As The Money Burns

Another debutante season is beginning, and a new crop of beauties are already making a splash. September – October 1933, Jakey Astor enjoys being the most eligible bachelor and is looking for a wife. Several debutantes attend early debut events before the official social season begins, while one lad turns into a professional party thrower to survive his economic downturn. Other people and subjects include: Louise Van Alen, Vincent Astor, Eva Stotesbury, Madeleine Talmage Force Dick, Enzo Fiermonte, Katherine Force Spencer, William “Sam” Van Alen, Elizabeth “Betty” Kent Van Alen, Caroline Astor, Eileen Gillespie, Ellen “Tucky” French, Virginia Kent, Atwater Kent, Atwater Kent Jr., Betty Morris, Charles Ewing Green Lloyd, Hildegarde Graham, Miguel deBraganza, Adelaide Moffett, Alice Andre, Jorge Andre Jr., Agnes Pyne, Chadwick Wiggin, De Forest Mellon, Bayard Walker, Caroline Sawyer, Joan Blake, Katherine Blake, Nancie Stewart, Margaret Salvage, Gwendolyn Gwynne, Louise Whitehouse, Nelson McAllister Lloyd, Susanna Green Lloyd (Susannah), social factotum, social secretary de luxe, Vogue feature, debutantes, legalized beer bars, milk bar, stag line, redlight ticket, Jane Austen Pride & Prejudice quote, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Villa Rosa Newport cottage, Sonogee estate, Wheatley Hill, Muenchinger King Hotel, Hotel Pierre, Princeton University, Princeton Inn, Princeton, NJ, Ardmore, PA, Montecito, CA, Middletown, RI, Newport, Bar Harbor, Long Island, tracking down names and lineages, getting more details, hints and seeds at future storylines and scandals, marital overlaps, divorcees and remarriages, betrayals, affairs, Capote’s Swans, Swan husbands’ earlier wives, affairs, secrets, homosexuality and lesbianism, future link between characters, developing story about romance and seduction, dating again in modern era, AI sexbots and companions, frustration tolerance, negotiation, compromise,… Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.

Some weddings might be grand, but nothing catches more attention than a good divorce scandal. August – September 1933, the marriage of Prince Alexis Mdivani and heiress Barbara Hutton has caused a lot of press attention on the couple as well as those around them. His two older brothers, Prince Serge Mdivani and Prince David Mdivani are in the papers again for their divorces and issues around their oil company. While youngest brother Prince Alexis and Barbara enjoy positive coverage, Prince Serge finds himself in a bitter press battle with soon to be ex-wife, opera singer Mary McCormic. Other people and subjects include: Franklyn Hutton, Louise Van Alen (referenced, not mentioned), Cobina Wright, Pola Negri, Princess Mae Murray Mdivani, Princesss Roussadana “Roussie” Mdivani Sert, Prince David – Prince of Wales – future King Edward VIII – Duke of Windsor, Lady Thelma Morgan Furness, Princess Marquesa de Portago, Lily Damita, Janet Snowden, Prince Caravita, John de Braganza, Lord Nicholas “Dickie” Mountbatten, Archpriest Jacob Smirnoff, Samuel Insull, Insull energy empire, Pacific Shore Oil Company, Charles Lindbergh, Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Marion Campbell, Nipo Strongheart, Mary Garden, Chester MacCormic – Macomic – Macormac, Kenneth Rankin, Reba McCormic, Harold McCormick, Edith Rockefeller, Ganna Walska, terrible singer, Cowgirl soprano, opera career advice, protégé, Chicago Civic Opera House, Russia, Soviet state Georgia, Biarritz, Moscow, Paris, Los Angeles, Liberty Magazine, Good Housekeeping, new Mdivani source, Tallulah Bankhead, Maurice Chevalier, Mistinguett, Yvonne Vallee, Rudy Vallee, divorce, remarriage, Orson Welles, Citizen Kane, Susan Alexander, William Randolph Hearst, Joseph Pulitzer, Florence Foster Jenkins, Meryl Streep, Enrico Caruso, Cole Porter, Lily Pons, cult musical camp, Alexander Winton, Winton automobile, Bobby Franks, Richard Loeb, Nathan Leopold, Clarence Darrow, Eva Stotesbury, Massie Rape Trial, Los Angeles Olympics, 1932 events, Amelia Earhart, Al Capone, circular connections, reconstructing & reconnecting the past, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, Queen Victoria, Prince Philip, Prince Charles – Princes of Wales – King Charles III of Great Britain, Faith Baldwin, romance writer, female novelist, What Is Wrong With American Marriages syndicated news article series – Part 6th Pitfalls of International Marriage, Mademoiselle Dollar - American dollar princess, Adele Astaire, Fred Astaire, Lord Charles Cavendish, Boni de Castellane, Anna Gould, Duke of Marlborough, Consuelo Vanderbilt, Gladys Deacon, Sally Rand, risque striptease dance, messy divorces, too public, chaos, high passion, burnout, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, divorce book,… Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.

