Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew (Limelight) - Softcover

Oller, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0879102780 ISBN 13: 9780879102784

Publisher: Limelight Editions, 2004

Synopsis

The luminous star of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Shane, and other classic films was, as the subtitle aptly puts it, "the actress nobody knew". Jean Arthur (1900-91) kept her personal life private, disdained the Hollywood publicity machine, and was called "difficult" because of her perfectionism and remoteness from costars on the movie set. John Oller, a lawyer, tracked down kinsfolk and friends never before interviewed to capture the elusive personality of a free spirit best embodied in her favorite role, Peter Pan. Arthur herself might have appreciated his warm, respectful portrait. " . . . [An] insightful, painstakingly researched analysis of Arthur's life and career raises the curtain on the complex, conflicted person behind the screen persona . . . Captures the special shine of a unique star who turned out to be a genuine eccentric". -Chicago Tribune

About this title

Synopsis:

Jean Arthur starred in some of the brightest screwball and social comedies of the 1930s and '40s: Mr Deeds Goes to Town, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, You Can't Take it With You, The More the Merrier, The Talk of the Town, The Devil and Miss Jones. Yet Arthur was something of a mystery woman: she shunned interviews, hated the trappings of Hollywood, wanted simply to do her work and be left alone. The fact that John Oller's biography is the first book about this much loved star demonstrates how thoroughly Arthur succeeded in pulling a veil over her life.

About this edition

• Publisher: Limelight Editions
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0879102780
• ISBN 13: 9780879102784
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 388