Little Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson was a frail infant, developing pneumonia within the first two months of her life and showed indications of a heart malady. The family doctor prepared the Garson’s for the early death of their daughter, but two years later, Eileen was still alive and kicking. In 1906 her father, George Garson, suffered an attack of appendicitis and was rushed to a London hospital, where he died from surgical shock. Her mother, Nina, sold most of their furniture and to pay off debts, and ended up managing a row of old townhouses that she inherited from her husband, while independently raising her child.Little Eileen was constantly ill, and so was bedridden during a great deal of her childhood. Despite the gloom from dreary home (only on the outside, however, and the neighborhood) and constant illnesses, she was not an unhappy child. She had a wonderful imagination and got on with adults rather well. Her grandfather Garson read constantly to the sickly child. “I lived the characters in every book he read. When I was first on the stage, I could memorize pages of dialogue quite effortlessly and veteran actors would ask me, ‘Where did you learn that sense of timing?’ I often felt like telling them, ‘By talking to myself,’ but feared I might be misunderstood. Nevertheless, the mechanics of the craft came very easily to me and I do believe I have long hours in the Land of Counterpane to thank for it.”
Eileen wasn’t a very social child when it came to school, and didn’t make friends. She was very self-conscious of her red curls, and was teased over them. She drowned herself in her studies, and while most children were playing games in the afternoon, she’d ride her bike through the country and do work for her botany class. Years after she made it in Hollywood, Greer revealed a caricature of herself published in her school paper, surrounded by a sea of books and studying an oversized volume “with my brows furrowed like the Grand Canyon of the Colorados.”
Little Eileen showed early signs of her desire to become an actress. Once, when she was four years old and her grandfather was engrossed in an auction, she quietly slipped away to join observers of a talent contest. Watching the performers with growing curiosity, her shyness left her; and during a brief intermission between acts, she stood before the crowd. Although uninvited, she was heartily welcomed and launched into an enthusiastic recital of “Shamus O’Brien’s Speech Before the House of Lords.” Even as she had opened with: “My lords, if you ask me, if in a lifetime I committed a treason or thought any crime . . .” the laughter and applause engendered by the delightful contrast between poem and speaker began. Only the appearance of her disapproving grandfather could stop her from repeating the performance.
Often Eileen would return from an afternoon in the park with her mother and act out the parts of people she had observed. Her favorite parlor trick was to portray a fat policeman quarreling with a thin young man. While the family was amused and applauded and encouraged Eileen’s talents, Grandmother Greer took her childish dreams more seriously, “No granddaughter of mine will ever lift her skirts on the stage,” she said with a finality that no one dared question.
Eileen entered the University of London in September 1921 and graduated with her Bachelor of Arts and upper second class honors in English in 1926. Her goal was to pursue and acting career, but while Grandmother Garson was still around, that was out of the question. She then went on to do postgraduate work at the University of Grenoble. “I did not go to Grenoble with a definite scholastic aim in mind. I went–for the first time in my life–to major in fun, and a very happy year it proved to be; fruitful too, in fun and color and romance and companionship, if not in any solid additions to my academic credits.” Her stay in France was cut short, however, by an unfortunate dive into a swimming pool that damaged her lumbar vertebrae in her spine. She returned to London where a chiropractor was able to heal the nerve damage, but the injury would continue to haunt her throughout her life.
Eileen was hired by an advertising branch in London, LINTAS, to run the research library. “I played the part of the young business executive to the hilt. I dressed for the part, too, with nice, white linen suits, crisp shirts, and every hair in place.” She became especially popular with her male co-workers, one in particular, George Sanders. “I never lacked for excuses to wander into the office of that gorgeous redhead where I could feast my eyes on her and enjoy her brilliant conversation.”
Eileen’s boss at the advertising firm had connections with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, and after getting a name out of him, she spent two hours waiting in the office of Emile Littler. After this long period of time, Littler opened a door and said, “Where is the girl who has been waiting two hours to see me? You? Come in. I have five minutes.” Eileen was elated with the meeting’s result. Littler had told her, “I can’t promise you anything specific, but if you want to come to Birmingham on Saturday, I’ll see that you get an audition.Eileen auditioned for the Theatre’s producer, and after telling her he already had engaged a redhead and wasn’t looking for another one, he decided to cast her in a play called “Street Scene,” offered her three pounds a week, she bargained for four and won. Thus began the six-year up and down career on the English stage of Eileen Garson. She officially changed her billing to Greer Garson in 1934, with the opening of “The Tempest.” Of those years, Greer said, “I lived like a troglodyte. We worked constantly, dashed out for a bite of lunch, went back to the theatre, dashed out again for the evening meal then back for the evening performance and never saw the sunlight or breathed a lungfull of air except on Sundays. But no matter–I was an actress.”
