Bert & Morty

Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper claims she knew Elizabeth Taylor was going to leave husband no. 4, Eddie Fisher for future husband no. 5 (and 6) Richard Burton, and she tried to be the first to break the story but her lawyer wouldn’t allow it to be printed! He was not only Hedda’s lawyer, but also Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor’s! He felt it would be too embarrassing to have have to sue her since he represents all three of them.

Source: Fifty Years of Movie Gossip, The Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 3 1963, Page 32

In the spring of 1946 while filming Desire Me with Robert Mitchum, actress Greer Garson almost drowned! She was filming a shrimp gathering scene on a rocky shore when a huge wave swept her off a rock and into the ocean. A local skipper of sardine fishing boat rescued Miss Garson who was badly cut and bruised during the incident. She was taken to the local hospital and then to her Pebble Beach summer home to recover under a physician’s care.

Source: Greer Garson Escapes Drowning, St. Petersburg Times, Apr 20 1946, Page 13
Photo: GreerGarson.net

In the summer of 1966, actor Jason Robards Jr – husband of Lauren Bacall, was booked on charges of disturbing the peace. Robards was put under a citizen’s arrest by actor Jon Hall after Hall found him and a friend running around his backyard extremely intoxicated, “apparently trying to play Tarzan”. The pair had an enormous Great Dane dog with them that they allegedly tried to get to attack Mrs. Hall by ordering it to “sic”. The dog though merely wagged it’s tail and was not a threat. Robards and his friend were arrested and held in jail a few hours before posting $110 each for bail.

Source: Robards Arrested for Tarzan Caper, Lawrence Journal-World, Aug 22 1966, Page 2
Photo: Corbis

Gossip columns in 1947 reported that Nora Flynn, second wife of Errol Flynn, drove her husband to and from the studio every day.  Cute!

Source: Hedda Says, The Pittsburgh Press, Dec 10 1947, Page 29
Photo: Errol Flynn Tribute Website

After the crash of `29 Bogart was reduced to making eating money playing chess at the numerous “sportlands” on 6th Avenue. For a bet of fifty cents a game he played all comers. Bogart was both a good chess player and hungry, and he won more than he lost. He soon landed a job at an arcade , where he sat in the window playing chess for a dollar a game. Most often he had only a doughnut and coffee for lunch.

Source: Bogie Online
Photo: Reckless Serenade

Before being scheduled to start filming The Vikings in France in 1957, Tony Curtis was hanging around the set with costar Kirk Douglas. During a scene that depicted 150 Vikings storming the English coast, Tony was almost (accidentally) shot with a real arrow. It came close enough that the point of the arrow nicked him and the shaft grazed his eye! He was rushed to the nearest hospital (25 miles away) where an eye specialist assured him he was in no danger of loosing his sight. He sent him home to bed with ice packs.

Source: Tony Curtis’ Eye Grazed by Arrow, The Milwaukee Journal, Jun 12 1957, Page 1
Photo: A Certain Cinema

The day of Rita Hayworth’s wedding to 3rd husband, Prince Aly Ahan, he gave her an extravagant wedding present – a diamond ring as big as a belt buckle! It was so big that at the time, experts could not even estimate its carats. One of the experts remarked, “It’s so big that it would tire even a weight lifter to wear it for more than an hour.” Another said, “It’s so big that she should watch she does not fracture her finger getting it on and off.”

Source: Rita Given Huge Diamond by Aly, Beaver Valley Times, May 27 1949, Page 9
Photo: Life Magazine

In 1945 Fred Astaire announced he was retiring. He said, “I’ve been dancing since I was four years old and I think it’s time I took a rest.” His retirement was very short lived and he was back making movies within months. Had he retired he never would have made the classics, On the Beach or Funny Face!

Source: Fred Astaire to Quit Dancing, The Deseret News, Sept 21 1945, Page 8

In 1947 Kirk Douglas starred in a Broadway revival of the play Heaven Can Wait. This was very early in his career and perhaps he was still nervous because he discreetly placed a picture of his good luck charm in one of the scenes of the play. Kirk Douglas’ good luck charm was Lauren Bacall. He used to be a waiter in a restaurant she frequented. Lauren told Warner Bros. producer Hal Wallis about him, who signed him to a contract and the rest is history. Kirk went on to have a long and successful career.

Source: Cornel Wants His Wife in ‘Arms aand the Man’, The Miami News, Dec 11 1947, Page 36

In 1957, the Italian post office reported that Sophia Loren was receiving more mail than the president of Italy!

Source: La Loren: A Heavenly Body Becomes a Star, The Milwaukee Sentinel, April 14 1957, Page 62