Loretta Young

Over the years, much has been written about Loretta Young’s personal and professional life. Bernard F. Dick’s Loretta Young: Hollywood Madonna is an exceptional biography that examines her personal life, professional output, in addition to her values and priorities over time.

The portion of the book that was most interesting to me dealt with Young’s later years in Palm Springs in addition to stories of some of the friendships she cultivated and kept over the years. Her philanthropic efforts were legendary and are certainly a part of her legacy today.

It is worth noting, however, that this delightful text was published 2011. With this in mind, there is one key detail near the end that is in need of an update: the author notes that Young’s ashes were buried at her mother’s gravesite, with no indication that Young had since been laid to rest there. While this was true at the time of publication, as of 2016, the stone was replaced and is now a shared stone.


Loretta Young: Hollywood Madonna is available for purchase via University Press of Mississippi.

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About Annette Bochenek

Dr. Annette Bochenek of Chicago, Illinois, is an avid scholar of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She manages the Hometowns to Hollywood blog, in which she writes about her trips exploring the legacies and hometowns of Golden Age stars. Annette also hosts the “Hometowns to Hollywood” film series throughout the Chicago area. She has been featured on Turner Classic Movies and is the president of TCM Backlot’s Chicago chapter. In addition to writing for TCM Backlot, she also writes for Classic Movie Hub, Silent Film Quarterly, Nostalgia Digest, and Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine.
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