He stars in a web show about a former child actor, Life's a Butch. A spokesman from that show said Butch was always professional, knew his lines and was alway on time. The show is now on hiatus.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster) in Rehab
He stars in a web show about a former child actor, Life's a Butch. A spokesman from that show said Butch was always professional, knew his lines and was alway on time. The show is now on hiatus.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
False Friends of Marilyn Monroe
Robert F. Slatzer, who died some years back, claimed to have married Marilyn in 1952. The only proof he had were some photos of him and Marilyn taken in front of the Falls while she filmed Niagara. It's one thing to make a buck off someone's life, but I believe something else was involved here. It was rumored all over Hollywood that Marilyn was having an affair with President Kennedy. I, too, believe this. People also pointed to Robert F. Kennedy, the Attorney General, as being involved with Marilyn. This I don't agree with -- there's no proof. Yes, he did visit her at her house the day she died, but I think he was trying to take the heat off his brother. The Kennedys, in my opinion, were going to be blackmailed. And in a way they were -- by J. Edgar Hoover. But the Kennedys had nothing to do with her death. That was the ultimate blackmail, but they managed to quell it. I believe that when Bobby left her house that day, either the Mob or the CIA came in and killed her to make the brothers look guilty of causing her to commit suicide. The Kennedys weathered that storm during their short lives.
A year after Norman Mailer's much talked about book on Marilyn Monroe came out, highlighting her stunning photos by great photographers, another book came out about her called The Life and Curious Death of Marilyn Monroe It was written by Robert F. Slatzer. Slatzer was the author of some really bad westerns. He brought his book to a publisher and said that ex-boxer Kid Chisell was a witness to his marriage to Monroe in Mexico. However, 20th Century Fox had her down as being on the set and working that day (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). Sometime after reading Slatzer's book, a journalist found Kid Chisell, who was dying. Chisell said, "Look, I was only trying to help a friend."
On the Mike Douglas Show in 1974, Tony Curtis was the co-host. He said about Marilyn: "I hated her. She gave very little of herself." He's dead now, but not soon enough to rewrite history. Curtis said he had an affair with Marilyn while working on Some Like It Hot. What a crock. When Paula Strasberg asked him during the filming of SLIH what it felt like to kiss Marilyn, Curtis replied, "It was like kissing Hitler." Reportedly, Paula started crying. "You try to work with her, Paula," said Tony.
Now Tony Curtis has spread lies about Marilyn. He said shortly before he died that during SLIH Monroe became pregnant with his child and later miscarried. I don't believe this crap for a minute.
Anyway, Curtis was on The Mike Douglas Show with Whitey Snyder and Agnes Flanagan, who for almost her entire career, did Marilyn's hair and make-up. They said they never heard of Robert F. Slatzer or Jeanne Carmen. Slatzer and Carmen came forward to say they witnessed Marilyn's relationship with Bobby Kennedy in particular. I suppose these 2 made a lot of money off Marilyn. But ask yourself: Would Bobby Kennedy put on a fake beard and go to the beach naked with Marilyn and Jeanne? If he was worried that someone might get their hands on Marilyn's "red diary," which contained things he allegedly told her, like there were men from outer space and the administration's attempts on Castro's life, would he tell her to get rid of it? Wouldn't he get rid of it himself?
Jeanne Carmen was a Marilyn Monroe wannabe. Jayne Mansfield was more successful. Carmen may have met Marilyn, but I don't believe she was her friend and confidante. Robert F. Slatzer was a disinformationalist. It was the only way he could make money. President John Kennedy and his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, would never have killed Monroe. I think they would bring her to Hyannisport, talk to her, talk her down. Nothing good would come from her death for them. And they were Catholic at a time when Catholics took their religion seriously and the Church wasn't under ridicule and shame as it is today.
