Writer Mindret Lord, a male despite the occasional attribution to him of the feminine form "Mildred" [sic], may have been related to the rich and prominent Loeb family of Chicago. (A notorious member of that family was the young murderer later depicted in Meyer Levin's novel and Richard Fleischer's film, "Compulsion.") True, there had indeed been a Wisconsin lady named "Mildred Lord," but she was quite distinct from Hollywood writer Mr Mindret Lord. Ms. "Mildred Lord" of Wisconsin gained her fame by inventing a washing machine back in 1894.

Mindret Loeb-Lord's early life is shadowy, and one claim that he was a nephew of poet Rabindranath Tagore seems bogus. But in the late 1920s he "made the scene" when he began a long love affair with Marguerite Namara (1888-1974), the rich and famous diva, friend of Isadora Duncan, and occasional film actress. Namara, who had once co-starred with Valentino, and her younger lover Mr. Lord (1903-55) lived it up in Europe for several years. Around the mid-1930s Namara separated from Lord and married another man.

Lord began earning his living as a writer in the US around that time, churning out pulp fiction for a decade, including bizarre stories like "Naked Lady," "Dinner Cooked in Hell," "Mystery of Uncle Alfred," and "Lost Vacation." In this first stage of his professional writing career, he also contributed to the text of at least one Broadway play ("New Faces of 1936").

At the end of WW2, Lord began a new career as a Hollywood writer, earning 8 credits between 1946 and 1955. He often worked on films produced by W. Lee Wilder, Billy Wilder's brother. In one of them, "Strange Impersonation," Lord's own name was inserted into the film's images. Brenda Marshall's scientist works for the Wilmott Institute, which was "founded by Mindret L. [ i.e., Lord ] Wilmott in 1903." (Prominent inscription on wall just behind Marshall as she gives speech.)

Lord's first 3 Hollywood films were low-budget jobs for little Republic Studios, followed by a rise to higher class with his next two scripts for the big and prestigious Paramount Studio. There followed a 4-year hiatus, 1950-53, with no film credits.

Then his film career picked up again with 2 minor, low-paid assignments, for television and United Artists, followed by the biggest and most prestigious film he ever wrote or co-wrote: "The Virgin Queen" (Fox, 1955), in color, starring Bette Davis and Richard Todd. How ironic, in that year of his biggest screen-writing credit, 3 days before Christmas, 1955, the 52-year-old Lord took his own life.

See photos of celebrities before they hit the big-time.