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{{short description|American actress (1900–1991)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Jean Arthur
| image              = Jean Arthur - signed.jpg
| caption            = Publicity photo, mid-1930s
| birth_name         = Gladys Georgianna Greene
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1900|10|17|mf=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Plattsburgh, New York]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1991|6|19|1900|10|17|mf=yes}}
| death_place        = [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]], U.S.
| known_for          = {{hlist|[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]|[[The More the Merrier]]|[[You Can't Take It with You (film)|You Can't Take It with You]]|[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]}}
| occupation         = Actress
| years_active       = 1923–1975
| party              = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Julian Anker|1928|1928|end=[[Annulment|{{abbr|annul.|annulled}}]]}}
* {{marriage|[[Frank Ross (producer)|Frank Ross, Jr.]]|1932|1949|reason=divorced}}
}}
}}

'''Jean Arthur''' (born '''Gladys Georgianna Greene'''; October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Arthur|title=Jean Arthur {{!}} American actress|work=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2017-10-22|language=en|archive-date=2017-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022200126/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Arthur|url-status=live}}</ref> was an American Broadway and film actress whose career began in [[silent film]]s in the early 1920s and lasted until the early 1950s.

Arthur had feature roles in three [[Frank Capra]] films: ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]'' (1936) with [[Gary Cooper]], ''[[You Can't Take It with You (film)|You Can't Take It with You]]'' (1938) co-starring [[James Stewart]], and ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]'' (1939), also starring Stewart. These three films all championed the "everyday heroine", personified by Arthur. She also co-starred with [[Cary Grant]] in the adventure-drama ''[[Only Angels Have Wings]]'' (1939) and in the comedy-drama ''[[The Talk of the Town (1942 film)|The Talk of the Town]]'' (1942). She starred as the lead in the acclaimed and highly successful comedy films ''[[The Devil and Miss Jones]]'' (1941) and ''[[A Foreign Affair]]'' (1948), the latter of which she starred alongside [[Marlene Dietrich]]. Arthur was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] in 1944 for her performance in ''[[The More the Merrier]]'' (1943), a comedy which also starred [[Joel McCrea]].<ref name="oscars1944">{{cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1944 |title=The 16th Academy Awards |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715164124/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1944 |archive-date=15 July 2015 |access-date=15 July 2015 }}</ref>

James Harvey wrote in his history of the romantic comedy: "No one was more closely identified with the [[screwball comedy]] than Jean Arthur. So much was she part of it, so much was her star personality defined by it, that the screwball style itself seems almost unimaginable without her."<ref>Harvey 1987, p. 351.</ref> She has been called "the quintessential comedic leading lady".<ref>[[Robert Osborne|Osborne, Robert]]. "Dedication at 17-film salute to Jean Arthur". [[Turner Classic Movies]] (broadcast), January 2007.</ref> Her last film performance was non-comedic, playing the homesteader's wife in [[George Stevens]]'s ''[[Shane (film)|Shane]]'' in 1953.

Like [[Greta Garbo]], Arthur was well known in Hollywood for her aversion to publicity; she was very guarded about her privacy and rarely signed autographs or granted interviews. ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' observed in a 1940 article: "Next to Garbo, Jean Arthur is Hollywood's reigning mystery woman."<ref>Oller 1997, p. 1.</ref> As well as recoiling from interviews, after a certain age, she avoided photographers and refused to become a part of any kind of publicity.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 2.</ref>

==Early life==

Arthur was born Gladys Georgianna Greene in [[Plattsburgh (city), New York|Plattsburgh, New York]], to [[Protestant]] parents, Johanna Augusta Nelson and Hubert Sidney Greene.<ref>[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/arthur.htm "Genealogy: Jean Arthur"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080104150559/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/arthur.htm |date=2008-01-04 }}. Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com, August 14, 2010.</ref> Gladys' [[Lutheran]] maternal grandparents immigrated from [[Norway]] to the [[American West]] after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Her [[Congregationalist]] paternal ancestors immigrated from England to [[History of Rhode Island|Rhode Island]] in the second half of the 1600s. During the 1790s, Nathaniel Greene helped found the town of [[St. Albans (town), Vermont|St. Albans, Vermont]], where his great-grandson, Hubert Greene, was born.

Johanna and Hubert were married in [[Billings, Montana]], on July 7, 1890. Gladys's three older brothers—Donald Hubert Greene, Robert Brazier Greene, and Albert Sidney Greene<ref>1900 US Census, Plattsburgh, New York; and 1910 US Census, Cumberland, Maine.</ref>—were born in the West.  Around 1897, Hubert moved his wife and three sons from Billings to Plattsburgh, so he could work as a photographer at the Woodward Studios on Clinton Street. Johanna gave birth to stillborn twins on April 1, 1898.

Two and a half years later, Johanna gave birth to Gladys. The product of a nomadic childhood, the future Jean Arthur lived at times in [[Saranac Lake, New York]]; [[Jacksonville, Florida]], where George Woodward, Hubert's Plattsburgh employer, opened a second studio; and [[Schenectady, New York]], where Hubert had grown up and where several members of his family still lived. The Greenes lived on and off in [[Westbrook, Maine]], from 1908 to 1915, while Gladys's father worked at Lamson Studios in [[Portland, Maine|Portland]]. Relocating in 1915 to New York City, the family settled in the [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]] neighborhood&nbsp;– at 573 West 159th Street&nbsp;– of upper [[Manhattan]], and Hubert worked at Ira L. Hill's photographic studio on Fifth Avenue.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 33</ref>

Gladys dropped out of high school in her junior year due to a "change in family circumstances".<ref name="Oller 1997, p. 34">Oller 1997, p. 34.</ref> Presaging many of her later film roles, she worked as a stenographer on Bond Street in lower Manhattan during and after [[World War I]]. Both her father (at age 55, claiming to be 45) and siblings registered for the draft. Her brother Albert died in 1926 as a result of respiratory injuries suffered during a mustard gas attack during World War I.

