I’m not sure what’s gotten me thinking about Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948) lately, but I realized we haven’t done a Woman Crush Wednesday feature dedicated to her. Perhaps it’s partially because it always galls me when the wives of famous men are sidelined, perhaps it’s also because Zelda refused to allow that to happen to her, and perhaps it’s because she is very much her own distinct character apart from her famous literary husband. Whatever the reason, I think it’s high time we took a look at the (criminally few) films and TV shows featuring Zelda Fitzgerald, in parts big and small.
F. Scott Fitzgerald and ‘the Last of the Belles’ (1974)
F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood (1975)
Private Affairs, “The Dream of Living” (1975)
Zelda (1993)
Last Call (2002)
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Caserta Palace Dream (2014)
Z: The Beginning of Everything (2015-17)
Genius (2016)
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, “Tender Is the Nate” (2018)
Did I miss any Zeldas? Share them in the comments!
![Portrait of a lady said to be Jeanne de Valois, comtesse de la Motte [I would be shocked if this was accurate] by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, c. 1780 [I'd say post-1783], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/frockflicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Jeanne_lamotte_valois.jpg?fit=300%2C175&ssl=1)
“Legends of Tomorrow” was far from forgettable to me. Perhaps the episode featuring Fitzgerald was, but definitely not the series.
Z only had one season unfortunately. :/ I was surprised how much I liked it after putting it off for so long and I wish there was more.
Me too!
Everyone should read Nancy Milford’s Zelda. Zelda’s daughter gave the author access to private documents.
Unfortunate, the second season of Z was never aired. It was fun watching it being filmed near my home.
Yes!
The 1993 Zelda sounds interesting; I look forward to further revelations.
I’ve only seen Alison Pill play her, but I look forward to your future review on the other movie.
I’m not going to lie, whether they’re starring as the Fitzgeralds or not Ms Pill and Mr Hiddlestone absolutely need to star in something Roaring Twenties ‘instanter’, because the two of them look Sensational together.
I don’t believe anything has been done with THE THIN MAN (or it’s stars Nick & Norah Charles) recently…
I’ve been meaning to watch Z, but not gotten around to it. Can’t remember for sure whether or not I saw any of the 70s pictures. I happened to love Alison Pill (and Tom HIddleston) in “Midnight in Paris.” I felt as if she nailed the effervescence of the era, and her easy banter when she encountered Gil Pender was very natural. Right now, I feel as if I’d have trouble seeing another actor play the role. Sort of the way that Mia Farrow is my Daisy Buchannan.
Z: The Beginning of Everything is heavily fictionalized, and many claims in Nancy Milford’s 1970 biography were debunked by feminist scholars in later decades.
I would encourage reading this excellent article about Zelda that discusses all the myths that clutter Zelda’s legacy while ignoring ugly realities such as her support of fascism:
https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/if-the-slipper-doesnt-fit