Katherine Hepburn Exhibit: Dressed for Stage and Screen

 

Billy Rose Theatre Collection, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

Most of the time living in New York is delightful, and there are few other cities on this planet (apart from London) that I could see myself living.  However, holiday weekends in New York can be a pain, particularly this past weekend with all the sales going on.  To escape the crowds, I headed up to the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center to see the Katherine Hepburn exhibt entitled 'Dressed for State and Screen.'

While I've been a fan of Katherine Hepburn's since I was a kid, I've never thought of her as a style icon but walking through the exhibit, I had to change my mind.  The exhibit was sponsored by the Kent State University Museum, the recipiant of Hepburn's costumes and other theatrical paraphenalia after her death.  The exhibit wasn't huge but the items they had on display were choice, including the evening gown that she wore in ADAM'S RIB, and the wedding dress that she wore in the Broadway production of The Lake (the famous production of which Dorothy Parker wrote that Hepburn ran 'the gamut of emotion from A to B').

Although I've read several biographies of Hepburn, I learned a few things during this exhibit that I hadn't known before. 

1)  Katherine Hepburn apparently at one time had a 20 inch waist.  Seriously, and I'm not talking with the help of a girdle or a corset.  I don't think my waist has ever been smaller than 24 inches!

2) She made a movie with Bob Hope called THE IRON PETTICOAT which hopefully TCM will show at some point because that is the craziest pairing probably in movie history.  No, I take that back pairing Hepburn with Nick Nolte was probably crazier.  Apparently in THE IRON PETTICOAT, Hepburn plays a Soviet flyer who is introduced to the delights of the west by Bob Hope.  Here's the synopsis from TCM:  'Captain Vinka Kovelenko defects from Russia, but not for political reasons. She defects because she feels discriminated against as a woman. Captain Chuck Lockwood gets the order to show her the bright side of capitalism, while she tries to convince him of the superority of communism. Naturally, they fall in love, but there's still the KGB, which doesn't like the idea of having a defected Russian officer running around in London.'  The exhibit had her costume from the film, a drab olive uniform.  Apparently Hepburn really wanted the uniform to be a drab color and not bright green.

3) Hepburn made quite a few films based on the plays of James M. Barrie including Little Minister and Quality Street.

Walking through the exhibit I was reminded of so many Hepburn films that I've loved over the years including THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (Apparently Hepburn wanted Clark Gable to be her co-star in the movie!).   The exhibit had a dress that she wore in the film that she later recycled when she played Amanda in a TV version of Tennessee William's play THE GLASS MENAGERIE with Sam Waterston.  She made 4 movies with Cary Grant, 3 of which are classics (BRINGING UP BABY, HOLIDAY and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY.)  It made me wish that she had done more movies with Grant and fewer with Spencer Tracy frankly.

The coolest part of the exhibit was the display case with various pairs of pants that Hepburn wore.  Along with Marlene Dietrich, she was one of the few starss back in the day who were regularly photographed in pants, which the studios hated but she would not be budged.  If they took away her jeans or her trousers, she would just apparently walk around on set in her underwear until they gave them back.  It's hard to imagine Hepburn wearing dresses, although she wore some stunning ones in her films.

The Hepburn exhibit contains quite a few photos, as well  as posters, scrapbooks, press clippings, and, of course, clothes. Some of the gems include two costumes from LOVE AMONG THE RUINS, a movie directed by George Cukor, starring Hepburn and Laurence Olivier; two outfits that Hepburn bought from Chanel when she played the designer in the Broadway musical Coco (she wasn't sure that Cecil Beaton's costumes would be right), her hat from Alice Adams, and the costumes from Mrs. Delafied. There's also a a letter from her favorite wig-making company, in London; her make-up case, several pairs of shoes, and an audio conversation between Hepburn and Louis Botto, a Playbill Magazine's senior editor, who was working on a biography of costume designer Walter Plunkett, with whom she did 11 films.

There's also a book, that's not tied to the exhibition, but is a must-have for all film buffs entitled Katherine Hepburn:  Rebel Chic.

The exhibit runs through January at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Book Review: Constance - The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs. Oscar Wilde

Title:  Constance - The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs. Oscar Wilde

Author:  Franny Moyle

Publisher: Pegasus

Publication date: 10/10/2012

Acquired through:  Net Galley

What it’s about: 

In the spring of 1895 the life of Constance Wilde changed irrevocably. Up until the conviction of her husband, Oscar, for homosexual crimes, she had held a privileged position in society. Part of a gilded couple, she was a popular children's author, a fashion icon, and a leading campaigner for women's rights. A founding member of the magical society The Golden Dawn, her pioneering and questioning spirit encouraged her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Mrs. Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in her own right. But that spring Constance's entire life was eclipsed by scandal. Forced to flee to the Continent with her two sons, her glittering literary and political career ended abruptly. She lived in exile until her death.

