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" In this first-ever biography of Greer Garson, Michael Troyan sweeps away the many myths that even today veil her life. The true origins of her birth, her fairy-tale discovery in Hollywood, and her career struggles at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are revealed for the first time. Garson combined an everywoman quality with grace, charm, and refinement. She won the Academy Award in 1941 for her role in Mrs. Miniver, and for the next decade she reigned as the queen of MGM. Co-star Christopher Plummer remembered, ""Here was a siren who had depth, strength, dignity, and humor who could inspire great trust, suggest deep intellect and whose misty languorous eyes melted your heart away!"" Garson earned a total of seven Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, and fourteen of her films premiered at Radio City Music Hall, playing for a total of eighty-four weeks--a record never equaled by any other actress. She was a central figure in the golden age of the studios, working with legendary performers Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Errol Flynn, Joan Crawford, Robert Mitchum, Debbie Reynolds, and Walter Pidgeon. Garson's experiences offer a fascinating glimpse at the studio system in the years when stars were closely linked to a particular studio and moguls such as L.B. Mayer broke or made careers. With the benefit of exclusive access to studio production files, personal letters and diaries, and the cooperation of her family, Troyan explores the triumphs and tragedies of her personal life, a story more colorful than any role she played on screen.

Customer Reviews (22)

GG: An educated, cultured, and well-mannered movie star!
Greer Garson was an educated, cultured, and well-mannered movie star. These are already three unheard of qualities even in today's entertainment business. A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson, though not as detailed as one might have wanted regarding her personal life, shows an amusing, yet tough side of her, that I am sure will entertain readers. She was really one-of-a kind. It is refreshing to read biographies of successful people, movie stars especially, where scandal and unscrupulous behavior does not prevail. This is a clean book about someone who wanted to be successful. I highly recommend A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson.

Less than expected
I would not rate this a 5-- 3 is good enough. I was disappointed because there was not as much humanity as I would have liked. What does that mean? Although Greer did many things, I had no idea why she did anything. I could find little depth into her personality. I wanted to know her and all I learned was her actions not her motivation. Impressive but not my cup if tea.

A good life!
Greer Garson bought talent to her work and a pleasure to her audience.It's nice to know that her life was lived well!

Loved It!
This is a well written biography.I've never been a big fan of Greer Garson, but I'll watch her movies with a new appreciation now that I know her background.

The Wonderful Greer Garson
Michael Troyan has done a wonderful job of putting together an informative and enjoyable biography on a fascinating subject. In fact, I found the book so delightful as to find it to be one of the best biographies I've ever read.

While there is no doubt that the charming personality of Greer Garson herself that radiates throughout the book has helped in the formation of my favorable opinion, I give much-deserved kudos to Mr. Troyan for being able to present his subject to the audience in such a friendly manner. By that I mean that throughout the pages, I could feel the presence of Greer Garson, and after having finished the book, felt as if I had just finished reading a letter from a long-time friend.

The first half of the book, which deals with Greer's childhood, life in Britain as a stage actress, and the later move to Hollywood, is generally a smooth and easy read. The toll of the grinding studio system and the competition involved for the popular actresses of the time are keenly felt and one can get a very good idea of the kind of position the actress was in at the time. Eventually though, talent perseveres and success follows. Detailed and interesting accounts of each of Greer's films are available and are a joy to read.

The latter half of the book is a particularly refreshing read because of the relatively vast amount of information about Greer's later life outside of Hollywood. Personally, I had not previously been aware of her various activities and hobbies and learned a great deal more about Greer Garson than when I first started out. A sign of a good biography is new information, and this one certainly has its fair share.

