A Deed Of Death: The Story of the Unsolved Murder of Hollywood Director William Desmond Taylor

by Robert Giroux

An analysis of the 1922 unsolved murder of film director William Desmond Taylor focuses on the two actresses in Taylor's life--ingenue Mary Miles Minter and Mabel Normand, a star and a drug addict

Genres: True Crime, Film, Nonfiction, Biography

275 pages, Hardcover

First published May 26, 1990

Reviews

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were many scandals in the 1920s, and one of the foremost is the unsolved murder of William Desmond Taylor. Even to film buffs, Taylor is not the most well known director; his body of work has been shrunk by the ravages of time and nitrate decomposition. However, his name lives on as the victim of a murder shrouded with mystery and lies.

Robert Giroux grew up watching the films of Taylor's era and took an interest in the murder case just in time. He was able to interview various celebrities of the 20s to gather information for this book. Stars like King Vidor and Mary Pickford give their input through interviews as well as other sources like Mack Sennett, Mary Miles Minter, and Mabel Normand who contribute through their autobiographies and early interviews.

This book is vastly different from A Cast of Killers, a more well-known account of the murder. Giroux's book is well documented and therefore more intellectual. Both books are easy to read, although A Cast of Killers is written in conversations and A Deed of Death is written as a presentation of facts with many quotes throughout. The two books come to different conclusions, so it is interesting to compare them. Both are highly recommended for fans of the 20s and mystery readers.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes a look at the unsolved murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor which took place early in February, 1922. Very few of Desmond's films survive - none of the ones he made as an actor, and only a handful of the 40 he directed. Of those, none are considered to be classics, though he worked with major actors and was quite successful in his day.

So, I was of course fascinated. Here's a chance to read of Hollywood not at its pinnacle but at its everyday ordinariness. Well, except that it's centered on a murder that was never solved. Giroux assumes moguls kept the police from investigating things closely - apparently Taylor was very concerned with the drug use of Mabel Normand, and it is likely that his pushback against her pushers led them to hire somebody to kill him.

Drug use was a part of the ordinariness of Hollywood at the time. Certainly not all, but many stars and lesser actors were hooked on heroin, morphine, or cocaine. Giroux tells of this milieu, and gives decent mini bios of Taylor, Normand, and the tragically deluded Mary Miles Minter who knew them both.

It's not a great book, but considering it was written nearly 70 years after the murder, it collects a good amount of evidence and puts it in context enough to keep me gripped through the few hours it took to finish it.

[Madison Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story that has many different takes by many different people. The opinions can differ greatly. Was William Desmond Taylor gay, or a predator on young women, or just a fatherly man? Was Mabel Normand a drug addict, an alcoholic, or just tubercular? Was Mary Miles Minter the victim of unrequited love, a strange stalker of older men, or just a unfortunate young woman? The point is that with these debates and many, many others, it's impossible for a writer about the Taylor murder to please everybody. So it was no big surprise that I wasn't totally pleased.

True, Robert Giroux rarely makes grand claims that seem unbelievable. He approaches issues almost scientifically, and one can tell that he has done his research. However, some of his sources are not credible. Using people such as Adela Rogers St. John or Hedda Hopper as sources about things as touchy as Mabel Normand's alleged drug use is almost unforgivable. Norma Talmadge and Sam Goldwyn, fine, but St. John and Hopper? Does Giroux know that they were gossip journalists and not genuine writers or friends of Mabel?

I digress. Even though Giroux sometimes stoops low (he refers to Betty Harper Fussell's biography of Mabel as "great", for crying out loud) and his conclusions are questionable, I have to admit that he looked over what evidence he did have and tried his best to compile a truthful account of all that happened. He pieces together the crime scene very well, and the last chapter which contains the list of suspects and the likelihood of their guilt was interesting and helpful. Even the overall conclusion that he reaches is not unbelievable, though it is debated.

Overall, despite some questionable sources and even some questionable conclusions, Giroux definitely researched this case and used what he found to be viable evidence. Also, he presented it in an interesting, yet intellectual way that engages the reader. For those reasons, I give it three stars.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in 2 days - I was completely absorbed
into Giroux's meticulous, almost obsessively researched book
about the William Desmond Taylor murder. One of the parts that
will stick in my memory are the quotes and secret letters of
Mary Miles Minter which present her as a lovesick girl with
a hopeless crush on Taylor. Whether she and Taylor had ever
been lovers, it was very clear by the end that he was going
out of his way to avoid her but Minter's letters only reveal
a "love is blind" attitude.
Giroux also painted Taylor as a "white knight" - maybe he was
but in view of his past life I found that a bit hard to believe.
He seemed to surround himself with a lot of dubious low lifes,
in the belief that he was giving them a helping hand?? I also
came to a different conclusion to Giroux as regards to who Taylor's
murderer was. He felt it was an "unknown assassin" hired by drug
lords to stop his efforts at waging a war against Hollywood drug
pushers. There was a small reference to an actress's death bed
confession of the murder which inspired me to do a bit of
researching on my own and I am convinced she was the killer.

