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Going Hollywood: Midwesterners in Movieland
They led sometimes scandalous, oftentimes tragic, and completely fiery lives in the glitzy world of show business—and their stories shatter all the stereotypes about people from the American Midwest.
Going Hollywood: Midwesterners in Movieland is the first book of its kind to chronicle the story behind the story of twelve Hollywood legends: Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Anne Baxter, Jean Seberg, Jane Russell, Dorothy Dandridge, Rock Hudson, Marilyn Maxwell, Jane Wyman and Louella Parsons — all from America’s Heartland.
Using rare archival sources and first-hand accounts, the book provides an inside look at how being from the Midwest influenced their lives, how they emerged on the Hollywood scene, and what their legacies look like today, years after their deaths.
Sara Jordan-Heintz is a writer, editor and 20th century historian. She has extensive experience in journalism, including writing for newspapers, magazines, journals and book editing, beginning in her early teens. She is the associate editor of Midwest Today magazine and her celebrity articles written for that publication formed the basis of this book.
Going Hollywood: Midwesterners in Movieland is the first book of its kind to chronicle the story behind the story of twelve Hollywood legends: Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Anne Baxter, Jean Seberg, Jane Russell, Dorothy Dandridge, Rock Hudson, Marilyn Maxwell, Jane Wyman and Louella Parsons — all from America’s Heartland.
Using rare archival sources and first-hand accounts, the book provides an inside look at how being from the Midwest influenced their lives, how they emerged on the Hollywood scene, and what their legacies look like today, years after their deaths.
Sara Jordan-Heintz is a writer, editor and 20th century historian. She has extensive experience in journalism, including writing for newspapers, magazines, journals and book editing, beginning in her early teens. She is the associate editor of Midwest Today magazine and her celebrity articles written for that publication formed the basis of this book.
248 pages, Paperback
Published February 26, 2019
4 people want to read
About the author
Sara Jordan-Heintz
15 books28 followersSara Jordan-Heintz is a writer, editor, historian and award-winning newspaper journalist. She has written hundreds of articles for newspapers and magazines, ranging from human interest stories, business profiles, non-profit sector, education, women's issues, local and regional history, antiques and collectibles, health and wellness, animal welfare, and more.
Her latest book "The Incredible Life and Mysterious Death of Dorothy Kilgallen" (2023) is based on years of research and features exclusive new material and interviews.
Her sci-fi/fantasy story “The Acquisition of Vidalia Somerset” was published in Inkd Publishing’s anthology "Hidden Villains" (2022). Her story “Splitting Image” was published in “Hidden Villains Betrayed” in 2024.
Her cultural critique of the 1950-era Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book was published in the Queen's Quarterly summer 2022 issue. It is a Canadian peer-reviewed academic journal of cultural studies that was established in 1893. Over the years, the list of those who have contributed to the Quarterly is impressive and includes: Sinclair Ross, Margaret Laurence, W.O. Mitchell and Margaret Atwood.
She is the editor of the horror anthology "Behind the Shadows" released in September 2023 by Inkd Publishing.
Her short story "Escaping" was included in the June 2022 anthology "Movement: Our Bodies in Action" and in the August 2022 "Jewels in the Queen's Crown" anthology, both released by Sweetycat Press.
Her short horror story “The Reprisal” was published in Savage Realms Press' volume I anthology "Symphony of the Damned." (2022).
Her poem “The Sounds of Nature” was published in the poetry anthology "World Common Literature" by India-based poet Sourav Sarkar in December 2021. Her poem “A.H. Haiku” was published in the poetry book "Cooch Behar Anthology" by India-based poet Sourav Sarkar (2022).
Jordan-Heintz is the author of "Going Hollywood: Midwesterners in Movieland," (2019) the first book of its kind to chronicle the story behind the story of twelve Hollywood legends from America’s Heartland: Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Anne Baxter, Jean Seberg, Jane Russell, Dorothy Dandridge, Rock Hudson, Marilyn Maxwell, Jane Wyman and Louella Parsons.
Her debut work of fiction, "A Day Saved is a Day Earned", a novella set in 1961, is available as an eBook. It was also published in Rod Serling Books’ inaugural anthology "Submitted For Your Approval" in 2015, edited by Anne Serling, rereleased in 2022.
