Synopses & Reviews
"I adored Anita, as did the entire fashion and literary world. She was four feet nine inches of lithe, slender, dramatic chic."and#151;Carol Channing
"This book celebrates a character as memorable as any Anita Loos created in her writing. She was an indomitable, wise-cracking prodigy who not only helped create Hollywood, but managed to survive it."and#151;John Sayles
"If we can't have the wonderful Anita Loos-smart, witty, literate and fun- writing today's Hollywood movies, at least we can get reacquainted with her and her work through this delightful book. Filled with previously unpublished material, it shows that while gentlemen may have preferred blondes, everyone else in town wisely preferred the irresistible Ms. Loos."and#151;Kenneth Turan, film critic for the Los Angeles Times
"This is a wonderful book about a talented, fascinating, and groundbreaking woman. Her life epitomizes a certain era in show business and describes a Hollywood in which few women were allowed to rise to the top. Anita Loos did and we were all the beneficiaries. I loved the book!"and#151;Peter Duchin
"Not only is it valuable to have these delightful Anita Loos pieces, but the biographical chapters are fascinating too."and#151;Kevin Brownlow, author of David Lean: A Biography
Synopsis
Anita Loos (1888-1981) was one of Hollywood's most respected and prolific screenwriters, as well as an acclaimed novelist and playwright. This unique collection of previously unpublished film treatments, short stories, and one-act plays spans fifty years of her creative writing and showcases the breadth and depth of her talent. Beginning in 1912 with the stories she submitted from her San Diego home (some made into films by D. W. Griffith), through her collaboration with Colette on the play
Gigi, Anita Loos wrote almost every day for the screen, stage, books, or magazines. Film scripts include
San Francisco, The Women, and
Red-Headed Woman. The list of stars for whom she created unforgettable roles includes Mary Pickford, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, and Carol Channing.
This collection has been selected by Anita's niece and close friend, the best-selling author Mary Anita Loos, together with the acclaimed film historian Cari Beauchamp. Their essays are laced throughout the volume, introducing each section and giving previously untold insights and behind-the-scenes stories about Anitaand#151;her life, her friendships, and her times.
About the Author
Cari Beauchamp is the author of Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood (California, 1998) and Hollywood on the Riviera: The Inside Story of the Cannes Film Festival (1992). Mary Anita Loos is the author of A Pride of Lovers (1981), The Barstow Legend (1978), Belinda (1976), and The Beggars Are Coming (1974).
Table of Contents
Plates follow page
Foreword
Mary Anita Loos
Introduction
Cari Beauchamp
ANITA LOOS AND HER STORIES FROM SAN DIEGO, 1888and#150;1915
The School of Acting
The Highbrow
Plagiarism
The Man Who Looked Up
By Way of France
Jane Wins Out
A Ride with Billy
HOLLYWOOD SUCCESSS AND INTERNATIONAL FAME, 1915and#150;1930
The Heart That Has Truly Loved
Play for Mr. Fairbanks
All Men Are Equal
Where Does Annie Belong?
The Moving Pictures of Blinkville
My First Memories of Aunt Anita
Mary Anita Loos
RETURN TO HOLLYWOOD, 1931and#150;1944
Winkie Boy
Suggestion for Keaton Story
Evelina
Women in Uniform
Aunt Anitaand#8217;s Romances and Friendships
Mary Anita Loos
NEW YORK AT LAST, 1944and#150;1981
It Pays to Advertise
One More Heroine
Mr. Sherard
Travels with Aunt Anita
Mary Anita Loos
Anita Loosand#8217;s Memorial Service, August 27, 1981
Notes
Works by Anita Loos
Acknowledgments
Index