Another heir, another birthday, 2 fortunes, a special gift, and by chance possibly someone to share it with September 1933, three new bachelor heirs are fresh on the market, or are they? Alfred “Alfy” Vanderbilt Jr. comes into his fortune but gets an even better gift from his mother. Alfy along with Jakey Astor and Wooly Donahue are more serious and not interested in being the typical playboy heirs, but questions remain as to who is really still on the market. Other people and subjects include: Princess Barbara Hutton Mdivani, Prince Alexis Mdivani, James HR Cromwell aka “Jimmy,” John Jacob Astor VI aka “Jakey,” John Jacob Astor IV aka “Jack,” Vincent Astor, Alice Ava Muriel Astor Obolensky von Hofmannsthal, Caroline Astor, Madeleine Talmage Force Astor Dick, Jessie Woolworth Donahue, Woolworth “Wooly” Donahue, Alfred “Freddy” Vanderbilt Sr, Margaret “Maggie” Emerson McKim Vanderbilt Baker Amory, Captain Isaac “Ike” Emerson, Ellen “Elsie Tuck French Vanderbilt, Ellen “Tucky” Tuck French, Alice Vanderbilt, Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Grace Wilson Vanderbilt, Cornelius Vanderbilt III aka “Neily,” Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, Sr. aka “Freddy,” Willaim “Bill” Vanderbilt, Reginald “Reggie” Vanderbilt, George Washington Vanderbilt III, William Henry Vanderbilt III – future Governor of Rhode Island, Dorothy “Dotty” Fell, Dorothy “Dolly” de Milhau, Gladys Munn, Pulitzer family, Dr. Smith Hollins McKim, Charles Minot Armory, Raymond Baker, Gloria Baker, Delphine Dodge Cromwell Baker, Ronald Denyer, Agnes O’Brien Ruiz, Sagamore Stables – Sagamore Farms, Preakness Stakes, Pimlico Racecourse of Baltimore, Belmont Racetrack of New York, racehorses, horsey set, birthday party and dance, bachelors, secret engagements, playboys, childhood friends, best gal, sea victims, iceberg, torpedo, scandal, affair, suicide, spousal abuse, St. Georges school in Newport, St. Paul’s school in New Hampshire, Harvard, Yale, private tutors, trusts, ocean liners Europa, Titanic, Lusitania, Mauretania, Paris, Newport, Saratoga, Sands Point, Long Island, Bromo-Seltzer, sodium bicarbonate, pharmacist, antacid, painkiller, sedative, tranquilizer, hangover remedy, Mount Bromo of Java, Alka-Seltzer, Bayer, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), tv series, The Simpsons, The Golden Girls, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Rogers and Hart, Broadway musical Guys and Dolls, Spike Jones’s spoof remake song “Laura,” Otto Preminger, Laura film, Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, German U-boat U-20, torpedo, lifeboats, lifejackets, young mother with baby, Cunard, Blue Riband, wounded soldiers, munitions, Germany, Britain, and United States, warship, passenger ship, racehorses, War Admiral, Seabiscuit, screenwriter James Vanderbilt, 2007 Zodiac, 2012 The Amazing Spider-Man, 2016 Independence Day: Resurgence, Scream franchise 2022 & 2023, effects of loss, identity, connection to loved one, heroism, lionization, fast vehicles and cars, animals, nature, nurture, troubles,… Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.

