The Thin Man in San Francisco - February 21, 2012 Event

Emily Leider, author of MYRNA LOY: THE ONLY GOOD GIRL IN HOLLYWOOD will show movie clips and give a talk on February 21, 2012 at 7:30 at the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco.

NICK AND NORA’S SAN FRANCISCO

on February 21, 2012

7:30 PM; reception prior at 7:00

San Francisco Jewish Community Center

Kanbar Hall at the Jewish Community Center
3200 California Street, San Francisco

Presented by the San Francisco Historical Society and Museum

SF Historical Society Members: Free
Non-Member Tickets: $5.00

“Nick and Nora’s San Francisco” will focus on three figures: Dashiell Hammett, the former Pinkerton detective and San Francisco resident who wrote THE THIN MAN and created the sleuthing characters Nick and Nora Charles; actor William Powell, who played Nick in the 1934 MGM movie version, which spawned five sequels; and Myrna Loy, the actress who portrayed Nora in all six Thin Man films. Illustrated with film clips and photographs, Leider will discuss Hammett’s relationship with Nick, Nora and San Francisco, and the experiences of Powell and Loy in San Francisco while filming AFTER THE THIN MAN (1936) and SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN (1941), the two Thin Man movies actually shot (in part) in San Francisco. Leider will touch on San Francisco’s reputation as a “wet” city during Prohibition, and on the impact of Repeal in 1933 on the audience for THE THIN MAN.

Your's truly will be there, no bones about it.

On the Bedside Table - Myrna Loy The Only Good Girl in Hollywood

Emily W. Leider, author of Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino and Becoming Mae West has penned a biography of one of my favorite actresses who began in the silent era and blossomed in the talkies.  Order at Amazon.com.

I've been slow to read this, much to my chagrin.  I've not wanted to put the book down.  It's that good, yes, it is really THAT good.

One wishes they could write as elegantly and as engagingly as Emily Leider does about the subject of her latest biography, Myrna Loy. Leider's impeccable research coupled with her elegant prose make for a thoroughly enjoyable read.


Myrna Loy is a much beloved star from Hollywood's golden age. Publicity at the time declared her to be a perfect wife on screen and it was assumed she was as much off screen as well. Leider informs us this was not the case. Leider chronicles Loy's life and film career with just the right touch. There is a nice balance between the biography and the chronicle of the film career. Unlike so many other biographies of the last few years, this is not padded out with recaps of film plots. Leider's prose, in so many ways, reflects or mimics the manner, the lightness, the quirkiness of Loy's own voice as she tosses off quips with William Powell. It's a pure delight to read.

Loy's life was very full and really devoid of scandal like so many other stars of the day. Perhaps this might make people overlook Loy as the subject of a biography. They should not, Leider's excellent detective work uncovers some secrets that Loy kept under wraps or only hinted at in Loy's own excellent autobiography Being and Becoming. Leider also fills us all in on Loy's interesting life as an activist. Myrna Loy was really much more, much deeper than Nora Charles and this book tells you why. I'm beyond grateful she portrayed Nora Charles as delightfully as she did, but I'm more grateful to read about and learn from her life off screen. Not a perfect wife, but quite a life. If you're a fan of Myrna Loy and her films, this is a must read.
 
I forgot to add a comment on the judicious use of photos in the book, most are shots I'd not seen.  Some incredible portraits, like the Ted Allan portrait used on the cover. 

Emily Leider - Upcoming Myrna Loy Book Events

I'm anxiously awaiting my copy of Emily Leider's biography of Myrna Loy, Myrna Loy The Only Good Girl in Hollywood.  If you're in or around San Francisco, you have several opportunities to attend some grand events and screenings and to meet Emily and obtain an autographed copy of this much anticipated book.

Friday, October 7, 2011 at 6:00, Mechanics Institute Library, 57 Post St., San Francisco, 4th floor. Screening of the 1932 movie “The Animal Kingdom,” with Myrna Loy and Leslie Howard. Emily will introduce the film and will sign books after the movie. Doors open at 5:30 and sandwiches and drinks are available then. For a reservation call (415) 393-0114.

Friday, October 14, 2011 at 6:00, Mechanics Institute Library, 57 Post St., San Francisco, 4th floor. Screening of the 1933 movie “Penthouse,” in which Myrna Loy morphs from a call girl into a lady. Emily will sign books after the movie. Doors open at 5:30, as above, and a reservation is advised (415) 393-0114.

The Mechanics will screen two more Myrna Loy movies on the next two Friday nights, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28, at 6:00. These will “Manhattan Melodrama,” a 1934 film (which won an Academy Award for Best Story) starring Myrna Loy, Clark Gable and William Powell, and on 10/28 ‘Love Crazy,” a very silly 1941 comedy with William Powell. Emily will NOT be introducing or signing books at these last two screenings; the movies are great fun and you should go anyway.

Thursday, October 27, at 7:00, a talk and book signing at Bookshop at West Portal, 80 West Portal Ave., San Francisco.

Wednesday, December 14 at 7:30, a talk, clips show and screening of the 1936 comedy “Libeled Lady,” co-starring Myrna Loy, William Powell, Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy, at The Barn, Hollywood Heritage Museum, 2100 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles. Reservations necessary; call (323) 874-2276.  Hollywood Heritage website will have details and online tickets soon.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 7:30, “Nick and Nora’s San Francisco,” a talk with movie clips. Presented by the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society, at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center, 3200 California Street, San Francisco.

I'm looking forward to attending at least two of the local events, the Nick and Nora's San Francisco event is particularly appealing. 

Myrna Loy - The Only Good Girl in Hollywood

As you can see from the header image, Myrna is no stranger to this blog. So many wonderful films, so many great performances. This is why I'm thrilled to announce here that Myrna Loy The Only Good Girl in Hollywood by Emily Leider (author of Becoming Mae West and Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino) will be published in October 2011 from the University of California Press. I'm very much looking forward to reading this new biography.

Amazon link to pre-order the book is here.

Myrna Loy The Only Good Girl in Hollywood Emil y W. Leider From the beginning, Myrna Loy’s screen image conjured mystery, a sense of something withheld. This first-ever biography of the wry and sophisticated actress best known for her role as Nora Charles, wife to dapper detective William Powell in The Thin Man, offers an unprecedented picture of her life and a movie career that spanned six decades. Opening with Loy’s rough-and-tumble upbringing in Montana, the book takes us to Los Angeles in the 1920s, where Loy’s striking looks caught the eye of Valentino, through the silent and early sound era to her films of the thirties, when Loy became a top box office draw, and to her robust post–World War II career.

Biographer, poet, and memoirist Emily W. Leider is the author of Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino, among other books. 384 pp. 49 b/w images (W) $34.95 cloth (£24.95) 978-0-520-25320-9