1 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. He was 3 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: the definition of prolific in his lifetime. American expatriate John 4 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: Singer Sargeant created countless sketches and charcoal drawings, over two 5 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: thousand watercolor paintings and nine hundred oil paintings. His ability 6 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: to draw with a brush brought him both admiration and criticism, 7 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: and he was as versatile as he was talented. His 8 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: landscapes touched on Impressionism, while his other works blended Realism, 9 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: classicism and grand manner portrait Sure, Sergeant's novelist friend Henry 10 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: James said he offered the slightly uncanny spectacle of a 11 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: talent which, on the threshold of its career, has nothing 12 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: more to learn. He was famous, sure, but so are 13 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: his subjects Henry James, Robert Louis Stephenson, President Franklin Roosevelt, 14 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: Woodrow Wilson, and Lady Agnew, just to name a few. 15 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: But his most famous painting ended in scandal, nearly ruining 16 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: him and his news. Virginie Emily Avenio born in New 17 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: Orleans in eighteen fifty nine, too exceptionally wealthy parents. Spent 18 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: most of her life in Paris. She wore the finest 19 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: of dresses and was taught to be a proper young woman. 20 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: Like most in her social class, she was expected to 21 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:42,119 Speaker 1: marry into wealth, but her elegance, beauty, and figure did 22 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: more than turn heads. They started rumors of loose behavior. 23 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: She ignored the rumors and soon married a wealthy banker, 24 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: Pierre Getroeux. Not long after, the couple welcomed daughter, Louise 25 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy nine. None of that stopped the rumors, though, 26 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: and word of her affairs made for frequent gossip among 27 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: the elite. In eighteen eighty four, Sergeant was a young 28 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: artist making a name for himself. He needed a model 29 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: worthy of painting for the Paris Salon, the annual art 30 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: exhibition hosting some of the finest talents in the world. 31 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: He knew he had found the right news the minute 32 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: he met Gatrow. She agreed to sit for him, though 33 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: she had little patience or discipline for such things. Constantly 34 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: distracted with social engagements, she complained that the process board 35 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: her sergeant became equally frustrated with the endless breaks and interruptions. 36 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: Though he finally finished the life size portrait in time 37 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: for the eighteen eighty four Paris Salon. He had painted 38 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: Ghatrow's skin a pale white typical of aristocratic pallor. The 39 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: profile of her face gave the impression of assertiveness. Her 40 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: floor length, deep black gown was sinched at the waist, 41 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: with a plunging heart neckline that was rather daring for 42 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: the time, and sleeveless but for a pair of thin 43 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: jeweled shoulder straps, one of which had slipped to hang 44 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:10,519 Speaker 1: loosely over her right arm. Both he and Ghatroux were 45 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: pleased with the result. The public, however, was not. The 46 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: pose and attire were overtly sexual for the time and 47 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: brought instant scandal. An aristocrat posing for such an erotic 48 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: painting quickly became the talk of Paris because his depiction 49 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: defied societal norms. Sergeant found work scarce in France after 50 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: the exhibit, even after he repainted the draping strap to 51 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: sit firmly on Gatrow's shoulder. At the urging of his friends, 52 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: he moved to England and quickly became a success, painting 53 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: the most elite in British and American society. Gatrow's reputation 54 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: took a bit longer to restore, though she hired two 55 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: different artists to paint her in more conservative clothing and 56 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: demure poses. The While she was eventually welcomed back into 57 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: elite's society, she never regained the status she once held. 58 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: Society had expectations, after all. As it turned out, those 59 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: expectations were rarely consistent. I'm Lauren Vogelbond. Welcome to American Shadows. 