Lili Kardell
Once upon a time, 1931, 26th of May, a little baby girl was born, In a small town called Norrköping in Sweden.
She came with the spring, an early Tuesday morning.
She was named Ingalill, by her father Tore and her mother Margit.
She was the cousin of my mom, named Anita, but they were more like close sisters, through all the years. Growing up together and as teenagers they also shared apartment in Stockholm.
When Ingalill died, 1987, I inherited every picture, both private and from different Studios in Hollywood, she had saved. I also have the clipbook her father so proudly created and updated regularly and the tabloids her mother saved, when Ingalill send them to her.
I also have letters she wrote.
Some called her Inga-Lill, others called her “Lili” but for me, she was and will always be my “Mami”.
Out of various but personal reasons, she has always been very close to my heart, always present in my life as long as she lived and still is.
Always with me.
This is a promise fulfilled, many many years later than I once thought
and intended.
I can’t and I won’t tell her whole life story. Most of it is personal, but here are the official one, with some personal comments.
With all my love & respect, Mami, here it is, as promised.
You are very missed and very loved.
Please don’t use pictures without being in contact first, thank you.
Sanna
Her mom, Margit Kardell, in the Swedish summer.
She was always so proud of her daughter, even if she didn’t always liked her ideas, but she was always supportive.
During the years she worried about her daughter and how she felt in her heart and soul, but also knew she followed her souls calling.
She did what she needed to do.
Her daddy, Tore Kardell. He loved photography.
He was one of many siblings to my grandma, Dagny.
In the beginning he didn’t like his daughter’s dreams but after a couple of years he was even more proud of her, than maybe her mother.
They lived in Norrköping, Sweden until their death.
Teens...
Free translation from Swedish tabloid in Aftonbladet 19/12, 1954.
1947
Lili visits Stockholm by herself for the first time in her life, without parents but with a friend.
The young girls (Ingalill and Anita) showed up at “Nalen”, a night/ jazz club in Old Town (still is) and Topsy’s talang scout noticed them in the audience.
The time was coming for the annual beauty contest “Tusenskönan” (“The Daisy”) and Inga-lill wanted to participate.
The contest meant that some beautiful girls was parading on stage with each number. A jury, men, then voted which girl they believed was more beautiful. The name “Tusensköna” came from the swedish word “Tusen” (Thousand) because that was the winners prize.
One thousand swedish SEK, which was a lot back then.
Topsy Lindblom, the owner of “Nalen” and responsible for the contest, said she was too young, only 16 and wanted a signed acceptance from her parents, before it could happen.
Ingalill travelled back to Norrköping and her mother Margit signed it, but her father Tore had objections, but no one listened to him.
Topsy paid for the girls travel back to Stockholm.
According to the paper, Topsy later said that Lili was the most beautiful girl and with a charming personality, so he made an exception for her.
He also said only 10% of the girls register themselves and also that in his eyes, Ingalill was the obvious winner.
She came 2nd place and won half the amount, 500 SEK
The winner had been at “Nalen” for over a month and danced every night so she would be noticed in advance.
This was the only time Topsy Lindblom disagreed with the audience, the jury, he said.
A couple of days later the “Nalen” went to a small town in Sweden, called Gävle, to make a show.
At this time there had been a big discussion between Topsy Lindblom and Ingalill’s father, Tore.
He called Topsy several times and yelled at him and accused Topsy for kidnapping his daughter and even made a police report about it!
Ingalill quit school and ran away from home, angry at her father who she thought destroyed her whole future and life.
She ran back to Stockholm and lived with relatives and my mom Anita, in a suburb called Mälarhöjden.
The story in the newspaper continues and Topsy told them that one day there was a knock on his door.
“-Life is boring” Ingalill told Topsy. “Can’t you please adopt me?”
“That would be the way for me to make a name for myself!”
He said he thought about it for a while but didn’t want to risk his own family life.
At this time Ingalill was short of money and Topsy lend her some.
He also helped her to get a job at an office and also a part-time job as a model.
