Mae Murray: The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips

“A most compelling, detailed chronicle of the meteoric rise and fall of stage/silent movie star Mae Murray, as to both her roller-coaster professional career and chaotic personal life. This book will certainly be the definitive biography of the legendary Mae Murray.” — James Robert Parish, author of Fiasco: A History of Hollywood’s Iconic Flops

“Ankerich captures a glittering, elusive Murrary, who lived in a self-created bubble of everlasting fame and who spun faster and faster until one day “she was gone.” — Library Journal

“Ankerich does his research and brings to life not only a forgotten big screen star but also the time in which she lived…. This is a well written… and still relevant biography and is a must for every movie buff.” — Past in Review

“As a document of her life, the book left me satisfied and thoroughly in love with Ms. Murray.” — Classic Movies

“Astounding. Mae Murray works on many levels. For those who know of her, it’s a revelation. At last, a reliable narrative of her life.” — Mel Neuhaus, film writer for Examiner.com

“Her long life is a lesson about those heady days of early Hollywood and the transience of fame.” — Library Journal

“If Billy Wilder hasn’t made the definitive movie about the delusions of stardom in Sunset Boulevard, Murray’s story, a blend of absurdity and pathos, would make a terrific one.” — Washington Post

“It’s nice to see a film fan analyze a star he loves in such an unobject way.” — Journeys in Classic Film

“Michael Ankerich, in this always interesting biography, suggests that, tragically, the story may be apocryphal.” — Wall Street Journal

“Michael G. Ankerich has written the first entirely reliable narrative of her life in Mae Murray: The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips.” — Milwaukee Express

“Murray was unable to mount the comeback she pursued during the final years of her life but hopefully, this meticulously researched, crisply written new book will at least reestablish the work and talent of this remarkable woman.” — Tucson Citizen

“This book is [astounding]. Mr. Ankerich must have spent decades researching this fantastic volume. He not only gives us the truth of of Ms. Murray’s youth, but reveals why she opted to spiral into the weird lifestyle she inhabited.” — Examiner

Former news reporter Michael G. Ankerich is author of The Sound of Silence: Conversations with 16 Film and Stage Personalities Who Bridged the Gap between Silents and Talkies and coauthor of The Real Joyce Compton: Behind the Dumb Blonde Movie Image. He lives in Columbus, Georgia, USA.