"Magnetism"

Published in the Saturday Evening Post on March 3, 1928 "Magnetism" tells the story of an "accidental" Hollywood star, George Hannaford, whose life is beguiled by celebrity and the pitfalls of fame. And by pitfalls we mean all the women who have fallen under the sway of his charisma, or what kids today call "rizz." There's George's wife, who resents his handsome mug; his costar, who's fighting off a powerful attraction to him that may cost him his marriage; his Mexican maid, who would love a little la cucaracha in the kitchen with him; and, most dangerously, the studio script girl whose fantasies lead her convict brother to hatch a plot to bilk George. Wildly overstuffed with plot, "Magnetism" is Fitzgerald's most overt attempt at exploring the "IT" factor that separates the stars from us normies. Inspired by Fitzgerald's infatuation with Hollywood ingenue Lois Moran, the story is a blueprint for the author's preoccupation with charm, which will become a central theme of Tender Is the Night in 1934. We explore how charisma, sex appeal, and "IT" emerged as cultural phenomena in the early 20th century and how this story critiques the very notion of star power.