Dorothy Parker was, for the most part, an unhappy woman, one who could always see the cloud on every silver lining. Her dour personality stood in stark contrast to her professional reputation as a Very Funny Lady, one whose acerbic wit made her famous as a poet, writer, and professional book reviewer. She was also known as being a member of the infamous Algonquin Round Table, a membership she would quickly dismiss as being unimportant but one for which she is eternally associated. Often overlooked, though, is her role as a Hollywood screenwriter, which is the subject of a new biography, Dorothy Parker In Hollywood. 

Like many writers at the time, Parker was attracted to Hollywood for one reason and one reason only: money. She didn’t care for the movies and the industry, but was willing to set aside her differences for a good, steady paycheck. She collaborated on well over a dozen pictures, most notably 1937’s classic, A Star Is Born—a film so universal it’s been remade faithfully three times since its original release. 

Yet for all her negative feelings about the place, Parker thrived in Hollywood. She met her future husband Alan Campbell there, marrying him in 1934, and even though their relationship was peculiar—Campbell was bisexual and often the subject of homophobic taunting by Parker—it proved to be a happy association for her. Furthermore, she became much more open in her political beliefs, which would come to haunt her in the late 1940s, cumulating in her being blacklisted. 

Sadly, the end of Parker’s tenure in Hollywood ushered in a dark and desolate era. She drank heavily, her writing dried up, and though she worked, the good times were over, with her descending into squalor. It’s a sad end to a promising career; considering her habits, it’s amazing she has maintained the reputation that she has. Then again, perhaps the truism that the funniest people are often the unhappiest can be especially attributed to her. 

Dorothy Parker in Hollywood is a fascinating read, if not a little frustrating because of all the abject negativity and spitefulness of its subject. Still, it does a good job of illuminating a forgotten and neglected career of one of American literature’s finest and funniest women. 

Purchase: Amazon

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