Ruth Roman A Career Portrait

One of the most underrated actresses of the 1950s, Ruth Roman deserves credit for carving a career in Hollywood during the latter part of its Golden Age. Hailing from a poverty-stricken background in the East End of Boston, she tenaciously followed her dream despite constant setbacks and being told she would never make the big time. After a breakthrough with key roles in The Window and Champion she reached star status at Warner Bros. as the last contract player. Thereafter she made an impact in a wide range of parts, including as a modern-day Lady Macbeth in Joe Macbeth and an independent career woman in the Klondike in The Far Country opposite Jimmy Stewart. Later she found great success on television and made a memorable return to the screen in the cult psycho-horror The Baby. Along the way she was married four times and almost lost her life in a disaster at sea. Ruth Roman A Career Portrait is the first book ever written about her and is published by McFarland & Co. to celebrate the centenary of her birth. See details here

 

Malcolm Scott "The Woman Who Knows"

Belated tribute to a forgotten star of music hall

   Malcolm Scott was a leading comedian in the Edwardian era who developed a highly satirical act dressed as a female figure of history, be it Elizabeth I or Katherine Parr. Highly popular in his day, he is now practically forgotten, but over ninety years after his death I hope to rekindle interest in him, with my book now published by Bear Manor Media. 

Scott in his send up of the Directoire style

   Scott came from a good family with a brother who became a famous admiral. However, when he was orphaned at 13, he was forced to take his fate in his own hands and eventually made his way to the stage, where he became a successful actor and found his metier in comedy dressed in female attire. He was a hugely successful pantomime dame, and by 1903 a star of music hall. His approach was far different to that of his fellow female impersonators in that he was not trying to fool anyone, but effectively sending himself up - along with everything else. Nothing was off-limits to him and he made a hit in London and New York with his satire of Maud Allan as Salome, at a time when the play was still banned. Throughout his career he was the doyen of Pierrot shows and later found fame on radio before his untimely death in his fifties.

   

   His recordings are sadly few and his sole film would appear to be lost, but I hope this belated tribute elevates him to share the limelight with the other greats of music hall. My book is the first to cover his life in some detail, and includes extensive lists of his performances, songs and monologues. It is available in hardback, softback and ebook directly from Bear Manor Media and other outlets. See details here

https://bearmanor-digital.myshopify.com/products/malcolm-scott-the-woman-who-knows-hardback