As The Money Burns

Secret newlyweds arrive at their tropical destination. Will this be the beginning or the end of their clandestine union? Henrietta Hartford takes her son Huntington Hartford and his secret wife Mary Lee Epling to Hawaii in an attempt to get them to annul their marriage. Barbara Hutton returns to Biarritz with a new royal admirer Prince Jerome Rospigliosi-Gioeni ardently pursuing her. In Paris, new...

Despite what outsiders might think, family fortunes are not guaranteed. One heir finds himself bankrupt, divorced, disowned, and potentially disinherited. Five generations of wealth doesn’t prevent Neil Vanderbilt from filing bankruptcy among other troubles in 1931. Several of his problems go back to 1926 and repeat again in 1931. Other people and subjects include: Grace Wilson Vanderbilt, Benito...

Plenty of antics occur both on and off the court at the world’s oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament – Wimbledon. Will the Queen be amused, or will she declare off with their heads? At 1931 Wimbledon, young Americans Frank Shields and Sidney Wood rise to prominence both on and off the tennis courts. Only after one incident, they find themselves apologizing to Queen Mary before continuing...

Stakes are high in various sports and competitions, but the highest stakes come in the game of marriage. Rivals beware. Frank Shields and Sidney Wood travel to London for Wimbledon and the US Davis Cup European tour, and Frank’s fiancée Billie Tenney joins them with chaperone Maud Barger-Wallach. In London, the Prince of Wales participates in the Royal Ascot. Henrietta Hartford takes her son Hunti...

Many things can happen inside a garden. Will another royal romance bloom, or forbidden fruit prove too tempting? After bowing at the Court of St. James, the Prince of Wales invites Barbara Hutton to a royal garden party. The young heiress enjoys the possibility of two suitors including the dangerous playboy Phil Plant until her father Franklyn Hutton interferes. Other people and subjects include:...

Heiresses dream of royal romances with fairytale endings. As one marries her prince, another dances with a future king. #BarbaraHutton, #QueenElizabethII, #KingEdwardVIII, #PlatinumJubilee, #PrinceAlexisMdivani, #LouiseVanAlen, #PrinceofWales Louise Van Alen marries Prince Alexis Mdivani despite her family’s objections. Barbara Hutton goes to Buckingham Palace to bow before the King and Queen of E...

Though wealth provides some protections, the seeds of despair can grow anywhere. Another life is lost during a game of chance. James Donahue, Sr. plays cards with his sons and friends when he goes downstairs and takes poison. Days later, James dies in the same hospital where his wife Jessie Woolworth Donahue is recovering from a nervous breakdown. No one knows why he commits suicide – James strugg...

Love is certainly in the air this spring as several engagements and weddings occur. Though not all marital alliances are truly desirable, and some are downright scandalous. Richest boy Huntington Hartford celebrates Spring Break and his 20th birthday by eloping with Mary Lee Epling. They keep their marriage a secret especially from his overbearing mother Henrietta Hartford, but the scandal will su...

All they want is love. Everyone else wants their fortune. Second Anniversary Bonus Recap and Future Storylines. Other people and subjects include: Barbara Hutton, Doris Duke, heirs, heiresses, Great Depression timeline of events to 1931, HBO’s Gilded Age, Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, Inventing Anna, Tinder Swindler, Bad Vegan, and similar fortune hunter & romance scandals in popular media. Extra Not...

Millionaires, movie stars, and royalty have no guarantees on marital bliss. A royal prince trades his silver screen queen for a wealthier songbird. Mourning her lover Rudolph Valentino, silver screen siren Pola Negri meets, marries, and divorces Russian Prince Serge Mdivani. Her rival Mae Murray meets and marries Prince David Mdivani. The two celebrity couples compete with each other to disastrous...

An unlucky filmmaker’s Viking voyage finds disaster at sea, while the luck of the Irish brings better news for a tennis star. Young filmmaker Varick Frissell ventures to the frozen Newfoundland and shoot more scenes of a seal hunt for his film White Thunder. Only tragedy strikes. Meanwhile, tennis sensation and non-heir Frank Shields learns he will represent the United States at Davis Cup freeing...

Many are talented and can do some pretty amazing things, but there is one trick that only a very few can do, Believe It or Not. Plenty of manly activities fill the Palm Beach schedule amidst baseball, boxing, and burglaries. At the bat and base, Jimmy Cromwell and Phil Plant play for a charity police fundraiser. Other people and subjects include: February 28th – March 5th, 1931, Barbara Hutton, Ji...

