Myrna Loy (65 page)

7.

Dear Love

, by Jerome Kilty, based on the letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett. Directed by Burry Fredrik. Produced by Weston Productions. With Myrna Loy, Jerome Kilty. Opened Sept. 17, 1970, Alley Theater, Houston. Performances in Seattle, San Francisco, Phoenix, Hollywood, Chicago, Toronto, Washington, New Haven.

8.

The Women

, by Clare Booth Luce. Directed by Morton Da Costa. Produced by Jeremy Ritzer. With Myrna Loy, Rhonda Fleming, Kim Hunter, Dorothy Loudon, Alexis Smith. Opened April 25, 1973, 46th Street Theater, NYC.

9.

Don Juan in Hell

, by George Bernard Shaw; from

Man and Superman

. Directed by John Houseman. Produced by Lee Orgel. With Ricardo Montalban, Edward Mulhare, Kurt Kasznar, Myrna Loy. Opened June 21, 1974, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, theater unknown. Performances in 158 cities, including Pasadena, Berkeley, Vancouver, Portland, Denver, Albuquerque, El Paso.

10.

Relatively Speaking

, by Alan Ayckbourn. Directed by Phillip Oesterman. Produced by Don Crute. With Myrna Loy, Peter Pagan, Charles Sweigart, Aileen Bay. Opened May 2, 1978, in Indianapolis, theater unknown. Performances in Dallas, Austin, Tampa, St. Petersburg.

Notes

ABBREVIATIONS

AFI

American Film Institute, Los Angeles

AMPAS

Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills

BB

Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming

, by Myrna Loy and James Kotsilibas-Davis

MHS

Montana Historical Society Research Center, Helena

MLP

Myrna Loy Papers, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University

NYPL

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Billy Rose Theatre Collection

PCA

Production Code Administration

UCLA

University of California, Los Angeles, Performing Arts Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library

USC

University of Southern California Cinematic Arts Library, Los Angeles

Myrna Loy films were viewed at the British Film Institute, the Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, the University of Southern California Cinematic Arts Library, and, in some cases, at home on VHS, DVD, and cable television’s Turner Classic Movies.

INTRODUCTION

1. “gotta be a lady”: Loy and Kotsilibas-Davis,
Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming
, 116. Subsequent references to Loy’s autobiography will be cited parenthetically in the text as
BB
.

1. THE CLIMB

1. “attended by a physician”: Myrna Adele Williams Birth Certificate No. 3696, August 2, 1905, Lewis and Clark County Department of Public Health, Helena, Montana.

2. Isabella Johnson . . . used to press: Della Williams, quoted in the script of “This Is Your Life,” 8.

3. “I don’t like”: Myrna Loy (hereafter ML), quoted by Ann Marsters,
Boston Globe
, June 24, 1936.

4. “She has the reserve”: Colman, “The Siren from Montana,” 63.

5. “practically uninhabited”: Howard,
Montana
, 104, quoting the frontier reminiscences of Granville Stuart; railroad station nearest: Holloway and Gaab,
Broadwater Bygones
, 67.

6. population of Radersburg: 1880 U.S. Census; and Holloway and Gaab,
Broadwater Bygones
, 67.

7. “met friendly Indians”: Anonymous, “D. T. Williams,” n.p.; end of their journey: Cauthorn, “Trip to Montana by Wagon Train,” n.p.; family treasures: RKO press release, 1947, Myrna Loy Biography file, Core Collection, 1947, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (hereafter AMPAS).

8. “unless there came”: Moore, “Early Day History of Radersburg,” undated ms., n.p.; Wood served: Holloway and Gaab,
Broadwater Bygones
, 67–70.

9. cabinet shop: Moore, “Early Day History of Radersburg,” n.p.; taking her along: Della Williams tape recording, Montana Historical Society Research Center, Helena (hereafter MHS).

10. David Thomas Williams: Anonymous, “D. T. Williams,” n.p.

11. “traps all the fur”: Charles Russell, quoted in Conrad,
Ghost Hunting in Montana
, 77.

12. “She never took”: ML, quoted in Hall, “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” n.p. The 1880 census supplies the information that James Wilder, son of Isabella’s first marriage, was born in Iowa.

13. not unusual in Montana: Petrik, “If She Be Content,” 287.

14. “but I had to”: Della Williams, quoted in Maddox, “My Daughter, Myrna Loy, as Told by Della Williams,” 35.

15. sat on bank boards: obituary of David F. Williams,
Helena Independent
, Nov. 8, 1918.

16. Montana legislature:
House Journal of the Eighth Session
, State of Montana, Helena, 1903, n.p.; part owner: Lewis and Clark County Probate Records, Estate of David F. Williams.