==Career==
===Silent film===
[[File:Cameo Kirby (1923) - 1.jpg|thumb|''[[Cameo Kirby (1923 film)|Cameo Kirby]]'' advertisement from the July 8, 1923 ''[[The Film Daily|Film Daily]]'']]

Discovered by [[Fox Film|Fox Film Studios]] while she was doing commercial modeling in New York City in the early 1920s, the newly named Jean Arthur landed a one-year contract and debuted in the [[silent film]] ''[[Cameo Kirby (1923 film)|Cameo Kirby]]'' (1923), directed by [[John Ford]]. She reputedly took her stage name from two of her greatest heroes, [[Joan of Arc]] (Jeanne d'Arc) and [[King Arthur]].<ref name="ODNB">{{cite ANB |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1803494|title=Arthur, Jean (17 October 1900–19 June 1991) |year=2000 |last1=Collins |first1=Thomas W. Jr }}</ref> The studio was at the time looking for new American sweethearts with sufficient sex appeal to interest the [[Jazz Age]] audiences. Arthur was remodeled as such a personality, a [[flapper]].<ref>Oller 1997, p. 40.</ref>

[[File:The Temple of Venus (1923) - 1.jpg|thumb|''[[The Temple of Venus (film)|The Temple of Venus]]'' advertisement from the July 8, 1923 ''Film Daily'']]

Following the small role in ''Cameo Kirby'', she received her first female lead role in ''[[The Temple of Venus (film)|The Temple of Venus]]'' (1923), a plotless tale about a group of dancing nymphs. Dissatisfied with her lack of acting talent, the film's director, [[Henry Otto]], replaced Arthur with actress [[Mary Philbin]] during the third day of shooting. Arthur agreed with the director: "There wasn't a spark from within. I was acting like a mechanical doll personality. I thought I was disgraced for life."<ref>Oller 1997, p. 41.</ref>

Arthur was planning on leaving the California film industry for good, but reluctantly stayed due to her contract, and appeared in comedy shorts, instead. Despite lacking the required talent, Arthur liked acting, which she perceived as an "outlet". To acquire some fame, she registered herself in the Los Angeles city directory as a photo player operator, as well as appearing in a promotional film for a new Encino nightclub, but to no avail.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 42.</ref>

{{quote box|bgcolor=#CCDDFF|align=right|width=25%|quote=It would have been better business if I cried in front of the producers. It isn't a bad idea to get angry and chew up the scenery. I've had to learn to be a different person since I've been out here. Anybody that sticks it out in Hollywood for four years is bound to change in self-defense... Oh, I'm hard-boiled now. I don't expect anything. But it took me a long time to get over hoping, and believing, people's promises. That's the worst of this business, everyone is such a good promisor.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 46.</ref>|source=—Arthur commenting on her unsuccessful film career in 1928.}}

Change came when one day she showed up at the lot of Action Pictures, which produced [[B movie|B Westerns]], and impressed its owner, Lester F. Scott, Jr., with her presence. He decided to take a chance on a complete unknown, and she was cast in over 20 Westerns in a two-year period. Only receiving $25 a picture, Arthur suffered from difficult working conditions: "The films were generally shot on location, often in the desert near Los Angeles, under a scorching sun that caused throats to parch and make-up to run. Running water was nowhere to be found, and even outhouses were a luxury not always present. The extras on these films were often real cowboys, tough men who were used to roughing it and who had little use for those who were not."<ref>Oller 1997, p. 43.</ref> The films were moderately successful in second-rate Midwestern theaters, though Arthur received no official attention. Aside from appearing in films for Action Pictures between 1924 and 1926, she worked in some independent Westerns, including ''The Drug Store Cowboy'' (1925), and Westerns for [[Poverty Row]], as well as having an uncredited bit part in [[Buster Keaton]]'s ''[[Seven Chances]]'' (1925) as the receptionist.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/seven-chances/cast/2000278818/ |title=Seven Chances - Full Cast & Crew |magazine=[[TV Guide]] |access-date=2022-11-06 |archive-date=2022-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106100725/https://www.tvguide.com/movies/seven-chances/cast/2000278818/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1927, Arthur attracted more attention when she appeared opposite [[Mae Busch]] and [[Charles Delaney]] as a gold-digging chorus girl in ''[[Husband Hunters]]''. Subsequently, she was romanced by actor [[Monty Banks]] in ''Horse Shoes'' (1927), both a commercial and critical success. She was cast on Banks's insistence, and received a salary of $700.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 45.</ref> Next, director [[Richard Wallace (director)|Richard Wallace]] ignored Fox's wishes to cast a more experienced actress by assigning Arthur to the female lead in ''[[The Poor Nut]]'' (1927), a college comedy, which gave her wide exposure to audiences. A reviewer for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' did not spare the actress in his review:
<blockquote>
With everyone in Hollywood bragging about the tremendous overflow of charming young women all battering upon the directorial doors leading to an appearance in pictures, it seems strange that from all these should have been selected two flat specimens such as Jean Arthur and [[Jane Winton]]. Neither of the girls has screen presence. Even under the kindliest treatment from the camera, they are far from attractive and in one or two side shots almost impossible.<ref>Oller 1997, pp. 45–46.</ref>
</blockquote>

[[File:Warming Up lobby card.jpg|thumb|[[Lobby card]] featuring Jean Arthur and [[Richard Dix]] in ''[[Warming Up (1928 film)|Warming Up]]'' (1928)]]

Fed up with the direction that her career was taking, Arthur expressed her desire for a big break in an interview at the time. She was skeptical when signed to a small role in ''[[Warming Up (1928 film)|Warming Up]]'' (1928), a film produced for a big studio, [[Famous Players–Lasky]], and featuring major star [[Richard Dix]]. Promoted as the studio's first [[sound film]], it received wide media attention, and Arthur earned praise for her portrayal of a baseball club owner's daughter. ''Variety'' opined, "Dix and Arthur are splendid in spite of the wretched material", while ''[[Screenland]]'' wrote that Arthur "is one of the most charming young kissees who ever officiated in a Dix film. Jean is winsome; she neither looks nor acts like the regular movie heroine. She's a nice girl&nbsp;– but she has her moments."<ref>Oller 1997, p. 47.</ref> The success of ''Warming Up'' resulted in Arthur being signed to a three-year contract with the studio, soon to be known as [[Paramount Pictures]], at $150 a week.