My thoughts:  I’ve been fascinated by Oscar Wilde ever since I saw Peter Egan’s portrayal of him in the miniseries Lillie on PBS back when I was in junior high.  This was the man who wrote one of my favorite plays THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, the celebrity of the late Victorian era, which just so happens to be one of my favorite periods of history as well. Over the years I’ve read biographies, attended an exhibition of his work at the Morgan Library, seen the film WILDE starring Stephen Fry as a curiously muted Oscar, I’ve even enjoyed Gyles Brandreth’s mystery series where Oscar plays sleuth.  However, I’ve never really given a thought to his wife Constance but then again neither did Wilde towards the end of his life (nor does she play much of a part in Brandreth’s mystery series either).  She was always just there in the background, rather muted, almost like the wallpaper.

Now however Franny Moyle has breathed life into Constance in her new biography Constance:  The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs. Oscar Wilde which was just published recently in the US.  I almost bought the paperback in London (which has a lovely purple cover) but I already had so many books to bring back, that I was afraid that one more would tip the scales when I checked my bag at Heathrow.  I’m delighted to stay that the biography more than lives up to its title.  Constance turns out to have had quite an interesting and fruitful life apart from just being Mrs. Oscar Wilde, although she was more than proud to claim the name until the scandal broke in 1895.

Like Oscar, Constance Mary Lloyd (1859 – 1898) came from a rather distinguished family.  Her father Horace was a barrister who died when she was sixteen, leaving her with her mother who turned out to be emotionally as well as physically abusive to Constance.  Thanks to the intervention of her brother Otho, Constance ending up living with her paternal grandfather and her aunts after her mother remarried. Because of her mother’s treatment, Constance was initially rather shy and reticent in company, but she soon came out of her shell.  It’s a shame that she never went to university, although she took several courses, because she seems to have been incredibly intellectually curious.  She spoke several languages including French and German, later learning Italian during her time in exile in Italy.   Although she didn’t meet Oscar until she was an adult, their families knew each other in Ireland, Otho and Oscar were actually contemporaries at Oxford.  Oscar had recently had his heart broken by Florence Balcombe who rejected his suit in favor of another Irishman, Bram Stoker.

Looking at the pictures of Constance included in the biography, it’s easy to see why Oscar fell for her.  She’s very pretty, with luxurious dark hair and big eyes, with a solemn expression, at least in photographs.  By all accounts, Constance was a lively, outspoken woman who had many admirers although she only had eyes for Oscar.  At the time of their courtship, Oscar was embarking on the lecture tours of the United States that did much to make him famous on both sides of the Atlantic. The couple were finally married in the spring of 1884, moving shortly afterwards into their home at Tite Street, decorated by Edwin Godwin, that would forever after be associated with Wilde. Within two years, Constance and Oscar would have two sons, Cyril and Vvyan.

It was fascinating to discover that Constance was more than just Mrs. Oscar Wilde, an appendage on his arm, at first nights and social gatherings.  Constance was determined from the beginning of their marriage, out of both necessity and also her own desire, to have some sort of a career.  At first she thought of going on the stage, but determined that she had neither the talent or nor the drive for it, especially once she had children. She determined to become a writer, and actually succeeded, at first writing theater reviews, and then publishing several books for children.  When Oscar became the editor of Women’s World, Constance published a few articles, but she then became the editor for the newsletter for the Radical Dress Society.  Constance also held “at-homes” which were wildly popular with their artistic and bohemian crowd.  In fact, Constance’s social life was just as active as Oscar’s, she was a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn for a while, was a member of the Society of Psychical Research, became heavily involved in liberal politics, supporting suffrage for women and Home Rule for Ireland. The list of causes and societies that Constance was involved in was as long as my arm.  In fact, this is the portion of the book that drags a bit along with the list of surrogate mothers that Constance sought out since her own was so lacking.

I found the sections dealing with Constance as a mother to be far more interesting. While her eldest son Cyril was much loved from the start, it wasn’t until Vvyan was older, that he became interesting to his mother and they forged a strong bond.  As a child, Vvyan was constantly being shuffled off to friends and a relative because Constance felt that he was sickly and needed to be out of London. By all accounts, Constance and Oscar were loving and devoted parents who actually spend time playing with their children, as opposed to just seeing them for an hour in the morning or before bedtime. Of course they had nannies and governesses like most Victorian children, but Constance was very involved in her children’s lives, finding the right schools and governesses for them. Later on when Vvyan wasn’t happy at the school he and Cyril were attending in Germany, Constance found another school in Monaco that he liked much more.

