THE LIMITS OF LIMELIGHT

An Oklahoma teenager arrives in Hollywood and enters a glamorous world thanks to her famous cousin in this historical novel set in the 1930s and based on a true story.

Helen Nichols is a pretty, intelligent high school student in Oklahoma. Her early life is marked by tragedy. At 10 months old, Helen and her mother and sister, Jean, are injured in a gas explosion that kills her father. Helen is also run over by a truck as a child. The Nichols sisters and their cousin Ginger Rogers live with their grandparents while Helen’s mother and Aunt Lela establish themselves in careers and remarry. Lela, the first female Marine sergeant, has written and produced military training films but devotes her energy to promoting the career of her only child, Ginger. In her early 20s, Ginger is a rising star, navigating the studio contract system with the help of her indefatigable “momager.” Lela and Ginger are convinced that Helen has the looks to land an RKO contract. With a new name, Phyllis Fraser, and financial support from her aunt and cousin, she moves to Hollywood. Although she lacks Ginger’s exceptional talent, Phyllis is offered a bit part and enjoys limited success in various films. Living with Ginger and Lela, Phyllis meets notable neighbors, including Harpo Marx and Clara Bow. When Phyllis and her relatives attend a play starring newcomer Humphrey Bogart, Lela comments: “Terrible name. He should change it.” There are many intriguing historical facts in Porter’s well-researched book. Author Ayn Rand was a wardrobe assistant for many mediocre films. When Ginger Rogers read that Adele Astaire was moving to Ireland and leaving her brother without his dance partner, she cried: “What on earth will Fred do without her?” The entertaining novel details a succession of trysts and marriages among the young actresses. Ultimately disheartened, Phyllis decides to devote herself to writing, which brings her to New York and into the orbit of New Yorker editor Harold Ross and his close friend Random House editor Bennett Cerf. She soon marries Cerf, who is twice her age. More compelling than the litany of stars, wannabes, and their mostly forgettable films is the section devoted to Phyllis’ life in New York, her work on Madison Avenue, and her unusual “hot desk” arrangement there with Ted Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss.

A witty and meticulously researched treat for devotees of old Hollywood.