Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood

by Emily W. Leider

From the beginning, Myrna Loy’s screen image conjured mystery, a sense of something withheld. “Who is she?” was a question posed in the first fan magazine article published about her in 1925. This first ever biography of the wry and sophisticated actress best known for her role as Nora Charles, wife to dapper detective William Powell in The Thin Man, offers an unprecedented picture of her life and an extraordinary movie career that spanned six decades. Opening with Loy’s rough-and-tumble upbringing in Montana, the book takes us to Los Angeles in the 1920s, where Loy’s striking looks caught the eye of Valentino, through the silent and early sound era to her films of the thirties, when Loy became a top box office draw, and to her robust post–World War II career. Throughout, Emily W. Leider illuminates the actress’s friendships with luminaries such as Cary Grant, Clark Gable, and Joan Crawford and her collaborations with the likes of John Barrymore, David O. Selznick, Sam Goldwyn, and William Wyler, among many others. This highly engaging biography offers a fascinating slice of studio era history and gives us the first full picture of a very private woman who has often been overlooked despite her tremendous star power.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Film, Media Tie In, Memoir, Womens

412 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2011

Reviews

[Nancy Loe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this one - I really did. I think Myrna Loy is so deserving of a full-length bio by a reputable author and publisher. I was so thrilled for this to come out that I went to LA to hear the author at the Hollywood Barn Museum and bought my copy there in December.

And now I've slogged through the whole thing and two things struck me:

1. There's nothing new here. Loy's own autobiography is so excellent (possibly my favorite of all star autobios) and Leider quotes liberally from it and from other star biographies, which most of us who are interested in Loy have already read.

2. There are surprising and unnecessary errors. Leider praises her "ace copy editor" in the Acknowledgements, but you'd think one or the other of them would know that the Japanese did not invade Pearl Harbor, but attacked it from the air. This error is repeated several times, including in the index. Loy was so committed to current events and politics that obvious errors like this grate. Rosalind Russell didn't have a "Danish wedding" - she got married to her Danish-American husband in Solvang, California. Any bio is going to have errors, but this one seemed riddled.

I still love Myrna Loy for her career and her politics, but do yourself a favor and read her autobiography, Being and Becoming, instead.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

One wishes they could write as elegantly and as engagingly as Emily Leider does about the subject of her latest biography, Myrna Loy. Leider's impeccable research coupled with her elegant prose make for a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Myrna Loy is a much beloved star from Hollywood's golden age. Publicity at the time declared her to be a perfect wife on screen and it was assumed she was as much off screen as well. Leider informs us this was not the case. Leider chronicles Loy's life and film career with just the right touch. There is a nice balance between the biography and the chronicle of the film career. Unlike so many other biographies of the last few years, this is not padded out with recaps of film plots. Leider's prose, in so many ways, reflects or mimics the manner, the lightness, the quirkiness of Loy's own voice as she tosses off quips with William Powell. It's a pure delight to read.

Loy's life was very full and really devoid of scandal like so many other stars of the day. Perhaps this might make people overlook Loy as the subject of a biography. They should not, Leider's excellent detective work uncovers some secrets that Loy kept under wraps or only hinted at in Loy's own excellent autobiography Being and Becoming. Leider also fills us all in on Loy's interesting life as an activist. Myrna Loy was really much more, much deeper than Nora Charles and this book tells you why. I'm beyond grateful she portrayed Nora Charles as delightfully as she did, but I'm more grateful to read about and learn from her life off screen. Not a perfect wife, but quite a life. If you're a fan of Myrna Loy and her films, this is a must read.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good bio. Very detailed!

[Jay Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Partial read for me -- I was interested in her activism, strike against MGM, and work with William Powell. The book was informative and well written, provided great depth to a magnificent actor and highlighted the brilliant life of this woman!

