Saturday, December 09, 2017

Blind Item #2 - The Lady's Revenge - A Himmmm Blind

This story is almost a novel, and some of the people in it have been the subject of books.  It spans an era from the early 1960s all the way through the present day.  It is pure Hollywood, in every sense, and is very personal to me due to how I came to be told of it.

In the past few years, I received a phone call from an old family friend that someone I knew and loved dearly was not doing well.  She was up in age and had been having some health problems.  My friend said the lady was having periods of incoherence and dementia, but would surprise everyone with her memories of the past.  The old lady had asked to see me – if possible, for a private reason.  When this lady asked, you dropped everything for her.  So I did, and flew from Hollywood back East to see her.  Sad that it may be for the last time, but always thrilled to be in her presence.

The LADY was an actress, (A list/frequent game show guest) and I will call her LADY because she was one in every way, and was hard to classify.  Even I told you her name and showed you a photo most of you wouldn't know her right off.  But she was a legend in Hollywood, on Wall Street, in all Society Circles, and everywhere she went.  Not so much for her acting, but for her persona, her charm, her beauty, and her wealth.  Through her entire life she was never worth less than a billion dollars (in today's money), and after her parents died she inherited an estate over $6 billion.

I knew her through family, and she was always so wonderful to me.  It was almost maternal, though it was sweet at the same time, and she never condescended me.  Even as a kid, she treated me like an adult.  I thought she was the coolest, prettiest, royal lady I ever knew.  Like a Queen.  She always wrote to me (by hand on letters I still treasure), and sent me perfect gifts.  Later in life, after finding myself in trouble, she went to bat for me and got me work on a project she was working on as well.  We spent a lot of time together, and I fell in love with her in a platonic way.  She was a riot and loved to drink and curse.  But always a lady in public. She would go to bat for me many times in life, more than I could ever repay.  The least I could do was spend time with her now, even though it took me away from important work.  I'd have done anything for her.

Arriving at her home now, seeing her frail in her years, the tears flooded my eyes.  In true form, she told me to stop being a sissy – that everybody has to die sometime.  She gave me some items that belonged to my family members, including a photo of my mom and LADY together years ago.  She told me to stay and I did.  We had drinks like civilized people.  She said she really wanted to share something with me, because she couldn't trust many people.  First I thought about the warning that she was getting dementia.  Soon I realized there was no dementia in sight today.  This was a woman who wanted to un-burden her soul.  So I sat there and listened, and she told me a story I could not wrap my head around.  But I believe every word of it.

She took me mentally back to her early days in Hollywood.
As a young woman, she gave up debutante balls and society pages because she wanted to be an actress.  For the pure love of it, just to act.  She took a stage name to be anonymous, and never used her family to get a role or succeed.  She did that on her own terms.  She was born tough, and raised to be intelligent and strong in a family that had many problems with mental strength.  On Broadway or the screen she was no different.  She was also a natural-born goddess.
They called her a Hitchcock blonde for her cool, classy looks.  She was all natural and looking back at photos of her she was as beautiful as Grace Kelly, Liz Taylor, or her other cohorts from that era.  She landed roles on her own merits, but soon enough her real name caught up with her.  Her family name and relatives in Hollywood meant a lot of executives were afraid to piss off her family.  Back East establishment money was revered by immigrant studio heads.  So they treated her with kid gloves, and it angered her.  Most of all, she found herself propositioned by crude producers and directors – despite studio heads warnings.  1950s Hollywood was no picnic.  When one studio chief  heard a director proposition her, her had the director blackballed.  Still, by others she was told she had to lay to play, same as the other stars.  Many just wanted a shot at her due to her family.  It all got old very quick, as she never gave in to the couch.

The industry was changing in the 50s with television, and the decline of the studio system.  New ways of dealing and putting movies together were invented.  One of the pioneers of this new age was a cocksure talent agent named __________ working at MCA.  Here was a man who was slick, devious, and loved by many bosses.  A player and a scoundrel who played poker with studio chiefs and golf with guys like this permanent A list singer/actor and this alltime maybe A++ list mostly movie actro.  He'd been groomed by legends like famous studio head, ___________ and had acted as a mob bag man for payoffs between booking agents and mob-run theaters.  He lied all the time, saying he was an Ivy League man but was not.  He left the big agency to start a new one with another slick youngster named _______________.  Together they started a company and exists even today as one of the big three agencies in the biz.

The LADY actress was fed up with offers for sex, not her acting.  The roles she got were mostly window dressing, and her family beckoned her back home.  She got married to another ungodly wealthy man, an heir himself.  It was an unhappy marriage, but she did her duty, had children, and even found time to act now and then.  She grew restless and felt especially with television and new films of the 1960s she could make her real mark.  Her husband had his own distractions, and with governesses helping raise her kids she gave acting another try.

