In 1926: living at the edge of time - Monoskop

STARS 209
as a symptom of cultural decay: "We live in ... a real jazz-band age
whose heroes are the prizefighter and the movie star, and which reveals
all the details of their huge orgies" (Kolbe, 378). However intensely
Thomas Mann may resent this scenario, he is certainly right in singling
out athletes, movie stars, and popular musicians as the true stars of the
moment (Willet, 102). For stardom depends on performance. Only a
body in performance can be a presence that enhances the spectator's
desire for emulation and spatial closeness. Only a body in performance
can be seen by a collective as the incarnation of a specific type of
individuality. [see Individuality = Collectivity (Leader)]
But not every body in performance becomes the body of a star. Exceptional
physical achievements are only one criterion for stardom. Babe
Ruth's noms de guerre show that, even in his case, when it comes to
constituting a halo of stardom, athletic prowess and a particular physical
appearance unite with certain collective fantasies and something as incidental
as the sheer sensual pleasure of alliteration. He is known as "the
Behemoth of Bust, the Colossus of Clout, the Caliph of Clout, the
Maharajah of Mash, the Rajah of Rap, the Sultan of Swat, the Wazir of
Wham, the Bambino" (Ritter and Rucker, 101). Earlier than other sectors
of the entertainment world, the film industry has understood that in
order to manufacture true stars, one must manufacture their private lives
as part of their public personae. Stars may explicitly claim the right to
keep their private lives private, but the very nature of their profession
cannot help blurring the distinction between private and public. For only
a private body made public (or a public body staged as a private body)
will stimulate a collective desire for individual closeness. From the earliest
days of her Hollywood career, Greta Garbo observes how eagerly her
male screen partners try to transform their fictional love stories into real
love stories-and she is furious to see that they do so with strong
encouragement and support from the studios (Gronowicz, 189f£.). Soon,
however, she takes an important step in her career by succumbing to the
charms of leading man Jack Gilbert. Her previous lover, the Swedish film
director Mauritz Stiller, offers a caustic analysis of the situation: "In the
opinion of most critics, Gilbert is emotionally shallow and his interests
lie not in film but in women. Escapades with them are touched up in the
publicity department and sent to the press. His adventures have caused
him to become an idol of the lonely American woman, and his poor
acting is covered up by his so-called good looks" (212).