taylor, william desmond

Suspects abound when William Desmond Taylor, a successful director, is found shot in his home during the early days of Hollywood.

Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of the enigmatic William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, and the diverse cast that surrounded him before he was murdered in 1922-- including three beautiful, ambitious actresses, the ruthless founder of Paramount locked in a struggle for control of the film industry, a grasping stage mother, a devoted valet, and a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet.

When William Desmond Taylor is found dead of a gunshot wound, the motion picture community cannot believe that Taylor could draw the ire of anyone, let alone a murderer. The ensuing investigation reveals that the well-respected director was not the person he seemed and neither were his friends.

Suspects abound when William Desmond Taylor, a successful director, is found shot in his home during the early days of Hollywood.