READY FOR HER CLOSE-UP: GLORIA SWANSON'S 100TH BIRTHDAY

READY FOR HER CLOSE-UP: GLORIA SWANSON'S 100TH BIRTHDAY

LOS ANGELES (Wireless Flash) -- This Saturday (Mar. 27) marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Gloria Swanson, an actress who was a real nut -- literally. According to veteran Hollywood tour guide Stephen Schochet, Swanson was a fanatic vegetarian for most of her life, and once claimed she cured a cyst on her breast with her veggie diet. Other unusual tidbits about the Silver Screen siren... -- In 1939, Swanson started a company called "Multiprises" which helped Austrian and German inventors manufacture inventions like luminescent paint. -- Swanson's second ex-husband used his $75,000 divorce settlement to open the legendary Brown Derby restaurant, which is where the Cobb Salad was created. -- And, finally, the famous "Sunset Boulevard" star actually wasn't the first choice to play the role of "Norma Desmond." Producers asked Mary Pickford and Mae West before offering it to Swanson.

CONTACT: Stephen Schochet, ****; LA; (310) 827-9074