows had moral themes, but never overtly religious ones. Yet, Proctor & Gamble cancelled their contract in 1958, saying the content was "too religious". The same year, Loretta was named television's most important female personality. Two other sponsors soon picked up the program, which ran another two years. Young never allowed the show's focus changed to compete with melodramas. The New "Loretta Young Show" cast Young in the recurring role of a widowed mother of seven children and lasted just one season.

In 1959, NBC bought 176 installments of "The Loretta Young Show". Always fashion conscious, Young stipulated in the contract, that her trademark entrance would be cut out from the reruns, shown in the United States and in foreign markets. On a visit home to England, Young's housekeeper was excited to see her employer on TV, twirling into the room. Young was concerned, that being seen in outdated fashions, hairstyles and makeup would ruin her reputation. In 1972, after five years of litigation, she was awarded $559,000 from NBC. In 1970, Young had successfully defended her reputation by suing to have clips, that used her face and dialogue as double entendre, removed from the motion picture "Myra Breckinridge" (1970).

After retiring from acting, Young, who had always devoted much time to Catholic charities, continued to support favorite causes, including a home for unwed mothers and a children's foundation. She also engaged in business ventures, including bridal salons, fashion and self-improvement courses, and a line of cosmetics.

It's worth mentioning, that, in 1961, Loretta published her philosophy of life in a book, titled "The Things I Had to Learn". During 1966, she answered teens' questions in a column she wrote for the Catholic News Service.

In her later years, Young eventually returned to television for selected projects. She acted in the pilot "Dark Mansions" in 1985, which never sold. Her performance in 1987's "Christmas Eve" garnered her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Movie. At 76, she performed her last role with Brian Keith in the made-for-TV movie "Lady in a Corner" (1989).

Achievements

• Loretta Young was an Academy Award-winning actress, who gained prominence for devout Catholicism and her performances in "The Farmer's Daughter", "The Bishop's Wife" and "Come to the Stable", as well as for her long-running and tremendously popular television series - "The Loretta Young Show".
  
  Loretta's remarkable career, begun as a child extra during the Silent Era of motion pictures, extended through the Golden Age of Hollywood. She attained star status on film, as well as on the radio, even though she had no theater or dramatic school instruction. Young ended her film career to become a pioneer of the Golden Age of Television. Throughout her career, Loretta made more than 250 film performances and appeared on more than 300 television programs.
  
  During her career, Loretta attained many prestigious awards, including the Golden Globe Award, the Academy Award, the Primetime Emmy Award and the Golden Apple Award, among others. Besides, in 1988, she received the Women in Film Crystal Award for outstanding women, who through their endurance and the excellence of their work helped expand the role of women in the entertainment industry.
  
  Young was also nominated for different awards, including an Oscar nomination for her role in "Come to the Stable" in 1949.
  
  In 1981, Filmex (the Los Angles International Film Exposition) honored Young as the subject of a film retrospective. In 1983, she was elected to the Fashion Hall of Fame. That award added to the numerous others she had been given by the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, teachers' associations, milliners, magazines, broadcasters and other organizations.
  
  It's also worth noting, that there are two Young's stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for her work in television and the other for her work in motion pictures. Also, on May 19, 2011, Loretta was posthumously awarded a Golden Palm Star at the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. Moreover, Loretta was honored as Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month for January 2013.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Things I Had to Learn

    (Here is the frank, personal revelation of a glamorous act...)

    1961

• movie

  • Christmas Eve

    (Story of a well-to-do elderly woman, who befriends the ho...)

    1986
  • Loose Ankles

    (In this light romantic comedy, 17-year old Loretta Young ...)

    1930
  • The Squall

    (The activities of Nubi (Myrna Loy), a minx-like, Hungaria...)

    1929
  • Key To The City

    ("Key to the City" is an American romantic comedy film, st...)

    1950
  • Mother Is A Freshman

    (In order to afford her daughter's college tuition, a woma...)

    1949
  • Cause for Alarm!

    (An invalid husband wrongly believes his wife and doctor a...)

    1951
  • Paula

    (Distraught after her second miscarriage and learning defi...)

    1952
  • The Call of the Wild

    (During the Klondike Gold Rush, a traveler purchases a dog...)

    1935
  • Come to the Stable

    (Two nuns arrive unannounced in the small New England town...)

