Lee’s luck turns when she accidentally discovers a forgotten but boring Brice letter, and adds in a jazzy paragraph in an attempt to make it seem like a rare find, worthy of a collector’s interest. When she brings the letter to a dealer to sell, she’s surprised to find that her contribution has made it valuable — isn’t she lucky to have found such a witty letter! Emboldened by her success, she embarks on a crime spree of forgery, emulating work by literary greats such as Dorothy Parker (one of the fake Parker letters gives the film its name), Noel Coward and Lillian Hellman, and selling them to bookstores owners. (Many of the ones she frequents still exist today, and it’s a thrill to suddenly find oneself inside 59th Street’s Argosy Book Store.) This even leads to a flirtation with one of her marks, played by Dolly Wells.