===Transition to sound film===
[[File:Canary Murder Case poster.jpg|thumb|Window poster for ''[[The Canary Murder Case (film)|The Canary Murder Case]]'' (1929)]]

With the rise of the [[talkies]] in the late 1920s, Arthur was among the many silent-screen actors of Paramount Pictures initially unwilling to adapt to sound films.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 51.</ref> Upon realizing that the craze for sound films was not a phase, she met with sound coach Roy Pomeroy. Her distinctive, throaty voice&nbsp;– in addition to some stage training on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in the early 1930s&nbsp;– eventually helped make her a star in the talkies, but it initially prevented directors from casting her in films.<ref name="fivtyeight" /> In her early talkies, this "throaty" voice is still missing, and  whether it had not yet emerged or whether she hid it remains unclear.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 52.</ref> Her all-talking film debut was ''[[The Canary Murder Case (film)|The Canary Murder Case]]'' (1929), in which she co-starred opposite [[William Powell]] and [[Louise Brooks]]. Arthur impressed only a few with the film, and later claimed that at the time she was a "very poor actress ... awfully anxious to improve, but ... inexperienced so far as genuine training was concerned."<ref>Oller 1997, p. 53.</ref>

In the early years of talking pictures, Paramount was known for contracting Broadway actors with experienced vocals and impressive background references. Arthur was not among these actors, and she struggled for recognition in the film industry. Her personal involvement with rising Paramount executive [[David O. Selznick]]&nbsp;– despite his relationship with [[Irene Mayer Selznick]]&nbsp;– proved substantial; she was put on the map and became selected as one of the [[WAMPAS Baby Stars]] in 1929. Following a silent B Western called ''[[Stairs of Sand]]'' (1929), she received some positive notices when she played the female lead in the lavish production of ''[[The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu]]'' (1929).<ref name="fivtyeight">Oller 1997, p. 58.</ref> Arthur was given more publicity assignments, which she carried out,  though she immensely disliked posing for photographers and giving interviews.<ref name="fivtyeight"/>

[[File:The Saturday Night Kid Promo.jpg|thumb|Promotional photo of Jean Arthur, [[Clara Bow]], [[Jean Harlow]], and [[Leone Lane]] for ''[[The Saturday Night Kid]]'' (1929)]]

Through Selznick, Arthur received her "best role to date" opposite famous sex symbol [[Clara Bow]] in the early sound film ''[[The Saturday Night Kid]]'' (1929).<ref>Oller 1997, p. 60.</ref> Of the two female leads, Arthur was thought to have "the better part", and director Edward Sutherland claimed, "Arthur was so good that we had to cut and cut to keep her from stealing the picture" from Bow.<ref name="runninwild">Stenn 1988, p. 178.</ref> While some argued that Bow resented Arthur for having the "better part,"<ref name="sixtyone">Oller 1997, p. 61.</ref> Bow encouraged Arthur to make the most of the production.<ref name="runninwild"/> Arthur later praised her working experience with Bow: "[Bow] was so generous, no snootiness or anything. She was wonderful to me."<ref>Stenn 1988, p. 179.</ref> The film was a moderate success, and ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that the film would have been "merely commonplace, were it not for Jean Arthur, who plays the catty sister with a great deal of skill."<ref name="sixtyone"/>

Following a role in ''[[Half Way to Heaven (1929 film)|Half way to Heaven]]'' (1929) opposite popular actor [[Charles "Buddy" Rogers]] (of which ''Variety'' opined that her career could be heading somewhere if she acquired more sex appeal),<ref name="sixtyone" /> Selznick assigned her to play William Powell's wife in ''[[Street of Chance (1930 film)|Street of Chance]]'' (1930). She did not impress the film's director, [[John Cromwell (director)|John Cromwell]], who advised the actress to move back to New York because she would not make it in Hollywood.<ref name="sixtyone"/> By 1930, her relationship with Selznick had ended, causing her career at Paramount to slip.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 62.</ref> Following a string of "lifeless ingenue roles" in mediocre films, she debuted on stage in December 1930 with a supporting role in [[Pasadena Playhouse]]'s 10-day production run of ''Spring Song''. Back in Hollywood, Arthur saw her career deteriorating, and she dyed her hair blonde in an attempt to boost her image and avoid comparison with more successful actress [[Mary Brian]].<ref name="sixtyfour">Oller 1997, p. 64.</ref> Her effort did not pay off; when her three-year contract at Paramount expired in mid-1931, she was given her release with an announcement from Paramount that the decision was due to financial setbacks caused by the [[Great Depression]].<ref name="sixtyfour"/>

===Broadway===
[[File:Eric Linden-Jean Arthur in The Past of Mary Holmes.jpg|thumb|With [[Eric Linden]] in ''[[The Past of Mary Holmes]]'' (1933)]]
In late 1931, Arthur returned to New York City, where a Broadway agent cast Arthur in an adaptation of ''[[Lysistrata]]'', which opened at the Riviera Theater on January 24, 1932. A few months later, she made her Broadway debut in ''Foreign Affairs'' opposite [[Dorothy Gish]] and [[Osgood Perkins]]. Though the play did not fare well and closed after 23 performances, critics were impressed by her work on stage.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 69.</ref> She next won the female lead in ''The Man Who Reclaimed His Head'', which opened on September 8, 1932, at the Broadhurst Theatre to mostly mixed notices for Arthur; negative reviews for the play caused the production to be halted quickly.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 70.</ref> Arthur returned to California for the holidays, and appeared in the [[RKO Pictures|RKO]] film ''[[The Past of Mary Holmes]]'' (1933), her first film in two years.