    1949
  • Big Business Girl

    (A delightful romantic comedy of a jazz singer and his wor...)

    1931
  • She Had to Say Yes

    (It is the bottom of the depression and Sol Glass has the ...)

    1933
  • The Sheik

    (A charming Arabian sheik becomes infatuated with an adven...)

    1921
  • Half Angel

    (Nurse Nora Gilpin is attracted to lawyer John Raymond, wh...)

    1951
  • Platinum Blonde

    (A young woman from a very rich family impulsively marries...)

    1931
  • Rachel and the Stranger

    (A widowed farmer takes an indentured servant as his new w...)

    1948
  • Clive of India

    (In the mid-1700's, the East India Company has power over ...)

    1935
  • The Farmer's Daughter

    (After leaving her family's farm to study nursing in the c...)

    1947
  • The Bishop's Wife

    (An angel in human form enters the life of a bishop in ord...)

    1947
  • Lady In A Corner

    (Loretta Young's final appearance features her character's...)

    1989
  • Zoo in Budapest

    (An orphan girl escapes her caregivers to be with a young ...)

    1933
  • Taxi!

    (Independent cab drivers, struggling against a taxi compan...)

    1932
  • They Call It Sin

    (Marian moves to New York to make it big in the chorus and...)

    1932
  • The Show Of Shows

    ("The Show of Shows" is an American pre-Code musical revue...)

    1929
  • The Devil to Pay

    (Spendthrift Willie Leyland again returns to the family ho...)

    1930
  • Beau Ideal

    (An American joins the French Foreign Legion in order to r...)

    1931
  • I Like Your Nerve

    (Young man attempts to break up an engagement between a wo...)

    1931
  • Wife, Husband and Friend

    (Woman hopes to be a great singer and is encouraged by her...)

    1939
  • Heroes for Sale

    (A veteran fights drug addiction to make his way in the bu...)

    1933
  • The Accused

    (A beautiful psychology professor tries to hide a self-def...)

    1949
  • Because of You

    (A female ex-con falls in love and hesitates to reveal her...)

    1952
  • Four Men and a Prayer

    (The sons of a disgraced British officer try to clear his ...)

    1938
  • Employees' Entrance

    (A working girl is menaced by her tyrannical employer.)

    1933
  • It Happens Every Thursday

    (A New York couple takes over a small town newspaper.)

    1953
  • Road to Paradise

    (A young girl falls in with a gang of criminals. One of th...)

    1930

• TV series

  • The Loretta Young Show

    (A drama anthology series, hosted by actress Loretta Young...)

    1953

Religion

In her early years, Young developed a strong faith and moral convictions, from which she never wavered, although it might be said she strayed. She even devoted much time to Catholic charities. She was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills, California.

Politics

Loretta was a life-long Republican. In 1952, she appeared in radio, print and magazine ads in support of Dwight D. Eisenhower in his campaign for the United States president. She was present during his inauguration in 1953 along with Anita Louise, Louella Parsons, Jane Russell, Dick Powell, June Allyson and Lou Costello, among others.

In addition, Loretta was an ardent supporter of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan in their presidential campaigns in 1968 and 1980, respectively.

It's also worth mentioning, that Young was an active member of the Hollywood Republican Committee alongside her good friends Irene Dunne, Ginger Rogers, William Holden, George Murphy, Fred Astaire and John Wayne.

Views

Quotations: "A charming woman... doesn't follow the crowd. She is herself."

"Every day, no matter what I'm doing, I say, 'Lord, I'll do the best I can, and You do the rest'."

"Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you."

"I believe in living today. Not in yesterday, nor in tomorrow."

"I believe that prayer is our powerful contact with the greatest force in the universe."

"Nearly everyone I met, worked with, or read about was my teacher, one way or another."

"A face is like the outside of a house, and most faces, like most houses, give us an idea of what we can expect to find inside."

"Fashion should not be expected to serve in the stead of courage or character."

"As an actress, emotions are my business, my stock-in-trade. As such, I've dealt with them nearly all my life."

"There is no personal achievement in being born beautiful."

"Wearing the correct dress for any occasion is a matter of good manners."

"There are no ugly ducklings."

"I've always been scared to death of pain - afraid, even, to think of it."

"Like charity, I believe glamour should begin at home."

Membership

Loretta was active in Catholic charity organizations.

