Hollywood’s Hard-Luck Ladies

In the era of Hollywood now considered its Golden Age, there was no shortage of hard-luck stories—movie stars succumbed to mental illness, addiction, accidents, suicide, early death and more. This book profiles 23 actresses who achieved a measure of success before fate dealt them losing hands—in full public view. Overviews of their lives and careers provide a wealth of previously unpublished information and set the record straight on long-standing inaccuracies. Actresses covered include Lynne Baggett, Suzan Ball, Helen Burgess, Susan Cabot, Mary Castle, Mae Clarke, Dorothy Comingore, Patricia Dane, Dorothy Dell, Sidney Fox, Charlotte Henry, Rita Johnson, Mayo Methot, Marjie Millar, Mary Nolan, Susan Peters, Lyda Roberti, Peggy Shannon, Rosa Stradner, Judy Tyler, Karen Verne, Helen Walker and Constance Worth.

Writer Laura Wagner lives in New York. She is the book reviewer and contributing editor of the magazines Classic Images and Films of the Golden Age.

Laura Wagner

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 233
Bibliographic Info: 139 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7843-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3833-1
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction and Acknowledgments  1
Lynne Baggett  5
Suzan Ball  11
Helen Burgess  19
Susan Cabot  24
Mary Castle  37
Mae Clarke  47
Dorothy Comingore  59
Patricia Dane  68
Dorothy Dell  76
Sidney Fox  82
Charlotte Henry  90
Rita Johnson  98
Mayo Methot  107
Marjie Millar  119
Mary Nolan  125
Susan Peters  133
Lyda Roberti  145
Peggy Shannon  153
Rosa Stradner  159
Judy Tyler  168
Karen Verne  175
Helen Walker  183
Constance Worth  191
References  199
Index  213

• “An absolute must to all who love cinema…Wagner, a brilliant young writer, poignantly depicts those women who achieved some measure of success before fate dealt them losing hands…a wealth of previously unpublished information and set the record straight on long inaccuracies. Excellent research, and a person thank you from this reviewer.”—Argunners Magazine

• “With meticulous details gathered from an impressive variety of sources ranging from newspaper archives and history books to family members and friends, Wagner delves into the lives of 23 women who made their way to Hollywood and met unfortunate fates, shedding light on their lives and the systems they fell victim to.”—Filmint.nu