This week’s #badgirlcrush is the blue eyed screen
siren,
Hedy Lamarr!
Hedy recalled, “I
remember all too well the premiere of Ectasy when I watched my bare bottom
bounce across the screen and my mother and father sat there in shock.”
At the tender age of 18 Hedy married a wealthy
Austrian man who wasn’t too fond of her career choice, as the marriage became
unbearable one evening she convinced him to let her wear all her jewellery to
dinner, Hedy then left, disguised herself as a maid and fled to Paris!
“I must quit
marrying men who feel inferior to me. Somewhere there must be a man who could
be my husband and not feel inferior.”
Like many starlets of the Golden Era, a change of
name was to be expected to really stand out in Hollywood. When Hedy fled to
Paris she met Louis B. Mayer - a talent
scout who hired her in an instant. As Hedy had become known as ‘the ecstasy lady’ he
encouraged her to change her name to Hedy Lamarr, with Lamarr in homage to the
silent film star, Barbara La Marr.
“Any girl can be glamorous.
All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.”
In 1938 Louis took Hedy to Hollywood and began
promoting her as the world’s most beautiful woman, and in her American film
debut, audience members were known to have gasped when her face first appeared
on screen, they said ‘her beauty literally took one’s breath away.’
Hedy starred in over 37 films in her career between 1930-1958
and landed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to motion
pictures.
Throughout her film career, Hedy was typecast as the
glamorous seductress of exotic origin, when she grew tired of acting and the
film roles dried up she took to inventing to relieve her boredom.
“Jack Kennedy always said to
me, Hedy, get involved, that’s the secret of life. Try everything, join
everything, get involved.”
In the midst of the World War 1, Hedy felt the need
to contribute and designed a jam-proof radio guidance system for torpedoes;
with George Antheil they drafted designs for frequency-hopping spread spectrum
technology which they successfully patented in 1942.
Hedy and George’s invention was overlooked by the U.S
Navy until 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis when an altered version of
their design appeared on U.S Navy ships.
The invention that potentially would have been
shelved by the U.S Navy, is one of the important components behind today’s
spread spectrum communication technology which is vital for GPS, Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth, so we can thank Hedy next time we’re scrolling on Instagram!
Hedy in Ziegfeld Girl and
that infamous star crown!
With raven centre parted curls perfectly framing her
symmetrical face, it’s no wonder she was hit on the big screen. Hedy had that
unusual mix of blue eyes, dark hair, killer arched brows and a pout second to
none.
When you think of Hedy you can’t help but picture her
in 1940’s shapes and silhouettes, long chiffon sleeves, cinched waists and
tailored lounge pants. Those curls tucked up into a white turban and a swipe of
cherry red lipstick, add in that Lamarr confidence and she quickly became and
remained a style icon.
Hedy was the complete package ; beauty, acting skills
and brains, a total Bad Girl.
Patsy - Jungle Pat X
(Columnist for The Original Bad Girl Blog)
ReplyDeleteHedy Lamarr's incredible story
“If you use your imagination, you can look at any actress and see her nude… I hope to make you use your imagination.” ~ Hedy Lamarr
“I have always felt that if a man gives you a solid gold key to his door he is entitled to the courtesy of a visit.” ~ Hedy Lamarr