Moira – Fellow authors have been good about helping to hunt down individuals who may have met or knew these stars. To locate the children of Ruth’s favorite cousin Olive, I began with a 1903 news clipping which detailed Ruth’s appearance as maid of honor at her aunt Miriam Reed’s wedding. Using the ...

Moira - I like that story, too. Dressler pointed out to scenarist Frances Marion that Ruth’s “formal education” was Broadway. She recalled Ruth and her mother Tilly trudging around New York in the summer heat, going from one agency to another. This was probably around 1910 after Dressler returned fr...

Hi Jezebel … it’s a pleasure to return to SSO. The Chatterton-Forbes romance eventually turned into a brother-sister relationship (that's exactly how they described it themselves). They remained life-long friends. They did several plays together in the 1940’s and had a great success touring in Priva...

Wendy – Ruth got her start on the stage out of necessity. Her parents had divorced. Her mother had gone through the principal of her inheritance. Ruth’s father had declared a few bankruptcies. Ruth stated that her father was “entirely useless.” Ruth was ambitious. When I talked with her cousin Brend...

Wendy – spot on observations. I think Chatterton’s portrayal of Fran is deeply human. However unwilling (as you mention) we can all see a bit of Fran Dodsworth in ourselves. When Astor takes Fran aside and gently says, “My dear, don’t.”—the look on their faces says it all. If there is a bad guy, it’...

Hello Erik, I was unable to locate a copy of A Royal Divorce , so I’m a bit envious. I have no way of giving it a fresh assessment. Ruth did a tremendous amount of research in preparation– she spent three months in France visiting all the places connected with Napoleon and Josephine. Unfortunately, ...

Jack – Pleased to hear you enjoyed my books. My top favorite films of Chatterton? Dodsworth , Anybody’s Woman , Lilly Turner , Frisco Jenny , and Female . William Wellman and Ruth initially locked horns on the set of Frisco … , but, as Wellman put it, “We became nothing but pals. We made a helluva p...

Christy – I always enjoy finding credits that have been overlooked by other biographers. One of Chatterton’s last stage roles was as Countess Aurelia in The Madwoman of Chaillot . From 1947-1958 she appeared almost annually in a production of The Little Foxes . Ruth was guest on the Arlene Francis T...

Moira - Thanks for the opportunity to dive into the remarkable Ruthie (as many of her close friends called her). As far as her success in Talkies and Pre-Code films: Chatterton’s articulate voice was easy on the ears and recognized as a godsend for Paramount. Producer Jesse L. Lasky gloated over his...

Thank you Carl, for sharing the Dana Andrews story with such amazing depth and insight. From what you have had to say I can appreciate the man and the actor Dana Andrews. "Best Years of Our Lives" "Fallen Angel" Ox-Bow Incident" --- he never failed to impress. I remember goi...

Thank you Lesley for your informative replies to my questions regarding Ayers C.O. status and marriage to Ginger Rogers. You've piqued my interest! I've always liked the fun little musical he did with Alice Faye, SHE LEARNED ABOUT SAILORS. Didn't Ayers also connect (musically) to Alice's future husb...

Welcome Leslie, and congratulations on completing Ayers compelling story. I've been reading Ralph Bellamy's autobiography and, I quote, "Lew Ayers ... had some difficulty with the draft board about being a conscientious objector." I was wondering what the difficulty was. Bellamy mentioned ...

Fernando, I thought you would enjoy reading what Ann's niece Dorothy and her daughter Fay (Ann's grandniece) had to say about the interview you translated. I had also sent them a couple of photos from Double Harness . Ann's sister Edith apparently had the same affinity for Spanish as Ann! The messag...

Fernando ... you have done a splendid job of translating this wonderful interview. Thanks so much! "Amazon Ann!" She certainly had an earthiness about her. I loved reading about her passion for and ability to speak the Spanish language. It is too bad that the powers that be kept her from f...