The key was a call she got from this hot new agent in Hollywood.
He and his partner would love to represent her, and could package her in the right projects.  They flattered her, and she took the bait.  However, once she arrived?  She found herself facing the casting couch once more.  But her agent did get her a good new role or two (famous black and white television show) and she felt she had a shot.  Still, other directors were leching on her and she complained to her new agents.  To make it up to her, her agent took her out to dinner that night at Romanoff's.  After eating, she made up her mind to return back East and give up acting.  The Agent gave her a lift home, and she felt sick and passed out.  She woke up sicker, in pain, and raped.  Still inside the car with him.  She started screaming and kicking.  He told her she loved it.  Sick, dizzy, and disgusted, she literally kicked him out of the car and managed to drive back down to her hotel in his car.

In her room, she said she contemplated suicide at the shame.  A wife.  A mother of kids.  And with her own family mocking her "childish" dreams of being a star, she'd gone ahead but failed.  How could she face her family? Her husband? She said it tore her to pieces.  After a visit from a confidential doctor there, she checked out and went home.  After that, she only came to Hollywood to see friends.  Sometimes her good friends would talk her into a bit role here or there, but she'd never audition again.

About this same time, her rapist-agent was spinning wheels.  He was repping hot young talent like these two permanent A list mostly movie actors who would have great movies together and many from the Actors' Studio now so popular in the industry.   But the LADY actress wasn't his only rape victim.  Turns out he'd raped another young actress, and she was a former contract girl starlet girlfriend of permanent A list studio head/titan of industry he enjoyed whenever he came to town.  And that man did not mess around.  She belonged to him for as far as anyone cared.  He gave the agent a choice, to pay the girl for damaging her (rape in 1960 was damage not rape!), or he would run the agent out of town.

So the agent began stealing to cover his extortion payoffs.  Not satisfied with that, the titan had a team of private eyes following the agent all through the 60's, and whenever he screwed up or hurt someone, the titan had people there to document it or capture it.  Even when the titan was living out of the country, the surveillance continued.  But the agent found ways to lie, cheat, steal and make his payoffs.

By the late 1960s, the agent found a new client and source of funds.  This permanent A list actress/singer with a permanent A list offspring who is an actress/singer hired him as her agent, and the agent began embezzling from her too.  She was so out of it most days and nights that pretty soon, the agent was able to capture her in blackmail positions herself.  He took these fake blackmail threats to her husband , and they gave the agent power over her funds.  He also pimped her out in her drugged out state.  He got paid for it. Soon, he'd stolen millions from the actress and used it to pay off his ongoing extortion from the titan and to fund his high lifestyle.

By this time, the LADY had seen her marriage crumble and she was a shell.  All due to the rape attack.  She still never told anyone.  However, she met a handsome young actor, a gentle man, and she fell in love.  She confided in him what happened but never told him who did it.  They got married, had a daughter, and made a nice life for themselves.

The agent, continued up the Hollywood food chain, first making pals with ____________ who bought MGM and other top honchos.  As part of the old guard, he was wheeling and dealing his way into a producer job, and eventually as a studio chief. 

By the mid 70's he was still stealing and still paying off those old extortion claims.  Because even though the titan was long gone, he'd found himself having to pay off many others to keep them quiet for his damages.

The LADY's actor hubby was doing great in his career, and she was uneasy with his success.  They didn't need the money, but he enjoyed popularity.  Through a series of accidents, it became obvious that the agent had stolen money from no less than a dozen actors, including, the husband of the LADY.  When the Lady found out about it, she lost her ever loving mind with rage.  She said she felt she'd been raped a second time by the same bastard.  She went directly to the Board members at the studio, and told them she was going to expose him.  They tried to coddle her and thought she was bluffing.  She wasn't.

The LADY spent much more money on exposing the agent than he'd stolen from her hubby to begin with.  Didn't matter.  She wanted revenge.  She hired PR teams, law firms, and wanted him buried.  Finally, her family interceded at the request of several rich men who owned stock in the studio to get her to back off.  She did, but regretted not sending him to jail.  Still, the scandal was exposed and he was fired from his job and known as an embezzler.  Sadly, it all but collapsed her marriage.  Again, reminding her of her rape and shame.  She and her husband divorced, and he found himself blacklisted from the biz.

The agent, however, landed on his feet, like a con artist does.  He soon partnered with a rich investor.  Joined by another con man (a smuggler), they formed their own company.  In the 1980s, they set up Ponzi schemes of finance for their films – and as a way to continuing preying on young women.  One film which Enty has written about in the past for other reasons that they produced together may hold the record for most corrupt set of all time, including the very underage actress they all took turns "couching".

It didn't stop.  They continued lying, stealing, and fraud.  They got foreign banks involved, and investors, and soon got into very hot water with the FBI.  Indictments were imminent.  Even the French Legislature met to discuss how the company defrauded so many out of millions in their Ponzi scheme.  But they kept on making movies, stealing the whole time.

The LADY heard about this from another socialite one day at brunch, and was enraged that the agent was still in business.  She plotted her final revenge.  Her recent marriage had broken up, and she'd become a confident woman now making big business decisions, and met a young actor who worshiped her.  He was genuinely in love with her, and they wee best friends.  She not only told him of her experiences, but who it was.  He wanted to kill the agent on the spot.  She talked him out of it. 