[Carl Rollyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some may be surprised to learn that this is the first biography of Myrna Loy (1905-93), a Hollywood icon beginning in the silent era and continuing through the 1940s and 1950s. Ending her film career in 1980, she continued to perform in theater and television productions into the 1980s. Loy is primarily identified with the role of Nora in the Thin Man movies, in which she starred opposite the suave William Powell. This biography is lauded by film scholars, critics, and Leider's fellow biographers--and rightfully so. In her notes and acknowledgments, Leider reveals a thorough and perceptive use of archives at UCLA and other institutions and of interviews with film historians and a few of the actors who had worked with Loy in her prime and had memories of her. Typical of Leider's meticulous approach is the chapter on the film The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), in which Loy plays the wife of a returning soldier. Her part is far from flashy, but, as Leider observes, it shows off her exquisite poise and timing. A top-notch biography of a great performer.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myrna Loy is an interesting character in the world of Hollywood--an actress who didn't court scandal and that makes this movie biography very interesting.

Because there is a lack of scandal or lack of publicity of scandal, the book focuses on Loy's film career and heavily depends on Loy's autobiography, "Being and Becoming".

Because of this, other parts of Loy's life were given shorter shrift, like her political beliefs and works or her married life.

Yet on the whole, Leider is a sympathetic biographer and makes you want to go out and watch some of the movies that made Loy famous.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although readable in its prose, this biography lacked the sort of bite and insight I had hoped for. It also could have gone into far more depth about Loy's activities outside of Hollywood. A great deal of the content which was provided, one assumes, to provide colour instead came off rather as filler. However, Loy is a fascinating subject, and this biog makes a nice alternative for those who prefer something a bit more critical than autobiography.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Myrna Loy is one of the MOST charming screen actors in the history of the movies, and she made a funny switch from orientalist vamp to sophisticated housewife, which I don't think anyone else ever did. She was also kind of private, it turns out - which shouldn't necessarily send up any red flags because, after all, she wrote an autobiography ("wrote" anyway) and also: Garbo was also v. private and look at that great Barry Paris biography! But Myrna Loy, as the introduction I should have read at the beginning of the book explained to me, carefully culled the letters left in the archive she donated to BU. So.

Still, though - there should be more here than there is. What we get is rather tantalizing: four failed marriages, to men of dubious appeal as husbands, but who tended to leave her with friends. I wished that there had been more portraits of the friendships she developed, because those seemed enduring and rich, and friendships are under-discussed in biographies. But perhaps there isn't much evidence left of those either.

Leader does a good job of capturing William Powell's appeal, though.

[Bkwormmegs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read anything else on Myrna Loy, but always loved her movies, her restrained, natural acting style, and her courageous politics in the HUAC era. The book doesn't seem to offer anything I haven't read online, but it is nicely put together.

Favorite quotes...

'I don't know why anybody thinks its important to keep their youth. What's much more important is learning not to depend on youth and beauty. The true secret of survival is to be curious about life, to be interested in lots of things." p.292

Lauren Bacall quoted on Myrna Loy. ..."admire as a person, an actress and a face, but also as a woman aware of what went on in the country and the world. She is not a frivolous human being. And she's a great wit, which I'm a sucker for." p. 308

And Myrna on herself "If you want to know the secret of the perfect wife I played, well, she was really a rascal-just like me." - my fav line.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book about one of my favourite actresses. As was pointed out in the beginning of the book it is a hard task to do as her own autobiography was detailed. Although Miss Loy was not in favour of revealing very personal details and did insure not many letters and so on would be available to be scrutinised after her death. A practise I am in favour of. There are many personal details I don't believe perfect strangers need to know about people and even in death people should be accorded privacy and after all letters are between the writer and the recipient not the whole world.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of her work in The Thin Man series and somehow forgot about all the other movies I had seen her in until I read this biography. I recommend this for anyone who is a fan of film, the history of film, and an under-rated star of the screen in its golden age.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a history of films along with Myrna Loy"s story.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent biography if a bit lacking in excitement. It covers what Loy did but doesn't offer much on who she was as a person.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting bio-history of Ms. Loy's family background, and her Montana childhood. She then takes you to her arrival in California and her beginnings into the movie industry. An industry that did nothing but type cast her in a series of movies till she finally started getting some notice. That notice came in one of my favorite pre codes "Penthouse". From there it takes you through the 30's and her slow but steady rise. But it the same time she was having an affair with man that would be her first husband, Arthur Hornblow, jr. However like most her marriages it was not meant to be. She continues on through the years with Miss Loy's pictures into the 40's and 50's, her thoughts on her costars, like "Cary Grant, Shirley Temple, William Powell, Jean Harlow, and Spencer Tracy, and many others", For me personally I didn't mind that she didn't go into what was going on personally in her family life, other than her marriages. It emphasizes Miss Loy's hatred of the term "Perfect Wife" which may have been a curse for her four marriages, they didn't look at her as a woman or a person, just as the person and woman they saw in the movies. The one thing she did have abiding love was for children, though unable to have one of her own, she forms a tight relationship with Arthur Hornblow, jr's son Terry, she has him to visit even after the marriage is over, his children become her grandchildren. She also develops another career in UNESCO and becomes active with politics. Through everything she keeps her circle of friends small even as time is creeping by and not on her side. She is still one of my favorites, but I will warn you its informative on her life and her's alone, and its not gossip book, but its a good read.

