Mary Astor's Purple Diary by Edward Sorel

Mary Astor's Purple Diary
The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936
by Edward Sorel
Liveright (W.W. Norton & Co)
October 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 9781631490231
165 pages

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It was the 1960s. Edward Sorel and his new bride had just moved into their apartment on the Upper East side of Manhattan. The hideous linoleum flooring in their new kitchen had to go. As Sorel dutifully ripped up the flooring he discovered something that would spark his imagination: newspapers from 1936 plastered with headlines about Mary Astor’s sex scandal. Sorel read the newspapers in utter fascination. His research would lead him to Astor’s autobiography, court documents and an interview Astor’s daughter Marylyn. Sorel had intended to create an illustrated book about Astor and the scandal but deadlines kept him from his goal. Five decades later and with fewer and fewer reasons to procrastinate, Sorel finally produced the book we have today.

“Mary [Astor] was a textbook example of what is taught in Psych 101: A child who has been denied love and affection from her parents is generally going to pursue love in all the wrong places.” – Edward Sorel

Mary Astor’s Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 explores the life of actress Mary Astor with a focus on the courtroom scandal that rocked Hollywood in 1936. Born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke, the actress later dubbed Mary Astor, was off to a rough start in the business. Her father Otto Langhanke had seen an opportunity to exploit his daughter’s good looks and the family packed up and moved to New York City. He immediately saw dollar signs and his greed would have an adverse affect on Astor's life and career. After he bungled up an opportunity for her to work with D.W. Griffith, Jesse L. Lasky saw a photo of Astor that immediately captivated him. He gave her a contract and his publicity department dubbed her Mary Astor to give her an air of sophistication. It was the same photo, captioned "On the Brink of Womanhood", that also captivated John Barrymore. Warner Bros. was eager to please Barrymore and upon his request got Lasky to loan out Astor for Beau Brummel (1924). The 17 year old Astor and 42 year old Barrymore had a wild affair.

“She was smart, witty, and self-denigrating.” - Edward Sorel on Mary Astor

Mary Astor, On the Brink of Womanhood

Through excellent written and visual storytelling, Sorel weaves the tale of Astor's romances. Her first marriage to Kenneth Hawks, brother of Howard Hawks, ended in tragedy when his plane crashed on the set of his movie Such Men Are Dangerous (1930). Astor then married gynecologist Franklyn Thorpe. This union produced a daughter, Marylyn, and much contention. Thorpe was as greedy with Astor's earnings as was her father and their relationship quickly soured. She fled to New York City and had a wild affair with Broadway playwright George S. Kaufman. Unfortunately for Astor, her enthusiastic chronicling of their tryst in her purple diary was discovered by Thorpe. When Astor finally decided to divorce Thorpe and seek custody of their daughter Marylyn, Thorpe took her to court using the purple diary as ammunition. The scandal that ensued threatened Astor's work on her new film Dodsworth. Would they replace her? Could her career survive such a public controversy?

Sorel goes into detail about the affair and the scandal using any details he could get his hands on. While Astor and Kaufman were secretive about their affair and the infamous purple diary was eventually destroyed, Sorel cleverly imagines a conversation with Mary Astor's ghost in which she tells the story that otherwise is lost forever.

“I bet you spend too much time indoors watching old movies.” - Mary Astor's ghost to Edward Sorel

This book is also in part the story of Edward Sorel. He describes growing up in the Bronx and being a kid who loved to "draw pictures and go to the movies." He weaves in stories of his two marriages and his work as an illustrator. When Sorel steps away from the Astor story to tell his own, they never feel like deviations because he parallels his story with hers so beautifully. I enjoyed learning about Sorel as much as I did about Astor.

This book is a collector's item. It's lusciously produced and contains numerous pieces of exquisite art by Edward Sorel. The pieces accompany the text but also stand out on their own. One of my favorites is the big two page spread found on the endpapers. Astor lounges seductively as elements of her life make up the foreground and background.

Art by Edward Sorel from Mary Astor's Purple Diary

Mary Astor's Purple Diary explores the actress' life and scandal in a richly produced volume containing renowned Edward Sorel's beautiful artwork.

