As The Money Burns

Two heiresses reunite on an ocean liner.  Their paths and love lives are crossing over in more ways than one.   June 1932, while aboard the White Star Line ship traveling from New York to Europe, Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton have a chance to catch up on their complicated love lives.  Other heirs and heiresses are traveling about to destinations for summer activities.   Other people and subjects i...

While reporting on the upcoming presidential election, an undercover heir faces an angry mob of those hit hard by the Great Depression.   June 1932, Cornelius “Neil” Vanderbilt IV is on 15 city tour in Indiana to cover the upcoming 1932 presidential election when he faces an angry mob pushed hard by the Great Depression.  Will incumbent President Herbert Hoover or New York Governor Franklin Roosev...

The times are getting tougher, and one of the largest mansions closes to prevent a potential Versailles ending. The ultra wealthy E.T. Stotesbury and his wife Eva Stotesbury close their Philadelphia mansion Whitemarsh Hall for the summer of 1932 fearing potential looting from the disgruntled over the Great Depression.  The Stotesburys also loan their artwork to the Pennsylvania Museum of Art.  Mea...

When the most famous unsolved crime goes from kidnapping to murder, those previously offering help turn into prime suspects.   #Lindberghkidnapping, #EvalynWalshMcLean, #Lindberghmurder, #parasocialrelationships, #Schwarzkopf, #ransom, #AmeliaEarhart, #crimesceneinvestigation, #forensics, #vengeance   Linderbergh kidnapping, Evalyn Walsh McLean, Lindbergh murder, parasocial relationships, Schwarzk...

A large public spectacle features an heiress at its center, but all that attention comes with other warnings.   April 1932, Barbara Hutton serves the primary role in the Spirit of Adventure charity pageant at Madison Square Garden.  The whole event is a family affair, and many others participate over the night’s activities.   Other people and subjects include: Marjorie Merriweather Post Hutton, E....

The owner of a famous cursed jewel goes on a wild goose chase to save a kidnapped baby, but will she become another victim?   For 6 weeks, plenty of speculation and false leads are pursued in the effort to find the Lindbergh baby.  Hope Diamond owner Evalyn Walsh McLean travels to multiple locations until realizing she too might be in danger if she goes any further.  Meanwhile, Lindbergh pursues h...

All they want is love.  Everyone else wants their fortune.    Third Year Anniversary recap and future storylines.   Other people and subjects include: Barbara Hutton, Doris Duke, heirs, heiresses, Wall Street Crash of 1929, Great Depression, 1932 & 1933 plots, Huntington Hartford, Evalyn Walsh McLean, Lindbergh kidnapping, Al Capone, General John Pershing, British Queen, Prince of Wales, Ivar Krue...

A popular tap dancer and a highly decorated World War I general both appear at a popular dining hotspot, so has the hostess finally solved her money troubles?   March & April 1932, Cobina Wright’s Sutton Club is a successful hotspot.  She has the famous African American vaudeville comedy duo Buck and Bubbles performing.  She also hosts the famous war hero General John Pershing amidst his celebrati...

Secrets are unleashed when two wealthy industrialists find themselves in different dire straits only to make the same permanent fatal decision. In March 1932, both Swedish “Match King” Ivar Kreuger and George Eastman commit suicide but for very different reasons.  Kreuger’s empire falls apart after bad dealings, while Eastman suffers ill health.  The impact of their deaths joins a long list of rec...

The most famous kidnapping case of all time has a long reaching impact. Will the owner of a cursed jewel become another victim?   Obscure former airmail pilot Charles Lindbergh becomes an instant international celebrity with fame and fortune.  In March 1932, his son the world's most famous baby Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is missing.  The whole world is ready to jump in and help from politicians, offi...

An ex-millionaire’s financial crime catches up to him, and many more millionaires will soon be under investigation. February 1932, Princess Louise Van Alen Mdivani loses a pair of earrings and offers a substantial reward.  Ex-millionaire Joseph Hoadley appears in court for passing a bad check.  In March 1932, the U.S. Senate launches an investigation into Wall Street over the 1929 Crash and tax ev...

Hearts break as a tennis star heads to the altar, but will one disgruntled family member halt the wedding?   February 1932 has several weddings.  Frank Shields marries Rebecca “Billie” Tenney after a long engagement and learns he will be on this year’s U.S. Davis Cup Team again.  Italian Prince Girolamo “Jerome” Rospigliosi marries American heiress Marian Snowden for the third time.  A kidnap vict...

