Frances Kroll was 23 years old when she began working for F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1939. He was 42 at the time.
This age difference is part of the dynamic portrayed in Last Call, where she served as his secretary, assistant, and confidante during the final year of his life.
Frances Kroll was just twenty-three when she began working for F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1939; he was forty-two. This nineteen-year age difference shaped the dynamic later portrayed in Last Call, where Kroll served as Fitzgerald’s secretary, assistant, and confidante during the final year of his life.
Would you like me to make it sound more literary (for storytelling) or more academic (for an essay or analysis)?
Could you clarify what you’d like me to remember or update in your bio? For example, are you asking me to store that note about Frances Kroll and F. Scott Fitzgerald, or something else?
Here’s a biography of Frances Kroll Ring (born Frances Kroll), based on reliable sources:
Born May 17, 1916, in the Bronx, New York. Jewish World Alliance+3LitTree+3The Washington Post+3
Daughter of a furrier. The Washington Post+1
Attended Morris High School in the Bronx. LitTree
Around 1938, moved with her family from New York to Los Angeles. The Washington Post+1
In spring 1939, in her early 20s, she was hired as the personal secretary and assistant to F. Scott Fitzgerald. USC Annenberg+3The Washington Post+3Wikipedia+3
Worked for him about 20 months (1939-1940) until his death. Jewish World Alliance+3bradley-kosec.com+3Wikipedia+3
Her duties included typing drafts (notably of The Last Tycoon), assisting with his screenplay work, secretarial tasks, and also supporting him in personal matters. She often served as a “sounding board” as Fitzgerald worked through his writing process. The Washington Post+2BostonGlobe.com+2
She also handled errands, chores, and practical concerns — for example, managing correspondence, errands, arranging living/writing arrangements, etc. BostonGlobe.com+2The Washington Post+2
F. Scott Fitzgerald died December 21, 1940. The Washington Post+2Wikipedia+2
Frances Kroll Ring selected Fitzgerald’s casket and was involved in handling affairs after his death. Wikipedia+1
Became a freelance book reviewer for publications including the Los Angeles Times. The Washington Post+1
Later was editor of Westways, the magazine of the Automobile Club of Southern California. In that role, she commissioned/contributed writers such as Anaïs Nin and Wallace Stegner. Wikipedia+2USC Annenberg+2
In 1985, she published a memoir titled Against the Current: As I Remember F. Scott Fitzgerald. Wikipedia+2The Washington Post+2
Her memoir was used as the basis for the 2002 film Last Call (also known in some sources as Fitzgerald), where Neve Campbell plays young Frances Kroll Ring and Jeremy Irons plays Fitzgerald. Frances Kroll Ring makes a cameo appearance as her older self in the film. Chron+3Wikipedia+3The Washington Post+3
She was married to George Joseph Ring. He died in 1966. The Washington Post+1
She had at least two children: a daughter, Jennifer, and a son, Guy. The Washington Post+1
Later in life she suffered a hip fracture, developed dementia, and her health declined. The Washington Post+1
She died on June 18, 2015, at her home in Los Angeles at age 99.
If you want, I can also pull up more details about her influence, her writing style, or how she has been portrayed in Last Call.
Here’s a biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald:
Full name: Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. Encyclopedia Britannica+2Wikipedia+2
Born: September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Encyclopedia Britannica+2Biography+2
Family background: His father, Edward Fitzgerald, was from an aristocratic but financially restless background, and his mother, Mary (“Mollie”) McQuillan, came from an Irish-Catholic family. Biography+2Encyclopedia Britannica+2
Education: Attended St. Paul Academy, then the Newman School (New Jersey), then Princeton University. He was active socially and in writing while at Princeton. However, he did not graduate. Encyclopedia Britannica+2Biography+2
Romantic life: While at Princeton, he had an important romantic relationship with Ginevra King, often seen by scholars as influencing his themes of longing, class, and disillusionment. Biography+2Encyclopedia Britannica+2
Marriage: In 1920, Fitzgerald married Zelda Sayre, a Southern debutante. Their relationship was famously passionate but also troubled (financial hardship, Zelda’s mental illness, and Fitzgerald’s struggles with alcohol) over many years. Encyclopedia Britannica+2Biography+2
Child: They had a daughter, Frances Scott Fitzgerald (nicknamed “Scottie”). Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Early success: His first novel, This Side of Paradise (1920), was a big success and helped establish his reputation. Biography+2Encyclopedia Britannica+2
Major works:
The Beautiful and Damned (1922) Encyclopedia Britannica+1
The Great Gatsby (1925) — now seen as his masterpiece, though not an immediate financial success. Wikipedia+3Encyclopedia Britannica+3Biography+3
Tender Is the Night (1934) Biography+2Encyclopedia Britannica+2
Unfinished: The Last Tycoon (which was published posthumously) Encyclopedia Britannica+2Biography+2
Short stories: He also wrote many short stories (some sources list more than 150), often for magazines, to support himself financially. These stories explored similar themes to his novels — love, wealth, the American Dream, disillusionment, youth. Encyclopedia Britannica+2Biography+2
Financial difficulties: After the 1920s, with the onset of the Great Depression and some of his works not selling as well, Fitzgerald faced monetary strain. Biography+1
Health & personal challenges: He struggled with alcoholism. Zelda’s mental illness (including breakdowns) deeply affected both their lives. Encyclopedia Britannica+2Biography+2
Hollywood: In the late 1930s he moved to Hollywood and worked in screenwriting and story development for the film industry. This was partly to try to recoup financially and also out of need for work. Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Death: Fitzgerald died on December 21, 1940, in Hollywood, California, of a heart attack. He was 44 years old. Encyclopedia Britannica+1
Posthumous recognition: Many of his works, especially The Great Gatsby, have grown in stature after his death. He is now considered one of the great American writers of the 20th century. Encyclopedia Britannica+2Biography+2
If you want a more detailed bio focused on his last year (when Frances Kroll was working with him) or on specific themes in his work, I can pull that together too.
Here’s a summary of what I found about Frances “Scottie” Fitzgerald, daughter of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald:
Grew up moving around with her parents — times in Paris, Antibes, and at a beach house near Chesapeake Bay. Wikipedia+1
Attended several schools: Calvert School and the Bryn Mawr School during periods when Zelda was receiving treatment. Wikipedia
Later, she attended the Ethel Walker School (boarding school in Connecticut) around age 15. Wikipedia
Worked as a journalist and writer. She had roles with Time, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Northern Virginia Sun, and others. awhf.org+2Wikipedia+2
She published several books:
She was also active politically and historically: involved in preserving her parents’ legacy, supporting historical societies, and encouraging women in public life. awhf.org+1
She married and took the name Smith (Frances Scott Fitzgerald Lanahan Smith). awhf.org+1
Lived for a time in Washington, D.C., then later moved to Montgomery, Alabama (her mother’s hometown). The Washington Post+2Wikipedia+2
Died on June 18, 1986, at age 64, after a battle with cancer. upi.com+1
Buried near her parents, in the Fitzgerald family cemetery in Rockville, Maryland. upi.com+1
If you like, I can put together how she felt about her parents, or what her relationships with them were like.
Wonderful — here’s a portrait of Scottie Fitzgerald’s relationship with her parents, both factual and emotionally grounded, drawn from her own letters, biographies, and recollections by friends and scholars.
Scottie was born into glamour but raised amid instability. Her parents were America’s golden couple, yet their fame came with emotional turbulence.
As a little girl, Scottie adored her father’s stories and sense of play. He wrote her whimsical letters, calling her “my darlingest little girl,” and made up bedtime tales that turned into literary sketches.
Yet, she also witnessed his alcoholism and restlessness, and even as a child, sensed that “Papa wasn’t always well.”
Her mother, Zelda, was brilliant and spirited but often absent due to mental illness. Scottie spent much of her childhood in boarding schools while Zelda was in hospitals and Fitzgerald struggled to find stability in Hollywood.
“She loved both her parents,” one friend said, “but she spent her life in their shadow — carrying their fame and their fragility.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s letters to Scottie are among his most touching writings. They show a man torn between ambition and guilt, desperate to be a good father from afar.
In 1933, he wrote:
“I wish I could see you every day, my darling. You are the only one I ever loved with all my heart.”
He gave her advice on books, school, manners, ambition — a father’s effort to shape her into a strong, thoughtful woman, free from his own vices.
After Zelda’s illness worsened, Scottie became the emotional anchor of the Fitzgerald family. She visited him in Hollywood in 1939, when Frances Kroll was working for him — a brief but tender reunion before his death the following year.