Constance comes across as an extremely likeable and level-headed woman on the one hand, despite suffering from ill-health; she never let it keep her down.  Her one blind spot seems to have been her husband.  She was devoted to him and adored him utterly. It never seems to have occurred to her until it was too late that her husband’s friendships with young men like Lord Alfred Douglas were more than that. It’s unclear whether she was just ignoring the obvious or was ignorant as a lot of women were to the idea that there were men who liked men. The hardest and saddest part of the book is the last third which deals with Oscar’s relationship, and his neglect of Constance and their children. Bosie seems to have brought out all of Oscar’s worst qualities, his selfishness and narcissism which had been tempered and balanced by Constance.  Although he’d had relationships with other men, starting with his seduction by Robbie Ross, it was his relationship with Bosie that tipped the scales and made him reckless.

Although I still adore Oscar Wilde, I find it hard to forgive the pain and suffering that he put not only Constance and his children through but also his mother, by his reckless pursuit of a libel suit against the Marquess of Queensbury (Bosie’s father).  How he ever thought that he was going to win is beyond me.  He’d already been blackmailed by several rent boys over his relationships with them. He also spent wildly buying expensive cigarette cases, and taking them out to dinner at the Café Royal, taking suites at the Savoy and the Cadogan Hotel. It was one hell of a mid-life crisis, particularly when you consider that he had not one, but two, successful West End plays  running, An Ideal Husband (how ironic) and The Importance of Being Earnest. I can’t fault Constance for the actions that she took when she realized that Oscar was going to not only lose the libel case but also would be arrested for gross indecency.  Not only did she change the family name to Holland, but she also moved herself and the boys abroad to escape the scandal. Although it seems harsh, I can understand why she felt the need to keep the boys from Oscar while he was still involved with Bosie.

It’s sad that in the end, Constance and Wilde were never able to reconcile their differences truly, and that she died so tragically young, after an operation to improve her back problems.

Verdict:  Thanks to Franny Moyle’s biography, Constance Wilde steps out of Oscar’s shadow and into the spotlight. Well worth the read to get the other side of the story.  Moyle manages to keep Wilde from taking over the book, allowing Constance through her letters to shine.

 

Meet the Author

Franny Moyle has a degree in English and History of Art from St John's College, Cambridge, and is the author of Desperate Romantics. She was a leading arts producer at the BBC, which culminated in her becoming the corporation's first Commissioner for Arts and Culture, and is now a freelance writer in London.

 

Election Day Special: Female Heads of State

Today is Election Day here in the United States which got me thinking about the fact that we are one of the few Western nations that has never had a female head of state.  In our 200+ years as a nation, we have had two women run for Vice President, three female Secretaries of State, and one female Speaker of the House.  Yet we still haven’t managed to have a female at the top of the ticket, although we’ve come close.  Here is just salute to some of the female Heads of State in recent history (check out this link on Wikipedia for the complete list of current and former Female Heads of State). Some of these women were the first female heads of state in their countries.  Some came from political dynasties but all fought hard-won elections to become the head of State in their countries.  What surprised me was how many Latin American countries have female Presidents.  Yes, those macho countries have female Presidents!  Here’s hoping that we in the US won’t have to wait to long for a female President.  Here's to 2016!

Golda Meir:  Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974.  Israel's first and the world's third woman to hold such an office.  Former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion used to call Meir "the best man in the government"; she was often portrayed as the "strong-willed, straight-talking, grey-bunned grandmother of the Jewish people".

 Margaret Thatcher:  Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1979 to 1990.  She is the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the 20th century and the only woman ever to have held the post.  A Soviet journalist nicknamed her the "Iron Lady", which became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style. As Prime Minister, she implemented Conservative policies that have come to be known as Thatcherism.

Indira Gandhi – Prime Minister of India from 1966 to 1977. Third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms (1966–77) and a fourth term (1980–84). Gandhi was the second female head of government in the world after Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, and she remains as the world's second longest serving female Prime Minister as of 2012. She was the first woman to become prime minister in India.

 

Mary Robinson – President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997. Robinson served as the seventh and first female President of Ireland.  She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate (1969–1989). She was the first elected president in the office's history not to have had the support of Fianna Fáil.

 

Corazon Aquino – President of the Philippines from 1986-1992. Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines, the first woman to hold that office, and the first female president in Asia. She led the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines. She was named "Woman of the Year" in 1986 by Time magazine.

Benazir Bhutto:  Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1988-1990, and from 1996 to 1999.  She was the eldest daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former prime minister of Pakistan and the founder of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which she led.  In 1982, at age 29, Benazir Bhutto became the chairwoman of PPP – a center-left, democratic socialist political party, making her the first woman in Pakistan to head a major political party. In 1988, she became the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state and was also Pakistan's first (and thus far, only) female prime minister

Winner of Marie Antoinetteapalooza

And the winner of the Marie Antoinetteapalooza is:

Ashley!