Personality

Loretta was easy to like, because she genuinely enjoyed people, and she had a fragile, vulnerable quality, that inspired protectiveness in others.

Young had a low tolerance for foul language, so much in fact, that whenever she went to set, she brought with her a "swear box". Her swear box was used to hold money from cast and crew members, who swore within her presence, who in return would put money in the box.

Physical Characteristics: Unlike many silent movie stars, Loretta did have a voice, suitable for a soundtrack. In fact, the American Institute of Voice Teachers recognized hers as the "finest female speaking voice on the 'talking pictures' screen" three years running. Apparently, the smoking habit, that she started at age 9 and continued for more than 50 years did not make her voice harsh. A smoker since the early age, a then underweight Young quit the habit in the mid-1980's, successfully gaining 10 pounds.

Ovarian cancer was the cause of Loretta's death.

Quotes from others about the person

• "By the time Loretta was six, she had decided to be a star. In her lexicon, decision and determination have always been synonymous and at fourteen, as the tightrope walker in "Laugh, Clown, Laugh", starring Lon Chaney, her sixty-five inches of reedy gracefulness encased in padding and symmetrical, created by the wardrobe department, to provide the curves, which nature had not yet provide - she did become a star." - Helen Ferguson, writing in the prologue to "The Things I Had to Learn"
  
  "At 85, described simply as "The Face", she was the most beautiful woman in the entire magazine!" - Liz Smith, referring to a photo of Young in the 1998 Hollywood issue of Vanity Fair magazine
  
  "Young was the last mega-star leading lady, who presided over the end of the Silent Era and the Golden Age of Hollywood, as well as the Golden Age of Television." - Liz Smith

Connections

Like many actresses, Young fell in love with the leading men she played against. In 1929, she was opposite Grant Withers in "Second Floor Mystery". The rising 25-year-old matinee idol was considered a catch, even though he was a drinker, who had already been married and divorced. Two weeks past her seventeenth birthday, Young eloped with Withers aboard a charter airplane to Yuma, Arizona. Her mother, with whom she was close, disapproved of the marriage and stopped speaking to her. Nine months later, ironically, while working together on the movie "Too Young to Marry", Young was granted a civil divorce. As a result, the couple was married from 1930 to 1931.

Later, Young dated Howard Hughes until she tired of his jealousy. After working with Spencer Tracy on "Man's Castle", Tracy became her escort. He was 13 years older, than she, married and had two children. Months passed before Young realized she was "the other woman" and that Tracy would not divorce because of his Catholicism. She broke off their relationship, which lasted from September 1933 to June 1934.

Young's next paramour leading man was Clark Gable. He, too, was married. On location at Mount Baker in Bellingham, Washington, a romance blossomed between the two, while waiting for the weather to clear so shooting could be done on their movie, "Call of the Wild".

In the spring of 1935, Young and her mother visited Europe, then quietly slipped back home. Once the media found out she was home, her family explained she was in bed with an "internal condition." Her "condition" was daughter Judy, who was born on November 6. Fearing retribution from the studio because of the morality clause in her contract, as well as a major scandal (unwed motherhood was a disgrace at the time), Young cared for Judy for a few months, then secreted her at an orphanage with which she was involved. The following year, Young announced she was adopting two girls, Judy and Jane, but supposedly before she could adopt Jane, the girl's mother wanted her back. It was not until Judy wrote a book, that her parentage was revealed. Not long after adopting Judy, Young became engaged to businessman William Buckner. The engagement was broken after he was found guilty of fraud.

Later, Young was dating Jimmy Stewart, when she met her second husband - Thomas H. A. Lewis. The head of the radio department of the Young & Rubicam advertising agency, Lewis had recently put together the Screen Guild Theatre radio show. The show's performers donated their salaries to the Motion Picture Relief Fund to build a hospital and retirement home. He asked Young to accept a part. Lewis initiated their first "date", when he took Young to Sunday mass so she would make the rehearsal he had called. They married on July 31, 1940, and honeymooned in Mexico.

On their second honeymoon, Thomas and Loretta toured the United States Ship Arizona in Hawaii two months before it was bombed. During the war, Lewis enlisted and developed shows and arranged troop entertainment. Young visited hospitals and induction centers and talked to servicemen. She also appeared on many patriotic radio programs. Thomas and Loretta's marriage produced two sons, Christopher Paul, a film director, born in 1944, and Peter Charles (of the San Francisco rock band Moby Grape), born in 1945.

