People who like films and stars of that era, from the 1920s on through the 1950s, I think, would like to have such a personally-written account of some of the highlights of an actress's life. Most picture us all as rich and famous and never hear of another side. I've even thought of the title: The Real Joyce Compton: Behind the Dumb Blonde Movie Image. Sound good? It's a thought. --Excerpt of a letter from Joyce Compton to Michael G. Ankerich, 27 January 1988 The Real Joyce Compton: Behind the Dumb Blonde Movie Image is the story that Joyce Compton, one of the screen's finest comediennes and most versatile actresses, wanted told. Her career, which consisted of an estimated 200 films, stretched from 1925 to 1957. Breaking into films during the silent era, she appeared in a string of ingénue roles, imagining herself as a new Mae Murray, but it was after the beginning of sound that Compton found her niche in comedy. In her own words, she recounts her frustrations over studio politics and shares her experiences of working and socializing with such screen favorites as Clara Bow, Cary Grant, Marlene