James M. Cain and Malibu

The Widow’s Mite, or Queen of the Rancho | Hollywood | Vanity Fair

In an engrossing time-capsule of writing,Vanity Fairoffers us James M. Cain‘s August 1933 article of the birth of Malibu and the early stages of its development as a suburb of Hollywood.

The article came out before the novels (The Postman Always Rings Twice, Mildred Pierce, Double Indemnity)for which Cain’s name would enter the American canon. As a literary curiosity it is an example of some of Cain’s best journalism, and as history it provides a snapshot of the L.A. Gold Coast uncluttered by what it later became.

Thank you, VF!

Author: David Wolf

An adviser to corporations and organizations on strategy, communications, and public affairs, David Wolf has been working and living in Beijing since 1995, and now divides his time between China and California. He also serves as a policy and industry analyst focused on innovative and creative industries, a futurist, and an amateur historian. View all posts by David Wolf