Dear Reader #213

Dear Reader,

My latest translation, the Afrikaans version of Tula.

Clara Bow’s fifty-second movie was Love Among the Millionaires, produced between May 9 – 29, 1930, and released on July 19, 1930. Clara played Pepper Whipple.

Around this time, Al Jolson wisecracked on national radio that Clara slept “cater-cornered” ie that she was promiscuous. Clara certainly lived for the minute (understand her upbringing and you will understand why). This was a cheap joke aimed at a fellow artist and, given the nature of Jolson’s career, in historical terms does not look good.

Jolson’s audience laughed. Clara fumed. The reasons for Clara to remain in Hollywood versus the reasons for her to leave were stacking up on the leave side of the scale.

Columbo

Season One, Episode Two: “Death Lends a Hand” was written by Columbo’s creators, Richard Levinson and William Link. This episode starred Robert Culp (pictured) as the murderer and Patricia Crowley as the victim. Ray Milland also guest-starred as the victim’s husband.

Robert Culp played the murderer in three Columbo episodes: this one, episode twelve, “The Most Crucial Game”, and episode twenty-one, “Double Exposure”. He also appeared as the father of the murderer in “Columbo Goes to College”.

The denouement with Columbo finding a stray contact lens in the boot of Culp’s car was not convincing. The scene setup implied that the contact lens would belong to the victim, and the case against Culp would have been stronger if the script had followed that path.

A Hollywood Murder

Film director William Desmond Taylor was murdered in Hollywood on the night of February 1st/2nd, 1922. Over the coming weeks, I will focus on the cases for and against the main suspects: a burglar, a drug-related hitman, Mabel Normand, Mary Miles Minter, Henry Peavey, Edward Sands and Charlotte Shelby. First, some background on William Desmond Taylor.

William Desmond Taylor (born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner, 26 April 1872 – 1 February 1922) was an Anglo-Irish-American film actor and director. Regarded as a “gentleman” by members of the Hollywood community, Taylor led an unconventional life before arriving in Hollywood. He deserted his wife and young daughter, went gold prospecting in Canada and acted with travelling players.

Taylor created a new persona for himself when he arrived in Hollywood and it’s possible that elements of his background – for example his education in English colleges – was fabricated to match his new identity.

In Hollywood, Taylor appeared in twenty-seven films between 1913 and 1915, and directed fifty-nine films between 1914 and 1922. He was preparing to direct his sixtieth movie when a person armed with a revolver entered his home and murdered him.

Next week, the first suspect.

Through historical records and DNA I’ve established that Barbara Aubrey of Glamorgan and Pennsylvania is my 9 x great grandmother. Barbara is a “gateway ancestor” – her lineage connects to noble pedigrees. Here’s the story of one of our ancestors, Eleanor Holland.

Eleanor was born c1405 in Woodstock, Kent, the illegitimate daughter of Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, and Constance of York. She married Sir James Tuchet, 5th Lord Audley, on 14 February 1430, and the couple produced seven children, three sons and four daughters, including my direct ancestor Constance.

Eleanor brought action in Court Christian to disprove her bastardy, but lost her suit. 

Her husband, Sir James Tuchet, was slain by Sir Roger Kynaston at the Battle of Blore Heath, Shropshire 23 September 1459, while in command of the Lancastrian forces during the Wars of the Roses. Audley’s Cross still stands on the battlefield marking the spot where Sir James died.

Social media https://toot.wales/@HannahHowe

As ever, thank you for your interest and support.

Hannah xxx

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