Back on Broadway, Arthur continued to appear in small plays that received little attention. Critics, however, continued to praise her in their reviews. In this period, Arthur arguably developed confidence in her acting craft for the first time.<ref name="seventyone">Oller 1997, p. 71.</ref> On the contrast between films in Hollywood and plays in New York, Arthur commented:

<blockquote>I don't think Hollywood is the place to be yourself. The individual ought to find herself before coming to Hollywood. On the stage I found myself to be in a different world. The individual counted. The director encouraged me and I learned how to be myself.... I learned to face audiences and to forget them. To see the footlights and not to see them; to gauge the reactions of hundreds of people, and yet to throw myself so completely into a role that I was oblivious to their reaction.<ref name="seventyone" /></blockquote>

''The Curtain Rises'', which ran from October to December 1933, was Arthur's first Broadway play in which she was the center of attention.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 72.</ref> With an improved résumé, she returned to Hollywood in late 1933, and turned down several contract offers until she was asked to meet with an executive from [[Columbia Pictures]].<ref name="seventythree">Oller 1997, p. 73.</ref> Columbia hired her.

===Columbia Pictures===
During production of her first Columbia feature, she was offered a long-term contract that promised financial stability for herself and both of her parents.<ref name="seventythree" /> Though hesitant to give up her stage career, Arthur signed the five-year contract on February 14, 1934.<ref name="Oller 1997, p. 34"/>

Jean Arthur's first two features for Columbia starred the studio's number-one boxoffice draw, the action star [[Jack Holt (actor)|Jack Holt]]. Holt had a loyal following among fans and exhibitors, and Columbia's president [[Harry Cohn]] knew that Arthur would benefit from the exposure, and from working with screen veteran Holt. ''[[Whirlpool (1934 film)|Whirlpool]]'' cast tough-guy Holt as a once-convicted gambler reunited with the daughter he has never seen. Arthur played the daughter with sincerity and sympathy, while Holt displayed a tenderness and compassion never before seen in his two-fisted melodramas. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' observed, "Particularly touching and well done are [Holt's] scenes with his daughter. He is given splendid assistance by Jean Arthur, and by the director, [[Roy William Neill]]. Without overplaying or mawkish sentimentality, these scenes have a natural, human quality that counts."<ref>''The Hollywood Reporter'', Apr. 3, 1934, p. 3.</ref>

Holt and Arthur were teamed a few months later for a follow-up, ''[[The Defense Rests]]'' (1934); Arthur, fresh out of law school, wants to work for celebrated criminal lawyer Holt, and soon learns the inside story of Holt's success.

Arthur's success in the Holt pictures had a salutary effect on the actress's outlook, according to ''Picture Play'': 
"Her entire personality has changed, and from a somewhat immature actress of nice but no startling ability she has blossomed into a distinctive artist, and only the future can tell how high she will soar... [She] now receives, from ''Whirlpool'' alone, approval that any far more experienced actress might spend years in building up."<ref>Whitney Williams in ''Picture Play'', Sept. 1934, p. 55.</ref>

In 1935, at age 34, Arthur starred opposite [[Edward G. Robinson]] in the gangster farce ''[[The Whole Town's Talking]]'', also directed by Ford, and her popularity began to rise. It was the first time Arthur portrayed a hard-boiled working girl with a heart of gold, the type of role with which she would be associated for the rest of her career.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 81.</ref> She enjoyed the acting experience and working opposite Robinson, who remarked in his biography that it was a "delight to work with and know" Arthur.<ref name="eightytwo">Oller 1997, p. 82.</ref> By the time of the film's release, her hair, naturally brunette throughout the silent-film portion of her career, was bleached blonde and mostly stayed that way. She was known for maneuvering to be photographed and filmed almost exclusively from the left; Arthur felt that her left was her better side, and worked hard to keep it in the fore. Director [[Frank Capra]] recalled producer [[Harry Cohn]]'s description of Jean Arthur's imbalanced profile: "half of it's angel, and the other half horse."<ref name="Capra p. 184">Capra 1971, p. 184.</ref>

Her next few films, ''[[Party Wire]]'' (1935), ''[[Public Hero No. 1]]'' (1935), and ''[[If You Could Only Cook]]'' (1935), did not match the success of ''The Whole Town's Talking'', but they all brought the actress positive reviews.<ref name="eightytwo" /> In his review for ''The New York Times'', critic Andre Sennwald praised Arthur's performance in ''Public Hero No. 1'', writing that she "is as refreshing a change from the routine it-girl as [[Joseph Calleia]] is in his own department."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2383/Public-Hero-No-1/articles.html |title=Read TCM's article on Public Hero No. 1 |access-date=2012-11-16 |work=[[Turner Classic Movies]] |archive-date=2013-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526164703/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2383/Public-Hero-No-1/articles.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Another critic wrote of her performance in ''If You Could Only Cook'' that "[she is] outstanding as she effortlessly slips from charming comedienne to beautiful romantic."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/78966/If-You-Could-Only-Cook/articles.html |title=Read TCM's article on If You Could Only Cook |access-date=2012-11-16 |work=[[Turner Classic Movies]] |archive-date=2012-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204033556/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/78966/If-You-Could-Only-Cook/articles.html |url-status=live }}</ref> With her now apparent rise to fame, Arthur was able to extract several contractual concessions from Harry Cohn, such as script and director approval and the right to make films for other studios.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 83.</ref>