Thank you to Liveright for sending me a copy of this book to review.

Related:
Portrait of an Artist: The Life and Work of Edward Sorel

Portrait of an Artist: The Life and Work of Edward Sorel

On a chilly Sunday afternoon, we headed into Boston for a very special event. Boston University's Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center was hosting a grand opening for their new exhibition entitled Portrait of an Artist: The Life and Work of Edward Sorel. Celebrated artist Edward Sorel was on hand along his good friend legendary cartoonist Jules Feiffer. A dedicated room boasted a variety of art from Edward Sorel's long and industrious career.

For those of you unfamiliar with Sorel, he's known for his political, editorial and entertainment caricatures, cartoons and illustrations. His work has graced many covers of The New Yorker and has appeared in Esquire, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic and many other illustrious publications. He's also the illustrator of several books including his latest one Mary Astor's Purple Diary which explores in both text and caricature Mary Astor's 1936 courtroom scandal. Woody Allen recently reviewed the book in The New York Times saying "in Sorel’s colloquial, eccentric style, the tale he tells is juicy, funny and, in the end, touching."

I spend some time browsing the exhibit which boasted a collection of his New Yorker covers, many individual editorials, photographs of Sorel and his family and a video loop displaying a short documentary. It was a very crowded exhibit with many folks eager to see the works on display. Of course I was drawn to Sorel's classic film related pieces. Familiar faces including Clark Gable, Mary Astor, Claudette Colbert, James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and more are caricatured in his works. A particular favorite of mine is Sorel's Frank Sinatra illustration on the April 1966 cover of Esquire magazine.

Edward Sorel's Frank Sinatra portrait for Esquire
and other works

Edward Sorel exhibit

Illustration from Mary Astor's Purple Diary
and other classic film art

Me with a copy of Mary Astor's Purple Diary
and artist Edward Sorel in the background

Woody Allen's New York Times Book Review piece on display

After exploring the exhibit, we were all seated to hear from the special guests. First up was Cullen Murphy, editor-at-large Vanity Fair and son of acclaimed artist John Cullen Murphy. He's worked with Edward Sorel over 30 years. In his speech he reflected,

"If for some fluke, all the other sources of information in our society were to disappear and all that was left was the work of Edward Sorel on the walls, would the future get us right? And I think they would have our number."
 

Cullen Murphy, editor at Vanity Fair

Murphy also reflected on artist Jules Feiffer and asked the audience "how many people do you know who have won a Pulitzer Prize, an Obie award and an Oscar?" Feiffer won an Academy Award in 1961 for his animated short Munro (1960).

Artist Jules Feiffer

If you work in the book industry like I do, Jules Feiffer is a familiar name. His work has appeared in countless books and periodicals and he's generally considered one of the greatest cartoonists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Feiffer was impressed with the exhibition and proud of his friend Edward Sorel. He remembered the very charged political time when he and Sorel were growing up in the Bronx. Feiffer said,

"During the great Depression... when everybody was poor and nothing was happening... there was this cultural explosion. There was radio from coast to coast with great comics and radio shows. There were movies. There was Fred and Ginger. There was William Powell and Myrna Loy. One could be a leftie radical, socio-communist during the week and on Saturday night you went to the movies. The movies were the religion."

Feiffer went on discuss the cultural shift when expressing very liberal points of view became dangerous. He noted that for three artists in particular, Feiffer, Sorel and David Levine, it joined them in "a kind of sensibility of protest." Each of them found their own unique style and way to express their political views. Feiffer says "Ed found his from the politics and the movies." He calls Sorel's art "a bombshell" and notes the sense of immediacy that comes the influence of the movies as well as Sorel's keen sense of place and architecture in his works. Feiffer joked that can never remember the name of Sorel's new book only because the original title "Screwball Tragedy" still sticks in his mind.

Artist Edward Sorel

Feiffer and the audience toasted honoree Edward Sorel who then proceeded to the stage to give his thanks to family, friends, colleagues and the Gotlieb Center. Sorel reflected that he wouldn't have been able to do what he did in the 1960s if Feiffer hadn't led the way with his innovation in the 1950s. Sorel joked that you should never call yourself a self-made man because it takes not only hard work but a lot of luck to get far in life. He remembers how lucky he was in the 1950s when it was a lucrative time to have a career. In his first year as a professional illustrator, he was fired 9 times yet each new job paid better than the last.