[Gypsy Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page 167
A few famous screen actors – Boris Karloff and Mae West for instance – actually liked typecasting. They liked having a niche, being associated with a single role or kind or character . . . An actor with a type owned a kind of work-insurance. He or she always had a safe place to go and could bank on being called on to play similar characters over and over again. Repeating an exaggerated and predictable type had once been the norm for vaudeville performers, for many stage players, and for scores of silent film actors too. Being typed helped both to define you and to sell your talent to the public, which seems to love what it already knows.

Page 215
Being married to a movie actress, especially a star, required a maturity, forbearance, and unselfishness that few husbands can muster. Arthur Hornblow Jr. didn't make the cut.

Page 261
"It suddenly became risky, even dangerous to be a Democrat," Lauren Bacall remembers. "Fear was rampant -- the ruling emotion."

Page 262
In addition to funding the Hollywood protesters’ flight to Washington [D. C.], the Committee for the First Amendment also financed two ABC radio broadcasts jointly titled Hollywood Fights Back. Myrna participated in the second one, taking her place among the stellar cast of Hollywood players and directors. Several Democratic senators and prominent members of the arts community (Thomas Mann among them) participated, and all of them read statements over the air denouncing the congressional hearings as a threat to fundamental American freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. "It's one thing sot say we're not good actors," listeners heard from an earnest Judy Garland. "It's another to say we're not good Americans. We resent that.” . . . Myrna Loy said, “We question the right of Congress to ask any man what he thinks on political issues. We think a lot of our freedom.”

Page 259
“The symbol of the U.N. seems to be a circle: no beginning, no end, and no one nation below or behind another,: she said. But there were many Americans who regarded internationalism as a thread to U.S. patriotism and branded it and its advocates un-American.

Page 291
Claudette Colbert had turned down the part of Aunt Bea in Midnight Lace because she wanted to maintain the fiction that she was too young to be Doris Day’s aunt, but Myrna had no problem playing older women. She knew that her face proclaimed her age, but she never considered having a facelift. The only other kind of cosmetic surgery she’d contemplated was having her ears pinned, as David Selznick had requested, but she didn’t follow through even on that. In her view, pretending to be young when you weren’t amounted to folly. “I don’t know why anybody thinks it’s important to keep their youth” she once said. “What’s much more important is learning not to depend on youth or beauty. The true secret of survival is to be curious about life, to be interested in lots of things.”

Page 304
Myrna Loy took on her last screen roles because they promised her a chance to perform surrounded by talent she admired. She accepted the part of another tippling old lady, in Airport 1975, for instance, because Bill Frye, a friend who had produced her TV movie The Elevator, promised she would have a scene with the brilliantly manic Sid Caesar. Caesar’s shyness in her presence surprised her; improvising with him proved to be hard work. In some ways Airport 1975 is a descendant of Myra’s earlier aviation films like Night Flight and Too Hot to Handle. Stunt flying and near-disaster still promised excellent box office. Airport 1975, which today plays like an inadvertent comedy, grossed more than $47 million. It was the inspiration for the 1980 spook Airplane.

