Elissa Landi was an aristocrat by birth, the granddaughter of the Empress Elizabeth of Austria, – her father an Italian count and her mother an Austrian countess. From the London stage, Rouben Mamoulian took her to Broadway in "A Farewell to Arms" which led to a Fox contract (1931). Other than THE YELLOW TICKET with Olivier, her films for them were mediocre, although she was a talented actress. De Mille borrowed her to play the Christian heroine of THE SIGN OF THE CROSS (`33). She failed to complete Fox's I LOVED YOU ON WEDNESDAY and the script was changed to feature 16-year-old June Lang in the ballet dance of the maidens. Fox dissolved their agreement and Landi acquired a reputation for being difficult. On to Columbia where Harry Cohn acquired NIGHT BUS and set Clark Gable and Arline Judge - but Cohn decided Judge was too young in contrast to Gable. He cast Landi. There were script problems and eventually Claudette Colbert won out. At the Academy Awards (1935), the script now retitled IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT claimed five Oscars. Cohn instead assigned her a sophisticated drama, SISTERS UNDER THE SKIN, but when she refused THE PARTY'S OVER with Stuart Erwin, so was her Columbia pact. Sadly no roles of consequence followed THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO opposite Robert Donat and ENTER MADAME with Cary Grant, in which she was a prima donna. Because of her friend, Myrna Loy, she had a supporting role in AFTER THE THIN MAN and two other MGM programmers, but her movie career was finished. She deserted Hollywood for New York and took to lecturing in colleges, on radio, summer stock, in addition to teaching at City College of New York. In 1943, Landi turned up in PRC'S CORREGI­DOR. On Broadway, she fared better in "Dark Hammock" (‘44). She died in 1948 of cancer, at 43 in , Kingston, New York.

     When Viennese sensation Tala Birell first appeared in 1932 fan magazines, Universal heralded . her as "Another Garbo" because of her sad, languid, indifferent look. The razzle-dazzle ended soon when THE DOOMED BATTALION and NAGANA were quickly forgotten. Plans to star her in NAN were shelved. It was unlikely that a major studio would pick up such a publicized failure, but again energetic Harry Cohn came to the rescue. Columbia put her in CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (`35) as the tragic Dovinia but even with Von Sternberg's visual genius, the results were bland. John Gilbert's last picture, THE CAPTAIN HATES THE SEA she appeared as a temperamental movie queen. Back at Universal, Birell was top-billed with Walter Pidgeon in SHE'S DANGEROUS (‘37). In the 1940's, she had good roles in THE SONG OF BERNA­DETTE and low budgets like WOMAN IN BONDAGE. In 1947 she still continued to essay her sultry stock in trade in CALCUTTA. Birell soon drifted into obscurity and is rumored to have died behind the Iron Curtain in 1959 at 51.

     Samuel Goldwyn advertised the fact that he spent a million dollars on the exotic sweepstakes on Russian actress Anna Sten but all to little effect. She arrived in ‘32 as Goldwyn's personal candidate to oust Garbo and ended up becoming known as ‘Goldwyn's Folly.' Sten's ill-starred bid for stardom in Zola's NANA was toned down for US audiences. It didn't matter – they stayed away. The same happened with WE LIVE AGAIN and THE WEDDING NIGHT co-starring Gary Cooper. Sten signed with Grand National, but made only one ‘B', EXILE EXPRESS (‘39) and has worked only occasionally since that time. In 1960, she was on Broadway in "Three Penny Opera." She lives in Beverly Hills, where she recently held an exhibit of her paintings.

     Gwili Andre, a stunning model from Denmark was once publicized as ‘America's most beautiful model.' David O. Zelznick saw famed Steichen's photos of her looking alluring and Garboish and took her to RKO. In THE ROAR OF THE DRAGON and THE MYSTERIES OF THE FRENCH POLICE, critics thought she lacked anima­tion and she swiftly returned to modeling. Close friend, George Cukor gave her a bit in A WOMAN'S FACE (`41). Finally, there was the small ocean front apartment, meagerly furnished, where she lived out her last years. When she burned to death in 1959 the day after her 52nd birthday, she was surrounded by boxes of faded news­paper clippings, stills and her old magazine covers.

Paramount quickly signed up Isa Miranda when Marlene Dietrich departed (‘38). Not only did this Italian star look like Dietrich, she starred in HOTEL IMPERIAL, originally planned as I LOVE A SOLDIER, a vehicle for Dietrich. She was bounced out of Cukor's ZAZA after five days of shooting and replaced by Claudette Colbert. "But I did ZAZA abroad afterwards and also in the theatre with Vittorio De Sica," she later said. "It was one of my greatest successes." ADVENTURE IN DIAMONDS didn't help her faltering Hollywood career and she returned to Italy (`40). with De Sica, she starred on stage in "The Guardsman", “Tovarich” and the Italian film comedy, MISTAKE TO BE ALIVE. She's considered one of Italy's most distinguished actresses.
     At the height of the Garboesque vogue, some of the other imitations were: Sari Maritza, a Chaplin discovery who passed herself off as Continental, but was a British girl. Last reported living in Georgetown, MD.
     Dorothea Wieck, the compassionate school mistress of MAEDCHEN IN UNIFORM whose brief Hollywood fame lasted through, MISS FANE'S BABY IS STOLEN and the nun in CRADLE SONG. Swiss-born, she lives in West Berlin. English Lilian Harvey was at her best in German-made musicals but had some success in US, notably I AM SUZANNE. Returned to Germany and died at 61 in 1968. Hungarian Zita Johann is remembered as the reincarnation of the Egyptian girl in THE MUMMY. She lives on a country estate on the Hudson. Germany's Lil Dagover's only Hollywood film, THE WOMAN FROM MONTE CARLO bombed. Still active, in two Maximilian Schell-directed films, THE PEDESTRIAN and FREDERICUS. Cecil B. deMille presented his Hungarian gift FRANCISKA GAAL in THE. In 1940, she returned to Budapest and succeeded Eva Gabor on Broadway (`51) in "The Happy Times." She died in 1972 at 68. French Ketti Gallian looked more like Alice Faye when Fox put her opposite Spencer Tracy in MARIE GALANTE and UNDER THE PAMPAS MOON. Despite good reviews, Fox let their new prize property go to Paramount with Ketti going through her 'Dietrich phase' – but nothing happened. She was gone by the late 1930's and died at 59 in 1972. Danielle Darrieux arrived for THE RAGE OF PARIS (‘38) and the ads read "Fifty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong!" Before it's release, she was back in France. Other French imports, were Annabella and less successfully, Olympe Bradna, Mireille Balin and Jacqueline Laurent.

     Geraldine Divorak, Kathryn Serquva, Charlotte Susa and Luli Deste got some publicity as Garbo Look-alikes. And even Eugenie Leontovich, who created the role of Grusinskaya in the Broadway version of "Grand Hotel."
     As you can see, (except for Dietrich), Garbo was never to have any other serious competition. But they were glamorous - these sensational 'Garbo-esque' creations.

Kirk Crivello