She told her hubby her therapist taught her to let go.  So they were happy, why bother?
Still the LADY watched the agent's moves with a close eye, even having him followed.  She had investigators who uncovered his web of lies.  She had it anonymously leaked to the FBI and it formed the basis of their indictments and court actions against the agent.  The LADY and her new hubby were enjoying life, had a good family, and a good business.  But she was still haunted. It was now the mid 1990s, and he knew time was up for him.  Yet, in the last months – thing seemed to look up for the crook.  Just when the agent thought he was ruined and bankrupted for good, a savior appeared.

A company, stepped up to agree to finance his new company.  It was not to be.  Because the LADY had seen to it, and told the company of his frauds.  She also had an attorney who hired some very nasty people to finally see to it "he'd never hurt anyone again".  All they had to do was wait for an opening, and she was working to provide one.  Mostly, with help from a woman once married to a singer.

At that point – this is hours later – I asked LADY if she remembered when the agent killed himself? She said "Hmmmph. Not hardly."  I thought she'd mis-remembered.  My mistake. She then told me that she'd made a deal with his mistress, the woman once married to a singer.  LADY would take care of her financially, for life – she'd just been evicted form her house – if she'd help her out.  The Mistress wrote "suicide letters" and mailed them, in the agent's name, to all his pals.  Concocted a cover story of being with him the day he died, and allowed a stranger to come into the hotel room in Century City.  The suicide shot to his temple was not his idea.
Stunned, I nodded to LADY in understanding.  "I don't blame you. You had him killed?". 
She smiled a painful smile, looked straight at me, and said: "No, my precious boy – he killed himself.  When he raped me.  It just took 30 years for the bullet to catch up."
Wow.
The most epic mic drop I've ever heard before, or since. She then went silent., and I just nodded.  I got it, now.
I got what she was saying, and doing.  She was telling me she'd gotten her vengeance at last, without admitting to me anything complicit.  She wiped her eyes, and I told her I loved her.  She told me to get the hell out of there cause I'd made her cry.  With a smile, I kissed her cheek and thanked her…for everything she meant to me, and had done for me – and for herself.  She was my hero.  It was a long, quiet flight back to Hollywood that night.  I never saw her again, as she did indeed have dementia.  She died not long after, from old age.  Still as amazing as ever.  But I know she didn't have dementia that last day I saw her.  Clear as a bell.  And she found her vengeance – and her peace, at last. 

147 comments:

Unknown said...

Zsa Zsa Gabor?

moussemaker said...

So the agent is David Begelman?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Begelman

just sayin' said...

haven't read the whole blind yet, but guessing dina merrill.

sandybrook said...

I think it's Dina Merrilltoo

moussemaker said...

Here's an article from the Washington Post about Begelman stealing Robertson's money:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/03/20/the-maverick-who-blew-the-whistle/079bb699-4e75-471f-802d-3a3b5919ba82/?utm_term=.638969548d41

sandybrook said...

David Begelman would be the agent because Dina was married to Cliff Robertson who Begelman defrauded.

hopscotch101girl said...

Dina Merrill

just sayin' said...

dina merrill, cliff robertson for her 2nd husband. she was heiress to the post cereal fortune, and her mother, marjorie merriweather post built mar-a-lago. my parents and grandparents used to go to her legendary square dance parties. the rest of the names are gonna take some work!

Don Kieballs said...

When enty lawyer talks, people listen

sandybrook said...

The date is wrong but Judy Garland and Liza are the singer\actresses he stole from. Sid Luft nailed him but it was early 60s.

GladysKravitz said...

Zsa Zsa was from Hungary, not East Coast moneyed socialite circles.

Nawlins Jim said...

I think the other commentators nailed it-Sleazy rapist agent has to be Begelman. Dina Merrill is a great candidate for the Lady.

GladysKravitz said...

Dina Merrill for the actress.

Unknown said...

God how I love Dina Merrill. It's absolutely her. Her first hubby was wealthy (they had three kids), 2nd hubby was Cliff Robertson (I was sad when they broke up - they had a daughter). She died from dementia and old age not long ago. I think Judy Garland is the woman the agent stole from and pimped out (daughter Liza).

Unknown said...

David Begelman was the scumbag agent who 'committed suicide'.

Cinnamon Sticker said...

I don’t know, but I want to follow the comments. You all are awesome sleuths !

Lea said...

What a story. What a woman.

No Kirk Douglas blinds in honour of his 101st birthday...?

sandybrook said...

The only movie Begelman produced is called Wholly Moses. It was 1980. Not sure if him got the date right or his job description wrong. Bruce McNall who owned the LAKings was his partner and he wound up in jail for fraud. He also once was Wayne Gretzky's agent.

Colonel Blake said...

And I believe Glenn Close is the great-great granddaughter of Marjorie Merriweather Post.

Unknown said...

David Begelman is the agent, he stole from Sid Luft and Cliff Robertson, the Lady is Dina Merrill.

sandybrook said...

Ok Himmm got the job title wrong for the movie so the movie he is talking about is Blame it on Rio and the underaged actress was Michelle Johnson his title at the time was head of Thalberg Studios.

Sd Auntie said...

Wow. Great story!! Good gueeses!!

Moose said...

Mistress might be Tony Bennett's ex-wife Sandra Grant Bennett

Dave said...

