Overview

"A love story, memoir, and dual biography of two of Hollywood's most famous figures, Fay Wray and Robert Riskin explores the fascinating lives of two exceptionally talented people at the center of Hollywood's Golden Age. Fay Wray (1907--2004) achieved cinematic immortality for her role in King Kong (1933). During a long and sterling career, she starred in more than 120 films opposite Hollywood's most famous leading men (Spencer Tracy, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, William Powell, and Ronald Colman), and worked with master directors including Erich von Stroheim, William Wyler, William ""Wild Bill"" Wellman, Josef von Sternberg, Dorothy Arzner, Frank Capra, Michael Curtiz, Raoul Walsh, and Vincente Minnelli. Robert Riskin (1897--1955) is considered to be one of the greatest screenwriters of all time. He was an Academy Award-winning writer and producer whose ten-year-long collaboration with Frank Capra yielded films such as American Madness (1932), It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Lost Horizon (1937), You Can't Take It with You (1938) and Meet John Doe (1941). He was hailed by many -- including F. Scott Fitzgerald -- as being ""among the best screenwriters in the business."" In this moving and masterful work, Wray and Riskin's daughter interweaves the story of their lives and connects them to one of the most interesting periods in Hollywood history. At the heart of Fay Wray and Robert Riskin is a great love story, backed by a cast of characters that includes the greatest stars, filmmakers, screenwriters, and moguls of the era. Readers should not miss this touching and highly acclaimed book."

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9780813180670

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Reviews

Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir is an inherently fascinating love story, an compelling memoir, and an informative dual biography of two of Hollywood's most famous figures, exploring in detail the simply fascinating lives of Fay Wray and Robert Riskin -- two exceptionally talented people at the very heart and center of Hollywood's Golden Age. -- Midwest Book Review It's impossible to conceive of a better book about these two luminaries. In terms of depicting Fay Wray and Robert Riskin's relationship, this is the Hollywood memoir, second to none. -- Yes! Weekly A fascinating dual biography of one of Hollywood's most acclaimed screenwriters... and one of its most famous actresses.... A deeply personal story, informed by the author's affection for her parents.... Revealing.... Refreshing. -- Booklist A joy to read... a Hollywood memoir of rare depth and sensitivity. All who love movies will be captivated by this splendid dual biography of two of Hollywood's most fascinating and colorful personalities -- Joseph McBride, author of Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success A vibrant account by a loving and thoughtful daughter of two decent people who were prominent Hollywood figures during the industry's studio era. Victoria Riskin interweaves the biographies of her parents, Fay Wray and Robert Riskin, and places their lives against the unfolding histories of Hollywood and the nation. Riskin alternates between closeups and long shots, writing with the intimacy of a daughter but also with the reportorial detachment of a historian who has done her homework. Wise, penetrating, smoothly written; a skillful juggling act and, first to last, a pleasure to read. -- Foster Hirsch, author of Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King A wonderfully intimate memoir, vivid andpersonal in the best possible sense, illuminating parallel lives full of drama, humor, and indelible images. I found it compulsive reading. -- James Curtis, author of Between Flops: A Biography of Preston Sturges; W. C. Fields: A Biography; and Spencer Tracy: A Biography Anyone who thinks that Fay Wray was just the girl screaming in King Kong's hand as he climbs the Empire State Building is in for a big -- and pleasant -- surprise. Her daughter Victoria Riskin has written a fascinating, richly detailed and superbly illustrated account of the lives of two remarkable people, Fay Wray and star screenwriter Robert Riskin, that spans one of the most interesting periods of Hollywood from the advent of the talkies through the depression and the war and on through the time of the Hollywood blacklist. This is not only the love story of two brilliantly talented people, it is a brilliant piece of cinematic history, at once robust, touching, and deeply satisfying, with a cast of characters that includes almost everybody of interest in those tumultuous years in the motion picture business. For anybody who is interested in the movies, Victoria Riskin's book will be a must-read. -- Michael Korda, author of Charmed Lives: A Family Romance and former editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster Graceful and loving.... There is so much to admire about both subjects that it's a pleasure to engage with them in this warm and edifying biography. It earns my highest recommendation. -- Leonard Maltin, film historian and critic Her father, screenwriter Robert Riskin, sent Mr. Deeds to town and Mr. Smith to Washington, and her mother, Fay Wray, had a famous encounter with a large ape, but Victoria Riskin has her own story to tell -- about them and of Hollywood during its most enviable era. Insightful, entertaining, and engaging -- and, unlike Kong, I am no pushover. -- Stephen M. Silverman, author of David Lean; Dancing on the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and His Movies I was always curious about life in Hollywood before I came here. I found out in this fascinating book. And wow! What a story it is! -- Kirk Douglas If there was an Academy Award for movie books, Victoria Riskin would be making room beside the Oscar her father won for writing the romantic comedy classic It Happened One Night. Part biography, part Hollywood history, part love story, Riskin's memoir about her parents is captivating and poignant. -- Douglass K. Daniel, The Associated Press If this gracefully written memoir was simply the rich and absorbing account of two unique and talented people who fell in love, that would be enough. But it is also a study of the creative process; a colorful account of Hollywood's Golden Age; a telling slice of American history; and a deeply moving testament to a daughter's love. An altogether wonderful book. -- Richard North Patterson One of the great real-life Hollywood love stories; a warm, evocative, and deeply moving tale. -- Kenneth Turan, former Los Angeles Times film critic Riskin gives a heartfelt account of the lives of her mother, actress Fay Wray, and her father, screenwriter Robert Riskin... [a] nostalgic and reverent remembrance of Riskin's famous parents and their Golden Age Hollywood milieu. -- Publishers Weekly Victoria Riskin remembers her parents with warmth and a perceptible touch of melancholy.... Wray's diary entries, along with the adoring love letters Riskin wrote her when he was engaged in his war work, constitute the raw, mournful heart of their daughter's touching memoir. -- Scott Eyman, Wall Street Journal An abundant account of what it's like to be the daughter of Hollywood's original power couple, and a must-read for fans and others with celebrity stars in their eyes. -- Edith G. Tolchin, New York Journal of Books

Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Biography) Graceful and loving... There is so much to admire about both subjects that it's a pleasure to engage with them in this warm and edifying biography. It earns my highest recommendation. -- Leonard Maltin A wonderfully intimate memoir, vivid and personal in the best possible sense, illuminating parallel lives full of drama, humor, and indelible images. I found it compulsive reading. -- James Curtis, author of Between Flops: A Biography of Preston Sturges; W.C. Fields: A Biography; and Spencer Tracy: A Biography One of the great real-life Hollywood love stories; a warm, evocative, and deeply moving tale. -- Kenneth Turan, film critic, Los Angeles Times I was always curious about life in Hollywood before I came here. I found out in this fascinating book. And wow! What a story it is! -- Kirk Douglas A joy to read... a Hollywood memoir of rare depth and sensitivity. All who love movies will be captivated by this splendid dual biography of two of Hollywood's most fascinating and colorful personalities. -- Joseph McBride, author of Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success Anyone who thinks that Fay Wray was just the girl screaming in King Kong's hand as he climbs the Empire State Building is in for a big -- and pleasant -- surprise. Her daughter Victoria Riskin has written a fascinating, richly detailed and superbly illustrated account of the lives of two remarkable people, Fay Wray and star screenwriter Robert Riskin, that spans one of the most interesting periods of Hollywood from the advent of the talkies through the depression and the war and on through the time of the Hollywood blacklist; this is not only the love story of two brilliantly talented people, it is a brilliant piece of cinematic history, at once robust, touching, and deeply satisfying, with a cast of characters that includes almost everybody of interest in those tumultuous years in the motion picture business. For anybody who is interested in the movies, Victoria Riskin's book will be a must-read. -- Michael Korda, author of Charmed Lives A fascinating dual biography of one of Hollywood's most acclaimed screenwriters... and one of its most famous actresses... a deeply personal story, informed by the author's affection for her parents... Revealing... refreshing. -- Booklist If there was an Academy Award for movie books, Victoria Riskin would be making room beside the Oscar her father won for writing the romantic comedy classic It Happened One Night. Part biography, part Hollywood history, part love story, Riskin's memoir about her parents is captivating and poignant. -- Douglass K. Daniel, Associated Press A vibrant account by a loving and thoughtful daughter of two decent people who were prominent Hollywood figures during the industry's studio era. Victoria Riskin interweaves the biographies of her parents, Fay Wray and Robert Riskin, and places their lives against the unfolding histories of Hollywood and the nation. Riskin alternates between closeups and long shots, writing with the intimacy of a daughter but also with the reportorial detachment of a historian who has done her homework. Wise, penetrating, smoothly written; a skillful juggling act and, first to last, a pleasure to read. -- Foster Hirsch, author of Otto Preminger, The Man Who Would Be King Victoria Riskin remembers her parents with warmth and a perceptible touch of melancholy ... Wray's diary entries, along with the adoring love letters Riskin wrote her when he was engaged in his war work, constitute the raw, mournful heart of their daughter's touching memoir. -- Scott Eyman, The Wall Street Journal If this gracefully-written memoir was simply the rich and absorbing account of two unique and talented people who fell in love, that would be enough. But it is also a study of the creative process; a colorful account of Hollywood's Golden Age; a telling slice of American history; and a deeply moving testament to a daughter's love. An altogether wonderful book. -- Richard North Patterson Riskin gives a heartfelt account of the lives of her mother, actress Fay Wray, and her father, screenwriter Robert Riskin ... [a] nostalgic and reverent remembrance of Riskin's famous parents and their Golden Age Hollywood milieu. -- Publishers Weekly Her father, screenwriter Robert Riskin, sent Mr. Deeds to town and Mr. Smith to Washington, and her mother, Fay Wray, had a famous encounter with a large ape, but Victoria Riskin has her own story to tell -- about them and of Hollywood during its most enviable era. Insightful, entertaining, and engaging -- and, unlike Kong, I am no pushover. -- Stephen M. Silverman, author of David Lean; Dancing on the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and his Movies --

Author Information

Victoria Riskin adapted Willa Cather's My �ntonia for television and was a producer of Carson McCullers's The Member of the Wedding as well as The Last Best Year, based on her years as a psychologist. Riskin was president of the Writers Guild of America West and served for twelve years on the Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch. She lives on Martha's Vineyard with her husband, the writer David W. Rintels.

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