A year after Norman Mailer's much talked about book on Marilyn Monroe came out, highlighting her stunning photos by great photographers, another book came out about her called The Life and Curious Death of Marilyn Monroe It was written by Robert F. Slatzer. Slatzer was the author of some really bad westerns. He brought his book to a publisher and said that ex-boxer Kid Chisell was a witness to his marriage to Monroe in Mexico. However, 20th Century Fox had her down as being on the set and working that day (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). Sometime after reading Slatzer's book, a journalist found Kid Chisell, who was dying. Chisell said, "Look, I was only trying to help a friend."
On the Mike Douglas Show in 1974, Tony Curtis was the co-host. He said about Marilyn: "I hated her. She gave very little of herself." He's dead now, but not soon enough to rewrite history. Curtis said he had an affair with Marilyn while working on Some Like It Hot. What a crock. When Paula Strasberg asked him during the filming of SLIH what it felt like to kiss Marilyn, Curtis replied, "It was like kissing Hitler." Reportedly, Paula started crying. "You try to work with her, Paula," said Tony.
Now Tony Curtis has spread lies about Marilyn. He said shortly before he died that during SLIH Monroe became pregnant with his child and later miscarried. I don't believe this crap for a minute.
Anyway, Curtis was on The Mike Douglas Show with Whitey Snyder and Agnes Flanagan, who for almost her entire career, did Marilyn's hair and make-up. They said they never heard of Robert F. Slatzer or Jeanne Carmen. Slatzer and Carmen came forward to say they witnessed Marilyn's relationship with Bobby Kennedy in particular. I suppose these 2 made a lot of money off Marilyn. But ask yourself: Would Bobby Kennedy put on a fake beard and go to the beach naked with Marilyn and Jeanne? If he was worried that someone might get their hands on Marilyn's "red diary," which contained things he allegedly told her, like there were men from outer space and the administration's attempts on Castro's life, would he tell her to get rid of it? Wouldn't he get rid of it himself?
2 comments:
- Anonymous said...
- Awesome photo of Jeanne Carmen in the surf. What an amazing body. She is breathtaking to look at.
- November 11, 2010 10:08 PM
- Witness said...
- But Marilyn was beautiful. She wasn't hard- looking like Jeanne Carmen.
- November 12, 2010 2:58 PM
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Strasbergs
The Strasbergs taught the Stanislavsky Method of acting. Accordingly, the actor needed to develop "sense memories." She needed to explore her past and remember a similar experience she underwent to embue her character.
Everything was analogy. You just didn't walk on stage like Laurence Olivier, all prepared to ACT. Olivier portrayed his characters from the outside in. Yet Olivier was a great actor. He just didn't suffer as much as Strasberg's students did. Olivier assumed his roles naturally, without the likes of Lee or Paula Strasberg.
Strasberg told actors they needed to go through psychoanalysis, as this was a good source of sense memory. Basically he wanted you to re-enact your own life. In the case of Marilyn Monroe, this proved lethal. Someone who had such a terrible young life. And bad Hollywood memories.
Strasberg had his detractors. One was playwright Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman). Miller said Strasberg was trying to make acting secret, when it was the most communicative art of all. Miller felt this may be all right on screen, where the camera gets close, but not on stage. Miller was married to Marilyn Monroe, who also fell under the Strasbergs' spell. They gave her confidence as an artist. She played the first scene of Anna Christie with no make-up on at the Actor's Studio. Paula Strasberg, Lee's wife of the time, was heard telling Monroe she was as important to the world as Jesus Christ.
And then there was Miller's charge of usury, well founded. The Strasbergs robbed Marilyn Monroe blind. They took large sums of money from her. The next I find hard to believe but apparently it's true: Paula Strasberg in 1962 was charging Marilyn $5000 a day for coaching her at acting. These highly regarded people, the Strasbergs, pulled Marilyn under their spell. They compared her to Marlon Brando, and here is what angered Brando:
Lee Strasberg frequently mentioned Brando, giving the impression that Brando studied under him. Marlon Brando practiced his craft under Stella Adler, and Brando was her favorite and most talented student. Brando also accused the Strasbergs of usury. He was aware of how much money, enormous and unwarranted, they were robbing from Monroe. When she died, her estate was very small for a woman of her stature. (As was her house, a sad, shadowy place at the end of a cul-de-sac; affording some privacy but no security measures besides a locked door. She could not live that way today.) And of course, she left money to Lee Strasberg. (There was talk that she wanted to change her will, but she never got around to doing it. She died kind of suddenly.)
