Triple Threat: The Story of a 1920s Broadway Star

Broadway Made Her Famous. Integrity Made Her Legendary.

Elizabeth Hines rocketed to Broadway stardom in the 1920s, becoming George M. Cohan’s leading lady in his most celebrated musical comedies, including his longest-running hit, Little Nellie Kelly.

Written by her granddaughter, this fictionalized biography traces Elizabeth’s rise from wide-eyed ingénue to international star. As she performs across Europe and Africa and moves among the cultural luminaries of the Jazz Age, Elizabeth navigates a world glittering with opportunity—and shadowed by expectation. Fame brings acclaim, but it also tests her sense of self.

In an era that rewards ambition over integrity, Elizabeth must decide what she is willing to sacrifice to remain true to herself. Triple Threat: The Story of a 1920s Broadway Star is a vivid portrait of a woman who conquered the stage—and faced her greatest challenge off it.

About the Author

Leisha Douglas’s stories and poems have been published in many literary journals, including The Cortland Review, Helix, The Minetta Review, The Midwest Quarterly, Upstreet, The RavensPerch, and The Big Other, as well as anthologized and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She has collaborated with artists to create limited-edition publications that combine art, photography, and poetry. She was the co-director of the Katonah Poetry Series. Her poetry chapbook, Hand Fishing, will be published by Moonstone Press in 2026. She previously had a long career as a psychotherapist and mental health counselor. The author lives in New York.

Praise for Triple Threat

“Fiction and fact blend seamlessly in this imagined life of a talented and beautiful woman determined from an early age to be in the world of musical theatre on her own terms.”

—Deborah Batterman, author of Just Like February

“The authenticity of the era (1913-1928) is beautifully captured in the rich detail of Leisha Douglas’s concise, lucid prose. The author has a gift for humanizing her characters in a world where you can hear a heartbeat on almost every page of this compelling novel.”

—Kevin Pilkington, author of Taking On Secrets