Review: Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936

Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 by Edward Sorel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Completely scandalous!!! Mary Astor, the famous actor, had mad affair with screen writer George S Kaufman and WROTE it down....or did she? Could she have started the writing and her estranged husband finished it in an attempt to gain custody of their child?

I adored this book for many reasons, one I like Mary. She is brilliant in many films. Two, the scandal is a bit off the wall, the trial took place in 1936 when most studios were still covering up the indiscretions of their stars. Three, the book is a look into a Mary's other affairs too, including John Barrymore.

Mary would go on to make some of her greatest films after the scandal staring what I call the "untouchable" star touch. They can kind of do whatever and come out a ok...this includes "acting" on the witness stand.

Another cool thing I like about this is that Mr. Sorel was about 86 when he wrote and illustrated this. I find that fascinating!

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