Welcome back to a whole new arc of Done & Dunne! For the next several episodes, we’ll explore the facts and fictions of the 1955 shooting death of William Woodward, Jr., by his wife Ann, and the class-wide coverup that New York’s fanciest families executed.
Dunne wrote 1985’s The Two Mrs. Grenvilles as a thinly veiled fictional account of the whole sordid tale, which landed right in the sweet spot of his interest in high society’s perfidy.
Sources
The Murder of William Woodward | Murder Documentary | Crime Stories (YouTube link)
Murder Most Swank | Vanity Fair | July 1985 (vanityfair.com)
Taylor performs “Blank Space” at The GRAMMY Museum (YouTube link)
And Justice for All? – Everything2.com (everything2.com)
News Of Night Clubs (nytimes.com)
I read The Two Mrs Grenvilles way back in 1985 when I was at university. I loved it so much! It had such a depth of story but was so sordid in content. I worked at the main branch of Detroit Public Library to put myself through school. I was able to read all the Dom Dunne I could get my hands on. But best of all I was able to look for the Life magazine that he references in The 2 Mrs Gs. Finding it in the stacks was so very cool. I told anyone who would listen about how the novel had a real life basis.
I just love the stories you’re telling.