 

 

 

I will be emailing you this afternoon to get your address.  Thanks to everyone who entered the Giveaway!

November Book of the Month: The Time Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie Antoinette

Author:  Bianca Turetsky

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

Publication date: 9/18/2012

 

Pages: 272

 

Age range: 8 - 12 Years


About the Book: 

What if a beautiful dress could take you back in time?

Louise Lambert's best friend's thirteenth birthday party is fast approaching, so of course the most important question on her mind is, "What am I going to wear?!" Slipping on an exquisite robin's egg blue gown during another visit to the mysterious Traveling Fashionista Vintage Sale, Louise finds herself back in time once again, swept up in the glory of palace life, fancy parties, and enormous hair as a member of the court of France's most infamous queen, Marie Antoinette.

But between cute commoner boys and glamorous trips to Paris, life in the palace isn't all cake and couture. Can Louise keep her cool-and her head!-as she races against the clock to get home?

Meet the Author:

Bianca Turetsky is the author of the stylish, tween-friendly Time-Traveling Fashionista series. After graduating from Tufts University, Bianca began work for the artist/filmmaker Julian Schnabel, where she has been running his studio for the past eight years and was an assistant on the Academy Award nominated film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. She currently lives in a cozy studio apartment in Brooklyn, New York, that houses her very extensive and much loved vintage collection. The third book in her series, The Time-Traveling Fashionista and Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, will be released in Fall 2013.

What people are saying:

“Turetsky delivers her enjoyable history lesson through the eyes of a girl who knows every major and minor fashion designer, a character sure to appeal to her target audience, as will the time-traveling theme. Appealing illustrations aid readers’ imaginations.”-KIRKUS

 

about the first book in the series, THE TIME-TRAVELING FASHIONISTA ON BOARD THE TITANIC

 

“Turetsky’s debut breezily incorporates past and current pop culture references; with a spunky main character and breathless descriptions of glamorous clothing, it’s entertaining wish fulfillment …” -Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Bottom line: totally recommend! Plus, the pencil sketches of gowns throughout the book give it a very reading-your-awesome-best-friend’s-diary feel.” –Seventeen Magazine

Treacherous Beauty: The Life of Peggy Shppen Arnold

Since I was had two days off from work thanks to Hurricane Sandy, I had ample time to actually do some research.  I love the Revolutionary War period and I wish that more authors of both historical fiction and romance would use this rich period of history as a backdrop.  One of the most fascinating women during this period is Peggy Shippen Arnold.  Most students of American history know about her husband Benedict Arnold who turned traitor but few know the role that Peggy played in his betrayal of his country.  Thanks to a new biography, Treacherous Beauty: Peggy Shippen, the Woman behind Benedict Arnold’s Plot to Betray America by Stephan H. Case and Mark Jacob, perhaps more people will know her name.

 

Peggy Shippen Arnold and child, by Sir Thomas Lawrence

 

Margaret ‘Peggy’ Shippen was born June 11, 1760 in Philadelphia.  The Shippen family was quite a prominent family; her lineage included two mayors and the founder of Shippensburg, PA.  Peggy’s father, Edward was a judge and a member of the Provincial Council.  Peggy was the baby of the family and her favorite’s favorite, so from an early age she had learned how to wrap a man around her little finger.  Her only brother Edward was considered a bit of a dolt, so Peggy’s father took her under his wing, teaching her about finance and politics, which she took to like a duck to water.  She also learned the usual female accomplishments of the 18^th century, music, dancing, drawing and needlework.  Peggy was considered one of the most beautiful young women in Philadelphia, not just because of her looks but because of her charm and wit.  Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, she came of age during a time of war.

Peggy’s family wasn’t really Loyalists but they weren't Patriots either; they sort of straddled the fence.   While they believed that the colonists had definite grievances against the Motherland, they thought that things could be worked out, if both sides were willing to compromise.  It was a tough line to walk, particularly since during the Revolutionary War, Philadelphia was occupied by both the British and the Americans at different times.  While Peggy was growing up both George Washington and Benedict Arnold had been entertained by her parents.  When the British captured Philadelphia in 1777, they did the same for the British high command.  The parties and balls that had been a feature of Philadelphia social life continued under British occupation, giving Peggy a chance to practice her dance steps and her flirting.

