Lillian Hellman and Who?

Ephron, Nora. Imaginary Friends. New York: Vintage Books, 2002.

Imaginary Friends dramatizes the relationship between Lillian Hellman, author of The Children's Hour, and Mary McCarthy, who was also an author and critic in the '40s and '50s. Apparently, Hellman and McCarthy had a longstanding animosity culminating in McCarthy's comment on TV that "Everything [Hellman] writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the'" and Hellman's subsequent lawsuit. Ephron basically imagines everything that led up to this legendary feud, including a few song and dance numbers and a some strange childhood interludes involving a tree and a dolly.

Ephron is most famous as the screenwriter for When Herry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, but this play was a bit of a departure for her in its fragmentary nonrealistic style. The play's premise, which was basically something like Hellman and McCarthy trapped together in the afterlife rehashing their lives and their famous fights, might not have been substantial enough to actually hang an entire drama on. It seemed basically like one extended catfight which was interesting for its insights into the 1930s-1950s literary scene and leftist politics but not quite dramatic enough. It gets major points for having two very strong leading roles for women (and an odd moment in which they kiss), but somehow it seemed just a little off.