Phantom Lady Phantom Lady

Phantom Lady

Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock

    • 3.7 • 3 Ratings
    • $13.99
    • $13.99

Publisher Description

Winner of the Mystery Writers of America's 2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Critical/Biographical

In 1933, Joan Harrison was a twenty-six-year-old former salesgirl with a dream of escaping both her stodgy London suburb and the dreadful prospect of settling down with one of the local boys. A few short years later, she was Alfred Hitchcock's confidante and one of the Oscar-nominated screenwriters of his first American film, Rebecca. Harrison had quickly grown from being the worst secretary Hitchcock ever had to one of his closest collaborators, critically shaping his brand as the "Master of Suspense."

Harrison went on to produce numerous Hollywood features before becoming a television pioneer as the producer of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. A respected powerhouse, she acquired a singular reputation for running amazingly smooth productions— and defying anyone who posed an obstacle. She built most of her films and series from the ground up. She waged rough-and-tumble battles against executives and censors, and even helped to break the Hollywood blacklist. She teamed up with many of the most respected, well-known directors, writers, and actors of the twentieth century. And she did it all on her own terms.

Author Christina Lane shows how this stylish, stunning woman became Hollywood's most powerful female writer-producer—one whom history has since overlooked.

GENRE
Biographies & Memoirs
RELEASED
2020
February 4
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
400
Pages
PUBLISHER
Chicago Review Press
SELLER
Chicago Review Press, Inc. DBA Independent Publishers Group
SIZE
8.4
MB

Customer Reviews

Hudsucker2 ,

An Amazing Filmmaker

As a lifelong Hitchcock fan, I always knew of how essential Joan Harrison was to his success. What I didn’t know — and what this long overdue biography covers in great detail — was the story of her many creative accomplishments beyond Hitchcock. Reading about those here was fascinating, as were the insights into her personal life and her cultivation of her personal & professional styles. In an age where women in film are becoming ever more prominent behind the camera — and finally getting acknowledged for their contributions — her story couldn’t have been told at a better time.

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