what actress of the 1930's and 1940's had a lobotomy. she had a
history of psychological problems. she was in and out of psychological
hospitals. she was found trying to kill herself by the Hollywood sign
in Hollywood, california

Hi rons36:

I'm pretty certain that the actress you are thinking of is Frances
Farmer, who was very popular during the 30s and 40s.

The following website has a good, quick overview of her career and her
psychological "troubles".

Frances Farmer Bio
URL: http://www.geocities.com/~themistyone/bio.htm

A much more detailed (and disturbing) telling of the story can be
found at:

Frances Farmer 1914-1970: Raped, Shocked, and Brutalized
URL: http://www.cchr.org/art/eng/page34.htm


As for Frances's attempted suicide, I think that you may have been
mislead here. I found no credible mention of her ever attempting
suicide. In fact, the following page denounces the idea quite
strongly.

Frances Farmer Guestbook History
URL: http://www.geocities.com/~themistyone/guestbookhistory.htm
Quote: "Frances said in her book during the most agonizing years she
never once thought of suicide.You got to give er that.Frances was too
alive to think such things.Even after the 8 years of torment in a
public asylum she wanted to have a life and worked hard to piece
herself back together when realesed."

However, apparently her mother, Lillian Farmer, used to threaten
suicide:

Lillian Farmer
URL: http://www.cosmicbaseball.com/ffmom9.html
Quote: "Frances wrote in her autobiography, Will There Really Be a
Morning?, that her mother 'stormed through life making it her personal
warpath.' Frances describes her mother as neurotic and mean-spirited,
a woman embarrassed by overt displays of affection. Lillian was bossy
and difficult to get along with, according to her daughter. Lillian
would threaten suicide when her children misbehaved."


More about Frances Farmer can be found in the following books and
movies.

Will There Really Be a Morning, by Frances Farmer
URL: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440192927/qid=1050078884/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_4/103-3055541-8592635?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Frances Farmer: Shadowland, by William Arnold
URL: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0425069923/ref=pd_sim_books_1/103-3055541-8592635?v=glance&s=books

Frances (video)
URL: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005OCPR/qid=1050079008/sr=2-3/ref=sr_2_3/103-3055541-8592635


I hope this information helps with your research.
                     
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Search Strategy (on Google):                      
 
lobotomy actress
"Frances Farmer" bio
"Frances Farmer" lobotomy
"Frances Farmer" suicide

quite a bit here too: http://www.historylink.org/output.cfm?file_id=4047