Sandybrook got there first, but, yeah, Begelman was involved in "Blame it on Rio," which Enty just wrote up and is referred to in this blind as "One film which Enty has written about in the past for other reasons that they produced together may hold the record for most corrupt set of all time, including the very underage actress they all took turns 'couching.'"

monteverde said...

Interesting blind but far too long and written appallingly.

Freenote said...

David Bengelman and Dina Merrill

Jwill said...

So is the blind saying the third husband was the younger actor who fell in love with her? If so, Dina Merrill's third husband was not younger, butveverything else fits. I always thought she was so beautiful.

Mark said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
moussemaker said...

No, it says she met the young actor after her third marriage:

"Her recent marriage had broken up, and she'd become a confident woman now making big business decisions, and met a young actor who worshiped her."

Don Kieballs said...

She got married to another ungodly wealthy man, an heir himself refers to Stanley M. Rumbough Jr., an heir to the Colgate-Palmolive toothpaste fortune. They had 3 children together. they divorced in 1966, so this would fit the blind timeline. And lead to her marraige to Cliff Robertson, with whom she had a daughter.
Cary Grant for A++ actor?
MGM/UA for Studio. MGM Television not one of the big 3 (from wiki - As of 2017, MGM co-produces, co-finances, and co-distributes a majority of its films with Sony Pictures,[10][11] Paramount Pictures[12][13] and Warner Bros)
Agent - David Begelman. Partner Freddie Fields and their agency CMA which is now ICM Partners? Begelman brought his studio "packaging" knack to Columbia Pictures in 1973, who produced Funny Lady with Rastar Pictures (Ray Stark).

Nawlins Jim said...

Studio Head/titan of industry: Howard Hughes? Hughes only died in 1976 but was a recluse in Vegas and elsewhere for a decade before then.

Kirk Kirkorian bought MGM in 1969

Unknown said...

+10000 Cinnamon Sticks!!!

Unknown said...

The LADY: Dina Merrill
Who was married to:
Stanley M. Rumbough Jr.
(m. 1946; div. 1966)
Cliff Robertson
(m. 1966; div. 1986)
Ted Hartley
(m. 1989; her death 2017)
The Agent: David Begelman who repped for:
Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Woody Allen, Gregory Peck, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Jackie Gleason and Fred Astaire
So the ungerage actress; Michelle Johnson who was in the movie Blame It on Rio
Mistress: Sandra Grant Bennett lived with Begelman for years.

Mark said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mark said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ta dah! said...

Not sure why more people didn’t hire hitmen, back in the day or now.

Traveller said...

Liza minelli and judy garland who he frauded and pimped in 1960s

lutefisk said...

"On May 22, 2017, Merrill died at her home in East Hampton, New York. She had been suffering from dementia with Lewy bodies."

Rafael said...

Why all the Hollywood rapist and abusers are jewish?

Sadie said...

Yep, Dina Merrill.

Authorocity said...

From Wikipedia - "Despite the pressure to remain quiet, Robertson and his wife Dina Merrill spoke to the press. David McClintick broke the story in The Wall Street Journal in 1978, later turning it into the best-selling 1982 book Indecent Exposure. Robertson later claimed he had been blacklisted during the 1980s for coming forward about the Begelman affair..."

and

"A writer for New West magazine, working on this story, queried Begelman's claimed alma mater, Yale University, listed in his Who's Who entry. Yale responded that Begelman had never attended that university. The New West article said that "although Begelman was indicted for forgery and grand theft, the Hollywood types were more outraged that he had listed Yale in Who's Who. Apparently they figured that everybody steals money. It was the fact that he lied about Yale that drove them crazy.'"

Both fit Himmmm's blind.

Subliminal Success said...

One film which Enty has written about in the past for other reasons that they produced together may hold the record for most corrupt set of all time, including the very underage actress they all took turns "couching":

Poltergeist

lutefisk said...

You mean Kevin Spacey, Don Henley, Ben Affleck, Andy Dick, Benny Medina, Twiggy Ramirez, Chris Savino, Russel Simmons, Tom Sizemore, Sylvester Stallone, George Takei, Ed westwick and so on?
I don't recall any of them being Jewish.

Alexandria said...

Unquestionably the most amazing, moving, incredible bed time story I've ever read. Like straight out of Hitchcock movie.
Thank You for sharing Himmmm!
The LADY was a great human being on so many levels. And hell of a badass too.
I can't figure out who she is, but I have to know her name.

bunnyzenpeace said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Colonel Blake said...

And people wonder if things will change with the new revelations. I think not seeming it's been going on for -- centuries. Guess we women can just continue to hope.

EastCoastGirl said...

Dina Merrill, Cliff Robertson, David Begelman, Sandi Bennett

Krab said...

I've met Ted Hartley, her last husband, numerous times. He is absolutely delightful. And I've been to their house in East Hampton--stunning beyond words.

Irish Londoner said...

I hope there was a "Dina sends her regards" moment, so he knew why it was happening!

Itttt said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Itttt said...

