Her father, the only American playwright to receive a Nobel Prize, was a chronic alcoholic. When she was a child, her father deserted her; when she turned 18, he disinherited her. Her older half-brother, a Pulitzer Prize-winning classical scholar, and her younger brother, a drug addict, each committed suicide. A product of New York society, she was accepted at Vassar, but chose instead to seek an acting career in Hollywood. There she met her future -- and only -- husband. He was the comic genius of motion pictures and 36 years her senior. She was America's darling. Why did she give up everything to marry a much older man? Did she "stifle" herself? Were her children good to her? Were there other men? And, most crucial, how did she escape the family curse of alcoholism and mental illness? This in-depth biography sheds light on a truly fascinating woman and the many extraordinary people whose lives touched upon hers.