BUtterfield 8
BUtterfield 8 is a realist novel by American author John O'Hara, published in 1935 by Harcourt, Brace and Company.[1] Inspired by the unsolved 1931 death of Starr Faithfull, a real-life New York socialite and flapper, the book chronicles the final days of fictional protagonist Gloria Wandrous, a sexually liberated young woman who works as a call girl amid the speakeasies, parties, and class tensions of Depression-era Manhattan.[2][3] O'Hara's narrative unfolds through sharp dialogue and vivid social observation, blending newsreel-style montages of the era with intimate explorations of Gloria's relationships, including a passionate affair with married lawyer Weston Liggett and an erotically charged friendship with her childhood companion Eddie Brunner.[2] Key themes include class privilege, alcohol-fueled excess, Irish American identity, and the precarious status of women in a rapidly changing urban landscape, all rendered with O'Hara's unflinching honesty about sexuality and power dynamics.[2] The novel was a commercial success upon release, reaching bestseller status and cementing O'Hara's reputation as a chronicler of mid-20th-century American mores.[4] In 1960, BUtterfield 8 was adapted into a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Elizabeth Taylor as Gloria Wandrous and Laurence Harvey as Weston Liggett.[3] The adaptation, which softened Gloria's profession to that of a model due to Hollywood's Production Code, earned Taylor the Academy Award for Best Actress—her first Oscar—along with a nomination for Best Cinematography.[3][5] The film, released on November 16, 1960, introduced the story to a wider audience while highlighting O'Hara's enduring influence on depictions of glamour and tragedy in American literature and cinema.[3]Background
Source material
BUtterfield 8 is a 1935 novel by American author John O'Hara, published by Harcourt, Brace and Company.[4] The work draws loosely from a real-life tragedy that inspired O'Hara's portrayal of its central figure.[2] Upon release, it achieved immediate commercial success as a bestseller, reflecting public fascination with its bold narrative.[2] The novel explores core themes of urban alienation amid the economic pressures of Depression-era New York, stark class differences between social strata, sexual liberation through the protagonist Gloria Wandrous's uninhibited pursuits, and her escalating self-destructive tendencies driven by personal and societal conflicts.[2] O'Hara delves into the undercurrents of alcohol-fueled nightlife, infidelity, and social exclusion, particularly highlighting the tensions faced by working-class Irish Americans in elite circles.[2] These elements underscore the moral ambiguities and double standards of 1930s urban life, with Gloria embodying a defiant response to restrictive norms.[6] Structurally, the book unfolds as a series of interconnected vignettes that illuminate Gloria's relationships and daily existence, interspersed with perspectives from peripheral figures and brief, newsreel-like montages evoking the era's chaos.[7] This episodic approach shifts focus intermittently from Gloria to the lives of those around her, creating a mosaic of Manhattan's speakeasy culture and interpersonal dynamics.[2] Critics praised the novel for O'Hara's ear for realistic dialogue, which captured the vernacular rhythms and social nuances of the time with vivid authenticity.[2] Reviewers highlighted its unflinching honesty in depicting taboo subjects, cementing O'Hara's reputation for raw, observational prose.[8] Distinctive to the novel are extended subplots involving secondary characters, such as the platonic bond between Gloria and her friend Eddie Brunner, which enrich the portrayal of interconnected social webs.[9]Real-life inspiration
The mysterious death of Starr Faithfull in 1931 served as the primary real-life inspiration for John O'Hara's novel BUtterfield 8, providing a foundation for its portrayal of a young woman's turbulent life amid New York's high society and underworld. On June 8, 1931, Faithfull's body, showing signs of bruising and containing traces of the sedative veronal in her liver, washed ashore on a deserted beach in Long Beach, New York.[10] The official coroner's ruling attributed her death to drowning classified as suicide, though contemporary speculation and later analyses pointed to possible murder or accidental overdose, given her proficiency as a swimmer and the presence of injuries suggesting foul play.[11] Born Marian Starr Wyman on January 26, 1906, in Evanston, Illinois, Faithfull came from a once-affluent family that fell into financial hardship; by her early teens, she endured sexual abuse starting at age 11 from Andrew J. Peters, the former mayor of Boston and a family associate who provided hush money payments totaling around $20,000 to cover up the incidents and fund her care.[10] Her adult life in Greenwich Village embodied the bohemian excesses of the Jazz Age, marked by substance abuse, multiple institutionalizations for mental health issues, and alleged affairs with prominent figures, including Peters (referred to as "AJP" in her writings) and others in political and social elite circles.[11] Faithfull's personal diary, discovered after her death, became a focal point of intense media scrutiny, revealing explicit accounts of her sexual encounters with at least 19 men and hinting at broader cover-ups involving influential individuals.[12] Newspapers across the United States sensationalized the case during a slow news period exacerbated by a heat wave, with outlets like the New York Times devoting extensive front-page stories, and the New York World-Telegram publishing facsimiles of erotic passages from the diary.[12] Her stepfather, Stanley Faithfull, publicly alleged murder and produced evidence of Peters' payments, fueling tabloid narratives of scandal and conspiracy that dominated headlines from June through July 1931.[10] O'Hara, who had encountered Faithfull socially in Manhattan speakeasies during the Prohibition era, drew loosely from her story to craft the character of Gloria Wandrous, incorporating elements of her promiscuity, psychological distress, and untimely demise as a lens for examining personal downfall.[2] This inspiration infused the novel with a tone of moral ambiguity, reflecting the era's societal hypocrisy where elite figures exploited and discarded vulnerable women while evading accountability, as evidenced by the real-life efforts to suppress Faithfull's allegations against Peters and others.[11]Plot
Gloria Wandrous, a glamorous and promiscuous young model in New York City, wakes up in the luxury apartment of Weston Liggett, a wealthy married lawyer, after a night together. Offended by the $250 he left behind as payment, she takes his wife Emily's mink coat and leaves a defiant message in lipstick. Returning to her own life, Gloria reconnects with her protective childhood friend and musician Steve Carpenter, who urges her to escape her self-destructive ways, and visits her concerned mother and psychiatrist to confront her troubled past. When Gloria and Weston meet again at a nightclub, they begin a passionate affair. Weston, torn between his loveless marriage and his growing love for Gloria, spends days with her in seclusion. However, societal pressures, class differences, and Gloria's reputation strain their relationship. After a heated confrontation at a party where Emily appears, Gloria, distraught and intoxicated, drives off alone, leading to a fatal car accident. Weston, devastated, finally resolves to leave his wife.[13]Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth Taylor | Gloria Wandrous |
| Laurence Harvey | Weston Liggett |
| Eddie Fisher | Steve Carpenter |
| Dina Merrill | Emily Liggett |
| Mildred Dunnock | Mrs. Wandrous |
| Betty Field | Mrs. Fanny Thurber |
| George Voskovec | Dr. Tredman |
| Jeffrey Lynn | Bingham Smith |