Lillian Gish Tells Beauty Routine – By Arlene Dahl (Chicago Tribune – 1954)

 

Lillian Gish Tells Beauty Routine – By Arlene Dahl (Chicago Tribune – 1954)

  • Chicago Tribune – November 8, 1954 – Page 39
  • Lillian Gish Tells Beauty Routine
  • By Arlene Dahl
The Night of The Hunter

After an eight year absence, Lillian Gish is back in Hollywood for a starring role in “Night of the Hunter.” Graciously she greeted me at the door of her apartment when I called.

Over coffee and cakes, we discussed the beauty routine of this charming veteran of many stage and screen roles. Noticing her slender figure, I asked first about her diet.

“You wouldn’t think I had one, looking at this,” she said laughingly as she indicated the plate of sweets before us. “I’ve never had to worry about being too fat. I can eat anything I please.

“But I do try to eat healthy foods. I often shop at the stores which carry organically grown products. I don’t believe in super-refined foods – never eat white bread. Feeling fit is the best way to look well, don’t you think?”

Lillian Gish at Bad Nauheim Germany

Beer Cure

I asked Miss Gish if she’d ever been too thin.

“Yes, at a time when I had worked eight or nine years without a vacation,” she said. “I was thin, nervous, completely run down. To recuperate, I went to Munich and took the beer cure – my own invention. They have wonderful beer in Munich – 16 different kinds. It is very mild, and they serve it with huge white radishes and coarse salt.

“Since I’m not a drinker, just one glass of beer would make me relaxed and sleepy. I would have one for lunch, take a long nap, have another at dinner, and sleep like a baby all night. After three weeks if that, I had gained pounds and felt completely refreshed!”

Miss Gish’s ash blonde hair shone in the afternoon sun as she bent forward to sip her coffee. Simply pulled back in a bun, it looked long and luxuriant.

When I mentioned her hair, she said: “Yes, it comes to my waist. I never cut it, and I’ve never changed the color. I have it washed in a beauty salon which has branches all over the world. They believe in a healthy scalp. They wash the hair with a sponge and dry it by hand with towels. No dryers. No matter what color hair is, it’s pretty if it’s shining and healthy, don’t you think?

Uses Almond Oil

When I asked for her favorite beauty preparation, Miss Gish told me: “My mother used to make her own cold cream with almond oil and other ingredients. I don’t bother making cream, but I still use almond oil, mixed with baby oil, to remove my make-up when I’m working.” In private life, she uses only powder and lipstick.

Asked if she had any philosophy regarding beauty, Miss Gish replied: “I don’t think a woman can be more attractive outside than she is inside. After 30, her character is pretty well written in her face. For the rest, I think God designs His scenery very well. But a little embellishment is fun. Wouldn’t the world be dull without it!”

1954 Press Photo Silent Movie Actress Lillian Gish and Director Charles Laughton – Adv Press R.

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