60 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: John Pollard returned from a trip with the bad cold. 61 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: Five days later he died. Twelve year old Madeline took 62 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: the loss hard, not just because she had been her 63 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,159 Speaker 1: father's favorite, but because that day, in eighteen seventy six, 64 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:42,919 Speaker 1: she lost her family as she had always known it. 65 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: They owned no property, and despite her father's profession as 66 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 1: a lawyer, he left no estate to speak of. Her 67 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,600 Speaker 1: mother couldn't provide for six children, so she did what 68 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:57,919 Speaker 1: many women were forced to do in such circumstances. She 69 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:02,599 Speaker 1: sent the children to live elsewhere. Edward, the oldest, found 70 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: employment and left to fend for himself. Madeline's older sister, Mary, 71 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: and the baby Ernest, went to live with an aunt, Rosalie. 72 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: John and Horatio were sent to an orphanage in Louisville. 73 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: John's sister in Pittsburgh took Madeline, though she and her 74 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: husband already had six children of their own. Madeline threw 75 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: herself into her school work to lessen the pain. Teachers 76 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: said she was well behaved and attentive, but seven children 77 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:33,919 Speaker 1: to feed and clothe proved hard, and so when she 78 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: turned sixteen, her aunt sent her back to her mother. 79 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: It didn't last long, though, her mother sent her away 80 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,840 Speaker 1: once more, this time to another family member in Lexington. 81 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: Madeline wanted to pursue her education. She didn't want to 82 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,840 Speaker 1: end up without skills like her mother, without money, though 83 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: even returning to school seemed out of the question. Jobs 84 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: and pay for women were limited, and young ladies were 85 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: groomed to become wives, not scholars. While out riding one day, 86 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: she came across James Rhodes. He was a friend of 87 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 1: her uncle's, a much older man with an ash and complexion. 88 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,600 Speaker 1: Telling of his age and hard life, he asked her 89 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 1: to marry him, and she declined. He persisted, though, telling 90 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 1: her he'd pay for her education if she accepted. Madeline 91 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 1: wanted to become a writer. Rhodes expected her to become 92 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 1: a teacher upon her return, and of course take care 93 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 1: of him in his old age. Feeling that this might 94 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: be her only option, and thinking she could either repay 95 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: him or outlive him, she reluctantly agreed in three At seventeen, 96 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: she went to study at the Notre Dame Convent. When 97 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: the other girls heard she had made an agreement to 98 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: marry a man old enough to be her grandfather, they 99 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 1: were less than kind, forcing her to transfer to wesleyan 100 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: female college in Cincinnati. She wrote in her journal that 101 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 1: she felt should die of pain thinking of her impending 102 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: marriage to the lecherous Roads, and that somehow she had 103 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: to get herself out from under such a deal. The 104 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: arrangement weighed heavily on her mind, even when she received 105 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: a telegram informing her that her sister Rosalie had fallen 106 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: ill with consumption. After boarding the last train home, a 107 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: man approached her, asking if they had ever met before, 108 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: Though she doubted such a meeting had ever taken place, 109 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:37,760 Speaker 1: she recognized him instantly, Colonel William Campbell Preston Breckenridge. Her 110 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: father had spoken highly of him, and young Madeline had 111 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: idolized Breckenridge. Almost as much as she had her father, 112 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: twenty years her senior. He was the son of a 113 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: prominent minister, grandson of a senator, and first cousin to 114 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: Vice President John Breckenridge. He had his own political aspirations 115 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:58,320 Speaker 1: and currently served as a member of the House of Representatives. 116 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: He also lived in Lexington and was returning home. Madeline 117 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: was enthralled. On the trip home. The two talked about 118 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: their family. His first wife had died and he had remarried. 119 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: He and his wife, Issa, had three children. She told 120 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: him about her father and education. She listened intently as 121 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: he talked about his law practice and his stance on 122 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:25,840 Speaker 1: civil rights. Occasionally he took cases defending freed black men. 123 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 1: As a minister's son, he dedicated himself to preserving family 124 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 1: values and morals. For a short time after the Civil War, 125 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:36,719 Speaker 1: had even held a job, Madeline could only dream of 126 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 1: the editor of the Lexington Observer. The two parted ways 127 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:45,440 Speaker 1: after that. Madeline stayed in Kentucky until her sister's death 128 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:48,680 Speaker 1: and funeral. The meeting with her Idol had made a 129 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 1: deep impression, though, and once she returned to school, she 130 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 1: talked quite a bit about meeting Breckinridge sinsing a crush. 