A frequent visitor to the Shippen home was a young officer named John André.  André was handsome, cultured, and charming.  Some historians speculate that Peggy and André fell in love but there is no evidence of this.  In fact, he paid court to not only Peggy but also to her friends Peggy Chew, Becky Franks, and Becky Morris.  One might call them André’s Angels; he spent that much time with them. When the British withdrew from the city a year later, he gave Peggy a lock of his hair to remember him by.
Peggy and her family had fled to the New Jersey countryside initially after the Americans occupied the city under the governorship of Benedict Arnold, but they soon moved back to the city because Edward Shippen felt that they would be safer.  The family soon became reacquainted with Benedict Arnold.  Arnold was immediately smitten and began courting the young woman despite their 20 year age difference.  What did Peggy see in Arnold? Despite the age difference and the fact that he was widowed with three small sons, Arnold was also a hero, responsible for the capture for Fort Ticonderoga and also for key actions during the Battle of Saratoga in which he was wounded.  Now a major general, he had been given the military governorship of Philadelphia.  While Peggy was willing, her father was more skeptical.  Arnold had just been brought up on charges of corruption and malfeasance with the money of the federal and state governments, and was awaiting trial. Arnold, however, knew the way to a woman’s heart, purchasing one of the nicest homes in town, Mount Pleasant for Peggy which he gave her the ownership of.  On April 19, 1779, Benedict Arnold and Peggy Shippen were married.

 

Arnold was champing at the bit to get back into action now that his leg had finally healed.  He angled for the post of defending Charleston against the British but Washington gave the command to someone else.  Although he had been acquitted of most of the charges brought against him, Arnold was still convicted of two of the minor charges.  Arnold seethed at what he considered the injustices done to him.  He had spent a considerable sum of money during his campaigns and was still waiting for reimbursement, nor had he been paid any salary as an officer in the Continental Army (he was not alone, most officers were still waiting for funds).  He was also pissed off that it had taken so long for him to be promoted to major general.  Whether Peggy first suggested that he think of switching sides, or he came to the conclusion on his own is up for debate.  The authors of Treacherous Beauty believe that it was Peggy’s idea.  She was certainly the one who put Arnold in touch with her good friend John André.  Soon Arnold had involved others in the conspiracy including two Loyalists, the Rev. Jonathan Odell and Joseph Stansbury.

 If Peggy had encouraged Arnold to change sides, it would certainly be understandable.  She was being a good wife, supporting her man, who felt unappreciated by the Americans.  And she probably didn’t have to give him that hard a push.  Arnold seems like he would have been a pain in the ass to live with, one of those men who never leave well enough alone.  He made as many enemies as he did friends.

Pissed off at his treatment in Philadelphia, Arnold resigned his command there in June of 1780.  By this time, he had been corresponding secretly with André, who had gotten permission from his commanding officer, General Clinton to pursue the possibility of Arnold coming over to the British. The messages that were exchanged were sometimes transmitted through Peggy, she would write Andre a seemingly innocent letter asking for material or some sort of frippery, but the letter would also include coded communications from Arnold in invisible ink. Arnold had sought and obtained the command of West Point which was a critical defense post on the Hudson River.   The plan was now for Arnold to weaken the defenses at West Point instead of rebuilding them, to make it easier for the British to capture the fort.  Peggy and their newborn son Edward soon joined them staying at the home of Beverly Robinson, a Loyalist whose home had been seized by the Americans.

 

Image of a coded letter: Peggy Shippen Arnold's handwriting is interspersed with coded writing in Benedict Arnold's hand; Arnold's writing would have been in invisible ink

In September 1780, Arnold finally met André in the woods nearby, giving him vital documents regarding the fortifications at West Point.  Unfortunately for André, he ended up behind the American lines, something that Clinton had told him expressly not to do.  André was arrested on September 23, 1780 trying to cross back into British territory.  The documents hidden in his boot were found, and the plot was exposed.  When Arnold found out that the jig was up, he fled to the HMS Vulture that was on the Hudson River, leaving Peggy behind at Robinson House waiting for George Washington to show up.  Washington had been scheduled to have a meeting with Arnold that morning.  Peggy put on a tour-de-force performance, becoming completely hysterical, almost mad.  The performance convinced Washington and his aide Alexander Hamilton that not only was Peggy completely innocent but it also gave Arnold enough time to escape. 

Peggy was sent back to her family in Philadelphia but news of Arnold’s betrayal meant that it was too difficult for her to stay and put her family in danger.  Instead Peggy was banished from the city of her birth, and sent to New York City to join her husband.  Their second son James Robinson Arnold was born in New York on August 28, 1781.  Peggy was initially welcomed into New York society.  Meanwhile André was condemned as a spy and hanged at Tappan, New York.  Now on the British side, Arnold was desperate to prove his worth but officers were naturally suspicious of the traitor in their midst.  Just as he had when he was part of the Continental Army, Arnold clashed with other officers over the right way to proceed to win the war.  Ironically, if he had been listened to, things might have been different and America might still be part of the British Empire.  With the war all but over, the Arnold family moved to England. 

