Greta Granstedt
Encyclopedia
Greta Granstedt was a Swedish- American Movie and Television Actress.
The Granstedt family was one of the five pioneer families from Sweden who settled in this north central Kansas community in 1867-68. The families left Sweden in response to the terrible conditions in the three years of misery in Sweden. Granstedt spent the first thirteen years in Scandia Township, Republic County
, Kansas
. Her father, of the second generation Scandia residents, was of Norwegian and Swedish heritage. In 1920 her family moved to Mountain View, CA in Santa Clara County, California
.
As a young teenager she was involved in an altercation with a boyfriend, Harold Galloway. Coming home from a church social, she confronted Harold with a pistol. The pistol went off and Harold was severely wounded. Galloway recovered, but Granstedt was sentenced to time in a reform school and was banished from Mountain View. Granstedt left Mountain View as a young woman and spent the next several years in San Francisco. Among other ways of making a living, she modeled at San Francisco Art Association in the summer of 1926. In 1927 she and a companion travelled from San Francisco to Los Angeles. There is some confusion about who the companion was, or the way the pair got to Hollywood. The common story is that she and Bessie Hyde took a steamer from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Bessie met Glen Hyde on that trip, falling in love and sealing her fate as a lost river runner. Greta, it is said, disembarked from the trip with the desire to become a movie star and the choice of a new name. She boarded as Eraine, a name she'd adopted in San Francisco, and departed as Greta. She boarded as a Kansas born California, disembarked as a Swedish born starlet in waiting. Another source maintains that Greta, barely surviving the hardships of living on her own in San Francisco, hitch-hiked from northern to southern California in the company of Geraldine Andrews
In 1929 Greta had effected a reconciliation with her parents. They embarked from San Francisco aboard the aging passenger steamer, the San Juan. On September 2 the San Juan collided with oil tanker S. C. T. Dodd of Pigeon Point, California, just off the location of the Pigeon Point lighthouse
. Her father survived, but her mother was among the 77 drown in the incident. The tragedy played out for several months in Los Angeles, with the crew being found negligent.
Granstedt was married 8 times, with four of the marriages being annulled. Her first marriage, in 1923, to Robert Blieber, was annulled because Greta was under-age. Her second marriage, to Robert Lowenthal, a California artist, in 1926, was also annulled. Her third marriage, to Ramon Ramos, in 1933, was celebrated by the one year, one term Mayor of New York, John P. O' brien. The marriage lasted only eighteen months. Ramos was a Latin band leader, and tango dancer. Granstedt joined him at the Miami Biltmore in the fall of 1933 In 1935 Granstedt married French WWI veteran, designer and photographer Marcel Olis, in Greenwich, CT. It is unclear how long this marriage lasted, but it also ended in divorce.
Her fifth husband was Max de Vega, a matte painter Matte painting
is a motion picture special effects technique involving the painting of movie backgrounds on glass. Married in Mexico, she was considering divorce when she discovered that de Vega was still married to a previous wife, and thus she sought annulment rather than divorce. It was with de Vega that Granstedt had a house designed for her by the California Architect Harwell Harris. The Hollywood home is still extant, and Greta lived in the house through the 1950s.
In 1944 Granstedt wed for a sixth time, this time to Major Lawrence Wright. The marriage was annulled, when Wright, like de Vega proved to still be married to another woman. In 1947 she married for a seventh time. Because four of the previous marriages had been annulled, newspaper reports of the time said that she this was "her second wedding, his first." She and husband Arthur G. Forbes (1947–1951) adopted a son from Tennessee in 1948. In the 1951 Greta was awarded custody of the child she and Forbes had adopted three years earlier. They named the child Christopher Michael. Her final marriage, in 1965, was to Howard Thomas. By that time Greta had suffered throat cancer and recovered. She and Thomas purchased ranch land in British Columbia.
in a Los Angeles
production of From Hell Came a Lady.
One of her earliest film appearances was in a small role in Buck Privates (1928), with Hungarian film actress Lya de Putti
, and made her talkie debut in The Last Performance (1929). She continued to play mainly bit parts some of which were memorable. She appeared as Beulah Bondi
's daughter in the crime drama Street Scene
(1931) and as Margo's friend in Crime Without Passion
(1934).
