Elaine Elizabeth Shepard, a talented actress, made her mark on the entertainment industry in the 1930s and 1940s, with a diverse range of performances on Broadway and in film. Born on April 2, 1913, she began her acting career with a lead role in the 1936 Republic serial Darkest Africa, playing the courageous heroine Valerie Tremaine.
This initial success was followed by a series of leading roles in minor films, including the 1940 comedy You Can't Fool Your Wife, starring the iconic Lucille Ball. Shepard's subsequent appearances in major films showcased her versatility, with notable roles in Topper, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, and the 1946 Ziegfeld Follies, where she played an uncredited secretary.
Her Broadway credits include a part in the 1940 Cole Porter musical Panama Hattie, solidifying her status as a multifaceted performer. However, Shepard eventually abandoned her acting career to pursue freelance journalism, which would become her most enduring legacy.
It was during her time as a war correspondent that Shepard gained international recognition for her groundbreaking coverage of the Vietnam War. Her experiences with aviators in the early stages of the conflict inspired her 1967 book, The Doom Pussy, a semi-fictional account that has become a classic of war literature. Interestingly, this book includes one of the earliest recorded uses of the phrase "the whole nine yards."