Scottie was 18 when her father died and 27 when her mother perished in a fire at Highland Hospital (1948). These losses defined her adulthood.
For years, she balanced pride and pain: proud of her father’s genius, but burdened by public curiosity and the myth of the doomed Fitzgeralds.
She often said that The Great Gatsby felt like a letter to her generation — a warning about illusion and waste.
In later years, she worked to preserve her parents’ reputations with grace and honesty. She wrote The Romantic Egotists, helped scholars, and donated their papers to Princeton.
“She reclaimed them not as tragic figures,” one biographer wrote, “but as human beings who loved greatly, failed deeply, and left behind art born of both.”
Scottie became a respected journalist, editor, and mother — strong, warm, and grounded. Friends described her as cheerful, organized, and remarkably free of bitterness.
In Montgomery, Alabama, she became a community leader, bridging her mother’s Southern roots with her father’s literary legacy.
She once reflected,
“They were flawed and wonderful, and I’ve spent my life trying to keep both truths alive.”
Would you like me to craft this into a short narrative essay (as if written from Scottie’s reflective voice, “looking back” on her parents)? It would read like a poignant memoir piece — lyrical but true to the facts.
• FULL MOVIES | Shout! Studios The true story of an aspiring young writer who becomes the friend, caretaker, and confidante of literary genius F. Scott Fitzgerald when she accepts a job as his private assistant. What she discovers is a troubled man, struggling to escape private demons and emerge with one last great novel. Last Call stars Jeremy Irons, Neve Campbell, Sissy Spacek, Shannon Lawson, Paul Hecht, Natalie Radford, Kathleen Munroe, Brian Paul, Marium Carvell, and Roman Podhora. Subscribe to SHOUTSTUDIOS: http://bit.ly/1nm0dKP Follow us on TWITTER: 
/ shout_studios Like us on FACEBOOK: 
/ watchshouttv
Neve Adrianne Campbell (/?n?v/; born October 3, 1973[1]) is a Canadian actress. After working in Canadian and American television, Campbell emerged as a scream queen for her starring roles in horror and thriller films. She has also appeared in blockbusters and independent features.
Following a series of minor credits, Campbell had a starring role in the drama series Catwalk (1992–1993) and the television film The Canterville Ghost (1996). She subsequently relocated to the United States to star as Julia Salinger in the Fox teen drama series Party of Five (1994–2000), which became her breakthrough role. She rose to international prominence for her leading role as Sidney Prescott in Wes Craven's slasher film Scream (1996), which spawned the Scream franchise, in which she reprised her role in each film except the sixth. She also headlined the horror film The Craft (1996), the thriller film Wild Things (1998), and the drama film Panic (2000).
Campbell starred in, produced, and wrote the story for Robert Altman's drama film The Company (2003). After a hiatus, she returned to television with a recurring role on the drama series Medium (2007) and starring roles on the action series The Philanthropist (2009) and the miniseries Titanic: Blood and Steel (2012). She has since appeared in the action film Skyscraper (2018) and the drama film Clouds (2020), and played starring roles on the political thriller series House of Cards (2016–2017) and the crime drama series The Lincoln Lawyer (2022–present).
Campbell was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, on October 3, 1973. Campbell's Dutch mother, Marnie (née Neve), is a yoga instructor and psychologist from Amsterdam.[2] She descends from Sephardic Jews who immigrated to the Netherlands and converted to Catholicism.[3] Her Scottish father, Gerry Campbell, immigrated to Canada from Glasgow, Scotland,[4] and taught high school drama classes at Lorne Park Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario. Campbell's maternal grandparents ran a theatre company in the Netherlands, and her paternal grandparents were also performers. Campbell has an older brother, Christian Campbell, and two younger half-brothers, Alex Campbell and Damian McDonald. Her parents divorced when she was two.
At age six, she saw a performance of The Nutcracker and decided she wanted to take ballet classes, enrolling at the Erinvale School of Dance. She later moved into residence at the National Ballet School of Canada, training there and appearing in performances of The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.[4] After accumulating numerous dance-related injuries,[5] she retired from ballet and took up acting at age 15, performing in The Phantom of the Opera at the Canon Theatre in Toronto while attending John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute in Guelph,[6] where she trained in acting and worked in theatre. One of her classmates was actress Tara Strong.[7] (noted: Clover Li Sing Man)
