Garbo Documentary Shows Why She Became Legendary and Why She Stepped Away

"There's something strange about the nature of "celebrity." Many young people dream of "making it" in the field of their dreams, but few really understand the hidden cost of being famous. It might be fun at first. But when you read between the lines of many stories, you see that the mystique is also a burden."
--Burden of the Public Eye

This weekend  I watched the Netflix documentary Garbo: Where Did You Go? What intrigued me was learning that at the height of her fame she withdrew from the limelight to live a private life of seclusion. I couldn't help but think of others who similarly pulled back in one way or another. J.D. Salinger came to mind, as did John Lennon in the mid-Seventies.

In his Chronicles: Volume One, Bob Dylan talks about the pre-eminent need to maintain a “normal” family somewhere away from the public eye. That task eventually took a toll on his first marriage. Some Dylan observers have gone so far as to speculate that his famous Woodstock motorcycle accident in the Sixties was staged as a mechanism for getting out of the public eye for a spell, some time to slow down and assess.

Greta Garbo was born in Sweden, 18 September 1905. Her birth name: Greta Lovisa Gustafsson. The youngest of three children, her childhood memories were not happy ones, growing up in a slum, long dark winters, an oppressive atmosphere in the home. 

At an early age she became quite interested in the theater and directed her friends in make believe stories. She finished school at age 13 like other working class girls and found work but when the Spanish Flu swept through Stockholm her father became ill and lost his job. Greta took him to hospital appointments and took care of him, but he died when she was 14, which was very dark time.

Greta's first jobs included soap-lathering in a barber shop, running errands in a department store and modeling hats, which led to her being filmed for a commercial, which then led to being in a silent film. She evidently sensed she's found her calling because she followed up with two years of training in the Royal Dramatic Training Academy.

In 1924 the Finnish director Mauritz Stiller recruited her for a film based on a story by Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlof, and she was on her way. She had no idea that in a few years she would end up being the biggest name in Hollywood and one of its biggest international stars.

Illustration by the author.

The documentary showed clips from the numerous film she starred in (28 in all) and it was easy to see why she was such a compelling on-screen presence. In her very. first screen test she was described as "electrifying." The response to her films certified that she had what it takes and the studio milked it for all it was worth.

Many silent screen stars fell out of favor once audiences could hear them talk, but not Garbo. Her husky Swedish accent amplified her desirability and powers. She became the biggest box office draw in Hollywood.

Despite her fame, the human spirit within her was being smothered and strangled by contract pressures and the expectations of Louis B. Mayer. When her sister died, to whom Greta had been immensely close, the studio would not give her permission to fly to Sweden to attend the funeral. She was given two days to grieve then get back to work.

Living life in the public eye took its toll in other ways. Eventually she walked away, still in her early forties. Hollywood repeatedly attempted to coax her back but it was not to be. Nor would she share her reasons for this permanent voluntary hibernation, even with her friends. Four years before her death she opened up to her biographer Sven Broman. "I was tired of Hollywood. I did not like my work. There were many days when I had to force myself to go to the studio... I really wanted to live another life."^[1]

The documentary has its flaws, but it does succeed in giving us a deeper appreciation for this artist from Hollywood's early years and the price of fame. It also made me want to see some of those films that catapulted her to the top.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Garbo

More Scenes from Duluth Dylan Fest 2025

House Party (click photos to enlarge)

There was lots of music.

Sonny Earl, Paul Metsa & Gregg Inhofer (L to R)

Molly & the Danger Band @ Cedar Lounge 

Singer/Songwriters, Female Contingent

Dylan Fest Staffers: (L to R) Pat Eliason, Laura Whitney,

Sunbonnet Sue, Ed Newman, Zane Bail, Michael Anderson

Kate & Zane at the Porch Party

Shelter from the Storm Concert @ Sacred Heart

Cowboy Angel Blue @ Mr. D's

And special thanks to all who came from a distance, 

especially those from overseas like this batch from

Belgium & the Netherlands

 

The Four Grand Transitions That Created the World We Live In Today

I've always admired people who have the ability to take complex issues and make them simple to understand. This is doubly enjoyable/useful when people with a comprehensive grasp of history do the hard work of identifying events or trends and assembling them in a manner that creates new insights that any average Joe or Josephine can grasp. 