Young love burns bright and impulsively as an heiress runs off to marry her prince, only to regret it days later. August 1933, Janet Snowden finally meets her very own Prince Caravita and rushes into marriage. When days later she has a sudden change of heart, their story is all over the press, and her life gets into danger. Other people and subjects include: Barbara Hutton, Prince Alexis Mdivani, Louise Van Alen, Doris Duke, Marjorie Merriweather Post Hutton, Evalyn Walsh McLean, Huntington Hartford, Frank Shields, Prince Girolamo “Jerome” Rospigliosi, Marian Snowden, Mrs. Marian Adair Snowden Davidson – Mrs. Walter Davidson, Commander Walter Davidson, Janet Snowden, Prince Don Francesco di Sirignano Caravita of Naples, Prince John de Braganza of Portugal , Princess Anita Stewart de Braganza (Miguel de Braganza), Alva Vanderbilt, Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duke of Marlborough, William Vanderbilt, Oliver Belmont, Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill, Boniface “Boni” de Castellane, Anna Gould, Marquis of Talleyrand-Perigord – Duke of Sagan, Friederick Nietzsche, Zarathustra, Mrs. Edith Crockett, Supreme Justice George Taylor, Jr., Hugh Herbert, Tallulah Bankhead, Robert Montgomery, Will Rogers, Al Jolson, 1927 The Jazz Singer, blackface, American dollar princess, Great Depression, Prohibition, the Gilded Age, dispossessed royalty, elopement, minor, annulment, romantic friendship, kidnapping threat, ocean liner Rex, Manhattan, Newport, Rhode Island, Westchester, Florence, Italy, Savoy Plaza Hotel, Allerton House for Women, champagne party, speakeasy, history from female perspective, seeking male side of story, euphemisms, virginal, unconsummated, impotency, gay or bearded marriage, bride, starlet, star, alienation of affection, rebound relationship, heartbreak, scandal, modern dating dilemmas, return to dating, dating on the rebound, Jennifer Lopez, Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, Anna Bey… Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.

A big birthday arrives with a large inheritance and thus the ability to finally control one’s life or so it seems. August 1933, Jakey Astor finally turns 21 and comes into his fortune. Only other troubles complicate his rise into Society. Meanwhile several debutantes are lining up to be the future young Mrs. Astor. Other people and subjects include: Doris Duke, Barbara Hutton, Prince Alexis Mdivani, Louise Van Alen, James HR Cromwell aka “Jimmy,” Cobina Wright, James “Henry” Van Alen aka Jimmy, Huntington Hartford, Henrietta Harford, Mary Lee Epling Hartford, Frank Shields, Rebecca “Billie” Tenney Shields, Franklyn Hutton, Grace Wilson Vanderbilt, Cornelius Vanderbilt III aka Neily, Countess Gladys Vanderbilt Szechenyi, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, Jr., Alice Vanderbilt, Alfred Vanderbilt, George Vanderbilt, Caroline Astor, Vincent Astor, John Jacob Astor VI aka Jakey, John Jacob Astor IV aka Jack or Colonel, Helen Dinsmore Astor, Alice Ava Muriel Astor Obolensky von Hofmannsthal, Madeleine Talmage Force Astor Dick, Katherine Emmons Force Spencer, Lorillard Spencer, William Dick, Enzo Fiermonte, James “Jeem” Donahue aka Jimmy, LeBrun “Brunie” Rhinelander, Princess Donna Cristina Torlonia (Christina, Christiana, Cristiana), Viscount Duncannon, Eileen Gillespie, Ellen Tuck “Tucky” French, Betty Morris, Mary de Mumm, Leta Morris, Phyllis Gillespie, Rose Winslow, Penelope Winslow, Virginia French, Francis Ormond French – Frankie, Marrying Frenches, Marrying Wilsons, Divorcing Mdivanis, Gold Dust Twins, Sea Victims, iceberg, torpedo, Mrs. Marguerite Skirvin Adams, Perle Reid Skirvin – Mrs. George Mesta, Katherine Howard, Charles Townsend, Social Register, sand castle design, treasure hunt, aviation exhibition, Tennis Week, mating game, marital proposals, dances, debutantes, World War