Fashion and Film

100 Years On: The Fashion & Film Legacy of Loretta Young

By Mary Hall | January 27, 2014

Loreta Young on the cover of Motion Picture magazine (courtesy of Linda Lewis)

Loretta Young on the cover of Motion Picture magazine (courtesy of Linda Lewis)

Perhaps no star from Hollywood’s golden age exemplifies glamour more than actress Loretta Young. Ms. Young was as well known for her acting talents as she was for her beauty and her beautiful gowns. Her beauty belied a steely resolve. Nicknamed the “Steel Butterfly” her determination lead her to be one of the first women in Hollywood to make a six figure salary. This week, Ms. Young’s career and legacy will be celebrated with a gala and tribute to celebrate her centenary on Jan. 30 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA. The tribute is open to the general public and tickets can be purchased online. Attendees will be treated to movie clips, memories and an exclusive exhibit of Loretta’s famous dresses and jewelry. To get the inside track on what’s coming up, and to learn more about Loretta, we interviewed Loretta Young’s daughter-in-law and confidant, Linda Lewis. Following is our exclusive interview with Ms. Lewis.

Q. Tell us what is planned to celebrate Loretta’s Centenary?

We are wrapping up the official 100^th anniversary year and moving into a sustained marketing of LY’s name and legacy with a series of film festivals, a touring exhibit, a bio-pic and HBO mini-series based on her life. We’ve also created the first Loretta Young Innovative Women in Film Award and chosen the first recipient – a young director Crystal Us from Los Angeles who will be carrying Loretta’s legacy forward.

The always fashionable Loretta Young in a publicity pose.

Q. What do you think were some of the Loretta’s favorite roles were?

Loretta’s favorite roles included Laugh Clown, Laugh due to her great affection for Lon Chaney and the opportunity that was given to her. She loved working on Come to the Stable with Celeste Holm plus, it was written by her good friend, Clare Booth Luce!

At the end of her life, she came to appreciate the “Pre-Code” movies – she felt her acting was appreciated because she was allowed to portray more compelling characters in that era. She enjoyed Midnight Mary, Born to Be Bad and Man’s Castle, this one especially because she loved working with Spencer Tracy.

Q. Over the years, she worked with some great people and some difficult people in Hollywood. Did she ever talk to you about some of the challenges she faced?

Yes, she did speak of working with some of her favorites and some that made life difficult – she was frightened and intimidated by Herbert Brenon on Laugh Clown, Laugh. He shook her confidence deeply, she was forever grateful to Lon Chaney and credited his mentoring with her continuing her career in acting. She wrote a beautiful letter of thanks to Frank Capra for teaching her more about being a good actress, she loved working with James Cagney and appreciated his generosity as an actor. She relished working with good actors and directors who knew their craft!

Q. Was there a part she missed that she wanted to play?

Rebecca and in some ways Scarlett O’Hara (in Gone with the Wind) although she felt the actresses that won the roles were best suited to have played them in the end

Q. Loretta had great style and quite an influence on fashion. She even sewed her own clothes, which is surprising for a star of her magnitude. Did she ever think about doing a celebrity labeled clothing line?

She did agree to design a line of Wedding Gowns and she had a finishing school called “The Loretta Young Way” – she was named the Best Dressed Woman in America for many years, as well.

Q. What do you think Loretta would most want to be remembered for?

I think she would love to be remembered for her body of work – no doubt, but more importantly – she told me once how difficult it had been to be a practicing Catholic and a movie star – so she would most like to be remembered for being a kind & considerate person who helped people often and with an open heart. She did charity work with the homeless women on Skid Row in LA, spent years as the President & supporter of St. Anne’s in Los Angeles and would be so proud of the Loretta Young Louis Memorial Chapel in Palm Springs, which was established after her death in 2000.

Loretta Young with Spencer Tracy (photo courtesy of Linda Lewis)

Q. I have to ask, who do you think was the great love of Loretta’s life? I was surprised to see some of the love letters she shared with Spencer Tracy.

Yes, in retrospect I believe Spencer and Loretta’s love was deep and genuine but it was not to be – they both dealt with the facts and moved on, but not without regret. She loved her husband, Tom Lewis (who she meet after she ended things with Tracy) and worked very hard to make her marriage work, but the pressures of working together made it difficult and after many years, they separated and eventually divorced. She and Jean Louis had a wonderful marriage based on many years of friendship. Theirs was a companionable and easy marriage, filled with love and respect and it was a joy for them to end their years together.

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If you’re a film lover, you may want to take advantage of the opportunity to attend this celebration of Loretta Young’s life and work at the Alex Theatre on Jan 30th, 2014. Despite her great talent, Ms. Young was never honored in her lifetime with an AFI tribute, Kennedy Center Honors or an honorary Oscar. Turner Classic Movies has been one of the few to honor Loretta Young’s career with regular airings of her films and a tribute narrated by her goddaughter Marlo Thomas (watch the tribute above).

Her family continues to work hard to remember Loretta’s legacy and her long career in Hollywood. Future plans to commemorate Ms. Young’s life include a planned Bio-pic. I think the story of just Ms. Young’s “relationship” with Clark Gable would be worth watching that movie for.