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John O'Hara with his wife Belle, January 17, 1938.
Credit: CORBIS/Bettmann) Donated by Corbis-Bettmann
O’Hara second novel, Butterfield 8, (1935) shocked American readers with its frank treatment of sexuality. (Elizabeth Taylor would receive a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the Gloria Wandrous in the 1960 film adaptation.) In 1940, O’Hara’s Pal Joey, which he began as a series of character sketches in The New Yorker debuted on Broadway as a musicalwith a libretto by O'Hara and songs by Rodgers and Hart. In 1957 Pal Joey was released as a motion picture starring Frank Sinatra and Rita Hayworth.