In Born to Dance (1936), Virginia Bruce tempted James Stewart while introducing Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin." That same year, she dazzled as the archetypal showgirl in the Oscar-winning The Great Ziegfeld. Fans and critics saw her poised for major stardom at MGM. Delve into her turbulent life and career. In James Robert Parish's Foreword, he notes Virginia's quiet charisma, the haunted, distracted look of her eyes, her vibrant voice, and her "off-screen life . . . far more exciting and exotic than any role she experienced on camera." Love was very important to Virginia. She fell hard for screen idol John Gilbert during their filming of Downstairs (1932). When the virile, yet deeply troubled Gilbert proposed marriage, Hollywood held its collective breath. The merger ended in divorce, but provided the basis for the Selznick's A Star is Born (1937). Virginia's career took off, but the question was, "Did Louis B. Mayer have it in for her?" Mayer had hated Gilbert. After a brief, idyllic, yet tragic second marriage to director-producer J. Walter Ruben, Virginia's career focused more on radio, and an occasional "B" film. Her marriage to a young Turk, Ali Ipar in 1946 provided another unusual twist to Virginia's life, and ultimately a bittersweet ending. Includes over 130 photos.

Virginia Bruce - Under My Skin

Biographies & Memoirs

Scott O'Brien

Arts & Literature

BearManor Media

Bette Davis answered, "George Brent" whenever asked to name her favorite co-star. Her longtime crush on the actor (they teamed in eleven films) culminated in an off-screen affair while filming Dark Victory (1939) for which she won an Oscar nomination and Brent gave what many consider his "finest performance." Hollywood's top stars clamored to play opposite Brent, who infused his easy-going warmth into such blockbuster films as 42nd Street (1933). Before long, Garbo demanded that MGM cast him opposite her in The Painted Veil (1934). Brent was perfect foil for cinema's leading ladies: Ruth Chatterton (his second wife), Ginger Rogers, Loretta Young, Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck, Myrna Loy, Kay Francis, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine, Hedy Lamarr, Merle Oberon, and Ann Sheridan (his fourth wife). Not to be pigeonholed Brent's perfection as the dissipated Englishman in The Rains Came (1939) and surprise turn as the heavy in The Spiral Staircase (1946) fueled the longevity of his career. The personal life of George Brent remained undercover. Upon signing with Warner Bros., studio publicity fabricated a back-story for Brent: a graduate of Dublin University (he dropped out of school at 16); a player in the Abbey Theatre (for which no record exists); a dead mother (who was very much alive); and, a dispatcher for Michael Collins during the Irish Revolution (this . . . was true). Brent's biography offers a fascinating look into the life of Hollywood's elusive lone wolf. Scott O'Brien, whose biography on Ruth Chatterton made The Huffington Post's "Best Film Books of 2013," abetted by Irish filmmaker Brian Reddin, sheds new light on Ireland's gift to Hollywood and its leading ladies: George Brent. (Foreword by Wesleyan University's Chair of Film Studies, Jeanine Basinger.) 331 pages with 125 illustrations capture the glamour and private world of Hollywood's Golden Age.

George Brent - Ireland's Gift to Hollywood and its Leading Ladies

Sylvia Sidney was one of a kind. Author James Baldwin said of her, “She was the only American film actress who reminded me of reality.” Film historian John Springer called her the “finest emotional actress” of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Her work enhanced landmark films of the 1930s, yet it wasn’t until 1974 that Sidney received an Academy Award® nomination (Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams). Sidney was blunt and opinionated, offering salty assessments of her directors and co-stars. She had high praise for Spencer Tracy and James Cagney, but her opinion of Humphrey Bogart was less than enthusiastic. A whole new generation of fans enjoyed Sidney’s about-turn in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1986). Along with acting, her passion for pug dogs and needlepoint contributed to the fascinating persona that was Sylvia Sidney. Author Scott O'Brien had input from Sylvia Sidney’s co-stars and friends for this long overdue biography of one of cinema’s best. Three of O'Brien’s books have made the Huffington Post’s “Best Cinema Books of the Year.”

SYLVIA SIDNEY - Paid by the Tear

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Scott O'Brien. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Scott O'Brien

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Scott O'Brien. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Virginia Bruce - Under My Skin

George Brent - Ireland's Gift to Hollywood and its Leading Ladies

SYLVIA SIDNEY - Paid by the Tear