Me with Edward Sorel at his book signing

Following the talk there was a book signing. I was eager to meet Edward Sorel and have him sign my copy of Mary Astor's Purple Diary. I had a quick moment to tell him about my love of classic movies and to pose with him for a photo.

 

My husband Carlos got to meet him too and Sorel autographed his exhibition booklet.

This event was free and open to the public. If you have an opportunity to go to an event at the Gotlieb center I highly recommend it. Neither Carlos nor I had ever been there so we took the time to explore the various displays, many of which were classic film related. Here are some of our favorites displays.

Mary Astor display at the Howard Gotlieb Center

Pages from the edited manuscript of Mary Astor's autobiography

Carlos in front of the Michael Douglas display

A letter from Kirk Douglas to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones

Lauren Bacall display at the Howard Gotlieb Center

Oscar statuettes. Left to right: Rex Harrison for My Fair Lady, Myrna Loy's Honorary Oscar, Gene Kelly's An American in Paris Best Picture Oscar

Related:
My review of Mary Astor's Purple Diary by Edward Sorel

My memories of Robert Osborne (1932-2017)

Robert Osborne at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival

I don’t think there was a nicer guy on the planet than Robert Osborne. He was a true gentleman. The world lost someone truly special when the long time host of TCM passed away yesterday. He had been missing from the channel for quite a while and many of us suspected the worst. When the news hit yesterday that he was gone my heart broke. I knew it was coming and probably soon but nothing can really prepare you for the loss of someone who meant so much.

When I first started exploring the world of classic film, Robert Osborne became my teacher and guide. I watched his intros and outros with fervent curiousity and admiration. Thanks to his infectious enthusiasm for classic movies, it wasn’t long before I was hooked.. Osborne had a true love for movies, their history and the people who made them. He was inclusive, understanding, gentle and compassionate. I saw this firsthand when I attended the 2013 and 2014 TCM Classic Film Festivals. For as much as he loved movies, he loved us fans too. Robert Osborne was one-of-a-kind. We’ll never have anyone quite like him.

In honor of the great Robert Osborne I wanted to share some of my favorite memories from seeing him at two of the TCM festivals.

Note: All of the photos shared in the post are my own unless noted otherwise.

Robert Osborne at the 2013 TCMFF Press Conference

1. The first time I saw Robert Osborne -  The 2013 TCMFF press conference was just about to start and I couldn't believe that in a few moments I'd be seeing Robert Osborne, THE Robert Osborne, in person. It had been a dream of mine for years and it was finally happening. What would he be like? Would he be totally different from his on screen persona? Finally I spotted him. Tall, elegantly dressed. He looked ready for the camera. And his presence filled the room. I stared at him in awe. He was larger than life and had a way of making us feel like we belonged there with him. I hung on to his every word. I'd see him numerous times afterwards but I'll never forget that first glimpse.

Ann Blyth and Robert Osborne at the 2013 TCMFF

2. Robert Osborne's interview with actress Ann Blyth - I loved attending the TCMFF interviews held in the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel lobby. These were great moments to see the talent up close. My favorite of these was Osborne's interview with Ann Blyth. Two of my favorite people were only a few feet away from me I couldn't believe it.  Osborne had a way of making his interview subjects feel at ease. You can tell he had a real admiration for Blyth's talent and beauty. He later interviewed her at a screening of Mildred Pierce and that moment was special for me too.

Eva Marie Saint and Robert Osborne pose for pictures at 2013 TCMFF

3. Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival taping with Eva Marie Saint - Not realizing how far away from the main hub of the festival this taping was being held, we hoofed it and barely made it in. We got stuck with nosebleed seats and I was nursing some bad blisters. But I'd do it all over again for the opportunity to watch Robert Osborne interview his good friend Eva Marie Saint. Saint had a love for Osborne and it was evident in their conversation. She said first there was her husband and then there was Osborne. This interview is on the Conversations with Robert Osborne DVD.

