Irene Mayer Selznick (1907–1990)

As a fan of old Hollywood, I was looking forward to some good behind the scenes gossip about Louis B. Mayer, his daughter Irene, and Irene's husband, David O. Selznick -- the man behind Gone With The Wind. And yes, there was SOME of that. Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Jennifer Jones (Selznick's second wife), Cary Grant, Howard Hughes and others do show up -- but honestly, what you learn about them is not that interesting. So much so, that I skimmed sections.

Irene really doesn't address show more her husband's philandering - only his drinking and gambling. What does come through is her transition from Louis's dutiful daughter, to David's trophy wife, and finally to successful Broadway producer. If you can think of this more as a story of emerging feminism, ahead of it's time, rather than a Hollywood, tell off -- you'll likely enjoy it more. show less

As a fan of old Hollywood, I was looking forward to some good behind the scenes gossip about Louis B. Mayer, his daughter Irene, and Irene's husband, David O. Selznick -- the man behind Gone With The Wind. And yes, there was SOME of that. Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Jennifer Jones (Selznick's second wife), Cary Grant, Howard Hughes and others do show up -- but honestly, what you learn about them is not that interesting. So much so, that I skimmed sections.

Irene really doesn't address show more her husband's philandering - only his drinking and gambling. What does come through is her transition from Louis's dutiful daughter, to David's trophy wife, and finally to successful Broadway producer. If you can think of this more as a story of emerging feminism, ahead of it's time, rather than a Hollywood, tell off -- you'll likely enjoy it more. show less

as she herself said her life divides neatly into 4 parts--1. life with parents; 2. life with david selznick; 3. life as a theatre producer; 4. retirement.