Before John F. Kennedy and Marylin Monroe in the ’60s, there was JFK’s father, Joseph P. Kennedy, and Gloria Swanson in the ’20s.
Before her death, Swanson was a mother to two children — a girl named Gloria and a boy named after her father, with him sharing Kennedy senior’s middle name. Later, she explained why.
Kennedy-Swanson’s affair was a secret in Hollywood. It seemed like nothing could shake their love. Here are the details of their relationship.
THE KENNEDY-SWANSON AFFAIR
On November 11, 1927, Swanson and Kennedy senior met in the Renaissance Room of Savoy Plaza Hotel over lunch as she sought financial advice from him.
He then teamed with the silent film star to create films together. The beginning of her financial woes was caused by this affair. It was more peculiar than your regular clichéd romance story.
Swanson, in an interview with Barbara Walters 1981, revealed that Kennedy senior was obsessed with Swanson because she was something he hadn’t seen before.
In an interview with Barbara Walters in 1981, Swanson revealed that Kennedy senior was obsessed with her because she was something he had never seen before.
She was married to her third husband, a French Marquis named Henry de la Falaise, but Kennedy was in and out of her life. Despite feeling guilty about the relationship, she decided to stay.
Kennedy’s obsession for her was so great that they had once traveled to Europe together.
Kennedy’s obsession for her was so great that they had once traveled to Europe together. Kennedy traveled with Swanson on this trip while Swanson was there. His wife did not reveal that they were having an affair.
Kennedy was so possessive of her that she made her feel guilty for her husband’s actions during the trip. Kennedy’s wife did not know or pretend not to care about it, but Swanson could not.
Gloria Swanson is surprised at a party in the movie. Even though Kennedy’s wife was not aware of their affair, John Fitzgerald, Kennedy’s father, discovered it and confronted Kennedy.
Even though Kennedy’s wife didn’t know of their affair, her father, John Fitzgerald, knew about it and confronted Kennedy at some point. Fitzgerald threatened to inform his daughter about Kennedy’s affair if Kennedy didn’t end it.
Kennedy, not ready to end the affair, threatened that if his wife, Rose, got to know about the affair from her father, he would simply get married to Swanson.
Kennedy had known that Swanson was not his sole mistress. Rose made it clear to Kennedy, however, that intimacy was for procreation. Because of that, intimacy ended after their last child.
SWANSON ON SWANSON
In 1980, Swanson had her autobiography published by Random House, and it was titled “Swanson on Swanson.” She admitted that she made many mistakes in choosing men and allowing them to choose her.
She said that her three-year relationship with Kennedy was one of her worst mistakes as she was blind and foolish. She pointed out that the two of them didn’t love one another and that there was no point in their affair.
She revealed in her revelations that Kennedy was shocked to discover that her adopted son hadn’t been baptized. He worked hard to correct that.|
In her revelations over the years, she revealed that Kennedy was appalled to learn that her adopted son had never been baptized, and he worked hard to rectify that.
Swanson, who had formally named the child Joseph, after her father, also had to name him Patrick due to Kennedy’s middle name at Kennedy’s insistence. It was then assumed that the boy was his.
Kennedy was not at her house and she refused to allow a photo of the two of them together. However, she would go to his Rodeo Drive house for their “meetings.”
ABOUT JOSEPH PATRICK KENNEDY
Kennedy, an Irish-born banker, established himself on the East Coast and landed in Los Angeles from Wall Street when silent films transitioned to talking films.
Quickly, the businessman, familiar with Wall Street techniques, found himself at the head of several studios, namely Pathé, First National, and Film Booking Office (FBO, now RKO). With more than five million dollars, he left the RKO deal.
He pulled financial tricks with the still relatively new film industry, dealt with balance sheets, and was unscrupulous. He was the only outsider to defraud Hollywood.
Joe Kennedy was successful in Hollywood. Paramount and other studios tried to counter him with a few cover stories. His biggest film project, “Queen Kelly,” directed by Erich von Stroheim and starring Swanson, failed.
Joseph P. Kennedy in his position as President of Columbia Trust. This was also when the stock market crashed and marked the start of the Great Depression.
This was also the period when the stock market crashed, heralding the beginning of the Great Depression. Kennedy was able to exit the stock market quickly enough and was not affected at all by the movie’s failure.
The movie was shut down after Stroheim had shot less than half of what Stroheim wanted. Kennedy quit Hollywood and Swanson in 1931.
He had promised them millions of dollars when they first met. He left her financially devastated after the affair ended.
Portrait of American diplomat Joseph P. Kennedy.
SWANSON’S LIFE AND FINANCES
After the Stroheim fiasco and Kennedy’s leaving, Swanson, who was casual about bookkeeping and was not at the helm of her financial affairs, realized how much debt she was in.
She learned that she owed nearly a million dollars on the “Queen Kelly” movie alone. She discovered that Kennedy had given her every gift she gave.
Just as her business was crumbling, her husband Henry asked for a divorce.
Just as her business was crumbling, her husband Henry asked for a divorce. He said that he knew about her affair for some time. Henry was her first Hollywood star to become a real royalty after she married him.
Swanson never gave up, even though she was not able to recover financially or professionally. To earn a living, she continued to make films.
Gloria Swanson and William Holden starred in the movie. She gave one of the best performances on screen in 1950’s classic Billy Wilder film.
In 1950, she delivered one of the greatest performances in screen history in the classic movie “Sunset Boulevard,” directed by Billy Wilder. This wins her a Golden Globe Award. She was also honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Swanson was to be married three times more before she died on April 4, 1983. Michael Farmer, her fourth husband, was born in 1931. However, they divorced two years later. Michelle Bridget Farmer was their daughter. She was born on April 5, 1932.
On January 29, 1945, she married her fifth husband, William Davey, a wealthy investment broker.
On January 29, 1945, she married her fifth husband, William Davey, a wealthy investment broker. William Dufty was her last marriage before she died.
She never wanted to publish her memoirs, but after Rose Kennedy claimed to feel sorry for “poor Gloria” in 1974 in the autobiography, “Times to Remember,” Swanson knew to speak up.