The third child of Gladys Royal and Earl Young, Loretta Young---whose birth name was Gretchen ---would never have been born at all, were it not for her mother's devout Catholicism. In an unhappy marriage to a philandering husband, Gladys was dismayed to discover that the flu-like symptoms she had been experiencing were not the flu at all, but evidence of the fact that she was expecting another baby. Noticing his patient's distress at the news of her pregnancy, and telling her there "were ways," Gladys's doctor suggested that she "might like to skip this one and wait for a better time..." For a brief instant, Gladys considered the doctor's advice, but "when she thought of the Catholic faith she had pledged to uphold...", she knew aborting the child within her was not an option. Instead, she followed the advice of her parish priest and "consecrated the life within her to Mary, who had carried her Lord." This dedication to God would follow Loretta all the days of her life. **
So, on this day that we celebrate the 100th birthday of one of the classic film era's most beautiful spirits, I want to also celebrate her mother, Gladys. Had she not chosen to give life to the child within her, Loretta Young would never have been---and we, who love her and her films would have missed out on something special indeed!
** All quoted material is from Loretta Young's authorized biography, Forever Young, by Joan Wester Anderson (Thomas Moore Publishing, 2000)
Happy Birthday Loretta! I actually prefer the name Gretchen though, think she should've kept it! She really did have some gorgeous doe eyes:)
ReplyDeleteI have said for years that my name should be Gretchen...after all, my husband and kids all have "G" names, and there I am, a "P"...feeling very much the odd man out. I don't think Gretchen is a bad name at all.
DeleteI agree ~ she had a gorgeous pair of eyes. What a showstopper. I really like the new green on your blog.
ReplyDeleteI got sick over the holidays and during one of my days in bed, I watched a whole set of old Elizabeth Taylor films ~ the old, old stuff, from when she was just a teenager/early 20s. I enjoyed them all. And I finally saw Now,Voyager on the guide, so I managed to Tivo it. I'm going to watch it here soon. :)
Now, Voyager is such a beautiful movie. Hope you love it!!
DeleteThough she looked older, Liz was only 19 in my all-time favorite movie...A Place in the Sun. She was so beautiful and elegant at that age. Was that film, perchance, one of the ones you watched?
I'm going to add Loretta Young's authorized biography, Forever Young, to my list of must reads.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely read, and there are some great photos included. I think you will really enjoy it.
DeleteI am a movie star moron but i totally remember Loretta Young, one of my mom's favorites - how fun it would be to watch one of her movies!
ReplyDeleteLoretta Young was my maternal grandmother's favorite actress. In the mid 80's, she came out of retirement to make a made-for-TV Christmas movie called "Christmas Eve." I was living with my grandparents then, and my grandmother was SO excited about the movie. Although I didn't know Loretta Young at all, I do remember watching the movie with my grandma. And interestingly, Loretta and my grandma share the same birthday...January 6th, though my grandmother was born 5 years after Loretta.
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