After a while she started to be seen in the daily press ads.
“-She wrote me many times, but when I gave her a parental advice she stopped and disappeared from my life.
Topsy refused the suggestion about adoption and sometimes he thinks about the different human fates that shows up at “Nalen”.
But he felt there was something special about this girl.
She knew what she wanted in life.
Before Ingalill left for the United States some times later, she returned the money I lent her, Topsy ended the interview.
The Early days...
First performances
While working as “Firebug” and also as a model, she had the opportunity to be in Swedish theater with Povel Ramel and his “Knäppup-revy“.
1952-1953
Inga-Lill toured with Povel Ramel and his “Knäppupprevy”, “Buttoned up” – Show.
She was seen walking around in pyjama during the “warm-up” and she contributed in a couple of shows with “the Flickery Flies”.
She also took foam baths on the stage but they cut this out after some time because of the intense interest from the male guests.
From time to time she was a stand-in for a Swedish very well known actress named Brita Borg.
Furthermore Ingalill appeared on the cover of swedish tabloids, as seen above. One of the rare picture, in color.
1954
Appearance and actress in the Swedish movie “I rök och dans” “(In smoke and dance”) by Povel Ramel and with the Swedish actor Martin Ljung.
Personal Comment: I’ve seen this movie, it’s very strange, in black & white and she had a very small part.
Here a two of the clips from a Swedish tabloid.
More clips in the “Lili Gallery”.
Let the journey begin...
So, this woman, not a little girl anymore, wanted even more out of life and she travelled to the United States as a tourist, on vacation for a month.
Ingalill visited our relatives in San Fransisco, Aina & Tore (yes, they had the same name), her father’s sister & her husband.
She was noticed by Coca-Cola and soon she had 200.000 SEK in annual salary and in 1951 Ingalill became the big model for Coca-Cola, seen on giant posters, all around the United States.
She ended up with a film contract with Universal and some modelling contracts.
One day she had lunch with with a friend (another swedish actor, named Ina Anders), who was filming at this time with 20th Century Fox.
While she was a visitor at Fox, Ingalill was “noticed” by Billy Wilder.
Billy Wilder contacted a famous agent named Charlie Feldman, who also was the Agent for Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe at this time.
He came out to the 20th Century Fox Studio and took Ingalill to the Universal International Studios.
She auditioned and was put in the school for the corporations upcoming stars and the talent scout Ben Bard, was contacted.
Personal Comment_Here there are different stories about what happened and unfortunately I don’t know which one are closest to the reality.
But despite who noticed her first, she was very flattered about the opportunity and the attention.
In Hollywood...
The time came when Lili attended her first film party in Beverly Hills as Universals hopefully new star.
– “Despite all their fame, they were only humans”, she said.
” I loved being around all the celebrities, nervous at first, but soon I relaxed and just enjoyed it”, she continued.
The papers said she danced with Humphrey Bogart and Ingalill told them that William Holden was like an uncle and gave her good advices for the future”.
“- I talked with Laureen Bacall for a while and she obviously liked me because I was invited to dinner the next day”.
Ingalill also told the paper that Marilyn Monroe arrived later and Lili played the piano when Marilyn sang.
“- But it’s not only pleasure around here. One has to work hard too, and I have much to learn.”
She had now signed a contract for 7 years with Universal International.
One story goes that Mamie van Doren became a friend to Lili and
Mamies boyfriend Conrad Hilton, showed Ingalill around in Hollywood.
Mamie van Doren had ancestors from Sweden.
“-So many things have happened since I met Topsy at “Nalen” in Stockholm, I can hardly believe it all is true.
Life is wonderful!”
Because Ingalill still was very young, under 21, a judge had to approve her film contract with Universal.
Later the court of Los Angeles would decide how much she had to save, from the $125 /week which later would increase to $750 in 7 years.
The judge gave her a good advice!
Ingalill herself told the press she had to name herself Lili, because americans can’t pronounce her birthname.
So from this and onwards, she is Lili.
