Essays

Hope Loring

Berke, Annie

The life and times of Hope Loring, scenarist and wife of her collaborator, writer-producer Louis “Buddy” Lighton, are mentioned in the margins of Hollywood history. Loring, however, cuts a colorful, memorable figure in the few texts that mention her. Elia Kazan, in his autobiography, deems her petite and asexual (252), and W. C. Fields reportedly did not like this “fast-talking” woman (Curtis 199). However, in her autobiography, screenwriter Frederica Sagor Maas gives us more insight into the couple’s marriage and working relationship than gossip columnists would dare. But while some, like Maas, could not abide her, Loring had allies in the film community. One was Mary Pickford, who in 1937 married Buddy Rogers (Carey 217), at what as one society page referred to as “Hope Loring’s home” (Kendall A7). Loring not only wrote for some of the top stars in Hollywood, such as Pickford, Clara Bow, even Gary Cooper, but was written about along with them.

Files

More About This Work

Academic Units
Film
Libraries
Series
Women Film Pioneers Project
Published Here
October 15, 2019