The Arnold family fortunes continued to decline during their time in England.  Arnold was busy trying to get the British government to pay what he felt that he was owed for his actions betraying his country (he had asked to be paid £10,000 if he failed in his mission to secure West Point for the British, but the government ended up paying him a little over £6,000). Peggy meanwhile devoted herself to motherhood, giving birth to five more children, of which 3 survived.  They moved to New Brunswick in Canada so that Arnold could pursue a business opportunity.  When that failed, the family moved back to London, moving into increasingly smaller homes.  When Arnold died in 1801, Peggy spent the last three years of her life paying off his debts.  She used the pension money that she had been given by the British government and invested it wisely so that she had something to leave her children. She died in 1804 of uterine cancer and was buried with Arnold in St. Mary’s Church in Battersea.

After her death, a biographer of Aaron Burr first made the claim that Peggy had either manipulated or convinced Arnold to change sides like a Revolutionary War Lady Macbeth.  The information came from Burr’s wife, Theodosia Prevost who had been a good friend of Peggy’s. Peggy had stayed with Prevost in what is now Paramus, NJ, enroute to Philadelphia from West Point.  Apparently Peggy couldn’t take the lying anymore and confessed everything to Theodosia, telling her that “through unceasing perseverance, she had ultimately brought the general into an arrangement to surrender West Point.”  When the biography was published, the Shippen family disputed this version of events. They claim that Burr made up these allegations because Peggy had spurned his advances made on the way to Philadelphia.  However, papers were later found that showed that Peggy was paid £350 for handling secret dispatches.  

Still, until recently, Peggy was seen as the innocent wife of a traitor. One reason is, of course, the idea that women are naturally less treacherous than men. Peggy was not the only woman who aided and abetted the British during the American Revolution, but very few women were caught, and the ones that were reprimanded at most.  While male spies such as Nathan Hale and André were executed, not a single female spy met the same fate.  Peggy Shippen Arnold was a survivor, a testament to her ancestors who crossed the ocean to the New World.  Her life was more difficult than easy after her marriage but she made it work and never complained.

The Medium and The Magician

Happy Halloween everyone! Recently, I watched a film that was released a few years ago called "Death Defying Acts" starring Guy Pearce as Houdini and Catherine Zeta-Jones as a fake psychic named Mary McGregor.  According to the copy on the back of the DVD "it is the year is 1926, and Houdini is an international superstar. Yet behind Houdini's winning smile resides the restless heart of a tortured soul. Isolated by fame and drowning in regret over having not been present to hear his mother's last words, Houdini sets out in tour of Scotland and announces that he will pay 10,000 dollars to anyone who can prove spiritual contact with his deceased mother. But in his determination to prove that there is life after death, Houdini also becomes the target of countless charlatans, scam artists, and self-proclaimed spiritualists. Of course, stunning psychic Mary McGregor and her daughter/sidekick, Benji, seem remarkably sincere in their supernatural talents, yet that doesn't mean that the pair doesn't have their own ulterior motives for making a connection with the world-famous magic man."

Sounds intriguing doesn't it? Well the irony is that movie is based somewhat on fact. In 1924, Houdini set out to expose a medium named Mina Crandon who used the name 'Margery.' Margery wasn't Scottish; she was a Canadian who lived in Boston with her physician husband. And the prize money was $2,500 put up by Scientific American to anyone who could prove that they had psychic powers. The judges were Walter Franklin Pierce, an American psychical researcher, Hereward Carrington, an occult writer, Daniel Comstock who introduced Technicolor to film, and William McDougall, a professor of psychology at Harvard University.

By 1924, Houdini was world famous as a magician, he'd even dabbled in the new medium of film, but his newest passion was debunking mediums. It wasn't that Houdini wasn't open to the idea of being able to contact the spirit world.  There had been moments in his life that he couldn't explain. Once in Berlin, Houdini was put in a box, tied up and handcuffed so tightly that he wasn't sure that he was going to be able to get out. His wife Bess had prayed to Houdini's late father Rabbi Mayer Samuel for help. Before he died, he had told Houdini that if he ever needed him, that he would be there. Within seconds after Bess's prayer, Houdini was able to escape the handcuffs. On another occasion, Houdini had seen a fleeting vision of his mother. The next day he learned that she had passed away.

Houdini had consulted spiritualists after his mother Cecilia's death in 1913. He was so distraught that he hadn't been there at the end, but he soon realized that these so-called 'spiritualists' were all con-artists. That they used illusion the same way he did on stage. Houdini was disgusted by how they were taking advantage of the grief of so many people, and he determined to expose them. He began to devote a large part of his act to debunking mediums across the country, by demonstrating no stage how they managed to fool their clients. He would go in disguise to séances, and then dramatically pull off his beard, shouting "I am Houdini and you are a fraud," as he exposed them.