While in New York City
, Greta appeared in three Broadway
plays, the short lived Tomorrow's Harvest (4 performances, opened December 4, 1934 at the 49th St. Theatre), and the longer running If A Body (45 performances, openeing April 30, 1935 at the Biltmore Theatre). In the 1936-37 season, she drama Thirsty Soil at the 48th St. Theatre (opening February 3, 1937, 13 performances).
She returned to Hollywood for perhaps her best remembered role, that of Anna Wahl, playing opposite Alan Ladd as the only female in an underground resistance cell in "Hitler, Beast of Berlin
" (1939). She plays the flirtatious wife looking to stray in her brief appearance in "Telephone Operator" (1937). She appears in the comedy "There Goes My Heart
" as "Thulda" the Swedish maid who comes to New York to see her uncle "Björn Björnsson." This is the only speaking role in which she represents her Scandinavian ancestry. Her 1940s roles were minor. She appeared as Mrs. Lars Faraassen in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
(1945). While credited, it is a non-speaking role. Greta appears in the Christmas party and at the crucial barn burning scene. She is relatively easy to spot, being generally the shortest member of the cast, at 5'1". In 1958, she played a California housewife welcoming Francis Lederer
's count to her suburban home in The Return of Dracula. During the 1960s, she appeared in a variety of Television shows including Perry Mason
, Peter Gunn
, The Millionaire, Lassie
and Dragnet
. She retired in 1970.
Background
Irene "Greta" Granstedt was the second child of Theodore and Emma Granstedt born in Scandia, Kansas.The Granstedt family was one of the five pioneer families from Sweden who settled in this north central Kansas community in 1867-68. The families left Sweden in response to the terrible conditions in the three years of misery in Sweden. Granstedt spent the first thirteen years in Scandia Township, Republic County
Republic County, Kansas
Republic County is a county located in the state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 4,980. The largest city and county seat is Belleville.-19th century:...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. Her father, of the second generation Scandia residents, was of Norwegian and Swedish heritage. In 1920 her family moved to Mountain View, CA in Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
.
As a young teenager she was involved in an altercation with a boyfriend, Harold Galloway. Coming home from a church social, she confronted Harold with a pistol. The pistol went off and Harold was severely wounded. Galloway recovered, but Granstedt was sentenced to time in a reform school and was banished from Mountain View. Granstedt left Mountain View as a young woman and spent the next several years in San Francisco. Among other ways of making a living, she modeled at San Francisco Art Association in the summer of 1926. In 1927 she and a companion travelled from San Francisco to Los Angeles. There is some confusion about who the companion was, or the way the pair got to Hollywood. The common story is that she and Bessie Hyde took a steamer from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Bessie met Glen Hyde on that trip, falling in love and sealing her fate as a lost river runner. Greta, it is said, disembarked from the trip with the desire to become a movie star and the choice of a new name. She boarded as Eraine, a name she'd adopted in San Francisco, and departed as Greta. She boarded as a Kansas born California, disembarked as a Swedish born starlet in waiting. Another source maintains that Greta, barely surviving the hardships of living on her own in San Francisco, hitch-hiked from northern to southern California in the company of Geraldine Andrews
In 1929 Greta had effected a reconciliation with her parents. They embarked from San Francisco aboard the aging passenger steamer, the San Juan. On September 2 the San Juan collided with oil tanker S. C. T. Dodd of Pigeon Point, California, just off the location of the Pigeon Point lighthouse
Pigeon Point Lighthouse
Pigeon Point Light Station or Pigeon Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse built in 1871 to guide ships on the Pacific coast of California. It is the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States. It is still an active Coast Guard aid to navigation...
. Her father survived, but her mother was among the 77 drown in the incident. The tragedy played out for several months in Los Angeles, with the crew being found negligent.
Granstedt was married 8 times, with four of the marriages being annulled. Her first marriage, in 1923, to Robert Blieber, was annulled because Greta was under-age. Her second marriage, to Robert Lowenthal, a California artist, in 1926, was also annulled. Her third marriage, to Ramon Ramos, in 1933, was celebrated by the one year, one term Mayor of New York, John P. O' brien. The marriage lasted only eighteen months. Ramos was a Latin band leader, and tango dancer. Granstedt joined him at the Miami Biltmore in the fall of 1933 In 1935 Granstedt married French WWI veteran, designer and photographer Marcel Olis, in Greenwich, CT. It is unclear how long this marriage lasted, but it also ended in divorce.