One such thinker who specializes in this sort of thing is Vaclav Smil, a Czech-Canadian scientist, policy analyst and Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. I myself became aware of him because of his reputation as one of the world's leading experts on the history of energy.

In 2021 Smil wrote a book titled Grand Transitions: How the Modern World Was Made. In it, he examines the transitions that structure our modern word. What made the modern world work? For Smil, it all boils down to four "grand transitions" of civilizations: (1) population, (2) agriculture, (3) energy and (4) economics. The cumulative effect of these transitions has transformed the way we live. 

When a society goes through all four of the major changes—like improvements in health, farming, energy, and the economy—it ends up in a very different place: people live longer, there's plenty of food (and a lot gets wasted), energy use goes way up, and there are more job and business opportunities. But not everyone in the world has caught up—hundreds of millions of people still live without many of these advances. 

Vaclav Smil looks at how all these big changes connect. He says it's more important than ever to share the good stuff of modern life, especially with the growing gap between rich and poor. But doing that while also trying to protect the planet is a tough balancing act. The next big challenge—what he calls the fifth transition—is dealing with climate change, shrinking resources, and disappearing wildlife. Whether we succeed at this will decide if all the progress we've made actually lasts.

* * * 

When I read the Four Transitions cited by Smil, it brought to mind Niall Ferguson's fire alarm Why Civilizations Fail. Ferguson in his book cites four things that together produced the rise of Western Civilization. They were:
1. Democracy -- the consent of the governed.
2. Capitalism -- and the vibrant society healthy markets produce.
3. Rule of law -- secure property rights, fairness and (in theory) equality.
4. Civil society -- how we treat one another.

The lists differ, but both author express a serious concern about the cracks in our foundations today, and more importantly, the ever widening gap between haves and have nots. 

There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the direction things are going.  What do you think?

Related Links

Why Civilizations Fail: Niall Ferguson Sounds A Wake-Up Call
Grand Transitions: How the modern world was made

Niall Ferguson on the Breakdown of the Rule of Law

Robert Lookup's "Important Dates in Baseball History for May"

Photo by Daiji Umemoto on Unsplash

Last weekend I picked up from the library a copy of Rob Neyer's book Power Ball. It made me want to write about baseball today. The sun was shining and the grass green. You had to be outside at least a little, and baseball--perhaps like golf--is a sport enjoyed best under an open sky.

In the anthology of baseball literature, Power Ball is similar to Michael Lewis' Moneyball in the sense that it attempts to give readers an up-to-date snapshot of how much technology has changed the national pasttime. Moneyball is near a quarter century old though, so Neyer brought us up to date, except now it is already eight years behind the times. The fifteen second rule, and debates about the possibility of robot umpires had not yet been conceived. Even so, Power Ball makes a true contribution toward understand how the game has evolved and yes, we really have come a long ways.

The Last Boy.

For what it's worth, here's a partial list of baseball books I've read over the years.

Ball Four by Jim Bouton was an early introduction to baseball literature. Any and all books about Ty Cobb that I could find pre-1968 were read with earnest zeal. The Curse of Rocky Colavito by Cleveland sportswriter Terry Pluto. The Last Boy by Jane Leavy. Shoeless Joe, by W. P. Kinsella. (I heard Mr. Kinsella speak at a UMD writers event back in the late 1980s. Shoeless Joe was the basis for Field of Dreams, one of the great baseball movies Hollywood has produced.) Bernard Malamud's The Natural resulted in another great baseball flick. (The ending will surprise you.) Eight Men Out, about the Black Sox throwing the 1919 World Series. Men At Work: The Craft of Baseball by George Will is a classic.

Well, on to our list of important dates. This is a continuation of my February 25, 2020 blog post highlighting important dates in baseball history for April according to Robert Lookup. (I added one from this month, which you will note if reading this.)