131 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,680 Speaker 1: Her classmates kitted her, often addressing her as Madeline Vivian 132 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 1: Enridged Pollard. Once she had settled back into her studies, 133 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 1: letters from Rhodes poured in in his mind. She had 134 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: been away at school long enough and the time had 135 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: come for her to either repay him or marry him. 136 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: Thinking Breckinridge might offer her legal advice, she wrote to 137 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:21,320 Speaker 1: him explaining her situation. He not only replied, he also 138 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: offered to meet her while in Cincinnati on business. He 139 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 1: arrived not long after and asked if she'd like to 140 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:31,239 Speaker 1: attend a concert with him. They could discuss her situation beforehand. 141 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:36,080 Speaker 1: She quickly agreed. He didn't take her to the concert hall, however, 142 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 1: Instead he brought her to a remote location where he 143 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 1: attempted to kiss her. She resisted, and he took her 144 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,960 Speaker 1: back to the school. Before he left, he pressed ten 145 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: dollars into her hand. Though bewildered, she took the money. 146 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,400 Speaker 1: He then told her why his conduct that evening had 147 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 1: not been improper. It's not clear what, if anything she 148 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: said in respe bunts. One thing is clear, though they 149 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: briefly discussed her deal with Rhodes. If she wanted to 150 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 1: know how to resolve the situation, she would need to 151 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,680 Speaker 1: meet him at the public library the next morning. Though 152 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,320 Speaker 1: he hadn't acted exactly like a husband and gentleman, she 153 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:22,079 Speaker 1: thought maybe he had misunderstood her too. Thinking about Rhodes 154 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: again gave her all the courage she needed. Breckinridge was 155 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: a powerful man, a lawyer, and he was still her idol, 156 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: so she agreed to meet with him the next morning. 157 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 1: He was waiting for her when she arrived, but they 158 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 1: didn't go inside to talk. There was a change of plans. 159 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:50,560 Speaker 1: He told her they could speak more openly at a 160 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: friend's home. Thinking of who might overhear her story, she 161 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: left with him. They were welcomed inside and sat in 162 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:02,040 Speaker 1: the parlor. Not long after they arrived, a woman entered 163 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: informing him that the upstairs room was ready. Madeline refused. 164 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:11,839 Speaker 1: Breckenridge made her another offer, transfer to Sayer Institute in 165 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: Lexington and he'd take care of Rhodes. She could live 166 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: in a small cottage instead of a dormitory, all expenses paid. 167 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 1: Of course, clearly he was offering the same deal she 168 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 1: had made with Rhodes, only with a more comfortable residence, 169 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 1: and without the marriage, she would be his mistress in 170 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: exchange for her studies. Once she finished school, she would 171 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: be free to live her life. She considered her options, and, 172 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 1: having some attraction to Breckenridge, decided to accept. He made 173 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:45,800 Speaker 1: good on his word, and she made good on hers. 174 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,560 Speaker 1: Over the next few months, he visited her frequently, and 175 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 1: by the summer of eighteen eighty four, she was pregnant. 176 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: She did her best to conceal the pregnancy while at school, 177 00:11:56,160 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 1: lasting until February of eight five. Breckenridge aid for her 178 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 1: to return to Cincinnati and the Norwood Foundling Asylum. Asylums 179 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: at the time housed not only people considered to have 180 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: mental illnesses, but other illnesses as well, and women who 181 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:17,319 Speaker 1: had fallen from society fallen meaning did become pregnant out 182 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: of wedlock. Breckenridge had her registered as Louise Wilson to 183 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 1: protect her reputation, but was more likely protecting his own. 184 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 1: On May nine, with only two midwives by her side, 185 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:34,079 Speaker 1: she gave birth to a baby girl. Having spent months 186 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: alone without so much as a visit from Breckinridge, Madeline 187 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: decided to give up the child and break off the 188 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:43,680 Speaker 1: affair with his reputation to protect. It wasn't like he 189 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 1: could demand she repay him. He wrote back, begging her 190 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,080 Speaker 1: not to leave. He swore that he loved her and 191 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: that if she'd give up the child, and if he 192 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:56,680 Speaker 1: were ever free from his marriage, he would marry her. 193 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 1: He swore he'd protect her and properly take care of 194 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 1: their future children. He told her that if she ended 195 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: the relationship, any chance of finishing her education would be lost. 196 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:11,319 Speaker 1: Without higher education, she wouldn't be able to support herself 197 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:15,960 Speaker 1: as a woman. Her opportunities were few. He wasn't wrong. 