[Randy Ladenheim-Gil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read A Cast of Killers quite a while ago and enjoyed it, though it seems Kirkpatrick's book is frowned upon by Hollywood folk. I wish I remembered more about it. I do remember it as a more compelling read than this book, though I'm pretty sure this one came up with more on the background of William Desmond Taylor. Of course, Giroux had legions of supporters when this book was published not all that long after the other; he's the G in F, S, and G, after all. A quick read, with some interesting background on the Silents and early Hollywood. Do I think Giroux has finally solved the mystery? Maybe. Certainly, after close to 100 years, I doubt we'll ever really, truly know whodunit and why with any certainty. The dope pushers of those days and a paid assassin are definitely more comfortable people to blame than someone Taylor knew and trusted, eh?

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this book said he was seven when William Desmond Taylor was murdered in 1922. This book was published in 1990. Giroux moved in Hollywood circles and talked to some of the people involved that were still alive, including a mentally unstable Mary Miles Minter. No new ground covered here, but the book gives more details about Desmond's mysterious life before his time as a director, and more info on the life of Mabel Normand who Taylor loved. Transcripts of testimony from the inquest and an orderly list of suspects towards the end of the book lay out the case in a straight-forward way. Based on the info available at the time, I agree with the author's conclusion about the killer. Well-written and enjoyable for anyone interested in the case.

[Vultural · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giroux, Robert - A Deed Of Death

Detailed overview, reconstruction, and thoughtful conclusion regarding events leading up to, and death of, William Desmond Taylor.
Unsolved murders - from Jack the Ripper to JFK - play host to numerous writers, each with theories. Taylor’s was notorious for the obvious cover up, and subsequent tainting of the Hollywood director.
Fortunately, Giroux is not a scandal scribe, bent on casually defecating on his subject. No, this is a thumping read and a brisk page turner.
The book is packed with photos, to boot.
Fans of the Silent era, this is a must-read, if not a must-add to your shelves.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the facts of the case and some good insights. The author does reach a solid conclusion that I can buy, although it’s mainly just a most likely based scenario.

There are only two main problems: one of the other main suspects isn’t discussed at all. And the author spends too much time on random asides telling us which movies are good or not. That’s not really what I came here for.

[Amber the vintage girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having recently read "A Cast of Killers", I turned to another account of the William Desmond Taylor murder, this one more sober and detailed but reaching a considerably different conclusion.

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The death of a prominent director, William Desmond Taylor, was big news in 1922. He was murdered by an unknown assilant(s). At this time in Hollywood, drug use was very common among actors, directors and those who helped make silent pictures. Taylor didn't use drugs and was very active in fighting drug use. Hollywood was getting a bad name because of the drug induced deaths of leading actors. Many belived evidence in his death was covered up by big Hollywood money people. Sus[ects oncluded his secretary, his cook and two flamboyant screenstars. The author leans toward a hitman theory because the case was never solved. A good detective thiller that was a sensation in its day.

[Phil Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent account of the murder of silent film Director William Desmond Taylor. A bigger picture often bubbles to the surface of the page; the early days of Hollywood. Fascinating subject, and if you're into that, this book will provide some interesting insight. While most would find this to be book filler to pad out the mystery, it seemed to help with the tapestry of the era as backdrop and the murder itself. Not sure if this is the be all, end all solution to the puzzle, that may never be solved, but a solid theory. Decent read.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is THE book to read about the fascinating unsolved murder of William Desmond Taylor. It's very well research. It's easy to see how meticulous Giroux was in his writing. While it does present some solutions as more likely than others, what I liked best about it is that it presented the facts and wasn't colored by a bias toward any one solution (unlike "A Cast of Killers"). Despite being so well researched and unbiased, it still ends up as engrossing as any novel.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book might come up with a new idea or suspects,alas no.the usual suspects trundled out with the same bios,the only new link being a tenuous one related to a drug cartel.as a time line it puts things into a time and date order as an answer we are still waiting.

[Nancy Loe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another and better take on the William Desmond Taylor murder that ruined Mabel Normand's career. Preferably to the Cast of Killers book.

[Kathy Sheridan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tied in with one of our book club selections, "Age of Dreaming." It is a factual account of a murder in Hollywood in the 20s upon which the other book was based.