Dr. Lona Bailey is chatting with me today about her new non-fiction biography, Voice of Villainy: The Betty Lou Gerson Story.
Bio:
Dr. Lona Bailey is an award-winning Golden Age of Hollywood researcher and writer of Uncredited: The Life and Career of Actress Virginia Gregg, Voice of Villainy: The Betty Lou Gerson Story, Mrs. Radio: The Cathy Lewis Story, and Some Small Nobility: The Biography of Joan Banks Lovejoy. As a PhD and former therapist, Dr. Bailey is passionate about telling the untold stories of women who perhaps weren’t finished using their own voices during their earthly journeys. Her biographic works offer a balanced perspective on the multidimensional elements involved in feministic legacy-maintenance with particular interest in the preservation efforts of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Dr. Bailey’s Voice of Villainy biography was a finalist in the International Book Awards for 2023 and won the Gold Medal Award in the Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Awards Contest of 2023. Dr. Bailey has been featured on The Wolfe Den Show, in Film Daily, and in The Los Angeles Tribune.
Welcome, Lona. Please tell us about your current release.
She voiced one of Disney’s most infamous villainesses. With her husky timbre and most unforgettable cackle, Betty Lou Gerson terrified an entire generation as Disney’s original “Cruella de Vil” in One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Betty used her whiskey-soaked voice to give us an innovative portrait of elegant villainy beyond entertainment’s stereotypical “old hag” antagonists in radio, film, and television. She had a prolific radio career in both Chicago and Hollywood before the silver screen and was featured in many popular television series in the 1950s and 1960s such as Perry Mason, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Hazel. Though “Cruella” is her most notable role, she also performed in other beloved film classics including Cinderella (1950), Mary Poppins (1964), and Cats Don’t Dance (1997).
What inspired you to write this book?
Like many millennials, I grew up with Betty Lou Gerson’s vocal portrayal of “Cruella de Vil” in Disney’s classic One Hundred and One Dalmatians. About two years ago when I was still writing my first biography, my oldest daughter became very interested in the film and watched it incessantly for a few weeks. In reconnecting with the classic I became interested in researching the talent behind the fabulous husky villainess. In reading about Betty Lou Gerson I discovered she was born just down the road from my own hometown, making the lady behind “Cruella” a “small-town Southern girl,” which is an fascinating contrast to her legendary character. Betty’s history and career intrigued me and when I learned she did not yet have a biography, I thought what fun it would be to research and write hers. And it was!
What exciting project are you working on next?
I am currently finishing up a Titanic biography for Ambassador International. It is the full-length story of Titanic’s Countess of Rothes who became an impromptu seaman during the infamous sinking.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I was in my early elementary school years. I was an early and earnest reader and in my reading journey began to develop my own stories. While I still love reading fiction, I am mostly a nonfiction writer today.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I am a stay-at-home mom, so I have to be very strategic in finding time to write. I research and write during nap times and after bedtimes at night. When writing deadlines near, my nights get longer and my sleep gets shorter, but writing is a little bit like being a mom in that neither feels like a “job” or obligation, but more of a great adventure.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I usually choose a new candle for each book I write and burn the candle while I write at my desk. I keep them all, but I am a bit superstitious about burning those candles as I would other household ones – they are meaningful and closely associated with my experience of writing particular books.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an actress, much like many of the women I write about, and though I pursued that career from middle school through my first years of college, I came to an impasse in loving both the stage and writing, which at the time was through journalism. Writing ultimately won out, but in researching these fabulous actresses such as Betty Lou Gerson, I get to enjoy both some of the theatrics again in addition to writing.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I have a secretary named Penny who is a 6 lb Morkie-Poo and she “helps” me write all of my books.