Jacqueline Susann (August , â€" September , ) was an American writer
and actress. Her iconic novel, Valley of the Dolls (), is one of the
best-selling books in publishing history. With her two subsequent
works, The Love Machine () and Once Is Not Enough (), Susann became
the first author to have three novels top The New York Times Best
Seller List consecutively.Jacqueline Susann was born on August , , in
Philadelphia, a single daughter to a Jewish couple: Robert Susan, a
portrait painter, and Rose Jans,[note ] a public schoolteacher. As a
child, Susann was an inattentive but imaginative student, and in the
fifth grade scored on an IQ test, the highest in her school. An only
child, devoted to her father, Susann was determined to carry on the
family name. She decided to be an actress, despite the advice of a
teacher, who said, "Jackie should be a writer. She breaks all the
rules, but it works." In , after graduating from West Philadelphia
High School, she left for New York to pursue an acting career. Her
father told her, "If you're going to be an actress, be a good actress.
Be a people watcher."In New York, in , Susann landed a small role in
the Broadway company of The Women, the caustic comedy by Clare Boothe
which had opened on December , , and would run for performances. She
subsequently appeared in such Broadway shows as The Girl from Wyoming
(), My Fair Ladies (), Blossom Time (revival, ), Jackpot (), and A
Lady Says Yes (), which starred Hollywood siren Carole Landis. Only
one of her shows following The Women was a hit: Banjo Eyes (),
starring Eddie Cantor, ran for performances.Together with her friend,
actress Beatrice Cole, Susann wrote a play called The Temporary Mrs.
Smith, a comedy about a one-time movie actress whose former husbands
interfere with her scheme to marry a man of wealth. Retitled Lovely
Me,[note ] the play, directed by actress Jessie Royce Landis, and
starring Luba Malina and Mischa Auer, opened on Broadway at the
Adelphi Theatre on December , . Said to be an "audience-pleaser," the
play nonetheless closed after just performances. Four years later,
Susann and Cole wrote another play, Cock of the Walk, which was to
open on Broadway with Oscar-winning actor James Dunn. For reasons
which remain unclear, the play was not produced.
and actress. Her iconic novel, Valley of the Dolls (), is one of the
best-selling books in publishing history. With her two subsequent
works, The Love Machine () and Once Is Not Enough (), Susann became
the first author to have three novels top The New York Times Best
Seller List consecutively.Jacqueline Susann was born on August , , in
Philadelphia, a single daughter to a Jewish couple: Robert Susan, a
portrait painter, and Rose Jans,[note ] a public schoolteacher. As a
child, Susann was an inattentive but imaginative student, and in the
fifth grade scored on an IQ test, the highest in her school. An only
child, devoted to her father, Susann was determined to carry on the
family name. She decided to be an actress, despite the advice of a
teacher, who said, "Jackie should be a writer. She breaks all the
rules, but it works." In , after graduating from West Philadelphia
High School, she left for New York to pursue an acting career. Her
father told her, "If you're going to be an actress, be a good actress.
Be a people watcher."In New York, in , Susann landed a small role in
the Broadway company of The Women, the caustic comedy by Clare Boothe
which had opened on December , , and would run for performances. She
subsequently appeared in such Broadway shows as The Girl from Wyoming
(), My Fair Ladies (), Blossom Time (revival, ), Jackpot (), and A
Lady Says Yes (), which starred Hollywood siren Carole Landis. Only
one of her shows following The Women was a hit: Banjo Eyes (),
starring Eddie Cantor, ran for performances.Together with her friend,
actress Beatrice Cole, Susann wrote a play called The Temporary Mrs.
Smith, a comedy about a one-time movie actress whose former husbands
interfere with her scheme to marry a man of wealth. Retitled Lovely
Me,[note ] the play, directed by actress Jessie Royce Landis, and
starring Luba Malina and Mischa Auer, opened on Broadway at the
Adelphi Theatre on December , . Said to be an "audience-pleaser," the
play nonetheless closed after just performances. Four years later,
Susann and Cole wrote another play, Cock of the Walk, which was to
open on Broadway with Oscar-winning actor James Dunn. For reasons
which remain unclear, the play was not produced.
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