So some people felt Strasberg was a clever fraud. He spewed banality to his actors rather than insight; according to Norman Mailer, who sat in on some classes. And Strasberg never directed a successful play. His son committed suicide. His wife, Paula, died 2 years after Monroe. And his daughter, Susan, herself an actress, died from breast cancer.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Old Kim
"By Courtney Ryan
Entertainment.gather.com
Teresa Giudice's Bankruptcy May be Kim Granatell's Treasure
Teresa Giudice and Kim Granatell don't seem to have anything in common except one thing - their home decor taste. After filing for bankruptcy, Teresa and Joe Giudice have decided to auction their "fabulous" possessions on October 3rd. The couple currently has over ten million dollars of debt. Seems like Teresa may be suffering from a shopping problem.
Well, don't fret because Kim Grantell is planning to scoop up the Giudice's treasures. Kim is a NJ housewife wannabe and loves to get on camera, but in this case she deserves it. According to Radar Online, Kim is planning to buy many of the Giudicie's items and re-sell them on Ebay. The profits will then be donated to Emmanuel Cancer Charity. Surely seems like a worthy cause." [Well, isn't she wonderful!]
"The Giudice's auction is already getting a lot of hype and may end up as the place to be on October 3rd. I'm sure Teresa will make it seem like another party and Joe will sit there groaning the entire time. Poor guy.
The couple has never openly admitted that they have problems and on Teresa's most recent Bravo TV blog she wrote," Well this has been an interesting week as far as press goes. I’ve never had so many untrue stories written about me at one time! I haven’t given a comment to anyone in the press. I’m not going to comment on rumors or lies. " Way to ignore the question Teresa. Don't worry, we still like you and your jerseylicious self."
Teresa Giudice's Problems Mount
The following is from Reality Tea about Teresa and her husband and more to come.
TERESA GIUDICE
Report: NJ Housewives’ Joe Giudice Cheated On Wife Teresa Giudice
27 Oct 2010
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We reported two days ago that Joe Giudice started a brawl by punching his brother-in-law at the Christening ceremony of his wife Teresa’s nephew, well it now seems there might have been good reason for Joe’s misplaced anger.
Teresa Giudice, star of the Real Housewives of New Jersey, graces this week’s issue of Life & Style magazine under the title, “Betrayed By Her Man.” The magazine cover (a bigger photo is below) goes on to state: ‘Teresa’s Sleazy Husband Caught With Another Woman.’
According to Life & Style, Joe has been leading a secret, double life – filled with regular visits to strip clubs. A former dancer at the Showoffs strip club in West Orange, NJ tells the mag that Joe was a regular at the strip club before it was closed down in 2006 amid accusations of prostitution.
“He was always up for a lap dance,” reveals the insider. “There was a lot of hanky-panky that went down in the club’s basement… If you had money, you could get pretty up close and personal with the strippers.”
Joe was also allegedly a regular at another NJ bar called the Latin Bar. A source says “there was one particular waitress Joe really liked there.” The insider recalls, “She was from the Dominican Republic, about 5 feet tall with big breasts and long, dark hair. Joe would always make sure that wherever he was, he could be back in Paterson on a Friday night so he could see her.”
And finally, Life & Style reports that Joe developed a very close relationship with a “young female staffer” who wasn’t “qualified” for the job back at his former real estate development office. Sources reveal that Joe called his upstairs office the “boom boom room,” and that when he tried to give away his couch, no one would take it.
When contacted by the magazine for a comment, Teresa maintains that her marriage is strong. “I have a great husband,” she tells Life & Style. “I wake up every morning and I’m like, ‘Thank you, God.’”
