All the Stars in the Heavens Read Online Free PDF Page B

loss of a man at the head of her household, or at least she hoped it would.
    Gladys was a stage mother to her daughters, all of whom hadfound their way into acting in motion pictures. Even her son Jackie had appeared in a couple of movies as an extra before losing interest. The girls had also begun as extras, but eventually earned speaking parts. However, only one, her Gretchen, who went by the stage name Loretta Young, was devoted to the craft, and therefore was the most successful.
    Jackie had entered law school. He had grown up as a ward to their wealthy neighbors, the Lindley family, who had unofficially adopted him. For most of the years of his childhood, before Mutt Belzer courted Gladys, Jackie came and went between the two houses in what became a natural and mutually beneficial arrangement. Gladys allowed it because her son was happy and enjoyed the attention of Mr. Lindley, his surrogate father, a role Gladys could not provide since his own father, John Earle Young, had left her and their children and, true to his word, never returned.
    Gladys left the painter to his work and went inside.
    She surveyed the grand foyer, with its luxurious carpeted staircase shaped like a corkscrew. A chandelier dripping with sparkling crystal daggers threw shards of light on the marble floor, as though diamonds had been scattered across it. Inspired by Italian frescoes, which she had seen in books, Gladys commissioned an artist to paint a mural with a scene set in the old South. The pastoral setting, using a palette of moss green, midnight blue, and dusty pink, featured her daughters as antebellum characters in hoop skirts and picture hats.
    If Gladys wanted to sell something as an interior decorator, all she need do was display the item in her own home. Hand-painted murals became the rage in Beverly Hills.
    A similar rationale helped Gladys sell her customers French antiques, English chintz, Italian damasks, and French toile along with custom-dyed wool rugs. Sunset House became a venue for chic garden parties and proper teas that introduced guests to her largesse, her daughters, and most importantly her keen eye, which led to lucrative commissions.
    Just as Gladys created idyllic homes and gardens, her daughters were creating images for the public, on film and in magazines, of the glorious power and potential of youth. The girls took their popularityseriously. It was not enough for an actress to deliver a great performance on a sound stage; the girls also had a responsibility to their fans, and to the public, to be examples of moral purity. The veneer was lacquered to a high polish, so dazzling you could skate on it. The Young sisters were popular with the studio bosses because of their talent, but even without it, they would have been welcome in the front office as well-raised young ladies with lovely manners.
    Gladys sat down at her desk and pinned swatches of gold chenille to a collage she had created for a client. Gladys had sketched the rooms, painted the scene, and pinned paint samples, wood chips, and swatches of fabric to a corkboard.
    Often the clients kept the collage when a project was completed, as the design board itself was a work of art. Without a traditional education, Gladys devised her own approach to interior decorating, which had its roots in gracious living and homemaking. She expanded her acumen as she learned about architecture, studying the work of her contemporaries James Dolena and Wallace Neff. Gladys designed from the bones out, keeping within the style of the architecture. She used the best materials, went for opulence, and insisted upon comfort, outfitting the home for gracious living, down to the silverware.
    While Gladys learned about floor plans from architects and techniques from contractors, she learned about scope and drama from the great set designers in cinema. Gladys observed the work of Cedric Gibbons, who encouraged her to use her imagination and take risks with color and historical