Heiresses must always fight off fortune hunters willing to break their hearts for money. But there is another heir who presents a whole other level of danger. Everyone gathers in Palm Beach for winter and lunch at the seasonal restaurant the Patio Lamaze. Barbara Hutton and Doris Duke meet and mingle with another heir and Broadway playboy Phil Plant, who is far more dangerous than all the rest. Ot...

Despite her own dire circumstances, one hostess continues her duties in supporting the arts. The show must always go on. Supreme hostess Cobina Wright hosts a party to celebrate the Met opening of Deems Taylor’s new opera and Noel Coward. It’s another fabulous party, but everything seems to be an endless loop as things change while still staying the same. Other people and subjects include: January...

While some seem to have plenty of food and money, the rising unemployment leaves many without. One wealthy couple sets up a place where the poor can get a hot meal. EF Hutton ventures down into Hell’s Kitchen to check on the soup kitchen sponsored by him and his wife Marjorie Merriweather Post. Historical section covers Al Capone’s soup kitchen, and a news update about the starving Mahatma Gandhi...

As another year begins, many lives are in flux amidst the changes occurring. Will their choices lead to better outcomes or more trouble ahead? Elsa Maxwell throws another fabulous costume party before returning to Europe. Cobina Wright reconsiders her options for financial recovery. Louise Van Alen and Prince Alexis Mdivani’s wedding announcement upsets her family, and Lady Ribblesdale offers some...

Part 2 of 2 (continued from Episode 46: No Expense Spared) The most extravagant debutante ball is in full swing, but disaster both inside and out looms on the horizon. Barbara Hutton’s big debutante ball continues at the Ritz-Carlton. Prince Alexis Mdivani and Louise Van Alen steal the attention, while Silvia begs Barbara to marry the Prince. Barbara’s father Franklyn Hutton finally tells her the...

Come join the biggest debutante ball of the season, of many seasons. It’s going to be one for the record books, and no one is going to want to miss out. Barbara Hutton has the biggest, most expensive debutante ball ever thrown at the Ritz-Carlton. Everyone attends the wonderful night, but drama starts to unfold amongst her many guests. Other people and subjects include: December 22nd – 23rd, 1930,...

Tough financial times force some former debutantes to focus on finding work not husbands. Could this be the future fate of this year’s debs? Three former debutantes work as mannequins and saleswomen at a “debutante shop” helping this year’s debs prepare for the coming out season. Meanwhile multiple bank failures are happening in Nashville. Other people and subjects include: October - November 1930...

A doting mother always wants her child to blossom, but sometimes the child especially a teenager grows outside of reach. Still haunted by his cheating scandal, Huntington Hartford starts Harvard in the fall 1930. While his smothering mother Henrietta Hartford is occupied with a flower show, Huntington and his roommate visit a local brothel. Other people and subjects include: Ned Rollins, flower sh...

As the Met Opera season begins, a society hostess continues to present the front all is well. Will this be her swan song? As Cobina Wright hosts the opening activities for the 1930 Metropolitan Season, she wonders who also is hiding their losses from the Crash. Dowager Alice Vanderbilt now leases her prized balcony box to close friends. The glamorous attendees enjoy Verdi’s Aida opera. Other peopl...

A special ball in the Big Apple kicks off the most prized debutante season. Elite debutantes will be kept busy with a never ending whirl of activities, and participation is not optional. Barbara Hutton and Doris Duke attend multiple events as part of their debutante season. Endless activities occurring while further away hints of darker economic times looming. Other people and subjects include: Oc...

As a widow prepares for the anniversary of her husband’s death, the daughter still remains in the way of the fortune. The web of secrets is starting to unravel. On the five year anniversary of Buck Duke’s death, Nanaline must return to Duke University for a memorial weekend. While the university celebrates their former benefactor, Nanaline is reminded of the fortune she lost and schemes to get it...

It’s off to the races when an international yacht competition brings challengers from all over. This year’s winner will be the first of his kind. The America’s Cup returns with five time challenger Sir Thomas Lipton against defender Harold Vanderbilt. The next set of races will bring in a new era in nautical technology. Other people and subjects include: September 13th – 18th, 1930, Vincent Astor,...

While plans are underway for another big and fantastic ball, one heiress is more focused on affairs of the heart and reuniting forbidden lovers. All the fun activity isn’t merely local, next up the beaches in France. In Biarritz, France, Barbara Hutton wants to help reunite the forbidden lovers – Prince Alexis Mdivani and Silvia. The famed beauty Silvia is minor royal whose family too has lost the...