Spiritualism had been on the rise again both in America and in Europe in the aftermath of World War I. Noted author and the creator of Sherlock Holmes; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a firm believer. It seems hard to understand how Conan Doyle, the man who created one of the most rational men alive could become so convinced that spirits exist. Conan Doyle had been raised Catholic, and had attended schools run by Jesuits, but as an adult he had become a confirmed agnostic. He came to spiritualism gradually over the years. After the death of his son Kingsley in the First World War, he threw his lot in with spiritualism wholeheartedly. However, like a lot of converts, he had a one track mind when it came to spiritualism; he was unable to see anyone else's point of view. “I consider the psychic question to be infinitely the most important thing in the world,” he declared. “All modern inventions and discoveries will sink into insignificance besides those psychic facts which will force themselves within a few years upon the universal human mind.”

Conan Doyle and Houdini became friends when Houdini came to England to perform. While he was there, he hoped to have Conan Doyle introduce him to various mediums who might have been reluctant to meet him given his position on spiritualism. As the two men got to know each other over the next few years, Conan Doyle became convinced that Houdini's gifts were psychic in nature, and not a carefully planned and rehearsed act, despite Houdini's protestations to the contrary. He wrote Houdini telling him that he didn't need to search for creditable medium, when he already was one. Houdini on his part tried to gently get Doyle to see that most mediums were actually fake by demonstrating how they achieved their results but Doyle refused to believe it. Houdini even sent him a copy of his book Miracle Mongers and their Methods, where he exposed the secrets of sword swallowers, snake charmers, and other side show entertainers.

Houdini and Conan Doyle's friendship, unfortunately couldn't survive their differing opinions about spiritualism, despite their mutual respect for each other.  On a trip to the US, Conan Doyle's wife, Jean had conducted a séance for Houdini and her husband (Bess was not invited) in which Houdini's mother's spirit was supposed to have come through, using automatic writing. Houdini tried to be tactful in his response to séance because he still needed Doyle's help and also out of respect but privately he admitted that the spirit couldn't possibly have been his mother. The first reason being the writing was in English, which was a language that his mother could neither speak nor read, she had made the sign of the cross on the pad, and Houdini's family was Jewish, and finally the day of the séance was his mother's birthday which she never mentioned.

When Houdini published an article with the statement, "I am willing to be convinced, my mind is open, but the proof must be such as to leave no vestige of doubt that what is claimed to be done is accomplished through or by supernatural power." Conan Doyle was pissed. He felt that the article was an insult to his wife. Doyle also knew that getting Houdini on spiritualism's side would have been a great coup for the movement. Houdini, on the other hand, was being pressured by his friends who were anti-spiritualists to come out once and for all against the movement.  It was only a matter of time before Mina Crandon came across his radar.

At first glance, Mina Crandon seemed an unlikely medium.  She was an exceedingly attractive woman who came across more like a light-hearted flapper than most mediums who seemed solid and serious.  Mina was the daughter of a Canadian farmer, who had moved to Boston as a teenager to play in various dance bands. When that didn't work out, Mina went through a serious of odd jobs including secretary, actress and an ambulance driver. After divorcing her first husband, by whom she had a son; Mina married Dr. Le Roi Goddard Crandon, twice married, and a former instructor of surgery at Harvard Medical School in 1918. Mina had met Crandon when she was admitted to the hospital, probably for an appendectomy. Crandon was famous for his technique of removing the appendix by going in through the belly button so that the scarring was minimal. At the time Mina was 30 and Dr. Crandon was in his early forties. Crandon adopted her son and changed his name to John Crandon.

Mina had never had a psychic experience in her life, and had no interest in spiritualism until her husband became interested. One evening in 1923, Dr. Crandon invited a few friends over to his house for what they called a ‘home circle’ meeting.  The group gathered around a small table, which soon began tilting in response to their questions.  Dr. Crandon suggested that they leave one at a time to see who might be responsible for the paranormal activity.  Surprise, surprise, it turned out to be Mina! Ironically just a few days before, a psychic had told Mina that she possessed supernatural abilities and that she sensed that a laughing man was trying to contact her from beyond the grave.  The young man turned out to be Mina’s late brother Walter, who died in a railroad accident in 1911.  Walter would turn out be Mina’s spirit guide, a quick-witted fellow who loved to use foul language.  Mina was so versatile that Walter would continue talking even when she appeared to be snoring or holding water in her mouth.