[[File:Gary Cooper in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town trailer.JPG|thumb|With [[Gary Cooper]] in ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]'' (1936)]]

The turning point in Arthur's career came when she was chosen by Frank Capra to star in ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]'' (1936). Capra had spotted her in a daily rush<ref name="Capra p. 184"/> from the film ''Whirlpool'' in 1934<ref>Oller 1997, p. 84.</ref> and convinced Cohn to have [[Columbia Studios]] sign her for his next film, as a tough newspaperwoman who falls in love with a country bumpkin millionaire. Though several colleagues later recalled that Arthur was troubled by extreme stage fright during production, ''Mr. Deeds'' was critically acclaimed and propelled her to international stardom.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 85-86.</ref> In 1936 alone, she earned $119,000, more than the President of the United States and baseball star [[Lou Gehrig]] ''combined''.<ref>Oller 1997, p. 89.</ref><ref>[https://www.presidentsusa.net/presidentsalaryhistory.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212002847/https://www.presidentsusa.net/presidentsalaryhistory.html |date=2022-02-12 }} Salary History of the United States President, $75,000 in 1936.</ref><ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gehrilo01.shtml] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203165058/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gehrilo01.shtml |date=2010-12-03 }} Lou Gehrig salaries at baseball-reference.com.  $36,000 in 1936.</ref>

With fame also came media attention, something Arthur greatly disliked. She did not attend any social gatherings, such as formal parties in Hollywood, and acted difficult when having to work with an interviewer. She was named the American Greta Garbo – who was also known for her reclusive life – and magazine ''Movie Classic'' wrote of her in 1937: "With Garbo talking right out loud in interviews, receiving the press and even welcoming an occasional chance to say her say in the public prints, the palm for elusiveness among screen stars now goes to Jean Arthur."<ref>Oller 1997, p. 92.</ref>

[[File:The Plainsman - Jean Arthur et Gary Cooper 2.png|thumb|Gary Cooper as [[Wild Bill Hickok]] and Jean Arthur as [[Calamity Jane]] in ''[[The Plainsman]]'' (1936)]]
[[File:You Can't Take It with You trailer 1.jpg|thumb|With [[James Stewart]] in ''[[You Can't Take It with You (film)|You Can't Take It with You]]'' (1938)]]
[[File:James Stewart & Jean Arthur Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Still.jpg|thumb|With James Stewart in ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]'' (1939)]]
[[File:Leopold Dilg and Nora Shelley.jpg|thumb|With [[Cary Grant]] in ''[[The Talk of the Town (1942 film)|The Talk of the Town]]'' (1942)]]
[[File:A Lady Takes a Chance (1943) 1.jpg|thumb|right|With [[John Wayne]] in ''[[A Lady Takes a Chance]]'' (1943)]]
Arthur's next film was ''[[The Ex-Mrs. Bradford]]'' (1936), on loan to [[RKO Pictures]], in which she starred opposite William Powell on his insistence,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2551/The-Ex-Mrs-Bradford/notes.html |title=Notes for The Ex-Mrs. Bradford |access-date=2012-11-19 |work=[[Turner Classic Movies]] |archive-date=2013-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526173832/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2551/The-Ex-Mrs-Bradford/notes.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and hoped to take a long vacation afterwards. Cohn, however, rushed her into two more productions, ''[[Adventure in Manhattan]]'' (1936) and ''[[More Than a Secretary]]'' (1936). Neither film attracted much attention.<ref name="ninetythree">Oller 1997, p. 93.</ref>

Next, again without pause, she was reteamed with Cooper, playing [[Calamity Jane]] in [[Cecil B. DeMille]]'s ''[[The Plainsman]]'' (1936) on another loan, this time for Paramount Pictures. Arthur, who was De Mille's second choice after [[Mae West]], described Calamity Jane as her favorite role thus far.<ref name="ninetythree" />

In 1937, she appeared as a working girl, her typical role, in [[Mitchell Leisen]]'s screwball comedy, ''[[Easy Living (1937 film)|Easy Living]]'' (1937), with [[Ray Milland]]. She followed this with another screwball comedy, Capra's ''[[You Can't Take It with You (film)|You Can't Take It with You]]'' (1938), which teamed her with [[James Stewart]].  The film won an [[Academy Award for Best Picture]], with Arthur getting top billing.

So strong was her box-office appeal by now that she was one of four finalists for the role of [[Scarlett O'Hara]] in ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939). The film's producer, David O. Selznick, had briefly romanced Arthur in the late 1920s when they both were with Paramount. Arthur reunited with director Frank Capra and Stewart for ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]'' (1939), with Arthur cast once again as a working woman, this time one who teaches the naïve Mr. Smith the ways of Washington, DC. Arthur was offered a third reunion with Capra and Stewart in ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' (1946), playing the role of Stewart's wife Mary (which eventually went to [[Donna Reed]]), but she refused to attend [[Stephens College]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Oller|first=John|title=Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew|publisher=Limelight Editions|year=2004|isbn=0-87910-278-0|page=132|language=English}}</ref>

Arthur continued to star in films such as [[Howard Hawks]]' ''[[Only Angels Have Wings]]'' (also 1939), with [[Cary Grant]], ''[[The Talk of the Town (1942 film)|The Talk of the Town]]'' (1942), directed by [[George Stevens]] (with Cary Grant and [[Ronald Colman]], working together for the only time, as Arthur's two leading men), and again for Stevens as a government clerk in ''[[The More the Merrier]]'' (1943), for which Arthur was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] (losing to [[Jennifer Jones]] for ''[[The Song of Bernadette (film)|The Song of Bernadette]]''). As a result of being in dispute with studio boss Harry Cohn, her fee for ''The Talk of the Town'' (1942) was only $50,000, while her male co-stars Grant and Colman received upwards of $100,000 each.

