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A Beautiful Fairy Tale: The Life of Actress Lois Moran
Coming of age in Paris in the 1920s, film and stage actress Lois Moran was a rumored paramour of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and the inspiration for the character of Rosemary in his Tender Is the Night . As a young girl, Lois moved to Paris with her mother and thrived in the artistic and literary glow of the city. She danced with the National Paris Opera at age 14 and also was cast in two French films. Samuel Goldwyn, on a European tour in search of new talent, saw her work and was impressed. He cast her in what would become one of the best-known films of the era. With her performance as Laurel, the emotionally conflicted daughter in Stella Dallas , Lois Moran became an overnight sensation and took Hollywood by storm, and on her own terms. The author corresponded with Lois Moran during the last five years of her life. He had full and exclusive access to her journals, scrapbooks, and photos. In telling the Lois Moran story, Buller illuminates the history of film, theater, and television. He also includes a thorough and unique account of the actress's relationship with Fitzgerald. HARDCOVER
- GenresBiography
Hardcover
First published July 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 10, 2020
Recently I was thinking about one of my favorite professors, Lawrence D. Stewart, and came upon this book. The author, Richard Buller, was a classmate of mine when we both took a senior seminar on F. Scott Fitzgerald given by Dr. Stewart. Sadly, I found out that Dr. Stewart passed away on March 8th (2013) at age 86. I am sure that he loved knowing that he inspired one of his students to write a book (published in 2005) which has links to Fitzgerald. The following quote is from the publisher's (Limelight) description of the book: "Coming of age in Paris in the 1920s, film and stage actress Lois Moran was a rumored paramour of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and the inspiration for the character of Rosemary in his Tender Is the Night." What a lovely bit of serendipity that I found this book which I recently finished.
Mr. Buller's exquisite biography of Lois Moran contains years of research, much of it from his access to Ms. Moran's papers. Mr. Buller knew Lois Moran and was a friend of hers in the final five years of her life. The book contains countless excerpts from Ms. Moran's diaries and is full of beautiful photographs, some of which have never previously been published. Ms. Moran was a meticulous and animated journal keeper. Her views, opinions and observations of life in the fabulous 20s and in Hollywood give us a revealing glimpse into another time and place - her "fairy tale" world of the 1920s and beyond.
Lois Moran, a vivacious and independent woman, whose roles included Hollywood star, Broadway actress, singer, dancer, wife, mother and writer, came alive for me in the pages of this beautifully written and painstakingly researched book. The appendix contains exhaustive lists of her films, plays, characters, etc. As for the dust jacket, I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but the photo of Ms. Moran is beautiful, as is the title which says it all.
A Beautiful Fairy Tale is a fascinating and extraordinary tribute to the life of Lois Moran, but it is also a passionate and detailed telling of life in the 1920s, Hollywood, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and a tribute to Dr. Stewart who inspired all of us.
Mr. Buller's exquisite biography of Lois Moran contains years of research, much of it from his access to Ms. Moran's papers. Mr. Buller knew Lois Moran and was a friend of hers in the final five years of her life. The book contains countless excerpts from Ms. Moran's diaries and is full of beautiful photographs, some of which have never previously been published. Ms. Moran was a meticulous and animated journal keeper. Her views, opinions and observations of life in the fabulous 20s and in Hollywood give us a revealing glimpse into another time and place - her "fairy tale" world of the 1920s and beyond.
Lois Moran, a vivacious and independent woman, whose roles included Hollywood star, Broadway actress, singer, dancer, wife, mother and writer, came alive for me in the pages of this beautifully written and painstakingly researched book. The appendix contains exhaustive lists of her films, plays, characters, etc. As for the dust jacket, I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but the photo of Ms. Moran is beautiful, as is the title which says it all.
A Beautiful Fairy Tale is a fascinating and extraordinary tribute to the life of Lois Moran, but it is also a passionate and detailed telling of life in the 1920s, Hollywood, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and a tribute to Dr. Stewart who inspired all of us.