Her short stories (primarily speculative fiction), have been published in the following: “101 Words,” “Red Planet Magazine,” “365 Tomorrows,” “Friday Flash Fiction,” "Better Than Starbucks," "Potato Soup Journal,” “Blink Ink” and “The Mambo Academy of Kitty Wang.”
Her sci-fi/fantasy short story “Skeptic in the Woods” was published in Brilliant Flash Fiction’s print anthology "Branching Out" (2021).
Her short story “Sardines” was nominated for the 2021 Pushcart Prize for Best Small Fictions and the Best Microfiction by "The Mambo Academy of Kitty Wang."
Jordan-Heintz is a recipient of the Genevieve Mauck Stoufer Outstanding Young Iowa Journalists Award from the Iowa Newspaper Association, and has received honors from the Associated Press.
Her latest book "The Incredible Life and Mysterious Death of Dorothy Kilgallen" (2023) is based on years of research and features exclusive new material and interviews.
Her sci-fi/fantasy story “The Acquisition of Vidalia Somerset” was published in Inkd Publishing’s anthology "Hidden Villains" (2022). Her story “Splitting Image” was published in “Hidden Villains Betrayed” in 2024.
Her cultural critique of the 1950-era Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book was published in the Queen's Quarterly summer 2022 issue. It is a Canadian peer-reviewed academic journal of cultural studies that was established in 1893. Over the years, the list of those who have contributed to the Quarterly is impressive and includes: Sinclair Ross, Margaret Laurence, W.O. Mitchell and Margaret Atwood.
She is the editor of the horror anthology "Behind the Shadows" released in September 2023 by Inkd Publishing.
Her short story "Escaping" was included in the June 2022 anthology "Movement: Our Bodies in Action" and in the August 2022 "Jewels in the Queen's Crown" anthology, both released by Sweetycat Press.
Her short horror story “The Reprisal” was published in Savage Realms Press' volume I anthology "Symphony of the Damned." (2022).
Her poem “The Sounds of Nature” was published in the poetry anthology "World Common Literature" by India-based poet Sourav Sarkar in December 2021. Her poem “A.H. Haiku” was published in the poetry book "Cooch Behar Anthology" by India-based poet Sourav Sarkar (2022).
Jordan-Heintz is the author of "Going Hollywood: Midwesterners in Movieland," (2019) the first book of its kind to chronicle the story behind the story of twelve Hollywood legends from America’s Heartland: Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Anne Baxter, Jean Seberg, Jane Russell, Dorothy Dandridge, Rock Hudson, Marilyn Maxwell, Jane Wyman and Louella Parsons.
Her debut work of fiction, "A Day Saved is a Day Earned", a novella set in 1961, is available as an eBook. It was also published in Rod Serling Books’ inaugural anthology "Submitted For Your Approval" in 2015, edited by Anne Serling, rereleased in 2022.
Her short stories (primarily speculative fiction), have been published in the following: “101 Words,” “Red Planet Magazine,” “365 Tomorrows,” “Friday Flash Fiction,” "Better Than Starbucks," "Potato Soup Journal,” “Blink Ink” and “The Mambo Academy of Kitty Wang.”
Her sci-fi/fantasy short story “Skeptic in the Woods” was published in Brilliant Flash Fiction’s print anthology "Branching Out" (2021).
Her short story “Sardines” was nominated for the 2021 Pushcart Prize for Best Small Fictions and the Best Microfiction by "The Mambo Academy of Kitty Wang."
Jordan-Heintz is a recipient of the Genevieve Mauck Stoufer Outstanding Young Iowa Journalists Award from the Iowa Newspaper Association, and has received honors from the Associated Press.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 19, 2025
I've always been intrigued by Old Hollywood, and this book delivered on the biographies of so many famous actors and actresses from that era. Written in a way that shares both their personal journeys and their prominent milestones in Hollywood, it flowed as if having a conversation about each featured individual. You can tell the author has done her research! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the lives of those who entertained the world in a time that seemed simpler, although maybe only appeared that way. I was surprised to learn of the many scandals that touched the lives of several of the Hollywood elite.
August 31, 2022
I really enjoyed the first chapter on Clark Gabel and like his films he steals the show
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews