Bette Davis as a madam. Orson Welles hosting . Mae West voicing a cartoon character. Shirley Temple playing a social worker. While Hollywood stars like Lucille Ball, Loretta Young and Donna Reed successfully transitioned to television in its early days, many others tried and failed to become TV regulars. Drawing on contemporary interviews and other sources, this book profiles more than 50 actors—including Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper, Alan Ladd and Buster Keaton—and their unsuccessful pilots and short-lived series roles.