She rented an apartment at 8909 Haratt Street,off the Strip and bought
herself a car, a Pontiac.
Her interests at this time was cooking, especially Swedish meatballs.
TIt's easy to make money in this country, but they're also very hard to keep, so Save. Save!
A new star on the horizon!
James Dean
1955 – Modern screen, October 1955
Everything was newsworthy when it came to James Dean and Hollywood.
But not long ago James Dean was nobody.
Last October was he a young actor and he came to Hollywood because Pier Angeli was interested in him.
This was when he met Lili, both young and hopeful and a few photographers snapped pictures of them.
Both Lili and James was under contract with Dick Clayton, “Famous Artists” and he was the one introducing them to each other and they clicked right-away.
At this time Lili was said to have the best of Marilyn Monroe & Anita Ekberg, combined.
When Lili met James, she was under contract with Universal International (IU).
They met outside the Warner Studio and Mr. Clayton asked Lili if she ever heard about Jimmie Dean?
Lili answered “no” and asked if he was nice?
He’s the most wonderful guy, Dick answered.
They met and went across the street to get a cup of coffe….
Lili later said she wished Jimmy asked Dick for her phone number and ask her out for a date.
A few days later he did just that!
None of them earned that much money yet, so they used Lili’s car, now a 52´ Ford, and had dinner at the “Villa Capri”, one of Frank Sinatra‘s hangouts.
Later Lili said that Jimmy was not a man who liked phonies.
“Everything is easygoing with Jimmy, one doesn’t have to impress”.
That first night they went up to Earl Felton‘s place, a writer and a friend of Jimmy and everything brought about a growing foundness for each other.
Later when they drove back home, to the Valley Sands, where Lili was living for the moment, he walked her to the door and kissed her goodnight on her cheek.
“-Goodnight and Thank you” he said.
“-Goodnight and call me”, Lili responded.
And he did.
They saw each other night after night.
When he was leaving the Warner Brothers for the day he picked her up at Valley Sands.
They went riding, eating and dancing and went to many different places and were inseparable and when Jimmy got his motorcycle, they was seen speeding down Sunset Boulevard.
When the movie “East of Eden” was shown at the studio and everyone said the picture would make Jimmy a star over night, he shared his joy with Lili.
They went to many different places and were inseparable.
Jimmy went East when the movie was released.
Critics touted him as ”The most talented young actor since Brando”.
Lili was happy for Jimmy but she knew he wouldn’t write her.
He never did.
But she knew that when he returned to Hollywood he would be out and see her.
Lili worked hard, 6 days a week but she couldn’t stop thinking of this guy.
James came back and he lived in his one-room apartment over a garage in the Hollywood Hills.
At this time he had a gleaming white Porsche Automatic.
“-I’m going to race it down the desert this Sunday, he said to Lili one afternoon.
“-Wanna come down and watch me?”
The studio executives tried to prevent Dean from racing.
“-You’re starting “Rebel without a cause”, suppose something happens to you?”
Dean paid no attention to this. Fiercely independent he always went his own way
That week he and Lilli drove down to Palm Springs.
He won the race for novice drivers and placed 3rd in the race against the top veterans, all impressed by his racing ability.
In Lili’s case the Universal International told her they simply didn’t have any movies for her and gave her the advice to head for New York,
where at least she could get some television experience and she talked it over with Jimmie.
At this age, both of them had their focus on their careers and they both thought she was much to young to get married.
(Personal Comment:They were born in the same year, so this must have been for them both.)
James also told her that everything she could pick up in New York would add to her stature as an actress,
After all, all her pre-Hollywood experiences was work in Swedish musical comedies.
Jimmy went on with “Rebel without a cause”.
It was obvious to them both that their careers were going to keep them apart.
So Jimmy started dating.
But his mind was somewhere else, thinking about Lili, a continent away, the papers said.
In New York Lili was introduced to Aly Khan. They went to the “Stork Club”, to “El Morocco” and to to all the night spots she had read so much about.
