{"product_id":"the-presidents-ladies-bernard-f-dick-9781617039805","title":"The President's Ladies: Jane Wyman and Nancy Davis","description":"Ronald Reagan, a former actor and one of America's most popular presidents, married not one but two Hollywood actresses. This book is three biographies in one, discovering fascinating connections among Jane Wyman (1917-2007), Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), and Nancy Davis (b. 1921-2016). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Jane Wyman, who married Reagan in 1940 and divorced him seven years later, knew an early life of privation. She gravitated to the movies and made her debut at fifteen as an unbilled member of the chorus, then toiled as an extra for four years until she finally received billing. She proved herself as a dramatic actress in \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Weekend\u003c\/i\u003e, and the following year, she was nominated for an Oscar for \u003ci\u003eThe Yearling\u003c\/i\u003e and soon won for her performance in \u003ci\u003eJohnny Belinda\u003c\/i\u003e, in which she did not speak a single line. Other Oscar nominations followed, along with a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Angela Channing in \u003ci\u003eFalcon Crest\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Conversely, Nancy Davis led a relatively charmed life, the daughter of an actress and the stepdaughter of a neurosurgeon. Surrounded by her mother's friends--Walter Huston, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Lillian Gish, and Alla Nazimova, her godmother--Davis started in the theater, then moved on to Hollywood, where she enjoyed modest success, and finally began working in television. When she married Reagan in 1952, she unwittingly married into politics, eventually leaving acting to concentrate on being the wife of the governor of California, and then the wife of the president of the United States. In her way, Davis played her greatest role as Reagan's friend, confidante, and adviser in life and in politics. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This book considers three actors who left an indelible mark on both popular and political culture for more than fifty years.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Bernard F. Dick\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1617039802\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781617039805\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Press of Mississippi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/14\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.32lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.30w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/15\/2014 pg. 80","brand":"Bernard F. Dick","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48447957205247,"sku":"9781617039805","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_59e64674-dc40-4c33-8ac7-b9e0bdd99db8.jpg?v=1777235948","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-presidents-ladies-bernard-f-dick-9781617039805","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}