Arthur remained Columbia's top star until the mid-1940s, when she left the studio; [[Rita Hayworth]] took over as the studio's biggest name. Stevens famously called her "one of the greatest comediennes the screen has ever seen," while Capra credited her as "my favorite actress."<ref>Capra 1971, pp. 184–185.</ref>

==Later career and retirements==
[[Image:Jean Arthur in Shane.jpg|right|thumb|With [[Alan Ladd]] in ''[[Shane (film)|Shane]]'' (1953)]]
Arthur announced her retirement when her contract with Columbia Pictures expired in 1944. She reportedly ran through the studio's streets, shouting "I'm free, I'm free!"<ref name="Morgan">{{Cite web |title=Jean Arthur, the Nonconformist |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6930-jean-arthur-the-nonconformist |last=Morgan |first=Kim |date=2020-05-05 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en |access-date=2020-05-16}}</ref> For the next several years, she turned down virtually all film offers, the two exceptions being [[Billy Wilder]]'s ''[[A Foreign Affair]]'' (1948), in which she played a congresswoman and rival of Marlene Dietrich's, and as a homesteader's wife in the classic Western ''[[Shane (film)|Shane]]'' (1953), which turned out to be the biggest box-office hit of her career. The latter was her final film, and the only color film in which she appeared.<ref>Anthony, Elizabeth. [http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Arthur/arthur2.htm "Jean Arthur at Screen Classics."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213173639/http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Arthur/arthur2.htm |date=2007-12-13 }} ''Reelclassics.com,'' July 21, 2010. Retrieved: August 14, 2010.</ref>

Arthur's postretirement work in theater was intermittent, somewhat curtailed by her unease and discomfort about working in public.<ref>[http://tcmdb.com/participant/participant.jsp?participantId=6045 "TCM Movie Database: Jean Arthur."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930235833/http://tcmdb.com/participant/participant.jsp?participantId=6045 |date=2007-09-30 }} ''Tcmdb.com,'' August 14, 2010.</ref> Capra claimed she vomited in her dressing room between scenes, yet emerged each time to perform a flawless take. According to John Oller's biography, ''Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew'' (1997), Arthur developed a kind of [[stage fright]] punctuated with bouts of [[psychosomatic illness]]es. A prime example was in 1945, when she was cast in the lead of the [[Garson Kanin]] play ''[[Born Yesterday (play)|Born Yesterday]]''. Her nerves and insecurity got the better of her and she left the production before it reached Broadway, opening the door for a then-unknown [[Judy Holliday]] to take the part.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DiI1wIyatvUC&dq=%22original+star,+Jean+Arthur+quit+during+the+tryout%22&pg=PA86 |first1=Gerald Martin |last1=Bordman |first2=Thomas S. |last2=Hischak |title=The Oxford Companion to American Theatre |publisher=Oxford University Press, US |year=2004 |isbn=0-19-516986-7 |access-date=2023-05-19 |archive-date=2023-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519155333/https://books.google.com/books?id=DiI1wIyatvUC&pg=PA86&dq=%22original+star,+Jean+Arthur+quit+during+the+tryout%22 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/21/theater/theater-born-yesterday-is-reborn-in-chicago.html |first=Eugene |last=Kennedy |title='Born Yesterday' Reborn in Chicago |page=5 (Section 2) |newspaper=The New York Times |date=21 February 1988 |access-date=2023-05-19 |archive-date=2023-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519145204/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/21/theater/theater-born-yesterday-is-reborn-in-chicago.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

She did score a major triumph on Broadway in 1950, starring in [[Leonard Bernstein]]'s [[Peter Pan (1950 musical)|adaptation of ''Peter Pan'']], playing the title character, when she was almost 50. She tackled the role of her eponym, Joan of Arc, in a 1954 stage production of [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Saint Joan (play)|Saint Joan]]'', but she left the play after a [[nervous breakdown]] and battles with director [[Harold Clurman]].{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

[[File:Jean Arthur Ron Harper Leonard Stone The Jean Arthur Show.JPG|thumb|With [[Ron Harper (actor)|Ron Harper]] and [[Leonard Stone]] in ''[[The Jean Arthur Show]]'' (1966)]]

After ''Shane'' and ''Saint Joan'', Arthur went into retirement for 11 years.

In 1965, the reclusive Arthur returned to show business to star in an episode of ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', as Julie Blane in season 10, episode 24’s "Thursday’s Child". In 1966, she took on the role of Patricia Marshall, an [[Lawyer|attorney]], on her own television sitcom, ''[[The Jean Arthur Show]]'', which was cancelled midseason by [[CBS]] after only 12 episodes.

In 1967, Arthur was coaxed back to Broadway to appear as a Midwestern "[[spinster]]" who falls in with a group of [[hippie]]s in the play ''[[The Freaking Out of Stephanie Blake]]''. In his book ''The Season, ''[[William Goldman]] reconstructed the disastrous production, which eventually closed during previews when Arthur refused to go on.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newcriterion.com/article/the-best-book-on-theater/|title=The best book on theater &#124; The New Criterion|first=Kyle|last=Smith|date=May 19, 2021|access-date=May 21, 2024|archive-date=May 21, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521121947/https://newcriterion.com/article/the-best-book-on-theater/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Arthur next decided to teach drama, first at [[Vassar College]] and then the [[North Carolina School of the Arts]].

