A Woman to Know: Anita Loos
I've always loved high style in low company. — Anita
(image by the Anita Loos Estate)
Anita had been a fabulous screenwriter, working with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and more to build a sterling Hollywood reputation as a pull-no-punches executive. That is, until her husband and collaborator, John Emerson, forced her to quit — his own screenwriting pride couldn't abide two Hollywood heavyweights in one marriage.
But in her reluctant Hollywood exile, Anita collected stories of glamour and gossip that eventually became Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a blockbuster smash.
That one book spawned a sequel, and then a movie deal (with Marilyn Monroe!), and then even more screenwriting gigs, and before you knew it, Anita was back in the game, husband pride be damned. As Anita herself said, "Fate keeps happening."
Add to your reading list:
A Girl Like I (Anita Loos)
Anita Loos Rediscovered (Mary Anita Loos)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Illuminating Diary of a Professional Lady (Anita Loos)
Read more:
Sharp, shameless humour of the world's most brilliant woman (The Guardian)
Profile: Anita Loos (Women Film Pioneers Project)
"Another Look" book club brings new light to Anita Loos (Stanford)
On Valentines Day, Anita Loos' diamonds are a girl's best friends (The Los Angeles Times)
Watch more:
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