Lili was immensely flattered, but her heart was with the guy from Indiana.
When Jimmy were about to begin “The Giant” she flew back to Los Angeles.
And she asked Jimmy when he would leave for Texas.
“-Tomorrow” he answered.
So they went to “Villa Capri”, catched up with each other. Next day he took off to Marfa, Texas.
-“See you when I get back”, he said.
Lili didn’t hear him say “I’ll miss you” or any words of love, though.
It was a casual goodbye.
So Lili also started dating.
Jess Barker and other men and she had a ball!
But she couldn’t get James out of her mind.
Lili moved from Valley Sands to a new apartment south of Sunset Boulevard. Partly to provide diversion.
“- The new one has no memories”, she said.
But she almost panicked when she realized he wouldn’t be able to reach her, now when she had moved!
Back then, there were no cell phones, just landlines…
So Lili called her agent and told him:
“-As soon as Jimmy calls, don’t forget to give him my new phone number!”
20th Century Fox was prepared to test her for films and she dreamed about never have to leave Hollywood again.
James Dean was in Texas, working hard and refused to answer any questions about his love for Lili.
One evening in July the phone rang at Lilis apartment.
Lili answered and finally she heard what she had been longing for so long.
“-Hi, Cat!
Oh, it’s you!
Some said his new director was God
The Giant” premiered, and also “The Young Rebel” after the death of James Dean.
In October 1956, he was nominated to the Oscars.
But never received one postumt.
James was on his way to Salinas for a race weekend on October the 1st and 2nd.
He drove his new Porsche Spyder 550 (called his “Little Bastard”) from Los Angeles.
When the fatal crash happened he had only own the car for 9 days…
James Dean died in the car crash September the 30th on his way to that race weekend in Salinas.
He was buried Saturday the 8th of October in Fairmont, Indiana, his hometown.
The myth about James Dean still lives and even today people come an visit his grave.
Peter Paxton
1958 14th of July, Lili, married Peter V. Paxton, 33 years old and works with insurances.
After the ceremony they drove to Lake Tahoe and after that they flew to Carmel,
Lili said Carmel is the most beautiful place in The United States.
They also played golf every day and they had an amazing honeymoon at the Pebble Beach, California and in the evenings they had dinners at nice restaurants, where they danced and had good times.
Peter V. Paxton is also known for being a great golf player and was said to be one of the best in California.
He was also very interested in modern jazz and also played drums.
They married after just seeing and dating for a couple of weeks but they both felt this was the right thing to do, because they loved each other, they said.
Due to all expenses with the wedding they can’t afford to visit Sweden right now, Lili said and they live together in a nice small house that’s owned by Peter.
They want to buy a bigger house and some new furnitures. After that we will come and visit Sweden and stay for a month.
Lili can’t see herself as a housewife, because she wants to work and earn her own money.
Recently she was at an audition for a new movie, a role with Rock Hudson but she doens’t yet know what they will decide. She believes another girl got it, who was more suitable for the role.
But Lili sees it as an honor to be at an audition for such a great task.
Right now she wishes for a Swedish cookbook and some recipes from her mom, so she can cook great meals for her husband. She wants to be able to cook thin Swedish pancakes, but she wants them to taste like her mothers.
One year later, Lili and Peter Paxton ended up in a courtroom.
Lili told the Superior Judge George A. Dockweiler that Peter always wanted things his way. Otherwise he’d have a tantrum. And that he was nasty and rude to her in front of friends.
She also told the judge that on a dinner party in Palm Springs last May,
he started to belittle her and when she asked why he married her, he said:
“-It was the biggest mistake in my entire life”.
After the dinner, when they returned to their bungalow, Peter picked up his shaving kit and walked right into the desert.
A witness, a friend to Lilli Mrs. Aileen Wilson. told the judge he only came back because he was afraid of snakes!
Lili also said Peter couldn’t control his temper at all.
An out of court property settlement was effected.
She became an American citizen and divorced him immediately, separated May 20th, 1959.
