Dorothy Parker was an elusive character. When her friend Wyatt Cooper wrote an essay in the July 1968 issue of Esquire called “Whatever You Think Dorothy Parker Was Like, She Wasn’t,” his headline perfectly captured Parker’s ability to slip out of reach just when you think you’ve got her. This was one feature of writing my latest book, Dorothy Parker in Hollywood, that I found particularly surprising yet enjoyable. I spent three years chasing a ghost who would seemingly disappear into thin air whenever I got too close.
Although she is best known for wisecracking her way through extended boozy lunches at the Algonquin Hotel, in Manhattan, when I began researching Parker, an entirely different character emerged. She was a serious and dedicated political activist. She was a Hollywood screenwriter for almost 30 years, working on a number of major films, including the original A Star Is Born (1937) and Hitchcock’s Saboteur (1942). She was nominated for two Academy Awards. She lived in huge houses in Beverly Hills and partied with the stars. She loved knitting. She yearned to be a mother but never became one. She owned a farm in Pennsylvania. There were even rumors that she had a tattoo. In fact, there were many rumors, and this often added to her air of elusiveness.