For a year, Mina only displayed her talents to sympathetic audiences who were all too ready to believe evidence that their loved ones were contacting them.   During the séances, mysterious things would happen, bumps and raps rang out, and strange flashes of light pierced the darkness, once a live pigeon appeared in the room, seemingly out of nowhere.  Convinced of her talents, Dr. Crandon took Mina abroad where she made the acquaintance of Arthur Conan-Doyle who was convinced that Mina was the real enchilada. He declared that she was “a very powerful medium” and that her gifts were “beyond all question.”

Mina’s first real test came in late 1923 in front of a group of Harvard professors and students.  When it was over, one of the participants William McDougall tried to get Mina to admit that she was a fraud.  The Scientific American contest was going to be her crowning achievement as a medium.  All she had to do was win the $2,500. The Crandon’s’ didn’t need the money, what they wanted was the seal of approval winning the contest would confer. It seemed like a slam dunk.  J. Malcolm Bird, an associate editor at Scientific American who had come up with the idea, also believed that Mina was the real deal, and had written articles extolling her ‘gifts.’ It was Bird who gave her the stage name ‘Margery’ to protect her privacy.

By the time Houdini got involved, the judges were almost ready to award the prize to Mina.  Houdini offered to pay $1,000 of his own money if he failed to expose Mina as a fraud. Traveling to Boston, he reviewed the findings of the judges and came to the conclusion that the whole matter had been mishandled. Not only had the committee availed themselves of the Crandon’s hospitality but one of the investigators had borrowed money from Dr. Crandon.

On the night of July 23, Houdini arrived at the Lime Street for another séance. Mina greeted her guests in a flimsy dressing gown, bedroom slippers, and silk stockings which left little to the imagination.  The idea was to rule out the possibility that she was concealing anything on her.  It also had the desired effect of sending the judges pulses racing.  At 36, Mina was still a good-looking woman with a girlish figure, and sparkling blue eyes.  By the time Houdini left the house, he was impressed by Mina although not her supernatural powers.  At the hotel that night, Houdini detailed just exactly how Mina had produced the supernatural effects that had them so mesmerized.  He told them Mina had used her foot underneath the table to make the bell ring during the séance.  He also demonstrated how she had managed to make a megaphone crash to the floor.

Another séance was arranged and this time Houdini came prepared. He’d designed a special cabinet with openings for the medium’s head and arms. Once inside, Mina’s movements would be restricted.  Reluctantly Mina agreed to conduct the séance from within the cabinet.  The séance was not a success, ‘Walter’ tipped off Dr. Crandon that an erase had been wedged into the bell box to prevent it from ringing.  The next séance, a collapsible ruler was found inside the cabinet.  Mina’s defenders claimed that Houdini had planted both items to discredit Mina.  Houdini, on the other hand, believed the items had been planted to impugn his testimony.

Houdini outraged Mina and her supporters by publishing a pamphlet called Houdini Exposes the Tricks Used by the Boston Medium Margery.  He was adamant that Mina was a fake while her supporters were just as adamant that she was genuine. Scientific American decided to cut its losses and declined to award the prize to Mina after all. No doubt, in large part, to Houdini.  From the grave, Walter weighed in with a prediction that Houdini would be dead within a year.  He was off by a year, Houdini died on October 31, 1926, of complications following a blow to the stomach.   In an interview with the press, Mina praised Houdini’s virile personality and great determination.

Mina continued to give séances.  By this time, Mina had moved on from just channeling Walter, she was now able to produce physical evidence such as ectoplasm from various body parts.  Sometimes the ectoplasm even formed into hands.  It was the ectoplasm that was responsible for the ringing of the bell and other phenomena.  When another investigator named Eric Dingwall asked to examine the ectoplasm, Dr. Crandon claimed that it could only be seen with a special red lamp.  When Dingwall touched the ectoplasm, he described it as feeling like ‘a piece of cold raw beef or a possibly a piece of soft wet rubber.’  Dingwall became suspicious as did other investigators but Mina was unconcerned.  By 1928, ‘Walter’ was now able to leave behind a fingerprint.  This time, Mina had gone too far.  When the fingerprint was examined, it turned out to match the fingerprints of Mina’s dentist! Even Mina’s most staunch defenders began to back away. 

In 1939, Dr. Crandon died, and Mina began to turn to alcohol to ease her depression, although she continued to hold séances in her house on Lime Street. Mina Crandon died in 1941 at the relatively young age of 54. In the end, she was worn down by her own success, having to produce more and more ‘miracles’ to satisfy her supporters.  Was Mina a real medium or an out and out fake? Many researchers believe that were some elements of the paranormal present in Crandon’s séances, although no one could tell what was genuine and what was not.  

Sources:

Houdini - Kenneth Silverman
The Secret Life of Houdini - William Kalush and Larry Sloman
Final Séance - Massimo Polidoro