I, Titanic, Lusitania, New York, Washington, D.C., Bar Harbor, Saratoga, Naragansett, Newport, Rhode Island, Rough Point, Seaverge, Beaulieu, Breakers, Chastellux, Beachmound, Mid-Cliff, Malbone, Cliff’s Walk, Bailey’s Beach, Muenchinger-King Hotel, Thames Street, St. Georges school, Harvard University, BehindtheName.com, Census charts, familiarizing unknown people, popular names, repeating names, origin, lineage, clarity, Byzantine history, Arab history, John Palaiologos (Paleologos), Michael Palaiologos (Paleologos), John the Climax, John the Impotent, Robert Adams, Jenny Marston, Lawrence Tibbett, Benjamin Shaw, Sr., Harry Thaw, Stanford White, Evelyn Nesbit, Madison Square Garden rooftop, sexual scandal, special dates, anticipation, let down, setback, finding positives, self-delusion,… Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.

While one honeymoon falls apart, another set of bachelors appear on the matrimonial market. #BarbaraHutton, #PrinceMdivani, #honeymoon, #Stotesbury, #MarryingMdivanis, #politicalspeech, #Astor, #restoringthethrone Barbara Hutton, Prince Mdivani, honeymoon, Stotesbury, Marrying Mdivanis, political speech, Astor, restoring the throne June - July 1933, Barbara Hutton and Prince Alexis Mdivani continue on their honeymoon, while Woolworth family members, Doris Duke, and Louise Van Alen try to avoid residual press scrutiny. Meanwhile on July 20th, 1933, Jakey Astor prepares to be the most popular bachelor in Newport this summer, Jimmy Cromwell gives a speech at Whitemarsh Hall for his new book, and Prince Serge Mdivani and Prince David Mdivani return from overseas to deal with their divorces, citizenship, and potential bid to restore their royal thrones. Other people and subjects include: Doris Duke, John Jacob Astor VI aka “Jakey,” Louise Van Alen – formerly Princess Mdivani, James HR Cromwell aka “Jimmy,” Huntington Hartford, Vincent Astor, Daisy Van Alen, Eva Stotesbury, E.T. Stotesbury, Franklyn Hutton, Irene Hutton, Germaine “Ticki” Touquet, Prince David Mdivani, Princess Mae Murray Mdivani, Prince Serge Mdivani, Princess Mary McCormic Mdivani, Princess Nina Mdivani Huberich, Charles Huberich, General Zahkari Mdivani, Jessie Woolworth Donahue, James “Jeem” Donahue aka Jimmy, Woolworth “Wooly” Donahue, Helena Woolworth McCann, Helena McCann, Caroline Astor, John Jacob Astor IV aka “Jack,” Madeleine Talmage Force Astor Dick, William Dick, Enzo Fiermonte, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, Jr., Alice Vanderbilt, Donna Cristina Torlonia (Christina, Cristiana, Christiana), LeBrun “Brunie” Rhinelander, Mrs. Jock Whitney – Bessie Dobson Altemus Eastman, Lord Poulett – Earl of Poulett, Bridget Poulett, Prince Michael Romanoff, President Franklin Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, Mahatma Gandhi, Russian imperial throne, Georgian royal throne, citizenship, Tinseltown army – militia, Republican Women’s Committee of Philadelphia, ocean liners – Rex, Europa, Italy, Titanic, Lusitania, Venice, Lido, Newport, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Reno, Saratoga, Southampton, Wooldon Manor, Whitemarsh Hall, Ali Baba motorboat, Voice of Young America book, biographies, documentaries, increased press coverage, press target, condemnation, praise, orchidaceous, camera shy, heartfree, modern influencer, Nancy Randolph, romance and scandal, divorces, honeymoon, diet, mono focus in history, parallel events and people, Jennifer Anniston, Angelina Jolie, love triangles, females pitted against each other, public humiliation, teasers, wealthy, celebrity, press attention, August 2024 Stock Market Crash, American Dow, Magnificent Seven Stocks – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta – Facebook, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, 1929 Stock Market Crash,… Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.