Lili won the divorce and was restored her maiden name Kardell and she waived alimony.
New Times, New Life
Lili had an opportunity for a leading role in a film in Denmark, so close to home so she planned to come home over Christmas and the holidays.
Recently she had been filming in Mexico.
Rumours said she’s been seen very much with a young actor, Troy Donahue.
His real name was Merle Johnson and years has passed since Lili left Sweden, for her happiness in Hollywood.
Troy Donahue
1960, only 1 year after the divorce from Peter Paxton, she was engaged with Hollywoods most wanted unmarried man, Troy Donahue and he asked her to marry him.
He had a rumour about him being a man who liked many women at the same time, but Lili didn’t listen to that.
The tabloids were filled with their romantic story:
The blond beautiful Swedish girl and the new star Troy Donahue….
Lili was really in love and she was all in, in this relationship.
They both talked about how happy they were.
Tabloids wrote about their upcoming wedding and marriage, how they planned to make it a happy one and this love would be for ever.
1961 Lili told her parents that she will marry Troy Donahue.
Maybe in July and maybe the honeymoon would be in Norrköping, Sweden because Troy was going to make film in Germany the upcoming summer.
Troy Donahue is at this time 25 years old, born 1936.
Personal Comment: Just like Lili, the papers wrote, but that can’t be true, she must be around 30 at this time, born 1931.
Somewhere along the way she or someone else decided, to drop some years…
At this time Lili had made around 40 appearances in Tv shows, during those 6 years she’s been in United States.
One Swedish newspaper says she was “discovered” by Orson Wells, that brought her to the United States.
Every time they need a pretty girl with a foreign accent, they choose Lili.
Some experiences are so strong they can actually change your DNA
One evening she went unannounced to Troys home and found him with another woman.
Troy was like another person.
Not only that, he hit her, more than once, and she had to seek medical care.
It broke her heart.
Not for the first time in her young life, but maybe one of the hardest lessons she could make.
“- In a moment my whole life was different, it felt like a sick nightmare”, she told the press.
-”Over and over I told myself this couldn’t happen to me. He just told me he loves me…”
She only wanted to forget, but she couldn’t.
Shortly after this, Lili accused him of domestic violence and years after the incident she told the press that
“-Falling in love with Troy Donahue was my biggest mistake in my life and I will regret it as long as I live”.
Her physical scars healed, but never the mental ones. This changed Lili from inside and out.
Troy later married Suzanne Pleshette, actress in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The birds”.
They divorced the same year, after she testified in Superior Court on a charge on mental cruelty.
She was the woman<troy was with when she found out of his unfaithfulness.
He was married at least 4 times and those marriage only lasted about
2-4 years.
From the 90’s and to his death his partner was Zheng Cao, a chinese-born american operatic mezzo-soprano, known for her signature role of Suzuki in Madame Butterfly.
Troy Donahue died 2001, 2nd of September, at Santa Monica Emergency Room, California.
The past can only hurt us, if we let it
Tore, Lili’s father, closed his barbershop at Bredgatan 16 in Norrköping and her mom Margit made their home extra nice.
Because Lili made her first visit back to Sweden, in years.
Lili had rented an Thunderbird so she made a great entrance in her small hometown.
At this time Lili supports herself with tv-shows but her real profession in her own eyes, was a fashion Designer.
She’s involved with a new boyfriend who owns a chain of department stores.
She is at this moment signed with RKO-films, but she also works at the store.
She has left Hollywood and now she lives in New York, at the 55th Street.
1964 More than 100 tv shows later and four movies – Lili is now acting in the comedy “A Swingin’ Summer”- jazz, dance, moonlight and waterskiing, a summer comedy.
At this time she had a mexican boyfriend and she was on vacation in Acapulco and Mexico City when she was offered the role in “A swingin’g Summer”
“-I was skeptical”. She speaks out about her fear about films, which came a year earlier in Rome.
She said she was waiting for 2 months to start the filming, but when she saw the names for this movie she accepted.
