Original portrait photograph of Lillian Roth, circa 1929

N.p. N.p., Circa 1929. Vintage linen-backed portrait photograph of Lillian Roth, circa 1929.

From the archive of noted Hollywood still photographer Ray Jones. Born in Wisconsin on January 1, 1901, Jones worked for Paramount Pictures in the early 1930s, and went on to be the head of the still photography department at Universal Pictures in 1935, where he worked well into the 1950s.

Lillian Roth was a stage and screen actress and singer who began as a childhood vaudeville act with her sister Ann as "The Roth Kids." At the age of 19 she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures in 1929 and began what appeared to be a promising career appearing in "The Love Parade" (1929), "The Vagabond King" (1930), "Honey" (1930), "Animal Crackers" (1930), and "Madame Satan" (1930). Following a series of professional triumphs and personal disasters in the 1930s, Roth's dependence on alcohol took hold and she spent decades in and out of mental institutions until she married her sixth husband, T. Burt McGuire, Jr., a former alcoholic, who, with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), helped Roth slowly revive her career. In 1954 she published her biography, "I'll Cry Tomorrow," and became the first celebrity to associate her name with AA, helping to remove the social stigma attached to the disease. Roth's biography was the basis for the 1955 film of the same name, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Susan Hayward who starred as Roth.

8 x 10 inches. Near Fine.

[Book #165895]