Some newlyweds are enjoying the winter social season, while one couple faces a less than desirable welcome. Barbara Hutton’s former admirer Italian Prince “Jerome” Girolamo Rospigliosi arrives in America with his new bride Marian Snowden to her family’s disapproval and attempts at annulment.  In New York, the Beaux Arts Ball celebrates colonial ancestors with newlyweds William “Sam” Van Alen and E...

During their honeymoon, one couple visits an active volcano, while nearby racial turmoil threatens to erupt in tropical paradise.   December 1931 – January 1932, newlyweds William “Sam” Van Alen and Elizabeth “Betty” Kent Van Alen honeymoon in Hawaii.  They go to visit an ongoing erupting volcano, while racial tensions between natives and the military build over several assaults and a murder leadi...

A lonely heiress finds herself on a cruise around the world.  After a year of heartbreaks, will she ever find her happily ever after? December 1931, Barbara Hutton travels on the Empress of Britain on a 4 month world cruise hoping she will find love in the end.  She reminisces over the last year and a treasure hunt at Jean Patou’s home with Prince Alexis Mdivani, Princess Louise Van Alen Mdivani,...

New ventures bring new opportunities for those with talent.  An artist travels to see his work on display, while a singer attempts to transform a different skill into a fortune.   December 1931, Spanish painter Josep Maria Sert travels with his wife Princess Roussie Mdivani Sert to see the Waldorf-Astoria in New York to see the Sert Room, named after his Don Quixote murals.  Meanwhile, Cobina Wrig...

The national holiday arrives when many give thanks, but how grateful should some be when they knowingly face tougher times ahead? Thanksgiving 1931 finds multiple people in flux.  As Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton have yet to secure an engagement, Cobina Wright and Evalyn Walsh McLean are struggling in their marriages. Alice Vanderbilt hides her depleted fortune while Grace Wilson Vanderbilt contin...

Their fortune might be gone, but one couple dances the night away while planning to rebuild another.   At Club Lido, Cobina Wright and Bill Wright dance the tango with the professional couple Medrano and Donna.  The Wrights prepare for a new venture to restore their fortune, but Cobina worries more about the future of their marriage.   Other people and subjects include: Club Lido, Casa Cobina, Wal...

*Today is the 93rd Anniversary of the 1929 Wall Street Crash.   The richest girl travels around the world and gets invited to all the fabulous parties, so with such a glamorous life why does she seem perpetually unhappy?   In 1931, newspapers increasingly focus on Doris Duke reporting on her lifestyle and theorizing about how rich she really is and any potential suitors.  Doris spends the evening...

Money can lead to dangerous outcomes.  A generous gift one year leads to a triple homicide decades later. In 1978, a triple homicide occurs inside a home in Palm Springs, California.  The trail follows multiple trusts, family disputes, and suspicious characters across California to Texas and even Denmark and Zimbabwe.  At the center, a trust setup by Barbara Hutton decades earlier for her cousin C...

Many marvel at several stunning new murals created by a famous painter for the opening of a grand hotel with an old familiar name. Famous Spanish painter Sert finishes 15 murals for the new Waldorf-Astoria hotel on Park Avenue. Sert’s in-laws Prince Alexis Mdivani and new wife Princess Louise Van Alen Mdivani visit in Paris, while Princess Mae Murray Mdivani visits the Sert Room. Heading towards b...

Royal titles might be grand, but one prince proudly turns in his title to become an American citizen. Barbara Hutton’s cousin Helena McCann finally has her debutante ball while others adjust to their new situations. Elder Princess Obolensky remains in mourning over her daughter. Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich tries to re-establish the Romanov throne. Prince Serge Obolensky gives up his royal titl...

Wherever money resides, extortion and blackmail forever threaten the secrets and scandals one wishes to hide. Alas a mother’s work is never done. In Boston, Henrietta Hartford is sued by Mildred King, alleging she saved Huntington Hartford from a disreputable lady. Will Huntington’s marriage to Mary Lee Epling finally be exposed? Other people and subjects include: Doris Duke, Nanaline Duke, Cholly...

The games begin for another Tennis Week in Newport, but in society’s game will one socialite be able to outmaneuver the scandal ahead? Newport Casino celebrates its Golden Jubilee with returning Wimbledon stars Sidney Wood and Frank Shields, only they aren’t having the same heyday and lost the US Davis Cup too. Back from Hawaii, Henrietta Hartford and Huntington Hartford join the fun, while Henrie...

As another Hollywood royal marriage implodes, back east another heir and heiress actually marry under favorable circumstances. The Marrying Mdivanis are making headlines – Prince Serge Mdivani freshly divorced from Pola Negri quickly married Mary McCormic, Prince David Mdivani is served divorced from his actress wife Mae Murray, and Prince Alexis Mdivani with his new bride Princess Louise Astor Va...