Birthday Wish, Part 1

Birthday Wish, Part 1

From As The Money Burns by Nicki Woodard

February 27, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 134

About this episode

The episode explores Doris Duke's tumultuous 21st birthday as she navigates her newfound wealth and her mother's expectations.

Another heiress turns 21 thus gaining part of her fortune, but what the richest girl wants most horrifies her mother. November 1933, Doris Duke attempts to spend a quiet 21st birthday at her mansion in Manhattan in remembrance of her father Buck Duke, only to have to flee the press and public attention for Duke Farms in New Jersey. To quell the young heiress's restless spirit, her mother Nanaline Duke finally relents to fulfill one undesirable birthday wish. Other people and subjects include: Nanaline Holt Inman Duke, James Buchanan Duke aka “Buck,” Princess Barbara Hutton Mdivani, Prince Alexis Mdivani, Jenny Renaud, Walker Inman, Marjorie Merriweather Post Hutton, Maury Paul / Cholly Knickerbocker, Greta Garbo, Mrs. Horatio Seymour Shonnard aka Mary Elizabeth Joyce, reporter, bodyguards, students, twenty first / 21st birthday inheritance, trust, avoidance, undercover, unmarried women, independent woman, vocation, potential suitors, cultural arts, speculation, Lindbergh baby kidnapping, kidnapping, college dorm, musical instruments, accordion, Great Danes, tiara, dog collars, press interview, photographers, flappers, gin party types, respectable friends, fashion, Duke Endowment…

People in this episode

Host: Nicki Woodard

Topics covered

  • heiress
  • inheritance
  • family dynamics
  • press attention
  • cultural arts
  • independence

Keywords

  • Doris Duke
  • inheritance
  • Nanaline Duke
  • press
  • 1933
  • cultural arts
  • independent woman

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Manhattan, New Jersey, Duke Farms, Duke mansion, Rough Point, Duke University

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