Sweet baby Jesus. Thought the winding down of the Hugh Hefner estate/Playboy Mansion one was something else but TWO SUCH BOMBSHELLS IN A DAY?!? Christmas came early.

Mind.Blown. 🤯 💥 💥 💥

https://youtu.be/9CS7j5I6aOc

Scam Letters said...

Dina Merrill and David Bogeyman.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dina_Merrill

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Begelman

Scam Letters said...

David *Begelman*

John Doe said...

She was a real dish back in the day. What an amazing woman. Himmmmmm, please keep these stories coming. AWESOME!

Miss Demeanor said...

I thought of Kitty Carlisle until the "blonde" reference. Dina Merrill would be my 2nd guess. Begelman had been called out for embezzlement before by Dina's ex-husband Cliff Robertson. There was a bestseller book about it, but it did paint a sympathetic view of Begelman.

Light on Mindfulness said...

150% Dina Merrell as LADY, she was stunningly beautiful and the heiress to Post Cereals.

1st husband: Stanley M. Rumbough - Colgate-Palmolive
2nd Husband: Cliff Robertson - Merrill played 2 episodes as Calamity Jan in Batman alongside him! Columbia Pictures head David Begelman forged checks with Robertson's signature. Dina & Cliff spoke to the press in 77 and hi career declined significantly after.

Begelman is the one who raped Merrill years before. He was also involved in the careers of Liza Minelli,Barbra Streisand, Woody Allen (Shocker lol) Judy Garland and more. Begelman was also the CEO and President of MGM in 1980. Finally died at the LA Century Plaza Hotel on Aug 7 1995!

Natasha said...

Master of the Roman a clef novel, writer Dominick Dunne, confessed to being the one who helped John Berry from The Washington Post break the story on Begelman. Dunne was about to leave LA with his tail between his legs when the reporter approached him for help.
Dina Merrill had been trying to get the story out there via the Post. (The LATimes had refused to touch the story. ) Berry's publisher had sent him out to get the dirt but the tinsel town crowd had circled the wagons to protect the agent.

No one would take his calls. Would Dunne be able to help?

Dunne was delighted to be of assistance. He enjoyed knowing that he'd be giving one final, glorious "fuck you" to the town that had written him off.

Years later, in 1995, Dunne had returned to LA covered in glory as a best seller author and star reporter for Vanity Fair. He happened to run into Begelman who greeted Dominick "like a long lost friend". The two went out to eat where Dunne confessed that it was he who had dropped the dime on the agent.

"So perverse was he that he roared with laughter at my story," Dunne later wrote.

10 days later, Begelman exited the world.



Casting Girl said...

Dina Merrill, sweet blacklisted actor, Cliff Robertson, Judy Garland (actress set up & raped/extorted from) agent???

Maude Lebowski said...

@lutefisk Yasss, Preach!!!

Sexual predation knows no religious boundaries

Himmmm said...

Thank you gang, for that. You are awesome! I want to apologize that in it being so long - and with technology and delays, the formatting and even typos get out of whack. It's not like we have months to copyedit and do a proper story. I think Enty had a bacon stroke over these long items! My apologies to your eyeballs! lol.
So thank you for the props to my Lady friend, and me.
To "Natasha"? Yes, Dunne was a master and a very brave man too. Pulled zero punches. Wish we had him around these days, and ladies like my friend to remind victims to never surrender. Gotta run so you folks have a great weekend!

lutefisk said...

@Maude, thank you. There are victims who deserve our respect and good thoughts. A certain poster likes to turn every post into an anti-Jewish comment. I left out Bill Cosby. I don't recall him ever being Jewish.

Natasha said...

Himmmm,

I met Dominick in passing during that low period in his life. At the time, I didn't know it was he. We chit chatted briefly, this disgraced former big league player and the gal from podunk. Yet that moment remains etched in memory.

I am sure that if there's a special heaven for writers and exposers of truth, Dunne is up there clapping his hands in glee. The Lady is likey sitting with him, enjoying the show and calling down encouraging words to the new crop of those who seek justice.

You have a good weekend too!

SkittleKitty said...

Great guessing everyone.
Someone actually complained about the writing? Have you never been to the site before? Lord... if Enty had written this up? Sheesh.
Very interesting, Himmmm. Thanks for sharing.
Adored Dominick Dunne and still miss his writing.

crapbag said...

The Lady is the perfect nick name for her. Always and forever.

Terry Teratoma said...

Great guess on Dina Merrill. NEVER would have gotten that. Also, on David Begelman's wiki page there's an entire section devoted to Judy Garland, so yes, all the dots connect. Just a shame he couldn't have "killed himself" decades earlier.

TBM said...

So the big question is, who's the mistress that pulled the trigger?

Cheryl said...

Dina was a Lady that always played a Lady (Butterfield 8, The Player). I read every one of Dominick Dunne’s books and watched the movies made from them (The 2 Mrs Grenvilles, A Sseson in Purgatory).
Thank you, Himmmm I live for your blinds!

Jenko said...

That’s an incredible blind... what a story!

Jenko said...

Definitely Dina Merrill - Wikipedia matches the husbands and marriages to Enty’s stories perfectly.

bean àlainn rua said...