Magazines usually contact their story subjects to get their statement on the story they’re doing about before the issue hits the press, so there’s a good chance Joe and Teresa knew this story was coming days ago.
More details about Joe’s alleged sleazy ways in the latest issue of Life & Style magazine. The cover photo is below.
NJ Housewife Teresa Giudice’s Husband & Her Brother Trade Punches At Baby’s Christening
25 Oct 2010
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Just when you thought the Giudices could not get any trashier, RadarOnline is reporting today that Teresa Giudice and her husband Joe Giudice did just that at a baby’s christening over the weekend. The story you are about to read is insanity squared.
According to Radar, the Real Housewives of New Jersey stars single handedly started an all out brawl at the Christening ceremony for the son of Teresa’s brother and sister-in-law Joe and Melissa Gorga. If you recall, Melissa, whom Teresa absolutely hates and does not get along with, has been added as a cast member to the Bravo hit show, must to Teresa’s dismay.
The drama began at the Gorgas’ Sunday Christening ceremony for their son, you know, the same son Danielle Staub accused Teresa of not acknowledging. Teresa attended the church ceremony without husband Joe, but following the baptism, she and Joe along with their four daughters, arrived an hour late to the reception ceremony which took place at The Manor restaurant in West Orange, NJ.
As the Bravo cameras rolled, Teresa walked up to her brother Joe Gorga to congratulate him and he said in an upset tone: “Now you want to congratulate me after all this time? Now you want to be nice to me? Your husband didn’t even come to the church and you show up an hour late!” a source tells Radar.
Teresa attempted to play dumb and simply responded with, “I just wanted to say hi and congratulations.” However due to the bad blood between the siblings, a verbal argument ensued during which Joe Giudice got involved, leading to a physical altercation between him and Teresa’s brother Joey.
“There were punches, vulgarity. It was like a scene out of a movie,” another source tells Radar of the fight. “Guests were also screaming at the Bravo cameras to get out of there.” With over 100 people in attendance, family members and most of the guests tried to help break up the fight.
Shirts were ripped and Joe Giudice, who might or might not be a midget himself, reportedly yelled at one point to the people holding him back: “I’ll kill that f**king midget!” Another source adds, “Joey Gorga and Joe Giudice were like animals. It was complete chaos.”
Teresa’s father was reportedly extremely upset and yelling for them to stop fighting in Italian. Teresa kept telling her father: “I didn’t do anything, I didn’t do anything,” says a source. At some point, Teresa was yelling at Melissa and Melissa’s sisters got involved. “They also got into a physical altercation with Teresa, who was fighting back. Joe Giudice’s father punched one of Melissa’s brother-in-laws in the face and he was bleeding,” the source said.
Melissa and the guests were reportedly mortified by the barbaric behavior. A family friend at the party tells Radar that “Melissa is disgusted and humiliated. Her heart is broken for her son on his christening day.” Most of the guests were reportedly angry that their kids were traumatized and left with their gifts.
“Teresa’s children Gia and Gabriella were hysterically crying,” says a source. “Melissa’s daughter Antonia was also upset. Kids were running around crying, screaming and hiding.”
The family friend adds that “It was a special day; it was going wonderfully and perfectly and Teresa lost her mind and wanted to make it about her and does what she does best. She couldn’t stand all eyes on the Gorga family. It was similar to the Posh runway show situation [that aired on Bravo] where she started a fight with Danielle [Staub].”
Wowzers! WTF is wrong with these people? And for some odd reason, Teresa continues to wonder why people refer to her as trashy. It seems her contract dispute with Bravo is over as filming has started on the 3rd season of the show. Melissa hasn’t updated her twitter account in days and Teresa, who did not tweet all of yesterday, seems to be in damage control mode as she has spent the last 30 minutes tweeting photos of her daughters in their Halloween costumes, with zero mention of this incidence.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS STORY? WHO IS AT FAULT?