Greer’s big break came when she was cast in the play, “The Golden Arrow,” in which she made her London stage debut. She was a smash, but the play was a flop. Six plays later Greer was cast in a nineteenth-century melodrama, “Old Music.” Louis B. Mayer was in London to finalize an MGM-British film studio, as well as to hunt for new British talent. He was referred to the play, thinking it would be the kind of old Viennese musical that he loved, but was dismayed to find a costume melodrama. He was not, however, dismayed with Greer Garson. He sent word for her to meet him for dinner to discuss a screen test. To simplify the story, she had her doubts about Hollywood, as Laurence Olivier had previously warned her against it, but she finally conceded because of the money, and also because the California climate would help her mother’s health. Greer sailed for America on November 16, 1937.
Greer was put on hold in America for a year-and-a-half, but was finally offered the role of Katherine Chipping in GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS if she’d go back to England to film it. She was upset that she hadn’t made an American film yet, how could she go back to England and make a film? But she needed to work and so headed for Denham Studio. Greer found it difficult to adjust to the “flow” of film making, and turned to anyone she could for advice. Her co-star, Robert Donat, had been making films since 1932 and was very patient with her, as well as a constant support. She received glowing reviews, and also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her first film and she was nominated for an Academy Award!
Greer received her final divorce decree from Snelson on May 8, 1940. She told the judge they had separated five days after they got home from their honeymoon and she hadn’t seen him since. She also claimed he subjected her to mental cruelty and even showed the judge a letter from Snelson in 1938 that claimed he loved another woman. There was now a free, gorgeous redhead wandering Hollywood!
Greer was on her way. She enjoyed much success, and by the time MRS. MINIVER rolled around, she had five films under her belt, with three being monumentally successful. She also had collected two Oscar nominations along the way. Greer was born to play Mrs. Miniver, but she was skeptical of the part because Kay Miniver had a grown son who brings home a daughter-in-law. But she once again proved herself by winning the Best Actress Oscar in 1942.
While working on MRS. MINIVER, Greer met actor Richard Ney, who was to play her film son. She was not thrilled with the fact that her character had a grown son returning from Oxford. She said this of their introduction: “. . . Sidney called me to his office and said ‘Miss Garson, here is your son.’ ‘Oh, that nice little boy,’ I said, momentarily forgetful of the liberties the scenarists had taken. ‘How-how-how-how-how do you do,’ I said, and not until the fifth ‘how’ did my eyes meet those of six-foot Mr. Richard Ney. Really, I thought, this is too much. So, giving him a very cold and disapproving stare, I added ‘Sonny,’ and walked out of the office.Greer and Ney fell in love during filming, and wanted to marry, but L.B. Mayer pleaded with them to wait until the film was released and things had died down a bit. Greer and Ney were married on July 24, 1943. Now that’s taking motherhood to the extreme! The marriage, however, lasted only four years. Greer’s career was flourishing, but Ney’s was not; classic situation. They were divorced on September 25, 1947.
By the time ADVENTURE went into production, Greer had made four more very successful films, all in a row. Up to that film, she had been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar six times, winning once. But Greer’s box office popularity was falling. ADVENTURE boasted the line, “Gable’s back, and Garson’s got him!” It should have done well with two big Hollywood stars working together, but it was a terrible flop. There was no onscreen chemistry between the two, and the story line was lacking terribly. ADVENTURE marked the beginning of the decline of Greer’s career.
Greer’s next film was an even bigger flop. DESIRE ME went into production on March 19, 1946, and it was doomed from the beginning. There was one disaster after another on the set, and one of those sent Greer and co-star Richard Hart to the hospital. They were getting ready to film a in which they were using nets to catch shrimp. Greer descended a stone stairway to the beach and picked up her net, ready to go for the camera, when an eight-foot wave swelled up and crashed down on them. When the wave subsided, the cameras were still rolling and the actors had disappeared. Greer was swept thirty feet along the rocky shore, and another wave threatened to carry her into the cove and out to sea. Hart had a heart condition and barely managed to save himself, so the cameraman and another man went in after her. They brought her in covered with cuts and bruises, and she was immediately taken to the hospital. She returned to the beach for shooting on April 26.