OMFG, after reading this I'm 99.9% sure I know the name of the Himmmm quartet member who wrote this.

I'm watching the important work you were taken way from on Netflix right now & loving it. Well done, sir!

Krab said...

Himmmm: I just wanted to say thank you. I've been a reader of this site from the very beginning: a friend of mine who is an entertainment lawyer in Hollywood told me about it back in the day. I'm crazy about it, and you, sir(s), are probably the best thing. I love, love, love how you interact with us and let us know we're on the right track.

I'm not usually such a gushy fangirl about anything, but I am about you. All of you!

Love and bacon,
Your commenting Enty fans

megan00m said...

So is hmmmm Christian Slater?

annieroo said...

Such a sad story, I am glad she found a solution in the end.

LuLu said...

wow Dina Merrill was gorgeous!! i agree Maude and lukefish! predaators know no religious bounds... i feel creeped out i went to Catholic schools and heard stories about priests/altar boys but thought it was a joke adults said; not that it was true!!! tragic!

LuLu said...

hi megan pls dont jeopardize this gift we have by outing himmmm

lutefisk said...

@Lulu with all of the hate going on in the world I dislike seeing someone instigate more hatred towards any group of people. You are correct about predators. They belong to every race and religion.

lutefisk said...

I was just about to say the same thing. Please don't try to out the himmmm posters. They are doing us a huge favor. Why try to make the leave?

megan00m said...

Lulu don't worry as we've been guessing at himmmm for years. I was in the rdj camp up until now.

megan00m said...

Again, as all long term readers know....we've been guessing at himmmm for years.

lutefisk said...

@megan00m, I have been here reading since 2007. I know all about the guesses. Someone has or will guess correctly and it will be all over for both the long term and short term readers.

megan00m said...

@lutefisk then you should know its only confirmed when its been revealed & that can be questionable. So I disagree with you 100% and will continue to guess at anything I want to.

MichiGal said...

Wow. I worked for David Begelman and Bruce McNall in the 80’s - company was called Sherwood Studios then Gladden Entertainment. Oh the stories...

Mr Selfdestruct UK said...

Great read! Couldn't peel my eyes off it!

Bikey said...

The lady in question sounds like an awesome, delightful LADY indeed! So lucky you got to meet her, Himmmm:)

just sayin' said...

anyone remember cliff robertson in "charly" (based on the book "flowers for algernon"?) what a great story and he was so good in the role.

can you imagine if dominick dunne were still around? he'd LOVE crazy days and nights! you just know he's reading these blinds and kicking clouds because he isn't able to comment. but maybe he sends a little divine inspiration himmmm's and enty's way.

Alexandria said...

Dina Merrill really looked like one of Hitchcock's leading ladies, everything I wish I was, but well..

Natasha said...

My hope is that someone will pick up the mantle of Mr. Dunne and compile a delicious novel much in his style and tone about the insanity we come to gawk and feast upon here.

Perhaps the title, "Blame it on Hollywood" would be good?

Come on, ye Gods of the pen! Deliver us a doozy!

Gerard said...

I can only add a little background I found; in awe of the sleuths!

https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1995/11/begelman199511


Gerard said...

@MichiGal ... start scribbling MG!

Rachewbacca said...

Kim Novak

J said...

With all disrespect to Blame it on Rio, they should have taken him out before Mannequinn 2 :D

Amused said...

@megan00m, I don't think it could be Slater, if there really is only one of the Himmmm crew left that posts because he recently mentioned having a very young daughter, as well as other children. Slater's youngest is 14 and his son is 16. :D

Aris Blane said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
TwoDots said...

Agreed in not trying to out himmmm. He/they are awesome, that’s all i need to know.

I would never have guessed this at all, but what a story! And what an incredible woman!!

megan00m said...

Well then no reason to guess on "kindness" blinds either.

megan00m said...

@Amused...I thought about that too..The blinds are always a little off Annnd 14 is still pretty young, was why I went with CS. The entry the other day about himmmm being a few different people was pretty great!

Aris Blane said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Krab said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hotmessmidwest said...

You are an incredible writer!!! Thank you so very much for sharing this story. Whoever said it was long can go to another site. FANTASTIC READ!!!!

Aris Blane said...

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang indeed!

Amused said...

@Megan00m, I get where you are coming from. I've wondered if Himmmm drops in little hints that he is RDJ because that has always been the popular guess, just to throw everyone off. I would do the same thing... (RDJ has a very young daughter)

Juliaph said...

This perfectly exciting and interesting BI gets completely ruined when slurs against Jews are posted. I AM NOT JEWISH so that isn't what gets under my skin. For the poster, just do a google search on Jewish inventions. Makes me sick to watch people try to "slur" the goose that lays the golden egg. Sheeshe!!! People can be soooooo ignorant! This is my first post and I'm aggravated that I feel so compelled to use it on ignorance. Perhaps racial slur posts can be deleted if enough posters request it...

megan00m said...

@Amused I always thought rdj, even after denials were made back when. But seeing CS today in the list of Ms. Merrill's imdb made me think about him...specifically a long & varied career plus his mother being a very successful casting agent (father actor as well) he may be a party to secrets...just another guess... Anyway something to think about. :) been a pleasure @Amused.

