Episode 26 – “Sunset Blvd” Star Nancy Olson Livingston Recalls Her Glamorous Hollywood Life – Part 2
During the second part of Tony Miros’s fascinating interview with Academy Award nominated actress Nancy Olson Livingston he talks with her about her recently published memoir “A Front Row Seat: An Intimate Look at Broadway, Hollywood, and the Age of Glamour”, what it was like for her to work with director Billy Wilder on his iconic film “Sunset Blvd”, her memories of co-stars William Holden & Gloria Swanson, her thoughts about the musical version of “Sunset Blvd,” as well as other captivating stories from her extraordinary life married to famed musical theater lyricist & librettist Alan Jay Lerner (“My Fair Lady”) & her equally remarkable life with her second husband Alan Livingston, President of Capitol Records, who was responsible for reviving Frank Sinatra’s recording career and bringing The Beatles to the U.S.!
NANCY OLSON LIVINGSTON
Nancy Olson was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was educated at the University of Wisconsin before transferring to California’s UCLA, where she was discovered by Paramount Studios & signed to a contract in 1948.
Her first starring role was opposite Randolph Scott in the film, “Canadian Pacific” (1949), which created instant stardom for the aspiring actress. Soon after her film debut, she was cast as aspiring screenwriter, Betty Schaffer, in Billy Wilder’s iconic, classic film, “Sunset Boulevard” (1950) with William Holden & Gloria Swanson. The success of the film garnered her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Soon after making Sunset , she met celebrated librettist, Alan Jay Lerner (Lerner & Lowe). Lerner began a courtship with her while she continued her movie career, starring in “Mr. Music” (1950) with Bing Crosby, & “Union Station” (1950) with William Holden.
In the spring of 1950, Nancy married Alan Jay Lerner & the two settled in together while she was working on films “Submarine Command” (1951) and “Force of Arms” (1951), both with Holden, and while Lerner was creating the musical “Paint Your Wagon” (1951) with Fedrick Lowe.
Although she began to focus more on her family life, she continued to make pictures, including starring with John Wayne in “Big Jim McLaine” (1952) with Steve Forrest in “So Big” (1953), & with Will Rogers in “The Boy from Oklahoma” (1954). She also starred in the blockbuster movie, “Battle Cry” (1955) with Aldo Ray.
After she divorced Lerner, she turned to the theater to revitalize her career. She starred in a series of Broadway plays & made several appearances in films for the Walt Disney studio. “The Absent-Minded Professor” (1961) and “Son of Flubber” (1963) paired her with Fred MacMurray. She also appeared alongside Hayley Mills in “Pollyanna” (1960) “Smith!” (1969) with Glenn Ford, & “Snowball Express” (1972) with Dean Jones.
During the later half of her career, she married her second husband, Alan Wendell Livingston, who at the time was president of Capitol Records. Throughout the 1960s & 1970s, she did guest roles on television shows & continued making movies, starring in the hit disaster movie “Airport 75” (1974), “Making Love” (1982) & making a guest appearance in Disney’s remake of “Flubber” (1997) starring Robin Williams.
In her new memoir, “A Front Row Seat: An Intimate Look at Broadway, Hollywood, and the Age of Glamour”, Livingston treats readers to an intimate look into her life as a woman, wife, mother, and actress working and building a life in the last gleaming years of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Her book "A Front Row Seat" - https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813196190/a-front-row-seat/
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Front-Row-Seat-Intimate-Hollywood/dp/0813196191
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Nancy Olson Livingston
Actress / Author
Nancy Olson was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of a prominent physician, Henry Olson, and his wife Evelyn Olson. Nancy was educated at the University of Wisconsin before transferring to California’s UCLA, where she was discovered by Paramount Studios and signed to a contract in 1948.
Olson’s first starring role was opposite Randolph Scott in the feature film, “Canadian Pacific” (1949), which created instant stardom for the aspiring actress and catapulted her into a world of iconic personalities which included developing a relationship with John F. Kennedy (future US president) and sharing experiences with legendary screen idols Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin, and directors, William Wyler, Cecil B. Demille, and George Stevens.
Soon after her film debut, Olson was cast as aspiring screenwriter, Betty Schaffer, in Billy Wilder’s iconic, classic film, “Sunset Boulevard” (1950) with William Holden and Gloria Swanson. The success of the film pushed her career over the top, garnering her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Soon after making “Sunset Boulevard”, Olson met celebrated librettist, Alan Jay Lerner (Lerner & Lowe) during the time he was writing the screenplay for “An American in Paris”, for which he received an Academy Award. Lerner began a courtship with Olson while she continued her movie career, starring in “Mr. Music” (1950) with Bing Crosby, and “Union Station” (1950) with William Holden.
In the spring of 1950, Nancy Olson married Alan Jay Lerner a… Read More
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