The Great Gatsby on film, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s lens
Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald famously walked out halfway through 'The Great Gatsby' (1926).
Mary Claire Kendall
Mary Claire Kendall is a Washington-based writer and columnist. Her recent books include of Hemingway’s Faith; Oasis of Faith: The Souls Behind the Billboard—Barrymore, Cagney, Tracy, Stewart, Guinness & Lemmon; and Oasis: Conversion Stories of Hollywood Legends.
Latest articles by Mary Claire Kendall
F. Scott Fitzgerald: “Show me a hero, I’ll write you a tragedy.”
A memory for Fitzgerald's 130th, as the centenary of "The Sun Also Rises" approaches — Hem was rising; Scott was struggling.
Grace and redemption in ‘High Society’ and ‘The Philadelphia Story’
Two films, one Philip Barry play, and a socialite who must learn that perfection is the enemy of love — and of grace.
Louis Armstrong’s life and music: Holy Spirit infused
Born into poverty on August 4 in segregated New Orleans, baptized Catholic at three weeks old, Louis Armstrong's soul was as extraordinary as his music.
Joan Leslie: Classic Hollywood star who was true to herself
On October 12, 2015, almost 55 years to the day after she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she died in Los Angeles at age 90.
‘Sergeant York’: Story of a legend guided by God and country
The film profiled an expert marksman and conscientious objector who would become a hero of World War I.
Ronald Reagan put out global fires with best friend, JPII
In 1981 alone, they exchanged some dozen letters as Reagan was formulating his foreign policy.
2005 film ‘Pope John Paul II’ shows love has power
The moment Pope John Paul II first stepped out on the Loggia delle Benedizioni the evening of October 16, 1978, the communists knew they had a problem.
‘The Hanging Tree’ evokes the real West and true love
The author Dorothy Johnson, like Gary Cooper, a Montanan, captured “the real feeling of the West.”
Gary Cooper: “A poet of the real,” humanly and spiritually
Gary Cooper died of prostate and colon cancer on May 13, 1961, Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, just six weeks before Hemingway would breathe his last.
Hollywood, marriage, and the Ten Commandments
Hollywood glamor meets a hard truth: how early film culture normalized divorce — and the rare witness of lasting fidelity amid fame and excess.
The Ten Commandments: DeMille’s masterpiece, 70 years later
Three years in the making, 'The Ten Commandments' was the director’s final film — and the highest-grossing film of 1956.
And, the winner is: Oscar-nominated films craving humanity
While God is not center stage, He is certainly present, often by his absence, among the Best Picture nominees.
Catherine O’Hara’s secret to success … and staying married
A bright light was extinguished in Hollywood when Catherine O’Hara died.
‘Adventures of Marco Polo’ (1938): A hidden gem glistening with Jesus’ teachings
A costly Hollywood misfire that still captures the faith, ambition, and cultural encounter at the heart of Marco Polo’s epic journey.
Lana Turner found “inner peace” when she found God
Born 105 years ago, Hollywood glitter left a void — one that MGM stardom, scandal, and wealth could not fill, until she found lasting peace through faith.
‘The Subject Was Roses’: Navigating love’s thorns
The 1946 play, '64 Broadway show, and '68 film adaptation, on the eve of St. Valentine’s, shows struggle and growth.
Patricia Neal: A story of love, healing, and forgiveness
As God “changed desert into pools of water.” Today is the 100th birthday of one of the greats of the 20th century.
It’s a Wonderful Life: A pitch-perfect Christmas message
In a movie, Stewart said, “It’s not really so much the performance. There are moments.”
Frank Faylen: One of Hollywood’s most beloved character actors
Born 105 years ago this week in St. Louis, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, his devoutly Catholic parents christened him “Charles Frances Ruf.”