She was active in early Hollywood socialist organizing and later in life was linked to the writers Ring Lardner, Jr. and Ernest Hemingway.
She died from burns she suffered after inadvertently dropping a lit cigarette into the pocket of her flammable sleepwear.
Her younger sister, Anne (later married to Melvin Frank), originally pronounced Virginia as Jigee.
The family moved to Los Angeles, where Jigee became active in dance and theater and is credited with appearances in three early motion pictures: One in a Million (1936), Bottoms Up (1934) and Three Kids and a Queen (1935).
[2][3] Reputedly dependent on alcohol and sleeping medication, Viertel woke one night in her Los Angeles home and while in the bathroom lit a cigarette that she then dropped inadvertently into the pocket of her dressing gown, causing her immolation.