Carey McWilliams was a huge F. Scott Fitzgerald fan. Only Mencken had more influence over the young McWilliams's imagination.
So it was with some pleasure that I visited with Frances Kroll Ring this morning over the telephone. As editor of Westways, Frances persuaded McWilliams to contribute some pieces in the late 1970s--McWilliams had written a regular column in the 1930s--but Frances was also F. Scott Fitzgerald's secretary in the last year of his life. I'm looking forward to reading her book, Against the Current: As I Remember F. Scott Fitzgerald, which tells that story. The book was reissued last year by Figueroa Press and inspired the film Last Call with Jeremy Irons, Sissy Spacek, and Neve Campbell (as Frances).
By the way, I got Frances's name from Doug Dutton, of Dutton's Brentwood Bookstore, whom I met at the Bonnie Cashin lecture at UCLA. Thanks, Doug!
1 comment:
I was so excited to read your post regarding Frances Ring. I had the great pleasure of working with her as a freelance illustrator, on what I believe was the last issue of Westways that Frances edited. She was incredibly gracious and kind and thoroughly inspirational to me. I had no idea she'd written a book, much less that it had been made into a movie. Thank you!
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