Gloria and Joe by Axel Madsen

Author:Axel Madsen [Madsen, Axel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Women, Entertainment & Performing Arts, Rich & Famous, History, Modern, 20th Century, United States, Political
ISBN: 9781504008556
Google: eXPkBgAAQBAJ
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2015-03-17T03:05:03+00:00

As they talked, Stroheim praised Gloria’s acting and, getting to the point, declared it was his fondest wish to make a film with her. To that end, he had, in fact, at Mr. Kennedy’s suggestion, created a story he thought would allow her to display her talent to its fullest potential.

The heroine Stroheim conjured up was named Patricia (“Kitty”) Kelly. The orphaned daughter of an Irish painter, Kitty is an innocent convent girl when we first meet her, spirited and full of fun. An aunt in far-off Dar es Salaam in German East Africa is paying for Kitty’s convent upbringing in Kronberg, the capital of Hesse-Nassau, one of the Duedez, or twelve petty states, of Wilhelmine Germany.

The ruler of Hesse-Nassau is Queen Helena, a mentally unbalanced monarch who spends her time taunting her rogue cousin and fiancé, the dashing young Crown Prince Wolfram. On an outing one day with his cavalry, Wolfram meets Kitty, out walking with her fellow convent girls and nuns. It is love at first sight.

That night a spectacular banquet is given by Queen Helena, who makes a surprise announcement that her wedding to Wolfram will take place the next day. The prince decides to take advantage of his last night of freedom to see the convent girl. With an aide, he scales the convent wall and starts a fire. In the resulting confusion, the nuns and their charges run into the night. Kitty, who swoons in the excitement, is swept up into the arms of Wolfram and carried in her nightie back to his private palace quarters for a midnight supper. As they declare their love and Wolfram takes her to his bedroom, the queen bursts in, sees the remains of the supper, enters the bedroom, and discovers the couple. In fury, she drives Kitty, who is wearing Wolfram’s officer’s coat over her nightie, from the castle and has Wolfram thrown in the tower.

Kitty attempts suicide by jumping from a bridge. She is rescued and taken to a convent hospital. Eventually she travels to Dar es Salaam, where her very sick aunt demands her presence. The aunt owns a dubious hotel frequented by planters and sailors. Before the aunt dies, she draws up a will that leaves the hotel to her niece on condition that Kitty marry a filthy rich old planter, Jan Vooyheid, who is paralyzed from the waist down. Kitty does, and becomes the reluctant ruler of her own depraved domain. Then Wolfram is set free. He transfers to a colonial regiment, finds Kitty, and after a thrilling chase through African swampland that leaves old Vooyheid dead, marries her. Back in Hesse-Nassau, Queen Helena is assassinated. Wolfram is called to the throne but will accept only if Kitty becomes his queen.

Stroheim called the story “The Swamp.” He had shot the ending of Greed on location in the California desert and planned to do similar justice to this picture by filming the chase in authentic swamps. Indeed, he said in conclusion, he planned to make the telling of the story richly cinematic from beginning to end.

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