Hollywood Ambitions

Working with a varied and nontraditional cast of characters - Wyatt Earp, Jack London, Clara Bow, Gertrude Stein, and Ida Lupino - author Marsha Orgeron examines the Hollywood ambitions of a fading western legend, a vastly successful popular author, a poor Brooklyn girl turned flapper icon, a self-proclaimed avant-garde genius, and a frustrated actress on her way to becoming a director. Investigating their different involvements with the expanding film industry, Orgeron moves beyond debates over how and when stardom evolved to illustrate the many new implications of film celebrity during the era in which cinema's impact was first felt.The Hollywood aspirations of these individuals demonstrate the unifying role the American motion picture capital played in shaping our cultural notions of reputation, success, glamour, and visibility. Through extensive and unprecedented primary research and illuminating analyses of films, texts, and personal writings, each chapter provides new insight into its subject's dealings in the mythic city. "Hollywood Ambitions" affords a unique understanding of the tremendous diversity of the Hollywood experience and its allure in the first half of the cinematic century.Five remarkable American personalities show how Hollywood created a new kind of fame.