Dear Reader #219

Dear Reader,

Some exciting news. Tula, book one in my Golden Age of Hollywood series, will be an entry in the Literature Wales Book of the Year Award 2024. Although the story is set in America, I’m from Wales so the book qualifies 🙂

Picturegoer, January 1940, mentioning Nancy Olson’s first four films, all made within a year – Canadian Pacific, Sunset Boulevard, Union Station and Mr Music.

To Brush or Not to Brush? Hair care advice offered to budding movie star, Nancy Olson.

Sunset Boulevard: Notes on a Classic

From 1936, Billy Wilder (pictured with Gloria Swanson) and Charles Brackett collaborated on sixteen films, all critical or commercial successes. Before the filming of Sunset Boulevard, they decided this movie would be their final creative collaboration. They didn’t realise it at the time, but they were about to go out at the top.

The working title for Sunset Boulevard was A Can of Beans. Billy Wilder chose that title because he wanted to keep the studio in the dark about the movie’s Hollywood premise.

Before casting Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, Billy Wilder considered Mae West for the role. However, Mae West wanted to change her dialogue, and Billy Wilder was obsessive about his scripts, so that idea was a non-starter.

Columbo

Pilot Episode #1: “Prescription: Murder”. Adapted from a stage play in 1968, the first pilot episode revealed Columbo as a more sartorial, more aggressive character. Columbo’s trademark raincoat was present, although he tended to carry it. When questioning suspects, he sometimes displayed anger. The character was finding his feet. Gene Barry guest-starred in this episode, playing a suitably suave murderer.

A Hollywood Murder

Mary Miles Minter (born Juliet Reilly; April 25, 1902 – August 4, 1984) was a child actress who also enjoyed success as a young adult. She appeared in fifty-three silent movies from 1912 to 1923.

Even though he was thirty years older than her, maybe because he was thirty years older than her, Mary was madly in love with William Desmond Taylor. However, as with Mabel Normand and other actresses who professed their affection, Taylor did not return that love, preferring a working and friendly relationship.

Mary’s mother, Charlotte Shelby, changed Mary’s name from Juliet Reilly when some states in America deemed that Mary was too young to appear on stage. Charlotte used the name and birth certificate of a dead relative who was older than Juliet/Mary.

Many critics did not rate Mary as an actress. “Mary Miles Minter was far prettier than Mary Pickford, but she, unlike Miss Pickford, could not act. Although it must be admitted that when a star is as lovely to look at as Mary Miles Minter, acting does not really matter.” – Director, Edward Sloman.

Mary Miles Minter was a suspect in the William Desmond Taylor murder scandal. However, District Attorney Woolwine was a close family friend, so the investigation into her possible guilt did not go anywhere.

My latest Hollywood article for the Seaside News appears on page 41 of the magazine.

I’m delving into 1948, researching material for two novels scheduled for 2024 – Eve’s Peace, a sequel to my Eve’s War Heroines of SOE series, and Dana, book three in my Golden Age of Hollywood series.

In 1948, Warner Brothers released the first colour newsreel, which featured the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl Game. Pictured, the Warner brothers Albert, Jack, Harry and Sam.

1948, “the year sex was invented”. Actually, it was the year when Alfred Kinsey published the first of his two reports into sexual behaviour. His second report followed in 1953. Controversy ensued.

Director Robert Z. Leonard enjoying a close-up view of Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in Dancing Lady, 1933.

I’m researching the Wilder branch of my family tree, which begins with my 6 x great grandfather Richard Wilder Stokes. Richard’s father was a cordwainer and he apprenticed others in the trade. There is no record of Richard’s trade or the children he fathered in his twenties. Richard’s father died a few months before him, his mother a year later, and his wife two years after that. Smallpox was rampant in the 1700s, so maybe that was the cause.

My 7 x great grandmother Lucy Wilder was baptised on 8 December 1714, the middle child of nine. Her father Richard was a prosperous boat builder and, as a churchwarden, a leading member of his community. Lucy gave birth to three children, probably more – not all the parish records have survived. Most married women of the period gave birth every two years, but Lucy gave birth every three years. She married her husband Thomas on a Friday.

Social media https://toot.wales/@HannahHowe

As ever, thank you for your interest and support.

Hannah xxx

For Authors

#1 for value with 565,000 readers, The Fussy Librarian has helped my books to reach #1 on 38 occasions.

A special offer from my publisher and the Fussy Librarian. https://authors.thefussylibrarian.com/?ref=goylake

Don’t forget to use the code goylake20 to claim your discount 🙂