The big names was Allen Jones, Bill Wellman, Gary Lewis, son of Jerry Lewis. On the “girl side” the name was Quinn O’Hara.
A Scottish beautiful actress who was predicted to be a big name in Hollywood in a couple of years and she was a competitor to Lili.
After this film was done, Lili only stayed in Hollywood for three days, discussing new roles.
“-For the movies, Hollywood is the best place to be, but for TV-shows it doesn’t matter”.
1965 Lili returned to Hollywood once again. Now she’s waiting for roles in “Man from Uncle”, “I, spy”, “Get smart” and “Run for your life”
Lili got her first role in a movie and shortly after that she moved from California to New York where she stayed. for the rest of her life
New York, New York
During the following years she lived in New York at 55th Street and became a real New Yorker.
She disappeared into anonymity, far away from glamour.
She worked as a home decorator and there were rumours going around about Lili and Pierre Salinger and they were planned to get married.
Pierre Salinger was the press secretary of John F. Kennedy and divorced a couple of months earlier.
Furthermore she worked as a fashion designer, together with Swedish entrepreneur and designer Agneta Eckemyr, ex- wife of Staffan Scheja.
Agneta had her own business in New York, “Agneta Eckemyr Design”. Focus were on women clothes in a Swedish romantic style, with a lot of laces and
linen and this is where Lili co-created dresses for many years to come.
Lili dated, fell in and out of love, just like all of us do.
Sometimes life wasn’t easy on her and she had periods of deep sadness.
She never regret leaving Sweden as a young girl. She lived in glamour and she lived in anonymity.
She lived an eventful life.
Some in my family said Troy must have been her greatest love, because she saved so many clips of him. She never forget about him and what he did to her. She never forgave him. He almost ruined her life. So that is not of my belief.
Her greatest love was James Dean, I have no doubt about it, after what she told my mom and me. After Troy she had difficulties trusting men.
She always lived by her own.
She never dated a man long enough to develop something serious and she never got married again.
She met a Swedish man while she was back in Sweden to bury her mother. Their relationship was deep, true and very loving and I’m glad to call him a friend of mine.
Personal reflections
Inga-Lill wasn’t an ordinary swedish teenager or woman.
She was extra-ordinary!
Extra-ordinary in so many ways.
She loved deeper than others. She was hurt deeper than others.
Her voice was dark and filled with mystery.
She was a thinker.
She wanted more out of life than a young Swedish girl are supposed to dream about.
In many ways I can see myself in her, with dreams, visions and goals, and I can also see her in both my beautiful daughters.
I’m proud of that and I’m grateful for it.
Grateful for her and everything she has passed on to me.
All the Big Dreams. Big visions. the determination. Courageous. Standing on her own feet. Proud of herself.
That’s what she lived by, what she gave me, what I inherited from her, among so many memories and stories.
Together with all her photos and paperclips, she’s still so very close to me.
I inherited all the pictures from her years in Hollywood, all the papers, tabloids and articles she had saved, her fathers clipbook and many notes from
Lili herself and all the original pictures taken of her, when she worked at the different film Studios.
She did what she had to do, to survive in a world where the girls should be beautiful and men earned the money.
She had a beautiful and a kind heart.
She was a true beautiful soul.
Many promises was made to her, many was broken, but still with a smile in her beautiful face she moved on.
What I’ve written here are from both the officials, the tabloids, her fathers clipbook, her Swedish boyfriend and from both my moms.
So, Mami, promised fulfilled.
I love you.
//Sanna
Rest in love
Born 1931 26th of May in Norrköping, Sweden.
Died 1987 8th of April, in New York, United States
Cause of death: Occlusive Coronary arterosclerosis.
She was cremated at Trinity Crematory in New York the 23rd of April 1987.
When Lili passed over, she lived at 155 East 55th Street in New York where she had lived for over 20 years.
Her remains left JFK Airport for her last flight home to Stockholm, 22nd of
June 1987 to her close Swedish friend Torsten.
She is buried in Norrköping, where she was born.
