The true story behind Frida Kahlo’s portrait
of Dorothy Hale, 1920s It Girl
Tell us about your book.
Lady Be Good tells the real story of Dorothy Hale, the legendary 1930s socialite and actress immortalized in one of Frida Kahlo’s most famous and controversial paintings, The Suicide of Dorothy Hale.
The narrator is a modern-day journalist who moves into the building where Dorothy died and sets out to solve the mystery of what happened in her last moments. Did she take her own life? Was it foul play? Her death made front-page news in 1938, but the coverage left more questions than answers. In order to find out the truth, the journalist must learn everything she can about Dorothy and her circle of friends. It’s all based on a true story.
Clare Boothe Luce is one of Dorothy’s closest friends. Tell us more about them and what they experience as women coming of age in the 1920s.
Yes, they were friends. Soon after Dorothy’s death, Clare commissioned the painting from Frida Kahlo, expecting a beautiful portrait — not a narrative painting of Dorothy’s death. She nearly cut it up with library scissors. Instead, she had Isamu Noguchi paint over the ghost in the clouds and scribble out her name from the inscription. She hid it away before finally donating it anonymously to the Phoenix Art Museum.
Lady Be Good takes readers back in time. At the dawn of the 1920s, Dorothy and Clare break from conventions of high society to achieve success on their own terms and find themselves at the center of dangerous political intrigue. They’re beautiful, smart, determined women who forge their own identities as they rise to the upper echelons of society and to fame. They seem to have it all. But behind the public façade they contend with their tempestuous friendship, epic disappointments, and tragedy.
It’s an adventure through the 1920s and 1930s with the glitterati and an intimate view into the hearts and minds of two women as they navigate careers, marriage, and the Gilded world.
Aside from being socialites, Dorothy and Clare were vibrant, witty, accomplished women. Dorothy was an actress, sculptor, fashion influencer voted one of the Best Dressed Women in America, artist manager, and writer. Clare was a writer for Vogue and Vanity Fair where she became managing editor, and she was the playwright of The Women – a huge Broadway hit in 1936 that had an all-female cast, as did the 1939 movie adaptation. It was fascinating to learn the arc of their lives and how they managed to land on top after divorces, abuse, depression, disappointments, and loss..
Lady Be Good also takes us behind the Gilded curtain of the 1920s Smart Set, “Polite Society,” which perhaps doesn’t always live up to its name. It captures the struggles women faced; the incredible glamour, fashion, and grandness of the time; and American culture at a pivotal moment in our history. Women won the right to vote in 1920 and enjoyed a new sense of freedom, but the culture hadn’t caught up the idea of equal rights. Women were expected to be get married, give birth, and tend to their husbands. And, in Dorothy’s rarified world, host charity balls.
I’m thrilled that we now have more opportunities to look deeper into women’s stories and celebrate their true legacies. Dorothy and Clare fought to succeed and find their voices in a society that silenced women. They celebrated each other’s successes, sparred, and broke each other’s falls. Magnificent in all their complexity, they define the modern woman of the 1920s—and the 2020s.
I think many of us can recognize aspects of their personalities that we aspire to and ones that we wouldn’t want to see in ourselves. I hope readers will feel deeply connected to them and experience a wide range of emotions.
What inspired you to write Lady Be Good?
You’ll find the answer in the first chapters of Lady Be Good! The narrator’s storyline is based on my own experience.
Many years ago, I rented an apartment in the Manhattan high-rise where Dorothy Hale lived (and died), but I had never heard of her. Before long I sensed something tragic had happened there and — out of nowhere — imagined a woman falling from a window. Disturbing, right? I finally decided to research the history of the building and came across an article about Frida Kahlo’s portrait of Dorothy Hale; she’s wearing a black “Madam X” gown, falling from a 16th floor window of my building. (If you haven’t seen it, brace yourself.) I was shocked. And I was filled with a sense of dread because I realized I’d have to find out more. It was too eerie to let go,
The brief account of her life intrigued me; she seemed to be a dynamic woman who lived an extraordinary life and was surrounded by the iconic figures of her time – figures in the arts politics, and Hollywood. Most striking was the explanation of her death; the press portrayed her as a glamour girl who died of a broken heart. It would only be said of a woman. The narrative seemed contrived, the tone was dismissive, the assumptions grand. I had a visceral response to it. And most importantly, the details didn’t add up.
As a network news producer and curious person, it was only natural to do research and find out if there was more to the story. Indeed, there was, Every step of the way I would uncover a new fact, or a new acquaintance, or more details that didn’t add up, and it drove me deeper and deeper into research.
I wasn’t convinced that she took her own life; the letters she wrote in her last days and hours prompted doubt, and she didn’t seem to be a hapless woman. I wanted to find out what really happened. Ultimately I did discover what triggered the distortion of facts and the myth that surrounds her to this day.
I knew going in that research might take me down a dark, somber rabbit role. While tragedy is inherent in the story, it turned into a great adventure through the era with the people who helped shape it. It was a time of extraordinary art, design, and literature, a time of creative and cultural combustion. Irresistible.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character?
I did extensive research on Dorothy Hale and Clare Boothe Luce (and the other historical figures in the book) on and off for two decades and felt I’d come to know them. For me, what stands out the most about Dorothy is her fortitude, courage, and ability to overcome adversity with grace. In her 33 years, she had dramatic, heart wrenching setbacks. Frida Kahlo’s portrait of her depicts a tragic beauty, but in her life Dorothy was known to be indomitable. Clare’s most distinctive trait, in my view, is her clever mind and ability to conquer her lofty goals, of which she had many.
Creating their characters and writing dialogue was an absolute delight—I lost all sense of time.
The imagery in your novel has been praised time and time again. What did your creative process look like while developing such vivid scenes?
Research was the starting point for a more in-depth exploration of their physical and verbal expressions and their internal life.
Writers are observers, notetakers, armchair analysts; they’re curious and interested in detail. When you’re consumed by the story, you become each person and place yourself in the scene. You contemplate the traits or ticks that could illustrate their conscious and unconscious thoughts.
My interest in literature, music, movies, art, architecture, and fashion of the time gave me a good sense of the period, which was incredibly helpful when I decided to write Lady Be Good and recreate that world.
What do you consider to be one of the most important messages in Lady Be Good?
Threaded throughout the book are themes about life purpose, friendship and betrayal, class and culture, and the price of fame. The most important message might be different for each reader, so I’ll touch on two that have been mentioned.
Dorothy and Clare pursue their dreams, but they struggle in a world where women are expected to stay in their place. They have lavish lifestyles, social status, and husbands, yet they want more, they need to fulfill their life’s purpose. They face their fears and insecurities and forge ahead, which proves essential to their success and overall contentment. Their smarts, sense of humor, and joie de vivre also serve them well.
Another theme touches on an issue we all know well: the simple stroke of the pen can raise one to the apex of the good life as easily as it can destroy a name. But truth isn’t defined by black, bold, headlines—there could be more to the story.
As the narrative unfolds in Lady Be Good, we see how mindless gossip and the tabloid press can be ruinous to reputations. This story illustrates how delicate legacies can be. I think Dorothy and Clare are misunderstood.
Lady Be Good has won its fair share of awards since publication. Has its reception in the literary world been what you expected?
It’s been a wonderful surprise! I’m deeply grateful for the terrific reception. Awards and reviews didn’t cross my mind while I was writing; I was just consumed by the story and bringing it to life, in hopes that readers would enjoy it. I owe a debt of gratitude to John Koehler who took a leap of faith in signing a debut author.