Margaret Sullavan: The Life and Career of a Reluctant Star

by Michael D. Rinella

In 1933, Margaret Sullavan made her film debut and was an overnight sensation. For the next three decades, she enchanted audiences and critics in any medium she chose--film, theater, television--and was regarded as one of the foremost dramatic actresses. Off screen, she epitomized the Southern Belle--beauty, hospitality and a flirtatious but chaste demeanor. Deep down, she suffered from crippling insecurity, especially as a mother--a feeling exacerbated by progressive hearing loss. By age 50, she could no longer cope and took an overdose of sleeping pills. This biography covers her film career with insightful criticism from the period and details her personal life, including her marriage to Henry Fonda, her special friendship with James Stewart and her bitter rivalry with Katharine Hepburn.

260 pages, Paperback

Published July 29, 2019

Reviews

[Julia A Nix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complex woman, shinning star...

Have loved Maggie Sullavan's work for well over 50 years. Moral Storm was always my favorite. Thanks to TCM, I am seeing more of her movies and it's a pleasure to pass their quality on to others. Read Haywire in the 80's and thought it was an honest portrait of a child and her sometimes self absorbed parents. Would recommend this read as well as any movies you can get a hold of.

[Lisbeth Schilling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of detail, but not about Margaret

I was disappointed with this book. Though informative, there was a lot of encyclopedia-like detail about her plays and movies but little substantial detail about her life beyond a basic timeline.