198 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,800 Speaker 1: She could be a cook, made or seamstress, but none 199 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:23,200 Speaker 1: of those jobs paid enough to support oneself. There were 200 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: factory jobs, but the pay wasn't much better and working 201 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 1: conditions were often deplorable. Teachers earned the most, but still 202 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:35,959 Speaker 1: not enough money to live on their own. Breckinridge wrote 203 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 1: more letters, perfecting his love. She believed him and returned 204 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: to Kentucky to finish her studies. The affair picked up 205 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,600 Speaker 1: where it had left off, except this time she felt 206 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:52,040 Speaker 1: he would eventually marry her. She wrote in her journal 207 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,560 Speaker 1: that had won her love and that she remained faithful 208 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:59,120 Speaker 1: to him. Obedient, in all ways, though he kept her 209 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:01,800 Speaker 1: in the shadows. She told herself that he treated her 210 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: well and that she wanted for nothing except to end 211 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: the secrecy. She often lamented that they could not be together. 212 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:13,040 Speaker 1: He told her that as a man of faith that God, 213 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 1: he could never leave his wife. He told her to 214 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 1: be patient, that whenever his wife died, he would marry her. 215 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: Now one could argue that Madeline had to know that 216 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 1: at this point he wasn't a man of moral standing, 217 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: and that he might be asking her to wait decades, 218 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 1: perhaps the rest of her life. Yet she agreed. Madeline 219 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: became pregnant again in seven. This time Breckenridge moved her 220 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: to Washington, d c. In February of eight, she gave 221 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: birth to a son. The only person by her side 222 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:50,960 Speaker 1: was the midwife hired to care for her. Once again, 223 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: she gave up the child. He wrote her a letter afterward, 224 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: telling her to hold on that one day did Mary. 225 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: When his political career cook him to Washington, he visited 226 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: her often, but still kept her a secret, and when 227 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 1: he returned home she made friends with the wives of 228 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 1: several politicians. Years passed with him visiting her frequently. Then 229 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:19,960 Speaker 1: in Issa Breckinridge died. Madeline had waited eight years for this. 230 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 1: The time had come for her turn to be his wife. 231 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 1: Of course, he assured her that they had announced the 232 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: engagement after a short and proper morning period. When June 233 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: of e arrived, Madeleine grew tired of waiting. Breckenridge reminded 234 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,840 Speaker 1: her that in polite society, he was still in mourning. 235 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 1: For weeks, the two argued. In the end, he asked 236 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: her to be patient just a little while longer, and 237 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: she relented. In July, Madeleine visited her friend Julia Churchill Blackburn. 238 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,880 Speaker 1: As the wife of a former governor, Julia was part 239 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 1: of an elite circle. Madeline was excited should be included 240 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:04,240 Speaker 1: among the Washington elite once she was married. She couldn't 241 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:08,800 Speaker 1: refrain from telling Julia and a few other friends. When 242 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 1: a reporter for the Washington Post heard about the engagement, 243 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: Madeline thought she needed to make a formal announcement before 244 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: the press discovered the trail of Breckinridge's visits while he 245 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 1: had still been married. That's when the next telegram arrived, 246 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:27,640 Speaker 1: not to her, but to the press. Breckenridge had heard 247 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 1: about the reporter's intent to publish their engagement and was 248 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: denying any involvement with her. Furious, Madeline wrote him a 249 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: scathing letter and waited for his response. His reply didn't 250 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 1: arrive by telegram or letter, though she read it in 251 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: the paper. The next day, Breckinridge had announced his engagement 252 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: to Kentucky socialite Louise Scott Wing It was a short engagement. 253 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 1: He married his new fiance two days later. The truth stung. 