Ava Gardner in her sixty-second year, by Helmut Newton, London, 1984.
I think the very beautiful Gardner only became more so as she aged. It's very difficult for a woman celebrated for her physical beauty - and she was, more than anything else; she was rarely a terribly compelling actress - to be allowed - to allow herself - to gracefully, naturally age. But I think the lines that eventually appeared on her face and the life experience that showed through her graceful, sensual features made her more beautiful than she'd ever been.
I was living in London during the mid '80s , studying at the Royal School of Needle Work on Hyde park, often having my lunch sitting on a bench there. One day a small dog decided I was its long lost best friend and started jumping all over me. The apologetic owner sat with me, asked if I minded if she lit up a cigarette and we laughed about the dog, Londoners, the weather, the latest politicians scandal etc. I felt sure we had met before and it was a good ten minutes before I realized it was Ava Gardner I was sitting with. She was perfectly lovely, aged and a little fragile but just as riveting as in her Hollywood heyday and so natural and down to earth. Sadly I never did see her in the park again, I learned sometime later that she had had several strokes around that time, perhaps that day was one of the last time she ever took her little dog for a walk in the park.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful and poignant memory. I'm so grateful that you shared it here. Thank you.
DeleteIf you're ever in North Carolina, you should make the time to visit the Ava Gardner Museum in the not-so-bustling downtown of Smithfield. It's housed, appropriately, in a converted movie theater, and is filled with all kinds of wonderful memorabilia, including her family's bible, many costumes, all kinds of accessories, movie scripts, letters, and her Academy Award Nomination Certificate. There's a decent book about Ava's life called "Grabtown Girl" which details how she grew up in the surrounding area, and actually spent many summers picking tobacco on her family's farm! Quite a journey from there to Hollywood. Thank you for posting all the photos, and I totally agree, she would have been a great person to hang out and drink and gossip with. I love your blog and photos, thank you so much for all the work you clearly put in curating it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information about the museum. Sounds like it would be a lovely place to visit, to linger over her memories.... And thank you for your kind words about the blog; I so enjoy putting these things together. : )
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