Page 305
Although Myrna Loy appeared in only one scene of the 1978 black comedy The End, she performed it opposite Pat O’Brien, with whom she’d last worked in 1931 in Consolation Marriage. They played the dotty, aged parents of the star and director, Burt Reynolds. Myrna couldn’t get enough of Burt Reynolds’ affection and teasing banter. The attention of the young hunk with a good sense of humor delighted her. He would take her out for dinner when he came to New York and call her Mom.

Just Tell Me What You Want tells the story of a brash, hard-charging New York tycoon, Max Hershel (Alan King), who doesn’t care how he gets what he wants so long as he gets it. Myrna Loy as Max’s tart-tongued, all-knowing, ever-reliable executive secretary, Stella Liberti, sees through her boss and sasses him but panders to him nevertheless. She has all the phone numbers and addresses at her command, and Max can’t make a move without her.

Alan King, funny an d totally convincing as in-your-face Max, endeared himself to Myrna by telling her his dream as a kid has been to play Nick to her Nora.

Page 308
They all heard Wynn Handman say, “Myrna Loy’s legacy is her total honesty, her irresistible charm, her great sense of humor, a delicate touch, her dignity as a woman”.

Page 309
At the White House reception, Ronald Reagan, whose presidency Myrna Loy vociferously opposed, called he “lovely and mysterious,” extolling her “great ease and comfort, as though she were possessed of answers to questions you hadn’t even thought of asking in the first place.”


Page 310
In his eulogy (of Myrna Loy) Roddy McDowall recalled Myrna as “one of the least vain people I have ever met,“ a woman “full of waltzing gentility,” a “flirtatious American-Edwardian” who carried off “a wry mix of romance and reserve. There was no tone like her baccarat crystal laugh.” He confessed, “Her love provides one of the golden threads in the tapestry of my life.”

When Robert Lantz took the podium, he spoke of how bracing he found it that Myrna’s “rueful acceptance of human shortcomings was untainted by sanctimony, that her attentive, intelligent curiosity was never intrusive, that her crystalline wit had not wounding edge. She was the screen’s most approachable sophisticate, an aristocrat who knew neither snobbery nor disdain.” She never became a boring matron, he said, “because there was a touch of the tousled in her immaculately groomed person. She was the Grand Copain of movies and of those who were blessed to know her.”

For all her generosity of spirit, Myrna Loy shunned halos. John Ford’s “only good girl in Hollywood” remains an embodiment of buoyance, companionability, engagement with the world, elegant urbanity, cool affection, and wry humor.

[Mediaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is another example of how to not write a biography. The author wastes over 300 poorly-written pages (plus another hundred pages of notes and lists!) taking most of her information from Loy's own autobiography, adding to it completely unnecessary details about things that have nothing to do with the actress, and sprinkling in the writer's own opinions about politics, movies, and social norms. Meanwhile, she glosses over many of the great movies Loy is known for with few inside details.

Most frustrating is the political tone of the book. The author uses her own skewed liberal feminist lens to view Loy's life, marriages, roles, and films. It includes a hint early of the actress as open to sexual experiences with women, and slams the men that Loy went on to marry. There is way too much written about other actors, the war, and the censorship office, while almost nothing about some of Loy's best films. We get just a couple pages on her work with Cary Grant and just a few paragraphs on the Cheaper by the Dozen movies.

There are a lot of long, boring pages to trudge through in order to get a few interesting on-set tidbits or a rare surprise. If you love Myrna Loy's best films, don't waste your time on this book.

[Pat W Coffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a Christmas gift from my husband because he knew I loved Myrna Loy films. The book was more than Myrna's life. It reflected the plight of women in the movie industry and the unfairness of not only salary, but the exploitation of the studio systems. Loy's acting career begins in silent films and ends with television and live theatre. She was a woman of conviction and in her later years served her country on many levels.

The author, Emily W. Leider, annotated her research for this book. She included photos that highlighted events in Loy's life. If you are a film buff, or enjoy the history of movie making this makes for a good read.