TCMFF goers observe the interior of the Grauman's Chinese before it's remodel, circa 2013.

4. On the eve of the TCL/Grauman's Chinese Theatre remodel - The final screening of the 2013 TCMFF festival was held at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre (now the TCL Chinese). The movie was The General (1926) and Osborne was on hand introduced the final big film of the festival. This wasn't going to be any ordinary introduction. Robert Osborne informed the audience that we were attending the second to last event at the theatre before it would be remodeled for IMAX. The theatre was just as it had been since 1926 and he told us to take a moment to look around and take it all in. After the screening was over we all took Osborne's advice. For a few minutes we stood, looked every which way around us and took pictures. It was a bittersweet moment.

Robert Osborne at the 2014 TCMFF Press Conference

5. Robert Osborne's final TCMFF press conference - Robert Osborne held his final TCMFF press conference in 2014 and I was in attendance. I'm grateful for this conference in particular because we got to spend a lot of time listening to Osborne tell us some of his amazing stories. He spoke about how Jane Darwell and Lucille Ball helped him get his start, about his special friendship with Olivia de Havilland and their weekly phone calls and about his excitement for Maureen O'Hara attending that year's festival. Osborne also spoke at length about his favorite movies and how TCM has helped many people get through tough times. You can read my full transcript of Osborne's Q&A here. I feel privileged to have been part of a small group of people who got to hear him speak at this conference.

Robert Osborne and Kim Novak at the 2014 TCMFF

6. Robert Osborne's interview with Kim Novak - I attended a screening of Bell Book and Candle (1958) not expecting the emotionally charged interview that would kick off the event. This happened not too long after Novak's appearance at the Oscars. She had been nervous and took some medication to calm her down which had the ill effect of making her look flighty on stage. She suffered a lot of criticism for her awkwardness and her physical appearance. As Novak recounted the events of that night and its aftermath, Osborne held her hand. You could tell that Novak spoke from deep pain and Osborne was there to comfort her. This really moved me. I knew Novak was in good hands with Osborne by her side and with us as a supportive audience.

Robert Osborne with Maureen O'Hara at the 2014 TCMFF

7. Robert Osborne's interviews with Maureen O'Hara - I consider myself beyond lucky to have seen Robert Osborne interview Maureen O'Hara on two separate occasions. The screening of How Green Was My Valley (1941) was tops for me and some of us got in line a couple hours early to guarantee entrance and a good spot. O'Hara was quite old at that point and had some difficulty with the interview. Osborne was a true gentleman. He was patient and supportive of O'Hara and had this look of admiration that echoed what so many of us felt at that time. There was another interview with O'Hara, a surprise bonus for many of us, at the lobby of the Hollywood Roosevelt. I was at that one too. It hurts to realize that both of these wonderful people are now gone and only the memories remain.

Meeting Robert Osborne in 2014. Photo by Laura.

8. Conversations with Robert Osborne DVD signing - I had no clue that this would be both the only time I would speak with Robert Osborne but also the last time I would see him in person. If I had known that would be the case I would have spoken up more and told Osborne how I truly felt. Earlier in the festival I learned of an opportunity to meet Osborne. Attendees who purchased Conversations with Robert Osborne DVD at the gift shop could attend a special signing on the final day I went with my friend Laura of Laura's Miscellaneous Musings. We were almost last in line and it took quite a while to get to the front. What took so long was Osborne taking the time to chat with attendees and pose for photos. We were told specifically that Osborne had a screening to get to so we could not keep him long and posing for photos was strictly prohibited. Laura and I came up with a plan. While she was getting her DVD signed I'd secretly take photos of them together and she would do the same for me. When I finally got to meet Robert Osborne I was so nervous. Even though his staff was in a rush to get him out of there, Osborne made it seem like he had all the time in the world for me. He asked me if I was enjoying the festival. I couldn't believe he was talking to me. I had spent years watching him on TV telling me everything I wanted to know about the movies I loved. Now here he was right in front of me. It was surreal moment.

And I got to take home a keepsake to treasure forever.

For Raquel. From Robert Osborne.

Thank you Mr. Osborne for the memories. You will be missed.

God speed Robert Osborne (1932-2017)