Her fifth husband was Max de Vega, a matte painter Matte painting
Matte painting
A matte painting is a painted representation of a landscape, set, or distant location that allows filmmakers to create the illusion of an environment that would otherwise be too expensive or impossible to build or visit. Historically, matte painters and film technicians have used various techniques...
is a motion picture special effects technique involving the painting of movie backgrounds on glass. Married in Mexico, she was considering divorce when she discovered that de Vega was still married to a previous wife, and thus she sought annulment rather than divorce. It was with de Vega that Granstedt had a house designed for her by the California Architect Harwell Harris. The Hollywood home is still extant, and Greta lived in the house through the 1950s.
In 1944 Granstedt wed for a sixth time, this time to Major Lawrence Wright. The marriage was annulled, when Wright, like de Vega proved to still be married to another woman. In 1947 she married for a seventh time. Because four of the previous marriages had been annulled, newspaper reports of the time said that she this was "her second wedding, his first." She and husband Arthur G. Forbes (1947–1951) adopted a son from Tennessee in 1948. In the 1951 Greta was awarded custody of the child she and Forbes had adopted three years earlier. They named the child Christopher Michael. Her final marriage, in 1965, was to Howard Thomas. By that time Greta had suffered throat cancer and recovered. She and Thomas purchased ranch land in British Columbia.
Career
By the mid-'20s, Greta had appeared opposite Joseph SchildkrautJoseph Schildkraut
Joseph Schildkraut was an Austrian stage and film actor.-Early life:Born in Vienna, Austria, Schildkraut was the son of stage actor Rudolph Schildkraut. The younger Schildkraut moved to the United States in the early 1900s. He appeared in many Broadway productions...
in a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
production of From Hell Came a Lady.
One of her earliest film appearances was in a small role in Buck Privates (1928), with Hungarian film actress Lya de Putti
Lya De Putti
Lya De Putti was a Hungarian film actress of the silent era, noted for her portrayal of vamp characters.-Early life and career:...
, and made her talkie debut in The Last Performance (1929). She continued to play mainly bit parts some of which were memorable. She appeared as Beulah Bondi
Beulah Bondi
Beulah Bondi was an American actress.Bondi began her acting career as a young child in theater, and after establishing herself as a stage actress, she reprised her role in Street Scene for the 1931 film version...
's daughter in the crime drama Street Scene
Street Scene (1931 film)
Street Scene is a 1931 black-and-white drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by King Vidor. With a screenplay by Elmer Rice adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Street Scene takes place on a New York City street from one evening until the following afternoon...
(1931) and as Margo's friend in Crime Without Passion
Crime Without Passion
Crime Without Passion is a 1934 American drama film directed by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, starring Claude Rains. It is the first of four pictures written, produced and directed by Hecht and MacArthur for Paramount Pictures...
(1934).
While in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Greta appeared in three Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
plays, the short lived Tomorrow's Harvest (4 performances, opened December 4, 1934 at the 49th St. Theatre), and the longer running If A Body (45 performances, openeing April 30, 1935 at the Biltmore Theatre). In the 1936-37 season, she drama Thirsty Soil at the 48th St. Theatre (opening February 3, 1937, 13 performances).
She returned to Hollywood for perhaps her best remembered role, that of Anna Wahl, playing opposite Alan Ladd as the only female in an underground resistance cell in "Hitler, Beast of Berlin
Hitler, Beast of Berlin
Hitler, Beast of Berlin was one of the most popular "hiss and boo" films of the World War II era, based on the novel Goose Step by Shepard Traube. The film was the first production of Producers Releasing Corporation. It was recut and released as Beasts of Berlin the same year, having been banned...
" (1939). She plays the flirtatious wife looking to stray in her brief appearance in "Telephone Operator" (1937). She appears in the comedy "There Goes My Heart
There Goes My Heart
There Goes My Heart is a 1938 romantic comedy film starring Virginia Bruce as a wealthy heiress who goes to work under an alias at a department store owned by her grandfather. Fredric March plays the reporter who tracks her down. The film is based on a story by Ed Sullivan, better known for his...
" as "Thulda" the Swedish maid who comes to New York to see her uncle "Björn Björnsson." This is the only speaking role in which she represents her Scandinavian ancestry. Her 1940s roles were minor. She appeared as Mrs. Lars Faraassen in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes is an American drama film released in 1945, directed by Roy Rowland and starring Edward G. Robinson and Margaret O'Brien.-Background:...
