Phantom Lady chronicles the untold story of Hollywood’s most powerful female writer-producer of the 1940s. In 1933, Joan Harrison was a 26-year-old former salesgirl with a dream of escaping her stodgy London suburb and the dreadful prospect of settling down with one of the local boys. A few short years later, she was Alfred Hitchcock’s confidante and the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of his first American film, Rebecca. Harrison had quickly grown from being the worst secretary Alfred Hitchcock ever had to one of his closest collaborators, critically shaping his brand as the “Master of Suspense.” Forging an image as “the female Hitchcock,” Harrison went on to produce numerous Hollywood features before becoming a television pioneer as the executive producer of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Harrison’s standing as a female executive in Golden Age Hollywood was unparalleled. A respected powerhouse, she acquired a singular reputation for running amazingly smooth productions—and defying anyone who posed an obstacle. She built most of her films and series from the ground up. She waged rough-and-tumble battles against executives and censors. She teamed up with many of the most respected, well-known directors, writers, and actors of the 20th century. And she did it all on her own terms. Author Christina Lane shows how this stylish, stunning woman, with an adventurous romantic life, became an unconventional but impressive auteur, one whom history has overlooked.
The first biography of Joan Harrison, one of the most influential women of Hollywood’s golden era, the woman who, working behind the scenes, shaped the screen style of Alfred Hitchcock, master of suspense.