Peggy Hopkins Joyce,
Louise Fazenda, Toby Wing, "Minnow" Rawls, Dorothy Kilgallen,
Dorothy Shay, Faye Emerson, Betty Furness, Zasu Pitts, Arlene
Francis, Hedda Hopper. All were eminently newsworthy in their
day, but are now mostly unknown to generations to whom even the
Sixties are history. As a friend of mine puts it, their average
age is deceased. So, what made them famous back when?
Peggy Hopkins Joyce
— (1893-1957) She acted on stage and screen, was said to
be the model for Lorelei Lee in Anita Loos’ 1925 novel, Gentlemen
Prefer Blondes, had two books written about her: Gold Digger:
The Outrageous Life of Peggy Hopkins Joyce, by Connie Rosenbloom
and The Gentlemen Preferred Blonde, by Eve Golden, but
she was best known for was not acting but matrimony. She married
six times.
Louise Fazenda
— (1895-1962) A film actress who appeared in Mack Sennett’s
silent comedies and later acted in sound films, six of them produced
by her second husband, Hal B. Wallis.
Toby Wing (1915-2001)
— An original Goldwyn Girl, billed as "the girl with the
face like the morning sun." Her swains included Maurice Chevalier,
Alfred Vanderbilt, Franklin Roosevelt, Jr. and Jackie Coogan and
her films included Palmy Days, with Eddie Cantor and Busby
Berkeley’s 42nd Street. She appeared with Claudette Colbert,
Marlene Dietrich, Ida Lupino, Dick Powell, Fred MacMurray, Jack
Oakie, Carol Lombard and John Barrymore.
Katherine "Minnow"
Rawls — (1918 -) She won a slew of medals in swimming
events at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles at the age of
14 and was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
1937 for swimming. . I was 15 when I saw a picture of her in her
swimsuit in Time Magazine and developed an instant crush.
Ms. Rawls later became a WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots).
Dorothy Kilgallen
— (1913-1965) One of the most widely-read, influential and
controversial columnists of her day. She wrote for the New
York Journal-American. She raced around the world with two
other journalists and a book about it, Girl Around the World,
was made into a movie. Reuben’s Restaurant named a sandwich for
her. She and her husband co-hosted a daily radio show and on a
TV show, What’s My Line, she was on the panel with John
Daly. At 52, while working on her files about the JFK assassination,
into which she was delving, she was found dead in her room. One
theory was she died of a fatal combination of prescription drugs
and alcohol. Another was that she was murdered because of information
she had in her files.
Dorothy Shay
— (1921-1978) A popular café singer who was billed as "the
Park Avenue Hillbilly" because she sprinkled her act with corny
hillbilly songs like "Uncle Fud."
Faye Emerson
— (1917-1983) A leading television personality of her day,
she was once married to Elliot Roosevelt and later to Skitch Henderson,
an important musician. Had her own program on television and in
1953 and 1954 did another regular program, Faye and Skitch, with
him. Also appeared in a number of movies. What I remember best
about her is that she wore low-cut gowns and in those innocent
days was obliged to wear a scarf covering her cleavage when on
the air.
Betty Furness
— (1916-1994). Began modeling at 14 and appeared in films,
on the stage, on radio and TV (she was on the Today Show from
1974 until 1990). She was also know away from the cameras as an
expert needlepointer.
Zasu Pitts —
(1894-1963). Movie actress known for her fluttery hands. First
in silent movies and later in many movies with sound. Acted in
radio dramas and her TV credits include a costarring role with
Gale Storm on "Oh, Susanna." She was pictured on a US commemorative
postage stamp in 1994.
Arlene Francis
— (1907- 2001) Worked in radio soap operas and was a leading
personality on TV best known for What's My Line for 25
years. Also performed on the stage and in movies. From the Sixties
until 1990 she hosted a popular radio show in New York.
Hedda Hopper —
(1890-1966). A Hollywood gossip columnist, she was a rival of
columnist Louella Parsons and was known for her huge collection
of hats.
David Westheimer,
SeniorWomenWeb's resident male, lives with his wife of 57 years,
Dody, in the same Los Angeles apartment they moved into from Houston,
Texas 41 years ago. Their son, Fred, is a Senior Vice-President
at the William Morris Agency and his younger brother, Eric, is
a veterinarian. Succeeding generations include five grandchildren
and two great-grandchildren. As a journalist, David worked for
Oveta Culp Hobby.
At 85, David Westheimer
continues to write, and not just for Senior Women. The Great
Wounded Bird, his recollections of World War II, is winner
of the Texas Review 1999 poetry prize, was published by Texas
Review Press and may be ordered from Amazon Books, where it has
surged to 821,374th on their sales list. It is also listed with
Barnes & Noble and Borders Books. David's latest novel, Delay
En Route, is hovering at 1,485,676th on Amazon's list.
Poet and novelist,
David is a retired Air Force Officer. He can be reached for a
repertoire of feigned curmudgeonly remarks at: DWestheime@aol.com.
