LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Jennifer Jones: David Selznick
built 230 days ago
Ultimately, Selznick's make-or-break desire to out-Thalberg Thalberg with his very own Norma Shearer plaything named Jennifer proved fatal to both their careers. Surviving the Hollywood-in-flux fifties due to the unexpected box-office bonanza of a two different-worlds weepie, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, Jones invested Good Morning, Miss Dove with appropriate starchy decorum and erased memories of kindred spirit Shearer in a four-hanky revisit with The Barretts of Wimpole Street. It was Selznick's overblown, unnecessary revamp of A Farewell to Arms that proved a farewell to his moguldom and Jones's major stardom. Deftly imbricating the complexities in Jones's persona with F. Scott Fitzgerald's themes, the flawed Tender Is the Night is the last film to resurrect Jones's patented fragility to good effect. Afterwards, the neurotic mannerisms consume her performances in the unworthy The Idol and the downright cheesy Angel, Angel Down We Go. Having purchased the rights to the novel, Terms of Endearment, Jones was cheated out of the plum role of Aurora by the director she had handpicked to helm her comeback. Perhaps, such ignominious treatment proved that cutthroat Hollywood had not changed much since her heyday.
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Jones' only child with Selznick, Mary Jennifer Selznick (born August 12, 1954), committed suicide in 1976 by jumping from a 20th floor window. This led to Jones' interest in mental health issues.
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The book provides a complete view of the professional life of Jennifer Jones, from her earliest screen appearance in 1939 to her current activities with charitable organizations. It is comprised of seven major sections: a detailed biography; a chronology that summarizes the highlights of her life; a complete filmography that includes casts and credits, synopses, release dates, running times, selected reviews, and sources for study; a listing of radio, theater, and television appearances; awards and nominations; an annotated bibliography; and a complete cross-referenced index. An accompanying appendix contains the New York Times obituaries for Robert Walker and David O. Selznick. This important attempt to reexamine the career of Jennifer Jones will be a valuable reference source for courses in film history and for film fans and scholars, as well as a notable addition to both academic and public libraries.
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HOLLYWOOD LIFE features photos from LIFE photographer Eliot Elisofon and contains 4 full page color photos of David Selznick and Jennifer Jones' famous home on Tower Road (which sadly is no longer in existence). In addition, there are essays written about these fabulous homes. Of particular interest here is an interview with Brooke Hayward (wife of Dennis Hopper and daughter of Margaret Sullavan and Leland Hayward) who lived in the guest house at Tower Road for several months following a fire that destroyed her own home. She writes:
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Synopsis: David O. Selznick had intended to film an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night as a vehicle for his wife Jennifer Jones. But financial difficulties compelled Selznick to sell the property (including Ms. Jones' services) to 20th Century-Fox. Jones stars as a wealthy but disturbedRead More
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Rutherford read letters from Olivia de Havilland, the wistful Melanie, Selznick widow Jennifer Jones, and Rhonda Fleming, who was discovered by the producer. "This giant among creators," de Havilland wrote from Paris, "has enriched the lives of generation after generation."
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David Selznick