Alexandria said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Frosty said...

That is an incredible story. Dina sounds like my passed away grandmother - lived through the depression and war years, gutsy as hell and always someone to look up too.

Thank you for sharing Himmmm.

megan00m said...

You do realize what type of sight you're on? A blind item sight that reveals. Enty himself has revealed his sources. Is imagine you'd all be more angry at him revealing the victims of these pervs then the good guys exposing it.

mannyv said...

I've met a few of the old line WASPs back in the day, and the women were always much more amusing and hardcore than their husbands. I suppose they realized how ridiculous it all was, in the end, but that didn't stop them from playing. Playing to win, in this one's case.

Oh how she must have relished twisting that knife.

Alexandria said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Freckles said...

Nice to know that Dina was as nice and classy as she appeared. I remember watching her when I was young and I thought she was a classic beauty like Grace and Liz. Thanks for the great posts Himmmm and I don't care who you are just keep them coming. Judy Garland, what a tragic childhood and life she had.

jeol said...

Dina Merrill could be in a dictionary under ""I look like the most classy lady in the whole world.
Not just a beautiful woman but classy in a way that I guess you must be born into.

Henlo Fren said...

Dina, what a woman.

Alexandria said...

megan00m: well I'm following cdan fb page too, so you can call me snorefest here as well lol.
Sorry, didn't want to interrupt any discussions, but when it might get someone in trouble, it's kind of hard to not try to do something about it. Had the best intentions. Nevermind.

Mag said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mag said...

I had a break from the site during the layout change, when it was unreadable, and only returned recently, so I may have missed something, but I don't recall ever seeing this message before:
"This comment has been removed by a blog administrator."

Either someone was very offensive to others, or someone was on a dangerously right track. Pity I didn't catch it (damn, the difference between Europe and LA is a nuissance when one wants to follow the discussion).

PS: Whatever hints Himmmm includes as to his/their purported identity (young daughter and what not), they may be there to misdirect the guessers and actually MAKE them think it's someone specific. You know that, right? ;)))

Frosty said...

@Mag - I saw the comment last night. It was just some dude advertising another blog site - i.e. basically spam. Enty removed the unwanted post.

AIP said...

I think we should all raise a toast to Dina Merrill.
And hopefully Begelman is rotting wherever he deserves to be. I also don’t want to guess the name of the mistress, because while a know “murder” is wrong and shouldn’t be condoned, sometimes we need to recognise something done for the greater good- and nobody should spend a second in custody for ridding the world of that rat-bastard.

Speaking of which, it has just been confirmed celebrity scumbag agent/publicist Max Clifford has died.

Mag said...

@Frosty - Thank you for clarifying that :)

Mr Selfdestruct UK said...

You guys should be less concerned about who himmmm is and more concerned about the great job enty and himmmm are doing.
Plus if it was CS do you really think he would have let Rami Malek take a job with Singer after everything he knows? Just saying! Peace!

lutefisk said...

As "long term readers" know if you figure out who Enty or hmmmm are you keep it to yourself, not try to show a bunch of commenters that you are "smarter" than they are. This is an anonymous blog. People are risking quite a bit with the information posted. They aren't dropping clues so people can figure out who they actually are.

TwoDots said...

^^ precisely.

I’d love for more old school posters to return (I’m a short term poster but long-te reader). VIP Blonde anyone?! Loved her.

megan00m said...

And you run this site?

Megerz said...

In my opinion, Himmm is a compilation of many people "in the know". Youre wasting your time and missing the point by trying to figure out a single identity. Read the fine print of the blog... for entertainment purposes only.

Mag said...

+1 Megerz - I don't care one bit who any of the Entys and Himmmms are. Their intel checks out, they make the guessing fun, and they do a good job outing scumbags and pervs. I'm pretty sure, though, they have their tracks well covered and whatever "hints" or "clues" they provide, it's all misdirection. With the stuff they reveal, they are certainly careful not to get in trouble with either the law or the people they talk about. These guys have been doing this for years and are way too clever for that.

megan00m said...

So lets get this straight. I'm being bullied for starting with this blog in 08 as opposeded to 07 and not following "your rules" "that you've made up just now" (paraphrased from an Eddie Izzard joke..he's great). Alright. Cool. Just remember this with any guess. Ill people may not want to be guessed, victims may not want to be guessed, the drug issued may not want to be guessed, people in new relationships trying to make it work, divorced parents with underage kids, sex workers being shamed, Etc. Its a slippery slope y'all. I think guessing at the good guy? Not so bad...and on that note I'm officially no longer commenting on this particular thread.

Mag said...