 * * * *

IMPORTANT DATES -- MAY

* * * *

May 1, 1920
Joe Oeschger of the Braves and Leon Cadre of Brooklyn pitch 26 innings in a 1-1 tie. Longest game ever. (EdNote: What a contrast to today's game where pitchers are on a pitch count leash and a time constraint.)

May 2, 1939
Lou Gehrig did not play against the Tigers at Briggs Stadium, ending his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. (EdNote: This "Iron Man" record was surpassed 56 years later by Cal Ripken, Jr. who went on to set the current record by playing in 2,632 consecutive games.)

May 3, 1936
Joe DiMaggio plays his first game.

May 3, 1963
Pete Rose hits his first Home Run.

May 3, 1964
Tommy John pitches his first victory.

May 4, 1904
Cy Young (Red Sox) hurls a Perfect Game against the A's, besting Rube Waddell 3-0.

May 7, 1917
Babe Ruth (Red Sox) allows two hits in a 1-0 victory over Walter Johnson. Ruth knocks in the lone run with a sacrifice fly.

May 11, 1917
Pete Schneider of Vernon, CA (Pacific Coast League) hits five homers and a double, driving in 14 runs.

May 12, 1955
Sam Jones of the Cubs pitches no hitter after walking three Pirates in the ninth and striking out three to get the win.

May 13, 2025

Pete Rose is posthumously removed from Major League Baseball's permanently ineligible list, making him eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, after being banned in 1989 for betting on games. (Shoeless Joe Jackson and others are also reinstated.)

May 14, 1920
Walter Johnson wins his 300th game with a 9-8 win over the Tigers.

May 14, 1988
Jose Oquendo (Cards) becomes the first non-pitcher in 20 years to get a decision, a 7-5 loss to the Braves, when Ken Griffey knocked in two runs with two outs in the 19th inning.

May 17, 1979
Phillies beat the Cubs 23-22 in ten innings at Chicago when Mike Schmidt hits his second home run of the game.

May 30, 1904
Frank Chance, first baseman for the Cubs, is hit five times by Cincinnati pitchers in a double header, a record. The two teams split.

Bob Dylan'a Theme Time Radio Hour ~ Baseball

Related Links

Bad Call: My Stint as a Little League Umpire (Part 1)

Some Things Have Changed, Some Haven't
Reflections on The Natural
Important dates in baseball history for April.

On Writing Well

Writing has changed the world more than almost any other activity. Ideas are passed on from one generation to the next through the written word.

Political movements may begin with a fire in the breast, but it is the written word that distributes this fire far and wide. The American Revolution was successful in large part because of the printing press. The sacred truths of Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam have influence today because their holy books were preserved in writing.

Why do we remember Marco Polo’s travels to China but know nothing of his uncle’s previous journeys to this exotic foreign land? The answer is self-evident when we learn that Marco Polo spent time in jail with a writer who recorded his stories and preserved them for posterity.

In the business world, it is almost impossible to be a person of influence without writing skills. Whether crafting business plans or sales presentations, memos or ad copy, the written word is the coin of the realm.

For the most part our young peoples’ future influence will be in direct proportion to their skill with the written word

* * * 

Writing is one of those magical skills that not only helps us communicate with others, it also helps us understand ourselves. Writing forces us to clarify our thoughts. As our language becomes more precise in the reflection of our thoughts, feelings and observations, we get better at understanding and articulating our innermost selves. Once writing well begins to matter to us, we’re forced to think with greater care about the words we choose, and the nuances of language. 

* * * 

Writing Exercises: How to Teach Writing and Prepare Your Favorite Students for College, Life and Everything Else. 

Available on Amazon, or locally at Chester Creeks Books on 14th Avenue East.

Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday: One Too Many Mornings

"To love another human being is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks."
~ Rainer Maria Rilke

The most refreshing aspect of Bootleg Series, Volume 9: The Witmark Demos was its reminder of the simple beauty of Dylan's early songwriting, unencumbered by layers of production. It brought me back to those early albums and made me appreciate again the rich wealth of material that preceded Highway 61 Revisited.

"One Too Many Mornings" was not part of this particular bootleg, but is of a similar species. Three verses, another lamentation.