While living in North Carolina, in 1973, Arthur made front-page news by being arrested and jailed for [[trespassing]] on a neighbor's property to console a dog she felt was being mistreated.<ref name=gdt>{{cite news|title=Actress Jean Arthur arrested, convicted|newspaper=Greeley Daily Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2722754/greeley_daily_tribune/|agency=Greeley Daily Tribune|date=April 14, 1973|page=18|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=June 30, 2015|archive-date=August 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816010223/https://www.newspapers.com/article/greeley-daily-tribune/2722754/|url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> An animal lover her entire life, Arthur said she trusted them more than people.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Oller|first=John|title=Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew|publisher=Limelight Editions|year=2004|isbn=0-87910-278-0|page=167|language=English}}</ref> She was convicted, fined $75, and given three years' probation.<ref name=gdt/>

After 11 performances of ''[[First Monday in October]]'' in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975, Arthur then retired for good, retreating to Driftwood Cottage, her oceanside home on [[Carmel Point]] at the southern city limits of [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.architecturaldigest.com/article/1976/5/architectural-digest-visits-jean-arthur|title=Architectural Digest: Jean Arthur|website=archive.architecturaldigest.com|author=Russell Mac Masters|date=1976|access-date=2022-11-08|archive-date=2022-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108180156/https://archive.architecturaldigest.com/article/1976/5/architectural-digest-visits-jean-arthur|url-status=live}}</ref> steadfastly refusing interviews until her resistance was broken down by the author of a book about Capra. Arthur once famously said that she would rather have her throat slit than give an interview.<ref>Parish 2002, p. 92.</ref>

Arthur was a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] and supported the campaigns of [[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai Stevenson]] during the [[1952 United States presidential election|1952 presidential election]] and [[John F. Kennedy]] in 1960.<ref>''Motion Picture and Television Magazine'', November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers</ref>

==Personal life==

Arthur's first marriage, to photographer Julian Anker in 1928, was [[annulment|annulled]] after one day.<ref>Oliver, Myrna. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-20-mn-1267-story.html "Jean Arthur Dies; Comedy Film Star of the '30s and '40s."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014113725/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-20-mn-1267-story.html |date=2023-10-14 }} ''Articles.latimes.com,'' July 20, 1991. Retrieved: August 14, 2010.</ref> She married producer [[Frank Ross (producer)|Frank Ross, Jr.]] in 1932. They divorced in 1949.<ref name="leadingladies">Sarvady et al. 2006, p. 17.</ref> She had no children by either union.

In 1979, [[Patsy Kelly]] told [[Boze Hadleigh]] that Arthur was a lesbian.<ref name=Hadleigh>[https://archive.org/details/hollywoodlesbian0000hadl/page/62/mode/2up ''Hollywood Lesbians''], by [[Boze Hadleigh]]; p. 62; published 1994 by [[Barricade Books]]; "PK: But it figures why certain actresses - the sisterhood? - want to be Peter Pan. Gals like Mary Martin and Jean Arthur. They want to be boys. BH: You mean because Martin and Arthur are lesbians. PK: In a nutshell."</ref>

Arthur lived in [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]], for 30 years,<ref name="courant/la-et-mn-feud">{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Susan |title=Here is what really happened to Joan Crawford, Bette Davis and others after 'Feud' |url=https://www.courant.com/la-et-mn-feud-bette-joan-golden-age-actresses-20170421-htmlstory.html |access-date=11 December 2022 |work=[[Hartford Courant]] |date=21 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422003756/https://www.courant.com/la-et-mn-feud-bette-joan-golden-age-actresses-20170421-htmlstory.html |archive-date=22 April 2017}}</ref> and died from [[heart failure]] June 19, 1991,<ref name=tdh>{{cite news|title=Actress Jean Arthur Dies Wednesday|newspaper=Tyrone Daily Herald|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2722640/tyrone_daily_herald/|agency=Tyrone Daily Herald|date=June 20, 1991|page=3|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=June 30, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090930/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2722640/tyrone_daily_herald/|url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> at the age of 90.<ref name="leadingladies"/> No funeral service was held.<ref name=tdh/> She was cremated, and her remains were scattered off the coast of [[Point Lobos]], California.<ref>{{cite book|last=Brooks|first=Patricia|title=Laid to Rest in California: A Guide to the Cemeteries and Grave Sites of the Rich and Famous|year=2006|publisher=Globe Pequot|isbn=0-762-74101-5|pages=313–314|author2=Brooks, Jonathan}}</ref>

===Driftwood Cottage===
Driftwood Cottage, in Carmel, California, was once home of Arthur and her mother Johanna Greene.<ref name="Hale">{{cite book|last=Hale|first=Sharron Lee|url=https://archive.org/details/tributetoyesterd0000hale/page/54/mode/2up?q=%22Florence+Wells%22|title=A Tribute to Yesterday: The History of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros|publisher=Valley Publishers |place=Santa Cruz, California|date=1980|pages=54, 120|isbn=9780913548738 |access-date=2022-03-18}}</ref><ref name="masters">{{cite web|url=https://archive.architecturaldigest.com/article/1976/5/architectural-digest-visits-jean-arthur|title=Architectural Digest: Jean Arthur|website=archive.architecturaldigest.com|author=Russell Mac Masters |date=1976|access-date=2022-11-08}}</ref> Arthur remodeled the house and created a large outdoor garden, with landscape artist George Hoy, in a [[Japanese architecture]] style, including a Japanese bronze dragon gate latch.<ref name="masters"/>

