This upcoming documentary about that legendary A++ singer and actress who everyone knows and the husband/manager/producer she was married to the longest will gloss over the husband's mob ties. One of his best friends and a mentor was an infamous mobster who supplied starlets to movie studio execs and politicians... which is how the husband-manager met his first wife, a B/C-list actress.
Judy Garland?
ReplyDeleteJudy Garland /Sidney Luft??
ReplyDeleteWhat is so pearl clutching about this?
ReplyDeleteJudy Garland/Vincente Minnelli
ReplyDeleteDoris Day and Marty Melcher?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is Luft or Minelli. A quick wiki peek says they had no prior wife to Judy.
ReplyDeleteThere were SO many huge Hollywood stars in the 1940s or so (golden era) who had HORRIBLE experiences with men.
The studio bosses often abused them (Judy being put on uppers, fed "chicken soup and speed" to crank out more films and stay skinny, being allegedly forced to abort her first child, to make Wizard of Oz), Roy Cohn allegedly had a door right into a dressing room of one star I won't name as she is still alive. On and on and on...
Then they had boyfriends or husbands like Johnny Stompanato, guys with mob ties, band leaders who married multiple times and cheated on each one, men who controlled, belittled, and beat them.
Nicky Hilton allegedly beat Elizabeth Taylor on their honeymoon. 18 year old Liz in her prime of beauty, not that any time is OK. He also allegedly abused her emotionally, leaving her bewildered and in tears.
I've read about so many horrible Hollywood marriages of the golden era I'd have to stop and think to make it all coherent. It all runs together after a while, the stories are so similar.
This could be almost anybody.
^ I said Roy Cohn. I meant Harry Cohn, Hollywood studio boss. ^
ReplyDeleteDoris Day / Marty Melcher / Al Levy / Jane Rappaport*
ReplyDelete* my only hesitation with this answer is that Jane Rappaport is known as a singer, but perhaps she also acted
I don’t think others’ answer of Sid Luft is correct since his first wife was “aspiring actress” Marylou Simpson for whom I can’t find any acting credits at all
Oh, Jed’s Friend you beat me to the punch. I think we’re right on this.
ReplyDelete@ocgirl Luft's second wife was Lynn Bari who is the epitome of B list actress (a hundred plus leads in B films and virtually no leads in A films). The latest Enty intern may not know the difference between first and second wives.
ReplyDeleteJudy Garland, Sid Luft, Lynn Bari (this may not be correct since Lynn was Sid's second wife)
ReplyDeleteThe blind says the man's first wife was an actress, B or C list.
ReplyDeletedebbie reynolds?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the correction Samantha. I was kind of confused by the thought of Roy Cohn and a woman.
ReplyDeleteLOL Poppymann! Fair point.
ReplyDeleteSamantha-- Im really enjoying all of your informative posts! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI know for the Judy Garland film is in the works, so Ill go with her and Sid Luft. However, I think Debbie Reynolds and Doris Day films are only a matter of time.
I think this is Luft/Garland. Former wife (second not first) being Lynn Bari, a beautiful B actress who just never got the breaks to be A list. Nothing earth-shattering about Luft having smarmy business ties. Not sure why they would gloss over it, except that I guess Lorna and Joey are still living?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Unknown @ 9:04am, I agree that if we ignore Enty Intern’s inability to count, then the trio of Lynn Bari, Sid Luft, Judy Garland fits
ReplyDeleteIf Liz would have learned anything from that honeymoon beating, she probably wouldnt have ended up an addicted mess.
ReplyDeleteRemember fellas, aint no curing crazy. If ya could beat the crazy out of broads, the divorce rate would be much lower. Est bet is when ya first feel an uncontrolable urge to beat yer woman, leave the house and go get a pen & paper to plot yer exit strategy.
@Jed's Friend, I agree with you.
ReplyDelete"Samantha-- Im really enjoying all of your informative posts! Thanks!"