Now, all other traits aside, the most notable accomplishment of this work is that it does not read as a stiff, dull and fact-driven thesis paper, which is a pitfall that so many biographies of this kind can fall into. Rather, it is an intimate yet respectfully distant portrait of a lovely human being who was also a remarkable artist in her own right. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, NM), published by The Santa Fe New Mexican on April 24, 2009. The length of the article is 1816 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: GOODBYE MR. WECKESSER; AFTER 44 YEARS, IT'S CURTAINS FOR GREER GARSON'S THEATER.(Pasatiempo)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, NM) (Newspaper)
Date: April 24, 2009
Publisher: The Santa Fe New Mexican
Page: PA-26

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
This gorgeous 1944 Merrill reproduction is an all movie costume paper doll book with clothes from Goodbye Mr. Chips, Blossoms in the Dust, When Ladies Meet, Mrs. Miniver, Pride and Prejudice, Random Harvest, Madame Curie and Mrs. Parkington. The beautiful cover design by Fred Madan features three lovely Greer dolls to go with eight inside clothing pages. David Wolfe, fashion expert and Greer Garson fan, wrote a star biography for the inside back cover. ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Greer Garson, Stanley Holloway, Steve Marriott, Jack Cornwell, Alan Fox, John Dumphreys, the Mitchell Brothers, George Leslie Drewry, Jimmy Skidmore, Hubert Hunt. Excerpt:Alan Fox (23 January 1920 26 June 2002) was an English industrial sociologist , who revolutionised the separate discipline of industrial relations , which is also known as employment relations , labor relations and workplace relations . Fox, who grew up in Manor Park, London , was the son of Walter Henry Fox and Rhoda Fox, née Rous. Walter Fox was a machine enameller by trade and a veteran of the First World War . Alan Fox failed his eleven plus examination and like most British working class children of his generation left school at the age of 14. He worked first as a laboratory assistant at a grammar school and then in a photographic film factory. When the Second World War broke out, Fox joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) and applied for aircrew training, but was rejected due to poor eyesight. He served initially as a ground staff photographer in India and Burma , with the rank of Corporal . He volunteered for service as an aerial photographer with No. 3 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, which undertook hazardous missions over Japanese -held areas, using North American Mitchell aircraft. Fox, who was promoted to Sergeant , received the Distinguished Flying Medal (RAF). After the war, Fox worked for the Forestry Commission in Scotland. In 1947 48, he undertook a diploma in public administration at Ruskin College , an independent institution in Oxford . Fox then entered the University of Oxford , where he spent the majority of his academic career, studying economics and political science at Exeter College . In 1950, while lecturing at Ruskin, he completed a Bachelor of Letters (B.Litt.) thesis on the history of... ... Read more

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1946 - Adventure (Orig Pub. as The Anointed) - By Clyde Brion Davis - 2nd Edition - Movie Tie In - Hardcover - With Dust Jacket - Forum Motion Picture Edition - Stars: Clark Gable, Greer Garson, Joan Blondell, Thomas Mitchell - From MGM - RARE - Very Hard to Find - Dust Jacket is in rough shape, but the book is clean, pages are tanned - Good Condition - Very Collectible ... Read more

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Chapters: Greer Garson, Elizabeth Ii of the United Kingdom, Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow, Donald Maclean, Ran Laurie, Sir Max Aitken, 2nd Baronet, James Clow. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 58. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926) is queen regnant of 16 independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. She holds each crown separately and equally in a shared monarchy, as well as acting as Head of the Commonwealth. As a constitutional monarch, she is politically neutral and by convention her role is largely ceremonial. In the United Kingdom, she is Supreme Governor of the established Church of England. When Elizabeth was born, the British Empire was a pre-eminent world power, but its influence declined, particularly after the Second World War, and the empire evolved into the Commonwealth of Nations. Her father, George VI, was the last Emperor of India and the first Head of the Commonwealth. On his death in 1952, Elizabeth became Head of the Commonwealth, and queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon. During her reign, which at 58 years is one of the longest for a British monarch, she became queen of 25 other countries within the Commonwealth as they gained independence. Between 1956 and 1992, half of her realms, including South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon (renamed Sri Lanka), became republics. In 1947, Elizabeth married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. They have four ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=12153654 ... Read more