Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir

A love story, memoir, and dual biography of two of Hollywood's most famous figures, Fay Wray and Robert Riskin explores the fascinating lives of two exceptionally talented people at the center of Hollywood's Golden Age.

Fay Wray (1907–2004) achieved cinematic immortality for her role in King Kong (1933). During a long and sterling career, she starred in more than 120 films opposite Hollywood's most famous leading men (Spencer Tracy, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, William Powell, and Ronald Colman), and worked with master directors including Erich von Stroheim, William Wyler, William "Wild Bill" Wellman, Josef von Sternberg, Dorothy Arzner, Frank Capra, Michael Curtiz, Raoul Walsh, and Vincente Minnelli.

Robert Riskin (1897–1955) is considered to be one of the greatest screenwriters of all time. He was an Academy Award-winning writer and producer whose ten-year-long collaboration with Frank Capra yielded films such as American Madness (1932), It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Lost Horizon (1937), You Can't Take It with You (1938) and Meet John Doe (1941). He was hailed by many―including F. Scott Fitzgerald―as being "among the best screenwriters in the business."

In this moving and masterful work, Wray and Riskin's daughter interweaves the story of their lives and connects them to one of the most interesting periods in Hollywood history. At the heart of Fay Wray and Robert Riskin is a great love story, backed by a cast of characters that includes the greatest stars, filmmakers, screenwriters, and moguls of the era. Readers should not miss this touching and highly acclaimed book. View Less