Ruth Chatterton, Actress, Aviator, Author

In 1912, producer Henry Miller became smitten with his young discovery Ruth Chatterton. They teamed on stage for several box-office successes for over a decade. In 1928, Hollywood beckoned. Chatterton's faultless English was her ticket to stardom. Nominated for Best Actress in popular tearjerkers like Madame X and Sarah and Son, Chatterton proved equally adept in a feminist turn, Female. In 1936, she offered her cinematic piece de resistance as the superficial wife in the Academy Award nominated Dodsworth. A friend of Amelia Earhart, Ruth also earmarked her career as an aviator and sponsor of successful air derbies in 1935-36. By 1950, the actress/aviator became recognized as a novelist whose controversial work made The New York Times best-seller list. She tackled Anti-Semitism, McCarthyism, racism, making a positive ripple amid society's prejudices. Author O'Brien had access to Chatterton's private collection of letters, telegrams, photos, unpublished writing, as well as personal conversations with her favorite cousin's daughter. The narrative includes material from over 80 personal interviews that Chatterton gave to newspapers and theatre/film/sports/national periodicals from 1912-1959. Her story is supplemented by the memoirs of those who knew her best: agent Scoop Conlon, Ruth Gordon, Bette Davis, Christopher Plummer, Fritz Lang, Brian Aherne, Grace Moore, Mary Astor, Patsy Ruth Miller, Helen Hayes, and Dorothy Arzner.