(1945). While credited, it is a non-speaking role. Greta appears in the Christmas party and at the crucial barn burning scene. She is relatively easy to spot, being generally the shortest member of the cast, at 5'1". In 1958, she played a California housewife welcoming Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer was a film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States.-Europe:...
's count to her suburban home in The Return of Dracula. During the 1960s, she appeared in a variety of Television shows including Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
, Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
, The Millionaire, Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
and Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
. She retired in 1970.
Filmography
- Desire Under the ElmsDesire Under the ElmsDesire Under the Elms is a play by Eugene O'Neill, published in 1924, and is now considered an American classic. Along with Mourning Becomes Electra, it represents one of O'Neill's attempts to place plot elements and themes of Greek tragedy in a rural New England setting. It is essentially a...
(1958) - Cause for Alarm! (1951)
- The EnforcerThe Enforcer (1951 film)The Enforcer is a black-and-white 1951 film noir starring Humphrey Bogart. Based on the Murder, Inc. trials, the film is largely a police procedural directed by Bretaigne Windust with uncredited help from Raoul Walsh, who shot most of the film's suspenseful moments, including the ending...
(1951) - The Crooked WayThe Crooked WayThe Crooked Way is a black-and-white film noir directed by Robert Florey. The film was based on a radio play No Blade Too Sharp and features John Payne, Sonny Tufts, Ellen Drew, and others...
(1949) - Our Vines Have Tender GrapesOur Vines Have Tender GrapesOur Vines Have Tender Grapes is an American drama film released in 1945, directed by Roy Rowland and starring Edward G. Robinson and Margaret O'Brien.-Background:...
(1945) - Telephone OperatorTelephone Operator (film)- Cast :*Judith Allen as Helen Molly*Grant Withers as Red*Warren Hymer as Shorty*Alice White as Dottie Stengal*Ronnie Cosby as Ted Molloy*Pat Flaherty as Tom Sommers*Greta Granstedt as Sylvia Sommers*William Haade as Heaver*Cornelius Keefe as Pat Campbell...
(1937) - Hitler, Beast of BerlinHitler, Beast of BerlinHitler, Beast of Berlin was one of the most popular "hiss and boo" films of the World War II era, based on the novel Goose Step by Shepard Traube. The film was the first production of Producers Releasing Corporation. It was recut and released as Beasts of Berlin the same year, having been banned...
(1939) - The Devil HorseThe Devil HorseThe Devil Horse is a Mascot movie serial starring Harry Carey and Noah Beery, Sr.-Cast:*Harry Carey as Bob Norton, aka Roberts*Noah Beery as Canfield*Frankie Darro as The Wild Boy*Greta Granstedt as Linda Weston*Barrie O'Daniels as Lee Weston...
(1932) - They Never Come BackThey Never Come Back- Cast :*Regis Toomey as Jimmy Nolan*Dorothy Sebastian as Adele Landon*Edward Woods as Ralph Landon*Greta Granstedt as Mary Nolan*Earle Foxe as Jerry Filmore*Gertrude Astor as Kate*James J. Jeffries as First Referee*George Byron as Eddie Donovan...
(1932) - Street SceneStreet Scene (1931 film)Street Scene is a 1931 black-and-white drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by King Vidor. With a screenplay by Elmer Rice adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Street Scene takes place on a New York City street from one evening until the following afternoon...
(1931) - The DeceiverThe Deceiver (film)The Deceiver is a 1931 American mystery film directed by Louis King. The film stars Lloyd Hughes, Ian Keith and Dorothy Sebastian. John Wayne makes a minor appearance as a corpse. The film premiered on November 21, 1931.-Plot overview:...
(1931) - Manhattan ParadeManhattan Parade (film)Manhattan Parade is a 1931 musical comedy film photographed entirely in Technicolor. It was originally intended to be released, in the United States, early in 1931, but was shelved due to public apathy towards musicals. Despite waiting a number of months, the public proved obstinate and the Warner...
( 1931) - Close HarmonyClose Harmony (1929 film)Close Harmony is a black and white American comedy-drama musical film released by Paramount Pictures.-Plot:A musically talented young woman named Marjorie who is part of a stage show, meets a warehouse clerk named Al West who has put together an unusual jazz band...
(1929)