The studio, Young had previously signed a contract with, not wanting to delay production again so soon, fired Young, when she became pregnant the second time and refused to have an abortion. She did only two movies a year after her marriage. Loretta and Thomas divorced in 1969, long after Lewis had convinced Young to sign papers, giving him half of her assets, even those she had earned before their marriage. Lewis died in 1988.

It's worth mentioning, that Young had an affair with actor Glenn Ford in the early 1970's. In 1993, Young married the fashion designer Jean Louis. An award-winning fashion designer, Louis had designed many of her dresses and was the widower of her good friend. Their marriage lasted until his death in April 1997.

In addition, Young was a godmother to Marlo Thomas, daughter of the TV star Danny Thomas.

Father:

John Earle Young

John Earle Young, Loretta's father, was a railroad auditor. He was married to Gladys (Royal) Young, Loretta's mother, from 1907 till 1920.

Mother:

Gladys (Royal) Young

Gladys (Royal) Young, Loretta's mother, was a movie editor. She passed away on October 10, 1984.

Sister:

Polly Ann Young

Polly Ann Young was an American actress.

Sister:

Sally Blane

Sally Blane (born Elizabeth Jane Young) was an American actress. She appeared in over 100 movies.

Brother:

John Royal Young

John Royal Young was an actor. He passed away on December 2, 1997.

half-sister:

Georgiana Young

Georgiana Young was an American actress, who had a brief career in film, appearing alongside her sisters in the biographical drama "The Story of Alexander Graham Bell" (1939), followed by bit parts in two other films.

Ex-husband:

Grant Withers

Grant Withers was an American film actor. With early beginnings in the silent era, Withers moved into sound films, establishing himself with a list of headlined features as a young and handsome male lead.

life partner:

Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes was an American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, film director and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most financially successful individuals in the world. He first became prominent as a film producer, and then as an influential figure in the aviation industry.

life partner:

Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy was an American actor, known for his natural performing style and versatility.

life partner:

Clark Gable

Clark Gable was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood".

life partner:

James Stewart

Jimmy Stewart was an American actor and military officer.

Ex-husband:

Thomas H. A. Lewis

Thomas H. A. Lewis was an American film and broadcasting producer and writer, who founded the Armed Forces Radio Service during World War II.

life partner:

Glenn Ford

Glenn Ford was a Canadian-American actor, whose career lasted more than 50 years.

Late Husband:

Jean Louis

Jean Louis was a French-born Hollywood costume designer and an Academy Award winner for Best Costume Design.

Daughter:

Judy Lewis

Judy Lewis was an American actress, writer, producer and therapist. She was the secret biological daughter of Clark Gable and Loretta Young.

Son:

Christopher Lewis

Christopher Lewis is an American writer and film producer, primarily for television.

Son:

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis is one of the founding members of the band Moby Grape.

Goddaughter:

Marlo Thomas

Marlo Thomas is an American actress, producer, author and social activist, best known for starring on the sitcom "That Girl" (1966-1971) and her award-winning children's franchise "Free to Be... You and Me".

Friend:

Irene Dunne

Irene Dunne was an American film actress and singer of the 1930's, 1940's and early 1950's.

Friend:

Ginger Rogers

Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer and singer. She won an Academy Award for her starring role in "Kitty Foyle" (1940), but is best remembered for performing during the 1930's in RKO's musical films (partnered with Fred Astaire).

Friend:

William Holden

William Holden was an American actor, who was one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950's.

References

• Loretta Young: An Extraordinary Life This work uncovers the true persona of the glamorous Hollywood star, including her early years as a star-struck actress, her tempestuous private life, and her years as the first major star to have a successful television series.
  1986
• Forever Young: The Life, Loves and Enduring Faith of a Hollywood Legend This work recounts the life and career of Academy Award-winning actress Loretta Young and discusses her relationship with her daughter, Judy Lewis, her humanitarian activities, and her Catholic faith.
  2000
• Uncommon Knowledge The daughter of Clark Gable and Loretta Young tells of growing up amid the wealth and glamour of Hollywood in its heyday, after being born illegitimate, sent to an orphanage and reunited to her mother under the guise of adoption.
  1994
• Hollywood Madonna: Loretta Young This work explores the full saga of Loretta Young's professional and personal life.
  2011