UPDATE – Melissa Gorga posted the following on her twitter page – “Thank you all so much for your support, The day started out beautifully, I can’t stop looking at my son, I’m still in shock….”
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The Best Man
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2008/11/340x_vidal8.jpg
One of my favorite writers is Gore Vidal. He had spats with 2 other notable men, one William Buckley, JR, who called him a queer (making 2 syllables out of the word) on TV in 1968 and Bobby Kennedy. Although it dogged his life, I found the funniest anecdote in Vidal's Palimpsest, his first memoir, about him and Bobby Kennedy.
The story goes, there was a party at the White House and Gore Vidal was invited. There were a series of rooms in which guests talked and drank. Gore went into a room where Jackie was. He squatted down, as there were no empty chairs, and rested his hand on Jackie's left shoulder. They began to speak, but the person to her right got her attention. All of a sudden someone knocked his hand off Jackie's shoulder. He looked up. It was Bobby Kennedy who just kept walking. Gore was able to get Jackie's attention again, resting his hand on her shoulder for balance. The person to her right again spoke to her, so Jackie turned to listen. Again, someone knocked Vidal's hand off Jackie's shoulder. It was Bobby Kennedy who left the room.
Gore got up and followed Kennedy. He made sure the door was closed behind him, and the one across the way was already shut. It was just he and Bobby in a hallway. Gore, who towered over Kennedy, said, "Don't you ever do that to me again." To which Bobby replied, "Fuck off, Buddy Boy." To which one of America's Man of Letters heard himself reply, "You fuck off." Gore added no one witnessed this momentous exchange. It got around somehow that Gore was drunk and caused a disturbance at the White House. According to rumor he was thrown out. He claims he left of his own volition with 2 other writers.
Buckley used the fabled incident to say to Gore Vidal on national TV, "I'll punch you in the face -- and you'll stay plastered." As he became more demented, Truman Capote elevated this to the Secret Service picking up Gore physically and depositing him on Pennsylvania Ave!
Jackie never spoke to him again after that party, which is sad. They were stepbrother and stepsister once removed. She used to use his room and wear one of his flannel shirts when she felt chilly. After she died, he published Palimpsest and said a lot of flattering things about her, specifically, her intelligence.
About 15 years ago there was a 2-hour special about Gore Vidal. I wished I had taped it. He was still handsome. And in 2 scenes I saw him drunk. But he was a happy drunk, so it almost doesn't matter. In one scene he was in the back of a limo, on the right, with the photographer apparently on the left jump seat. His dear companion of decades past sang out "New York, New York" loudly and unabashedly. When the concert ended, Gore Vidal looked at the camera and said, "Do you see why I like him? He was the first person I ever met who had a college degree." (Yes, future writers/historians, Gore Vidal never went to college.)
In another scene Gore sat with Susan Sarandon and others in a bar, ridiculing some personage in a descriptive manner, much in the way he writes -- parenthetical phrases (like this one).
The close relationship he enjoyed with Johnny Carson surprised me. They were very close. Gore, of course, speaks eloquently; and Carson hosted a talk show. So no mystery there.
The only thing I really disagree about Gore's look on the world is when he's asked who was the worst President to ever hold office. He says time and again, John Kennedy, with whom he was friendly. Kennedy liked Hollywood gossip and Vidal could provide this.
Anyway, Gore Vidal blames John Kennedy for bringing us closest to nuclear annihilation. Gore should read Brothers by David Talbot. He will see how isolated the Kennedy Bros were from their Joint Chiefs of Staff. These top military officials were telling Kennedy to bomb Cuba. Kennedy did not do what they wanted. And they argued for it. Anyone with brains knew if you bombed Cuba, Russia would probably bomb us and it would be over. Kennedy fought against nuclear war. He was using back channels to deal with Castro and Kruschev. He wasn't going into Viet Nam. He felt other countries should fight their own battles within reason. He didn't want to go Global. He didn't want to emulate Nazi Germany, which during the Third Reich set out to rule the world. He wanted America the way the Constitution decreed. No New World Order.