17. A photograph exists: Myrna Loy Biography file, Core Collection, AMPAS.

18. military . . . posts: Malone, Roeder, and Lang,
Montana
, 141.

19. The town had: Holloway and Gaab,
Broadwater Bygones
, 66, 11; Brother Van: Della Williams tape, MHS.

20. Group dances: Della Williams tape; Howard,
Montana
, 188.

21. literary society: Della Williams tape.

22. “two suits”: Howard,
Montana
, 188; infamous winter: Malone, Roeder, and Lang,
Montana
, 165.

23. Gary Cooper . . . collecting arrowheads: Meyers,
Gary Cooper
, 6.

24. Myrna’s earliest memory: Willson, “The Revealing True Story of Myrna Loy,” Part 1, 56; “I used to be alone”: ML, quoted in Walter Ramsey,
Movie Mirror
clipping, Jan. 1937, Myrna Loy clipping folder, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Billy Rose Theatre Collection (hereafter NYPL); “charming wistful”: Bachardy,
Stars in My Eyes
, 27; “I liked having friends”: ML, quoted in Zeitlin, “Behind the Mystery of Myrna Loy,” 70.

25. spanking: ML, quoted in an unattributed clipping, March 1939, NYPL.

26. slate, picture books: Willson, “The Revealing True Story of Myrna Loy,” Part 1, 86.

2. NOT YOUR TYPICAL HELENA GIRL

1. Central Park: Schroeder and Graff,
Historic Helena, 1864–1964
, unpaged.

2. the city grew: Petrik,
No Step Backward
, 4.

3. Grandmother Johnson: U.S. Census, 1910; business card: Lewis and Clark County Probate records, estate of David F. Williams.

4. selling insurance:
Polk’s Helena City Directory
, 1912–18.

5. refused to even look: MGM bio of ML, 1947, AMPAS; photographs: MHS photograph archives.

6. devoured books: Hall, “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” n.p.; “I was not”: ML, quoted by Karen Heller,
Philadelphia Inquirer
, Nov. 22, 1987.

7. “a nun”: Zeitlin, “Behind the Mystery of Myrna Loy,” 70.

8. “She was a lace”: Hall, “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” n.p.; “Never once”: ML, quoted in Stone, “Somewhat of a Cinderella,” 7.

9. living doll show: MHS photo, donated by Helen Nash; “I suffered”: ML, quoted in Hall, “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” n.p.

10. old naturalist: Zeitlin, “Behind the Mystery of Myrna Loy,” 70.

11. “in which a small”: Della Williams, quoted in Maddox, “My Daughter, Myrna Loy, as Told by Della Williams,” 35.

12. “Blue Bird” dance: Willson, “The Revealing True Story of Myrna Loy,” Part 1, 87; “Miss Williams”:
Helena Record-Herald
, undated clipping, MHS.

13. beloved maternal grandmother: Death Certificate of Isabella Giles Johnson, April 27, 1916, Lewis and Clark County; “he recognized that”: Della Williams, quoted in Maddox, “My Daughter, Myrna Loy, as Told by Della Williams,” 35.

14. ML, quoted in Hall, “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” n.p.

15. movies . . . in Helena: Robert M. Clark note, vertical file on Helena theaters, MHS Research Center; favorite actresses: Johnston, “Myrna Loy,” 12.

16. voting for Wilson: ML, quoted by Karen Heller,
Philadelphia Inquirer
, Nov. 29, 1987.

17. “disloyal, profane”: quoted in the
New York Times
, “Silence Broken, Pardons Granted 88 Years after Crimes of Sedition,” May 3, 2006; Infantry paraded: Malone, Roeder, and Lang,
Montana
, 268–69.

18. “by chattel mortgage”: Probate records, estate of David F. Williams, Inventory of Debts and Assets, Jan. 21, 1921.

19. Spanish influenza: Mark Sullivan,
Over Here, 1914–1918
, 654.

20. sleepwalking: Zeitlin, “Behind the Mystery of Myrna Loy,” 70.

21. Recalling the moment: ML, quoted in
Philadelphia Inquirer
, Nov. 29, 1987.

22. “Funeral services”:
Helena Independent
, Nov. 8, 1918; funeral expenses: Estate of David F. Williams, March 10, 1919, Creditor’s Claim, Probate records.

3. LIFE WITHOUT FATHER

1. Last Will and Testament of David F. Williams, Los Angeles, Feb. 27, 1918, quoted in full by Nettie Qualls in her Final Report as Executrix, May 13, 1943, Lewis and Clark County Probate records, Estate of David F. Williams.

2. script: “This Is Your Life,” May 18, 1956.

3. tried to have her removed: Probate document, Jan. 27, 1919.