George Cukor stated: “DESIRE ME was shot from a script that didn’t really make sense, and when it was finished I was just removed from the picture, and another director reshot a good deal of it with the understanding that his name wouldn’t appear on the credits. Since very little of the final footage was mine, I wouldn’t allow my name to be on the picture either.” Even though the film was a horrible flop, I myself enjoyed it very much, and it’s among one of my favorite Garson films.
After her last box office disaster, Metro tried to lighten Greer’s image by casting her in a romantic comedy, JULIA MISBEHAVES. It’s a delightful comedy, but was not a great success. Her next film teamed her with Errol Flynn. THAT FORSYTE WOMAN brought together “the bad boy of Warner’s and the lady of MGM.” The press predicted a clash between the two, but quite the opposite developed. “We greeted each other warily on the first day of shooting, in an electric atmosphere of mutual apprehension, while gleeful columnists set-siders waited breathlessly for the predicted clash . . . It never came. Instead, there was swift rapport easy friendship, and a deal of harmless fun and laughter . . . happy memories that wasn’t much, I’m afraid, for the audience, but was a ball for the cast and crew that made it.”Errol had this to say about Greer: “The popular conception of Greer is that she is a kind of Mrs. Miniver: finely bred, the epitome of English cultured womanhood. She is all this, but at the same time a mischievous imp. We were shooting a scene in a Victorian carriage. There came a time when I had to open the door and say, ‘Now, my dear, shall we alight?’ We didn’t. But I sure as hell did. Because as I touched the doorknob the electric contact Greer had fixed right in the seat of my pants made me go through the air like a witch riding a broom.” The prank was not undeserved, however, as Errol hid in Greer’s bedroom closet for one scene. As the cameras rolled and Greer opened the door to put away a gown, he popped out. She screamed and fainted.
The film was shot in glorious technicolor, and the actors were beautifully costumed in period garb. Greer’s mother, Nina, was even given a part as a member of the Forsyte family. Although the cast and crew liked the film better than audiences, Greer and Errol both considered their roles among their favorites.
Greer married for a third time on July 15, 1949. This time is was Col. E.E. “Buddy” Fogelson of the Forked Lightning Ranch in New Mexico. This marriage would last until his death in 1987. She left Hollywood to live on the ranch in New Mexico and returned occasionally over the next ten years to make six mediocre films. She also started theater work again, and enjoyed much success taking over the role of Auntie Mame on stage for Rosalind Russell while she went to Hollywood to play the role on film.
In 1960 Greer was cast as Eleanor Roosevelt in the screen adaptation of the play “Sunrise at Campobello.” Many critics believe that performance to be the best performance of her career. She put a tremendous amount of research into her portrayal of her character, and even wore a dental mouthpiece to give her buck teeth. The way in which she mimicked Eleanor Roosevelt’s voice was impeccable. Greer had lunch with the former first lady one afternoon and took careful notice of the way she spoke. “Mrs. Roosevelt’s diction is much more English than American. All the people who come from the New England states talk with a marked British accent. Besides, Mrs. Roosevelt attended school abroad for many years. Actually, I think she has more of an accent than I have.” SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO enjoyed great financial success at the RKO Palace Theater in New York. Greer was again nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, but lost to Elizabeth Taylor for her performance in BUTTERFIELD 8.After SUNRISE, Greer made three more films, the last being the Walt Disney film, THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE, co-starring Fred MacMurray. After her retirement from screen, Greer found much happiness in charity work. The most prominent of her endeavors was the Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She donated millions to the school to have a theater built, on three conditions: it had to have a working, circular stage, the first play had to be “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and it had to have large ladies’ restrooms. She received the Women’s International Center (WIC) Living Legacy award in 1990.
A year after Buddy’s death in 1987, Greer suffered a heart attack and underwent bypass surgery, after which she wore a pacemaker. She moved to Dallas Texas later because of her heart condition. Greer Garson passed away on April 6, 1996, due to heart failure.
Greer Garson’s good will, love for life and vitality will never be forgotten. She will live on in the hearts of many as Kay Miniver or Katie Chipping; English rose and the epitome of womanhood.