[Judith Squires · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myrna Loy's remarkable career spanned so much of Hollywood history, from her early days of dancing at the Egyptian Theater, then being cast as an exotic (sometimes Chinese) temptress and then her breakthrough roles in The Thin Man series and her remarkable performance in The Best Years of Ou Lives. She was a Montana native who provided financial support to her widowed mother, younger brother and an aunt for many years, and never found real happiness in her four marriages. Her political activism was most impressive and she was the ultimate class act. A very good biography.

[William Conrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing about Emily Leider's biography of Myrna Loy is...Myrna Loy. The book is much more interesting when she tells us about Myrna Loy the woman. But too often Ms. Leider spends time, almost ad nauseum, telling us the plotlines of Ms. Loy's movies. It almost seems that Leider does this because she has nothing else to write about. It's a perfect example of less definitely being more.

But the book earned three stars from me simply because of the subject. I've always been a Myrna Loy fan, and I enjoyed learning about her.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closer to 3 3/4 stars. It was well written. My main disappointment was that the last 30 or so years of her life received only cursory attention. Ms. Loy seemed extremely proud of her work away from acting, but those activities only received a small portion of the book. If you are a fan of Ms. Loy, you will still enjoy the book.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely biography

It seems Myrna Lot didn't just play smart, sophisticated women, she was one. She also comes across as an exceptionally caring person who worked for many causes. I especially liked the reading about her relationship with William Powell. They were the perfect "married couple."

[Donie Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When my local library failed to have Myrna's memoir on their shelves, I chose this book. Great read for any fan of Loy or of films. Writer provides in-depth information about Myrna's early life and all of her films. Very enjoyable about an actress I have always admired.

[Marcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to gain more insight into Loy's Hollywood career. I was pleasantly surprised to learn about her activism and political awakening, too. I don't think the author provided a significant amount of detail beyond Loy's autobiography, though, leaving me feeling like there was a lot missing.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖊 My review: This was a very enjoyable and eye-opening biography of one of my favorite actresses. 📌 I would read this again.
🤔 My rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔲Borrowed from the Library of N.
✿●▬●✿●✿●▬●✿

[Debi Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written & well researched. Very interesting!

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Myrna Loy. She was a terrific actress, and her mannerisms conveyed everything she didn't say. A twist of her head, a sidelong look...well, you get the idea. At any rate, I was looking forward to this new book about her, and I was not disappointed.

Ms. Leider gives us a comprehensive account of Myrna Loy's life and career. She starts with Myrna's beginnings - namely, her parents' and grandparents' lives, who they were and their effect on Myrna. Her mother wanted more for her; her father expected that women were basically to be 'seen and not heard,' in other words, stay home and take care of the house. Her mother rebelled against this, and it did not sit well with her father. When her father died early, young Myrna felt she was the one to take care of the family - her mother and younger brother. In this sense, Myrna was an enabler - by not forcing her brother to go out and get a permanent job. For much of his life he depended on her largesse to support him. I personally don't see how that can be healthy in any way.

Aside from this, when she first started in pictures she was shunted into "exotic" roles, usually playing the part of the 'bad girl who gets hers in the end.' She was fortunate enough not to be typecast the rest of her life. When she finally came into her own as an actress, she proved she could play any part - good or bad - and carry it with aplomb and grace.

In her marriages she wasn't as lucky. Her first husband, Arthur Hornblow, Jr., it appears to me, only wanted a mistress and not a wife. He certainly didn't treat her like a wife; but then again, neither did any of her husbands. For some reason, she chose overbearing men who were not nice to her and cheated with other women. Maybe she was looking for a substitute for her father, or maybe she just had bad taste in men. This is something we may never know.

She had a long and storied career, with a record fourteen films with William Powell. They were never lovers, but were electric together on the screen, perfect foils for each other. To this day I watch The Thin Man every year at Christmas (it does take place at Christmas so therefore qualifies as a holiday film). My favorite of theirs, though is I Love You Again with Powell as a dull husband turned con man. A terrific turn for both of them. She brought something to all her films, a quality of elegance and poise; even when she was insulting someone you couldn't get mad at her - they'd turn to her and think 'did she just say what I thought she did?', but it was said in a way that you were never quite sure. She was one of a kind.

The reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because of the extensive background of her films. No, I'm not referring to what went on with the stars and such, I'm referring to the plots. Every time a film is mentioned, the author tells us the entire plot. Now, I want to know as much about the films as anyone else, but I feel that there is a perfect place for that: at the back, where you can place a filmography. Give the reader the opportunity to decide if they want to read about the film or not. Don't put it throughout the biography, where it bogs down. You're going to list the credits anyway (director/producer/actors, etc.) so why not put the plots there? Yes, the biography itself will be shorter, but it will be more concise and therefore more interesting to the reader.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

For everyone who complains about the injustice of Oscars--see exhibit A: Myrna Loy. Not only did she never win one, she was never even nominated. An actress who made consistently good films (124 of them!) for five decades as a star--granted many were comedies or popular vehicles that she helped carry and she never was lucky enough to work with big directors except for a few times. But come on, Best Years of Our Lives?

As a big Myrna fan I looked forward to this book, and it is a nice reference. A little dry, although I have enjoyed this author's other books--I think I liked Myrna's own autobiography better, and her book is LIBERALLY quoted. Pretty much every paragraph. Really the main takeaways from this are outsiders' view of Myrna.

1) Another book with somewhat negative take on Irene Dunne. I have gotten into Ms. Dunne's movies lately (and she has some rabid fans) but her being extremely jealous of newer performers and been a little unkind is not the first time I've read that.
2) Both Cary Grant and Shirley Temple come off as petulant spoiled brats
3) All of Myrna's husbands were just awful.
4) An extremely loyal friend--especially to Jean Harlow and Joan Crawford. I liked how she actively stood up to sexism (and I bet Myrna had some awful stories not recorded), racism, and McCarthyism. A true patriot--thought it interesting how Kennedy cold shouldered her and her friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt.
5) The people she didn't like -- Chaplin, Hitchcock, Bob Taylor

I would have liked to read a lot more about Leone Rosson her assistant--did she stay with her until Loy's death? How come her family (all the stepchildren & stepgrandchildren who adored her) not invited to her funeral? They were the beneficiaries but not told until after? The last decades of her life that I would think be the most living to interview were the sparsest by far in this book.

In every rumor book or even some credible histories, it's been speculated that Loy was bisexual and her nickname in Hollywood was Ms. Gillette. Is there any credence to this? The book never ever mentions it directly, which in its coyness is a little unbecoming. I guess there are hints--Loy explaining to her friend in high school about lesbians, starting off as Rambova's discovery, the close friendship with Crawford.

The closest this book comes to criticize Loy is that she was very quiet and good listener. The extremely catty letter of Hornblower's second wife I thought telling. Not against Loy--that she wasn't super chatty is the worst thing said about her, it's one of the reasons there are not many books on her or the title of this book. But this book comes across as so non-judgmental towards almost everyone, there's not that much sparkle. It mentions how she was not popular because she didn't play cards, but then has a photo of her playing cards with cast members between takes.

However, I loved the image of her in Cary Grant's anecdote. The first time he ever saw her flustered in the movies they made together was when she flubbed a line, and was upset enough to say "Oh shucks!" which to her, who didn't ever curse, but was friends with many who did (Kay Francis and Carole Lombard), shocked everyone on set.

[Cassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I was bored. My standard for biographies is that I finish them feeling like I have a pretty good understanding of the subject, that I could walk up to them and strike up a conversation on a friend level instead of being strangers.

This book felt like a fleshed out IMDB page. I know way more about Myrna Loy than I did before reading it, but could have gotten most of the same information from IMDB. It's possible that Ms. Loy was just an extremely personal woman who left little information for those who did not know her on an intimate level. But I feel as if I would have been better off reading Loy's autobiography. At least then I could have read the same information in her own words.

[Susan Amper · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why this book was written. I found out absolutely nothing about Myrna Loy or her life or her pictures that I did not already know. There were not enough pictures and certainly not enough unknown to warrant this bio.

[Alistair · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of the Thin Man film and When the rains came, I was always going to be well disposed to read a life of Loy. She comes out of the book rather well, a well-liked and loyal friend who didn't succumb to being a Hollywood diva.