A royal wedding draws a large crowd, but could the honeymoon be over already? June 1933, Barbara Hutton and Prince Alexis Mdivani have the first of their two wedding ceremonies in Paris. With all the press attention, the Prince’s royal title comes back into question, while his brothers Prince Serge Mdivani and Prince David Mdivani deal with divorce petitions. Other people and subjects include: Franklyn Hutton, Irene Hutton, Louise Van Alen – formerly Princess Mdivani, E.F. Hutton, Marjorie Merriweather Post Hutton, Jessie Woolworth Donahue, Helena Woolworth McCann, Princess Roussadana “Roussie” Mdivani Sert, Josep Maria Sert, Prince David Mdivani, Princess Mae Murray Mdivani, Koran Mdivani, Prince Serge Mdivani, Princess Mary McCormic Mdivani, Princess Nina Mdivani Huberich, General Zahkari Mdivani, Czar / Tsar Nicholas II Romanov, Prince of Wales – Prince David – future King Edward VIII – Duke of Windsor, Viscountess Thelma Morgan Furness, Wallis Simpson – future Duchess of York, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, Gloria Vanderbilt, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Prince of Asturias Infante Alfonso, Cuban commoner bride, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, Jean Patou, Coco Chanel, Sam Insull, former Marshal of Nobility in Georgia Nicholas Dadiani, Georgian Minister Araki Tchenkeli, Assistant Mayor of Paris Daniel Marin, Georgian royal family Bagriotinis, ocean liner Bremen, motor boat Ali Baba, Lausanne, Switzerland, Los Angeles, 8th Arrondisement & 16th Arrondisement in Paris, Hotel Ritz – Ritz Carlton in Paris, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – L’Eglise Russe – Russian Church, Eastern Orthodox religion, Russian Imperial family, 1850 Russian Imperial Decree of 50 Georgian Princes, 1892 list of aristocratic families by Russian Imperial government Department of Heraldry, phony titles, fake royals, pretenders, Russian exiles, aristocrats, nobles, deposed royals, Bolshevik Revolution, Romanian royalty, Swedish royalty, nobility, aristocracy, industrial aristocracy, morganatic marriages, engagement rings, square cut platinum engagement ring, black pearl engagement ring, jade necklace, Argentine polo ponies, Cartier clock, Baccarat crystal, Limoges porcelain, fashion, beach pajamas, donation to the poor, bachelor party, bachelorette party, honeymoon, fever, June wedding season, wedding invitations, wedding gifts, private detectives, withholding information as story device, story hints, mother’s influence, losing mother, old History Fair teacher sponsor, It Must Be Love 6 article romance series, flour heiress marries librarian, Hollywood starlet marries childhood sweetheart, banker marries waitress, British earl marries white daughter of Indian rajah, questions for listeners,… Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.