October 24, 2021
Several years go when I saw John Gilbert's film WEST OF BROADWAY, I was astonished by his co-star Lois Moran's combination of beauty, sexiness, sincerity and charm. Gilbert had been rumored to have a high voice and this film proves otherwise.
Although the Moran book was recommended in 2012, I didn't purchase it until recently when an online forum focused on Lois' relationship with F. Scott Fitzgerald. They met while he was screenwriting in Hollywood. He was thirteen years older but they had an intense relationship. Scholars have debated whether their passion was consummated in a sexual affair but never has it been confirmed. Aspects of Lois and her mother are reflected in Fitzgerald's books. Lois inspired aspects of Rosemary in TENDER IS THE NIGHT.
Previously I'd slogged through Ronnie Spector's boring auto biography so reading this was a joy. The author's insight, care and scholarship made it interesting and rewarding. The complexity of her life was studied in detail. The author interviewed her and her son gave him access to her personal journals.
Lois' career spanned several decades in Europe, Hollywood and on Broadway. By the time Lois made WEST OF BROADWAY she had already made two dozen films.
When she was an adolescent after the death of her father she and her mother moved from Pittsburgh to Paris where Lois continued ballet training and she performed with the Paris Opera. She made her first film at age 15. Samuel Goldwyn took an interest in her and groomed her as a fresh American ingenue. Her mother helped to select the right projects for her young age. One of her first films for Goldwyn STELLA DALLAS (1925) co-starred Ronald Coleman and was a hit. She performed with Lon Chaney and Richard Barthlemess in THE ROAD TO MANDALAY and made four films with athlete turned actor, George O'Brien.
In the beginning she resisted a longterm contract so she and her mother could choose jobs for which to audition.
Her friends ranged from the Fitzgeralds to the Gershwins, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, Marion Davies, Charles Farrell, Howard Hughes (not for long), George Kaufman, John Wayne, Gloria Swanson, Edward Steichen and Conde Nast... She performed with Al Jolson, lived across the hall from Abby Rockefeller and partied with Gene Tunney.
Lois was always reading books. She was a feminist and intellectual.
This photo of Lois was taken by George Hurrell to promote her last film WEST OF BROADWAY.
Although the Moran book was recommended in 2012, I didn't purchase it until recently when an online forum focused on Lois' relationship with F. Scott Fitzgerald. They met while he was screenwriting in Hollywood. He was thirteen years older but they had an intense relationship. Scholars have debated whether their passion was consummated in a sexual affair but never has it been confirmed. Aspects of Lois and her mother are reflected in Fitzgerald's books. Lois inspired aspects of Rosemary in TENDER IS THE NIGHT.
Previously I'd slogged through Ronnie Spector's boring auto biography so reading this was a joy. The author's insight, care and scholarship made it interesting and rewarding. The complexity of her life was studied in detail. The author interviewed her and her son gave him access to her personal journals.
Lois' career spanned several decades in Europe, Hollywood and on Broadway. By the time Lois made WEST OF BROADWAY she had already made two dozen films.
When she was an adolescent after the death of her father she and her mother moved from Pittsburgh to Paris where Lois continued ballet training and she performed with the Paris Opera. She made her first film at age 15. Samuel Goldwyn took an interest in her and groomed her as a fresh American ingenue. Her mother helped to select the right projects for her young age. One of her first films for Goldwyn STELLA DALLAS (1925) co-starred Ronald Coleman and was a hit. She performed with Lon Chaney and Richard Barthlemess in THE ROAD TO MANDALAY and made four films with athlete turned actor, George O'Brien.
In the beginning she resisted a longterm contract so she and her mother could choose jobs for which to audition.
Her friends ranged from the Fitzgeralds to the Gershwins, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, Marion Davies, Charles Farrell, Howard Hughes (not for long), George Kaufman, John Wayne, Gloria Swanson, Edward Steichen and Conde Nast... She performed with Al Jolson, lived across the hall from Abby Rockefeller and partied with Gene Tunney.
Lois was always reading books. She was a feminist and intellectual.
This photo of Lois was taken by George Hurrell to promote her last film WEST OF BROADWAY.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews