Her father was heir to a prosperous chain of five-and-dime stores; her mother was a Russian immigrant and sister of the violinist Jascha Heifetz.
At 16, she entered Swarthmore College but became preoccupied with theatrical and literary activities and dropped out to work as a copygirl for The New York Times's editorial board.
She wrote profiles on literary and entertainment figures, book reviews, and travel and lifestyle articles, mostly for The Times and its magazine.
[1] Gelb also wrote books centered on the New York City Police Department: On the Track of Murder in 1975, and Varnished Brass: The Decade After Serpico in 1983.
Harper & Brothers Publications asked Brooks Atkinson, chief theater critic of The Times, to write a biography.
[1] The Gelbs married at the Behrman's apartment in June 1946 and lived with Arthur's parents for six months, due to a postwar housing shortage.