==Legacy==

Upon her death, film reviewer [[Charles Champlin]] wrote the following in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'':
{{blockquote|To at least one teenager in a small town (though I'm sure we were a multitude), Jean Arthur suggested strongly that the ideal woman could be&nbsp;– ought to be&nbsp;– judged by her spirit as well as her beauty … The notion of the woman as a friend and confidante, as well as someone you courted and were nuts about, someone whose true beauty was internal rather than external, became a full-blown possibility as we watched Jean Arthur.<ref name="Champlin">Champlin, Charles. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-21-ca-941-story.html "An Appreciation – Jean Arthur's Legacy of Indelible Performances – Movies: The actress, who died Wednesday at 90, brought a striking beauty, a unique voice and spirit to the roles that established her fame."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418064352/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-21-ca-941-story.html |date=2024-04-18 }} ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', June 20, 1991. Retrieved: September 3, 2009.</ref>}}

For her contribution to the motion-picture industry, Jean Arthur has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6333 Hollywood Blvd.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jean Arthur|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/jean-arthur|website=Hollywood Walk of Fame|access-date=1 July 2015|archive-date=5 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205162233/http://www.walkoffame.com/jean-arthur|url-status=live}}</ref> The Jean Arthur Atrium was her gift to the [[Monterey Institute of International Studies]] in [[Monterey, California]].{{Citation needed |date=August 2022}}

In 2014, Arthur was inducted into the [[Hall of Great Western Performers]] at the [[National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum]] in [[Oklahoma City]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/performers/1592/|title = Jean Arthur}}</ref>

In 2015, the city of Plattsburgh, New York, celebrated a "Jean Arthur Day" by placing a commemorative historical plaque in front of the house at 94 Oak Street where she was born. A large painted public mural of Arthur on the back of a downtown Plattsburgh bank was unveiled in 2019.

Arthur also has been honored with an “Adirondack Walk of Fame” star at the Adirondacks Welcome Center on I-87 (Northway), off exit 18 in Queensbury, New York.

==Filmography==

{{Main|Jean Arthur filmography}}

==Radio performances==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Program !! Episode/source
|-
| 1937|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]''<ref>{{cite journal|title=Those Were The Days|journal=Nostalgia Digest|date=Winter 2014|volume=40|issue=1|pages=32–39}}</ref>
|-
| 1937|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''[[The Plainsman]]''
|-
| 1938|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''[[Seventh Heaven (1937 film)|Seventh Heaven]]''
|-
| 1939|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''[[Only Angels Have Wings]]''
|-
| 1939|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''[[Pygmalion (1938 film)|Pygmalion]]''
|-
| 1940|| ''[[Screen Guild Theater]]'' || ''[[Jezebel (1938 film)|Jezebel]]''
|-
| 1941|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''[[Remember the Night]]''
|-
| 1943|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''[[The Talk of the Town (1942 film)|The Talk of the Town]]''
|-
| 1953|| ''[[The United States Steel Hour#Theatre Guild on the Air|Theatre Guild on the Air]]'' || ''The Grand Tour''<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kirby|first1=Walter|title=Better Radio Programs for the Week|newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2722517/the_decatur_daily_review/|agency=The Decatur Daily Review|date=May 31, 1953|page=40|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=June 30, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110328/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2722517/the_decatur_daily_review/|url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
* [[List of actors with Academy Award nominations]]
* [[List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars]]
{{Portalbar|Biography|Film|New York|California}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* Capra, Frank. ''Frank Capra, The Name Above the Title: An Autobiography''. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1971. {{ISBN|0-306-80771-8}}.
* Harvey, James. ''Romantic Comedy in Hollywood: From Lubitsch to Sturges''. New York: Knopf, 1987. {{ISBN|0-394-50339-2}}.
* [[John Oller|Oller, John]]. ''Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew''. New York: Limelight Editions, 1997. {{ISBN|0-87910-278-0}}.
* Parish, James Robert. ''The Hollywood Book of Death: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More Than 125 American Movie and TV Idols''. New York: Contemporary Books, 2002. {{ISBN|0-8092-2227-2}}.
* Parish, James Robert. [https://books.google.com/books?id=CJS5RL7eqdsC&pg=PA63 ''The Hollywood Book of Extravagance: The Totally Infamous ...''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816010153/https://books.google.com/books?id=CJS5RL7eqdsC&pg=PA63 |date=2024-08-16 }} Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-470-05205-1}}.
* Sarvady, Andrea, Molly Haskell and Frank Miller. ''Leading Ladies: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era''. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2006. {{ISBN|0-8118-5248-2}}.
* [[David Stenn|Stenn, David]]. ''Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild''. New York: Doubleday, 1988. {{ISBN|0-385-24125-9}}.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* {{IMDb name|0000795}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{amg name|2459}}
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=1174 Literature on Jean Arthur]
* [http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article/?cid=150871 Turner Classic Movies "Star of the Month" Profile]
* [http://www.altfg.com/blog/actors/jean-arthur-on-tcm/ Soares, Andre: Jean Arthur on TCM], Alternative Film Guide
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090815095716/http://www.flapperjane.com/April%202004/Jeanarthur.htm Gouveia, Michele: The Girl with the Croak: Jean Arthur]
* [http://www.villagevoice.com/2000-05-09/film/jean-therapy/ Atkinson, Michael: Jean Therapy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017230851/http://www.villagevoice.com/2000-05-09/film/jean-therapy/ |date=2012-10-17 }}
* [http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/life/2014/12/31/jean-arthur-vassar-college/21050123/ "Recalling Jean Arthur's teaching days at Vassar"] in the ''[[Poughkeepsie Journal]]'', December 31, 2014.
* [http://www.johnollernyc.com/blog John Oller Blog]{{snd}}by the author of ''Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew'', containing updates to the information in his book

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Jean}}
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of Norwegian descent]]
[[Category:American Protestants]]
[[Category:American silent film actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:Actors from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]]
[[Category:People from Plattsburgh, New York]]
[[Category:People from Westbrook, Maine]]
[[Category:Vassar College faculty]]
[[Category:Western (genre) film actresses]]
[[Category:American women academics]]