@megan00m - No one is bullying you. Some people are just overly protective of the site and you're just taking it too personally ;)
BTW, you've just mentioned one of my favourite performers in the whole world (EI), which means you're most likely really cool and smart ;) But let me demonstrate something to you: I went on CDAN's FB page earlier on and under this particular blind posted there there was a comment by a certain Megan McX from YY complaining about the snorefest not allowing people to guess who Himmmm is. This comment was later removed, but see? I don't need to know anything about cybertracking, hacking, DDOSing or any of the IT stuff to be able to identify you, just by CHANCE. I could then Google your name, go through whatever public records are available online (such as US property ownership) and have access to a lot of info, and reveal it just to make a point. Would you like that? I guess not. I'm OBVIOUSLY not going to do it. I'm just trying to make you see why some people here feel all this guessing who Himmmms and Entys are may be harmful. I don't think E&H actually disclose anything real about themselves, but I understand why people want to protect them. Others would be doing the same for you if someone wanted to indentify you against your will :)

Chill out, have fun. Penne arabiata be with you ;)))

lucy said...

"No, my precious boy – he killed himself. When he raped me. It just took 30 years for the bullet to catch up."

one of the most badass lines I have ever read. ever.

hunter said...

Actually Megan, you're not being BULLIED, you're being asked by many longterm readers to show our community some RESPECT which you keep refusing to do by insisting on your "right" to threaten our greatest source of insider intelligence.

Sure, it's certainly your right, but it's rather disrespectful to our community and to its resources that you keep whining, kicking, and complaining that we are asking you to show some discretion.

You're not being bullied, you're being asked to show some respect.

hunter said...

And damn straight Mag, exactly. Great point.

lutefisk said...

@Mag, anyone who has been reading CDaN for a number of years will recall an incident about 5-6 years or so ago when a group of trolls decided to out posters they felt were posting too much and raining on their parade. They went through social media and posted very personal information here, just like you mentioned. They also did it when they knew Enty was out of town and had no internet access to delete the personal info that was posted. There is no need to do that to anyone. @Hunter said to show respect. That is all people are asking for.

Mz Kitty said...

+100000 about site respect. What a shitty attitude to have. Can't believe it has to be spelled out for you. Unspoken law no one "guesses" anyone's identity. Get on board already.

Aris Blane said...

Mag writes very similarly to Himmmm
hunter is an ugly idiot.
Enough with the comment police bullshit!

Alexandria said...

One person's rights end where another person's safety and well being start.

I guess some people came here to put on a show and attract attention, and it's more important than to help expose abusers, monsters and bullies.
I don't know If You people are lacking imagination, or You're doing it on purpose to sabotage people who are posting.

Myself I know nothing. I don't know if or to what point such guessing is harmful. For me, it's even hard to say sometimes which Himmmm of 4 is commenting. That is true, that if they won't reveal it themselves, there is no chance on earth to know who they are. So yeah, I hope we are overly protective and everything will be alright.

Again, really can't You play guessing game in private mailbox? Please?

No need to insult anyone, that's f*** lame.

Aris Blane said...

Alexandria Anna,

No, so stop fucking asking.

Natasha said...

I don't give a rat's ass who enty, mnty,hiss, him or even herrr with a silent 'h' is.

This site has become my go to for a good read and a mental stretch of the legs.

Having said that, in the wake of the recent scandals, a lot of boards are directing traffic here. I myself came here from a conspiracy ufo site for heaven's sake! On that site, we have mods who put the kabosh on trolls. Enty and Co may want to up the troll shields as the traffic grows.

PapayaSF said...

All the major players have been guessed, so all I have to offer is this:

"A player and a scoundrel who played poker with studio chiefs and golf with guys like this permanent A list singer/actor"

That sounds like Frank Sinatra to me.

megan00m said...

Well y'all won. I'm not agreeing with you. But I will back off. I don't agree but I will say good job guys. Keep any differing opinion off. One last thing. I stuck through the 2 last changes of this sight. But you didn't. All too interested in your own bs. You win. Never have another pov. Good luck to the newbies. I was excited for y'all. But being msgd from a few different social media sites makes me put my hands in the air. Good job cdan. I say bye.

Unknown said...

I grew up going to a Jewish school and never experienced or saw abuse at the hands of anyone Jewish. Anyone who has been abusive towards me was either Catholic or non-religious but raised Catholic or other Christian. It has nothing to do with religion or profession. When you have those with money and power anywhere there will be potential for abuse.

Unknown said...

Himmmm blinds need to come with a TL;DR as standard.

Scandi Sanskrit said...

💔 https://youtu.be/HP1q1Q9S6CY

Lynne said...

Goodness, I love this site! Bravo(a) all you Entys and Himmmms! I left this site for a while (during the crazy formatting phase), but I'll never stray again.

Your humble narrator said...

Oh wow. Care to share anything? :)

Your humble narrator said...

Good find!

Your humble narrator said...

I agree! Wish it could get etched on that asshole rapist’s tombstone.

Natasha said...

@krispykreme17

I'm sure you could find the location of his grave on line. If you live in or visit the LA area, you could bring some dead flowers and a note expressing the same to his last known address.

TimC said...

what was this about?its too long for me to read. interesting? fan fiction? started like "it was a cold and rainy night", lost me there.

Lynne @ CCD said...

I guess when EF Hutton talked David Begelman finally had to listen

mandyR said...

Scumbag rapist criminal agent is JOO-ESH. COHENcidence? Interesting how all the disgraced pedos in hollywood (and the world) are all part of the nose brigade yet noone mentions the BLATANTLY OBVIOUS connection.

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