4. Helena Business College:
Polk’s City Directory
, Helena, 1918; working as a clerk:
Los Angeles City Directory
, 1921.

5. “Her father’s family”: Della Williams, quoted in Maddox, “My Daughter, Myrna Loy, as Told by Della Williams,” 100.

6. Culver City: Pennington and Baxter,
A Past to Remember
, 50.

7. Betty remembered: Betty Berger Black, fragment of interview by Kotsilibas-Davis for
Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming
, Myrna Loy Papers, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University (hereafter MLP), Box 30, 2155; vacuum cleaner: Lou MacFarlane, fragment of interview by Kotsilibas-Davis for
Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming
, MLP, Box 30, 2155.

8. population of Los Angeles: Henstell,
Sunshine and Wealth
, 13–15; Starr,
Material Dreams
, 28.

9. “I was a wallflower”: ML, quoted in Maddox, “The Mystery of Myrna Loy,” 77.

10. Denishawn: Paris,
Louise Brooks
, chap. 2; Studlar, “Out-Salomeing Salome,” 113; cinema dancers: Kendall,
Where She Danced
, 155.

11. St. Denis . . . and . . . exotic goddesses: Sherman,
Denishawn
, 38; Kendall,
Where She Danced
, 50, 89.

12. female dress reform: Kendall,
Where She Danced
, chap. 3.

13. Delsarte method: McTeague,
Before Stanislavsky
, 18–34; “Dramatic gesture”: cited in Kendall,
Where She Danced
, 154; “If dancing is”: Shawn, “Dancing Cures the Nerves,” 36.

14.
The Exquisite Sinner:
Robert Florey to Kevin Brownlow, Nov. 9, 1968, courtesy Brownlow.

15. “Angels of the Dance” scrapbook: MLP, Box 29.

16. “If her father”: Della Williams, quoted in Maddox, “My Daughter, Myrna Loy, as Told by Della Williams,” 35; “A talented girl”: Ruth St. Denis, quoted in Sherman,
Denishawn
, 16.

17. “I decided that”: ML, in United Artists publicity of ML, 1977, Jane Ardmore Papers, AMPAS.

18. “High school boys”: Della Williams, quoted in Maddox, “My Daughter, Myrna Loy, as Told by Della Williams,” 35; “Your friendship”: Howard Buffum to ML, June 23, 1921, MLP, Box 32, folder 1.

19. had broken a string of beads: Lou MacFarlane, quoted in “This Is Your Life” (script), n.p.

20. twenty-five dollars a month: in
BB
ML gives the salary as forty dollars a month (30). The twenty-five-dollar figure, which she gave to Gladys Hall in “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” is probably more accurate; film splicer: ML, quoted in Harrison Carroll,
LA Evening Herald Examiner
, May 23, 1938.

21. “Southland Produces Venus”:
LA Times
, July 16, 1922.

22. “Miss Myrna Williams”:
LA Times
, May 27, 1923.

23. “I never wavered”: ML, quoted in Hall, “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” Part 1, n.p.

4. ENTER MYRNA LOY

1. Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre: www.americancinematheque.com/egyptian/eghistor.htm; “Finish Grauman Theater,”
LA Times
, Oct. 15, 1922.

2. “We approached”: Helen Hollywood,
Oakland Tribune
, Nov. 12, 1922.

3. Fanchon and Marco: Arthur Unger,
Variety
, June 29, 1927. Unless otherwise specified all references to
Variety
are to the weekly edition; “The New Picture,”
Time
, May 10, 1937.

4. Dancing Favorites: Egyptian Theatre
Ten Commandments
program, MLP, Box 18, folder 3; “Fanchon had us”: ML, quoted in Chierichetti, “Myrna Loy Today,” 8; “Snap it up”: Starr,
Barefoot on Barbed Wire
, 67. I owe this reference to Ned Comstock, senior library assistant at the USC Cinematic Arts Library.

5. “I chanced”: ML, quoted in Hall, “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” Part 1, n.p.; Waxman’s studio: Robert Florey to Kevin Brownlow, Nov. 9, 1968, courtesy Brownlow.

6. screen test: Willson, “The Revealing True Story of Myrna Loy,” Part 2, 83; “Rudy himself”: ML, quoted in Hall, “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” Part 1, n.p.

7. Valentino . . . “was looking for”: ML, quoted in Barthel, “Quartet of Queens,” 68.

8. Hazel Schertzinger: Loy, “Reminiscences of Myrna Loy,” 1419.

9. “They did not want”: ML, quoted in Hall, “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” Part 2, n.p.

10. only a still:
Ben-Hur
scholar T. Gene Hatcher identifies the still as #154 and confirms that ML’s scene was cut. The Hatcher information came to me via Kevin Brownlow in a Sept. 1, 2009, email; “He was poetry”: ML, quoted in Hall, “The Truth about the Mysterious Miss Loy,” Part 2, n.p.