ReplyDeleteThanks Vita! I'm glad. And you're welcome!
"I know for the Judy Garland film is in the works, so Ill go with her and Sid Luft."
Sounds like it must be Judy then...There was a pretty good TV movie about her life some time ago. Her sisters could sing too. I think their act was The Gumm Sisters. But Judy was the star.
"However, I think Debbie Reynolds and Doris Day films are only a matter of time."
Sadly, they had a similar run of "luck." Debbie's husband stole all of her money (allegedly I guess), and Doris' husband beat her.
CJ I don't think Liz was "crazy" especially at 18. Extremely sheltered, though. Nicky was the (alleged) addict/gambler/abuser.
Liz had a lot of health issues, don't know if she became addicted to pain pills. She was at Betty Ford Center at one point, but I thought it was for alcohol, not an uncommon issue.
Agree it's better to leave the relationship than to begin hitting someone. What shocks me about her first marriage was it began on their honeymoon.
I'll go for Debbie Reynold's ex Harry Karl. First wife Marie "was a leggy, voluptuous blonde starlet who pursued her career with a vengeance but found little reward"
ReplyDeleteEven though he came from wealth, He was a gambling addict with a soft spot for alligator shoes and diamond rings. Sounds like the typical trustfund party boy who gets chummy with the mob for kicks. He left Debbie 2 million in debt
And his friend:
Sidney Korshak, Alleged Mafia Liaison to Hollywood, Dies at 88
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-01-22-mn-27453-story.html
"Korshak first represented clients in Hollywood in the 1930s. His friends included Harry Karl'
Martin Melcher's first wife was one of the Andrews SIsters they were def 1940s A list, no way C.
@Samantha one of the saddest stories I read was of Betty Grable and Harry James, the bandleader. He would beat her often and cheat
ReplyDeletegauloise - those are good guesses too, I think it could be a number of golden-era Hollywood artists.
ReplyDeleteYes, Betty Grable was another. Another one of those bandleaders. What was it w/those guys.
Artie Shaw made Ava Gardner feel stupid by berating her background.
Rita Hayworth - as Orson Welles put it, he treated her with indifference and she was happy. "If this was heaven..."
Doris Day recently passed away. Is her son still alive?
@Samantha Yes, and Welles also purposefully made her cut off her trademark hair for his film with her.
ReplyDeleteDoris Days son died of cancer in the 2000s, and her only grandchild said her manager blocked him from seeing in her final years. Her lightness really attracted shady men
These guys felt that they had to assert themselves as superior or "the man" in the relationship, so they had to beat and shame their successful, beautiful wives. It's all about ego and control.
ReplyDeleteGoing to say Al Capone or someone close to him is the "infamous mobster". Lew Wasserman was a Mob associate and MCA, the company he ran booking stars into clubs, was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Chicago Outfit.
ReplyDeletegauloise -
ReplyDeleteRe Rita Hayworth:
"Welles also purposefully made her cut off her trademark hair for his film with her."
Oh yeah; that's right! Not only short hair but he had her bleach it white, too. They divorced not long after filming wrapped on that, I think?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040525
Talk about directly attacking her beauty.
Re Doris Day:
"Her lightness really attracted shady men"
Yes, there's something about a very pure flame...
That is tragic. Her only child kept away.
Hope the sole grandchild will have a lot of kids. And I hope they have better 'karma' than to attract people w/dark intentions.
NYC:
"These guys felt that they had to assert themselves as superior or "the man" in the relationship, so they had to beat and shame their successful, beautiful wives. It's all about ego and control."
I think so too.
Some people are good at hiding that side.
Some women are raised to think that is normal, even if it's all subconscious. Rita Hayworth, when she was Margarita Cansino, was abused by her own father.
@ Samantha
ReplyDeleteNicky Hilton sounds like the senator in 'The Last Boy Scout'
Brad Pitt -
ReplyDeleteThis movie?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102266
I haven't seen it. I will have to check it out.