When you look at the Dylan catalog the number of songs about relationships is a large one, perhaps in part because relationships play such a central role in our lives. Relationships are also one of the most challenging facets of our lives. Nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, which very few people plan for when proclaiming their vows.

Perhaps it's because there are so many situations that involve negotiations, as well as the difficulties of being objective in those many situations we're immersed in: money, family, time, expectations...

For this reason "One Too Many Mornings" touches a nerve. It's a song about movement... away from a painful present toward an uncertain future. Most people have experienced painful breakups even if not the married kind. Marriage only adds additional complications to the equation.

So the song begins with an evocative description of darkness setting in. Dogs are barking out there somewhere, but even that's going to fade. Nothing happening out there, but there's plenty happening inside his head.

Christopher Ricks, who devotes fifteen pages to this song in Dylan's Visions of Sin, points out that the song begins when it's not dark yet but getting there. Silence doesn't mean absence of sound, as Paul Simon pointed out. Words are formed even when no one listens or hears.

The second verse opens with the narrator gazing out toward a desolate street scene, but he doesn't see it so much as he is only looking in that direction. There's nothing really there, and when he turns to stare back into the room, there's emptiness here as well. So he turns again, looking back to the street, sidewalks, signs, a scene devoid of people, warmth or life.

John Hinchey feels the last two verses fail to live up to the first stanza, but I think it works because once you know the song you can't shake its melancholy effect. The second verse haunts, weighted with emptiness. The third verse plays out the root of it.

The couple had shared a space in time. Now that time was past. The narrator is alone, though it's possible his love is right there in the room when he looks back to the bed where they had lain. Except even if she is present, he is alone. Perhaps that is an even greater aloneness.

This is a very different story from "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" or "It Ain't Me, Babe." It's not all right.

To my surprise I'd already written about this song in 2012. Guess I'd forgotten that. Maybe I will write about it again sometime. Who knows? Tomorrow is such a long time...

Dylan performed the song 240 times in concert from 1966 to 2005.

One Too Many Mornings

Down the street the dogs are barkin’
And the day is a-gettin’ dark
As the night comes in a-fallin’
The dogs’ll lose their bark
An’ the silent night will shatter
From the sounds inside my mind
For I’m one too many mornings
And a thousand miles behind

From the crossroads of my doorstep
My eyes they start to fade
As I turn my head back to the room
Where my love and I have laid
An’ I gaze back to the street
The sidewalk and the sign
And I’m one too many mornings
An’ a thousand miles behind

It’s a restless hungry feeling
That don’t mean no one no good
When ev’rything I’m a-sayin’
You can say it just as good.
You’re right from your side
I’m right from mine
We’re both just one too many mornings
An’ a thousand miles behind

Copyright © 1964, 1966 by Warner Bros. Inc.; 
renewed 1992, 1994 by Special Rider Music

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MAY 2015

Scenes from Duluth Dylan Fest 2025: A Midweek Album

The energy is high this year, with plenty more to come. 
Dylan Fest actually kicked off in Hibbing on Sunday.

On Monday the eight-day event moved to Duluth.

Here are photos from Monday.

The Dylan Fest Acoustic Jam Session w/ host Leslie Black at
Carmody's was impressively packed. Fest-goers were invited 

to "Bring your voice and/or instrument and music stand." 
Some might say it was "organized chaos" but it was 

an evening of pure Dylan.

This year we enjoyed a visit from Tokyo Bob and his entourage. 

Here's a little about Tokyo Bob's Dylan-themed bar Polka Dots:

Tokyo is a vibrant metropolis brimming with unique experiences for every traveler. For Bob Dylan enthusiasts, a visit to the Polka Dots bar is a must-do. Nestled in the heart of the city, this subterranean gem is a dedicated Bob world, where the jukebox exclusively spins Dylan tunes and the walls are adorned with iconic Zimmy posters and memorabilia. 