The 2 cruel and Catholic Diem Bros of South Viet Nam were murdered and North Viet Nam, a Communist country, wanted to take over the South. That Kennedy would not send troops to Viet Nam angered the Vatican. It was the Domino Theory. No matter that Kennedy was Roman Catholic. He was killed 2 weeks after the Diem Bros.
So that's my issue with Gore Vidal, who's now in a wheelchair; and who published a large book of photos his friend took of their lives together over the decades. (The wealth! The opulence!)
Maybe Jackie didn't want to talk to someone who said her slain husband made the worst President. (And the best, according to Gore Vidal was Lincoln.)
One of my favorite writers is Gore Vidal. He had spats with 2 other notable men, one William Buckley, JR, who called him a queer (making 2 syllables out of the word) on TV in 1968 and Bobby Kennedy. Although it dogged his life, I found the funniest anecdote in Vidal's Palimpsest, his first memoir, about him and Bobby Kennedy.
The story goes, there was a party at the White House and Gore Vidal was invited. There were a series of rooms in which guests talked and drank. Gore went into a room where Jackie was. He squatted down, as there were no empty chairs, and rested his hand on Jackie's left shoulder. They began to speak, but the person to her right got her attention. All of a sudden someone knocked his hand off Jackie's shoulder. He looked up. It was Bobby Kennedy who just kept walking. Gore was able to get Jackie's attention again, resting his hand on her shoulder for balance. The person to her right again spoke to her, so Jackie turned to listen. Again, someone knocked Vidal's hand off Jackie's shoulder. It was Bobby Kennedy who left the room.
Gore got up and followed Kennedy. He made sure the door was closed behind him, and the one across the way was already shut. It was just he and Bobby in a hallway. Gore, who towered over Kennedy, said, "Don't you ever do that to me again." To which Bobby replied, "Fuck off, Buddy Boy." To which one of America's Man of Letters heard himself reply, "You fuck off." Gore added no one witnessed this momentous exchange. It got around somehow that Gore was drunk and caused a disturbance at the White House. According to rumor he was thrown out. He claims he left of his own volition with 2 other writers.
Buckley used the fabled incident to say to Gore Vidal on national TV, "I'll punch you in the face -- and you'll stay plastered." As he became more demented, Truman Capote elevated this to the Secret Service picking up Gore physically and depositing him on Pennsylvania Ave!
Jackie never spoke to him again after that party, which is sad. They were stepbrother and stepsister once removed. She used to use his room and wear one of his flannel shirts when she felt chilly. After she died, he published Palimpsest and said a lot of flattering things about her, specifically, her intelligence.
About 15 years ago there was a 2-hour special about Gore Vidal. I wished I had taped it. He was still handsome. And in 2 scenes I saw him drunk. But he was a happy drunk, so it almost doesn't matter. In one scene he was in the back of a limo, on the right, with the photographer apparently on the left jump seat. His dear companion of decades past sang out "New York, New York" loudly and unabashedly. When the concert ended, Gore Vidal looked at the camera and said, "Do you see why I like him? He was the first person I ever met who had a college degree." (Yes, future writers/historians, Gore Vidal never went to college.)
In another scene Gore sat with Susan Sarandon and others in a bar, ridiculing some personage in a descriptive manner, much in the way he writes -- parenthetical phrases (like this one).
The close relationship he enjoyed with Johnny Carson surprised me. They were very close. Gore, of course, speaks eloquently; and Carson hosted a talk show. So no mystery there.
The only thing I really disagree about Gore's look on the world is when he's asked who was the worst President to ever hold office. He says time and again, John Kennedy, with whom he was friendly. Kennedy liked Hollywood gossip and Vidal could provide this.
