In fact before the advent of Margaret Thatcher, Barbara Castle with her red hair and chic sense of fashion was probably the Commons' leading lady.
Ziegfeld's features the leading ladies of Ella Fitzgerald and Kristine Kelly, performing downstairs on Fridays and Saturdays at 11pm.
It also depicted Arzner and Oberon as lovers, and portrayed Arzner as a "typical" director who wants to "schtup" her leading lady.
In 1923, she was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, although studios still preferred to cast her in roles opposite major female leading ladies.
For example, Lynn Fontanne and Helen Hayes were both referred to as the 'leading lady of the theatre' in their time.
Similarly, Mary Pickford was called the 'leading lady' of the cinema.
The playwright (Lowry Miller) and his colleagues overhear their leading lady and her co-star in a romantic dalliance.
As if they couldn't quite believe they had found their leading lady on the first try, the show's creators kept auditioning.
But they lost their leading lady when Madonna dropped out to make another movie.