Since opening its doors in 2006, Polka Dots has been lovingly managed by Tokyo Bob, Japan’s leading Dylan tribute artist. While he channels Dylan’s persona on stage with a signature wig, suit and polka dot shirt, at the bar Tokyo Bob is a warm and welcoming host, ensuring every guest feels at home. Tucked away in the basement of an unassuming building, this intimate venue seats just 20 people, offering a cozy, immersive experience akin to a Dylan fan’s ultimate dream den. For those with their own memorabilia collections, picture adding a fully stocked bar, expertly curated music, and delicious bites—Polka Dots brings that vision to life.

On Tuesday the Fest moved from Carmody's 

to Wussow's Concert Cafe
where DJ Stagger Lee entertained us 

with his curated collection of Dylan vinyls
in their original form, through an analog sound system.

Once satiated we crossed the street to catch a show

featuring Paul Metsa and Sonny Earl with special guest

Gregg Inhofer, one of the original Minnesota musicians

who recorded five songs from Blood on the Tracks. 

Click HERE to see the schedue for the rest 

of this week's events.

Photos by Michael Anderson and my self. 

The high. quality images courtesy of Michael.

Terry Roses' Wonder-Filled Box of Wonders

Terry offers a peek inside the box.

This weekend the much anticipated opening of the Alhambra Theater in West Duluth finally arrived with a vibrant and lively debut featuring magician Terry Roses and his "Box of Wonders." Preceding the Friday evening show, an effusive Bob Boone hosted a special celebration for supporters and contributors, without whom this project would likely never have happened. 

During these weeks before the opening the flurry of activity reminded me of runners making a final kick in a marathon, or race horses galloping down the stretch, hooves pounding and eyes blazing. 

Then suddenly it was here. 

Many of those present at the opening had been here numerous times over the past several years, observing the progress or lending a hand in myriad creative ways. Finally, it was time to take a seat and enjoy this first show of a new era.

THE BOX OF WONDERS

The story, like many tales, begins with a dream. Terry's dream is about a rainbow. We've all heard about the pot of gold that can be found at the rainbow's end, but Terry wondered what might lie at the other end of the rainbow. As it turns out, this is where he discovered the Box of Wonders.

To his great surprise, when he woke from the dream, the Box was sitting there next to his bed. Once he found the Key, he was able to open the box and thereby share the magic he found in the dream.  

Props. The Alhambra, a renovated Vaudeville-era theater, 
added a measure of magical wonderment to the experience.

Ah, how beautiful rainbows can be.

Roses is a master of card wizardly.

One of the tricks performed involved this talking bird (above) 
which predicted what an audience member would roll with a pair of dice.
The bird told us that on the fourth roll Misisipi Mike would role a 12. 

Sure enough, on the Fourth Time Around, he rolled a 12.

Magicians enjoy bringing people up from the audience. This young lady

was asked to select a card without revealing it. Roses spread the cards

on a table, held her wrist and used her own hand to lead him to the card.

Another trick involved a marked coin that would disappear and then 

re-appear inside of what looked like a large ball of string.

Roses showed us "the fastest trick in the world" which involved two 

volunteers selecting cards from a pair of decks which he cocked to

emulate six-shooters. The two chosen cards flew out like bullets. 

Naturally they were the cards we selected.

One of my favorite tricks was a mind-boggler in which two volunteers--

Mary and Frank--were each dealt ten playing cards. They were then 

instructed to re-count and affirm that they each had ten cards.

Terry Roses then said he would remove three cads from Mary's pile 

and transfer them to Frank's. He never touched any of the cards, but

made a "pfffft" type of noise to indicate the sound of cards flitting 

into Frank's pile. When they counted their cards, Mary only had seven 

and Frank had thirteen. This occurred three feet from my eyes. 

Impossible, but it happened. So simple yet so amazing.

Terry showed Misisipi Mike some of the tricks poker cheats use.

Roses used storytelling to knit his disparate parts of his show together.
Part two included scenes about The Quest, Never Enough Time,
the Sands of Time and the Oracle of the Rose. In the end I would say
that everyone present witnessed things they'd never seen before.

Afterwords, much of the audience was welcomed to the stage
for photographs and more.

 

For more:

An Interview with Terry Roses and His Box of Wonders