Anyway, Gore Vidal blames John Kennedy for bringing us closest to nuclear annihilation. Gore should read Brothers by David Talbot. He will see how isolated the Kennedy Bros were from their Joint Chiefs of Staff. These top military officials were telling Kennedy to bomb Cuba. Kennedy did not do what they wanted. And they argued for it. Anyone with brains knew if you bombed Cuba, Russia would probably bomb us and it would be over. Kennedy fought against nuclear war. He was using back channels to deal with Castro and Kruschev. He wasn't going into Viet Nam. He felt other countries should fight their own battles within reason. He didn't want to go Global. He didn't want to emulate Nazi Germany, which during the Third Reich set out to rule the world. He wanted America the way the Constitution decreed. No New World Order.
The 2 cruel and Catholic Diem Bros of South Viet Nam were murdered and North Viet Nam, a Communist country, wanted to take over the South. That Kennedy would not send troops to Viet Nam angered the Vatican. It was the Domino Theory. No matter that Kennedy was Roman Catholic. He was killed 2 weeks after the Diem Bros.
So that's my issue with Gore Vidal, who's now in a wheelchair; and who published a large book of photos his friend took of their lives together over the decades. (The wealth! The opulence!)
Maybe Jackie didn't want to talk to someone who said her slain husband made the worst President. (And the best, according to Gore Vidal was Lincoln.)
Friday, October 22, 2010
Libby Holman Body and Soul
Libby Holman was a torch singer in the 1920s and 1930s. She was considered a beauty and a great songstress. She earned a lot of money.
Libby married into the Reynolds tobacco family. She was Smith Reynolds' second wife and she was kept secret for awhile. 8 months after they wed, they threw a big party. During the party, Holman's new husband was found dead by a gunshot to the top of his head. It was discovered that Libby was having an affair with her husband's secretary, Ab Walker. A trial ensued which attracted a lot of curiosity seekers. But no evidence supported that either Holman or his secretary killed Reynolds.
A book was written about Libby in the 1980s. The biographer believed that an argument ensued between the 3 of them and they were trying to get the gun out of Reynold's hands. In an awkward position the gun discharged and hit Reynolds in the top of the head. After the trial she and Ab Walker never saw each other again.
It was found that Libby was pregnant. Smith Reynolds first wife also had a baby. Libby gave birth to a little boy, Christopher "Topper" Reynolds. She wished to waive all rights to the Reynold's fortune, including her son's claim on the fortune. In an article about Holman from Time Magazine, the writer describes the infant from Smith Reynolds' first marriage, Zachary Smith Reynolds Jr., as "picayune" because he was born prematurely and weighed only 3+1/2 pounds. He too had a claim to the fortune, even though he was "picayune." (I just thought it funny the way they used language in 1933). Later, she adopted 2 other boys.
Holman now had a great deal of notoriety. She would have parties on the grounds of her estate and get drunk and get up to sing. Actor Montgomery Clift often attended these parties and was close friends with Holman; some say lovers. She figured a lot in Monty's biograpyhy, as did Elizabeth Taylor.
Holman was called The Black Widow. Libby was bisexual. Her lover was Louisa Carpenter, a millionairess member of the DuPont family. Many people believed Holman was part black. She loved it. When she would sing, there'd be boos and catcalls. People weren't ready for her and her scandalous life yet.
One time she went to someone's party and began talking to Greta Garbo (herself very secretive); Garbo's companion -- don't know who -- began to ask Libby about her first husband's death, calling her The Black Widow. Garbo, embarrassed, apologized for her companion's rudeness. But Libby had to deal with this image always. She married again, 2 times. Her son Topper, 18, died while climbing Mount Whitney. Eventually Libby gave up and killed herself in "Treetops," her Connecticut estate. Servants found her nearly dead in her Rolls Royce. She died later of carbon monoxide poisoning. The coroner ruled it a suicide. She was suffering from depression over the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Friends believe she was murdered or at least had misgivings. While she had a lethal amount of carbon dioxide in her and was legally drunk, the ignition was turned off. Also she had a garage door that you had to manually open and it was too hard for her to shut or open the heavy door.
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