254 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:01,960 Speaker 1: Madeline had never truly intend to marry her. She had 255 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:06,120 Speaker 1: been a mistress and meant nothing more than that. Now, 256 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,439 Speaker 1: in her mid twenties, she felt she had given up 257 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:12,879 Speaker 1: her youth. Society looked upon mistresses as fallen and ruined women. 258 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 1: The opportunity to marry with dignity was gone, as was 259 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:21,720 Speaker 1: her reputation. Women in her situation had no recourse except 260 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:25,399 Speaker 1: to fade away. Anything they said would be construed as 261 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: bitter in the eyes of society. Certain women were predators 262 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 1: out to prey on good men. People would point at 263 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 1: her and talk behind her, back to her face, did 264 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: tell her she had gotten what she deserved. That part 265 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:42,320 Speaker 1: was true enough. She was partly at fault and would 266 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:46,280 Speaker 1: accept the consequences, but Breckinridge was going to take his 267 00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 1: share in the mess too, and Madeleine knew exactly how 268 00:17:50,000 --> 00:18:01,879 Speaker 1: to do it. Things were about to get ugly. It 269 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: happened over a meal. Breckenridge and his new bride were 270 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 1: enjoying dinner at the Cochrane Hotel in d C on 271 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 1: August twelfth, EIGHTEE, when an aid from the U. S. 272 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 1: Marshal's office walked up to their table. After confirming Breckenridge's identity, 273 00:18:18,119 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: he introduced himself and handed over an envelope full of 274 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 1: legal papers. Acting as though it were nothing. The colonel 275 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: showed the papers to his wife, Madeline was suing him 276 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 1: for breach of promise to the tune of fifty thousand 277 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:36,399 Speaker 1: dollars today that would be a cool one and a 278 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:42,919 Speaker 1: half million. Such lawsuits weren't uncommon then, you see, without 279 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:45,919 Speaker 1: jobs or pay that could equal a male counterpart, a 280 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:49,560 Speaker 1: woman's primary job was to marry. It was drilled into 281 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:52,720 Speaker 1: her from childhood to become a proper wife, hopefully to 282 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: a wealthy suitor who could best care for her and 283 00:18:55,680 --> 00:19:02,000 Speaker 1: their children. But with these lawsuits came gandal. Society and 284 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:05,560 Speaker 1: juries alike assumed that such cases happened because the woman 285 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:10,160 Speaker 1: ruined herself before marriage, ruined, meaning that she was no 286 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:15,679 Speaker 1: longer chased. While men were expected to have pre marital relations, 287 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: women were not. Instead of going off into the shadows, 288 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: Madeleine admitted to having a nine year affair with Breckinridge, 289 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:27,880 Speaker 1: starting when she was seventeen. She argued that he took 290 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:31,720 Speaker 1: advantage of her youth and promised her marriage. In return. 291 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:36,160 Speaker 1: He painted her as a willful predator. She had boldly 292 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:39,679 Speaker 1: seduced him. Not long afterward, it had become clear to 293 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:41,720 Speaker 1: him that she was out for his money and status. 294 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: She had done this before, he later told the press, 295 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 1: in fact, had been tricked into rescuing her from a 296 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 1: similar situation. Therefore, he couldn't have ruined her. She was 297 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:57,359 Speaker 1: already ruined and hardly the marrying kind. While the major 298 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:03,440 Speaker 1: newspapers didn't carry Madeleine's reply, small upstarts did. Six hundred 299 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:07,199 Speaker 1: thousand people opened the Sunday edition of the World Tabloid 300 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: to read her side of the story. She put the 301 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 1: details of their entire affair out into the open. Breckinridge, 302 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: a married man who claimed to uphold morality, had seduced her, 303 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,840 Speaker 1: had fathered two children and kept her in the pregnancies 304 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:25,920 Speaker 1: a secret from his wife and children at home. Without 305 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,959 Speaker 1: a job or financial support, she couldn't keep her children, 306 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,960 Speaker 1: and Breckinridge wanted nothing to do with them. Illegitimate children 307 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:35,560 Speaker 1: were a hot topic in the late eighteen hundreds, with 308 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 1: cases of abandoned and murdered newborns on the rise. In September, 309 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 1: Madeline moved into a House of Mercy for fallen Women, 310 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,399 Speaker 1: where she told the press about her plans to devote 311 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 1: her life to charity. Living with nuns and doing charity 312 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:54,720 Speaker 1: work didn't exactly come across as a woman out for money. 313 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:59,200 Speaker 1: Breckinridge continued to say that she was a bitter, scorned woman. 314 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,359 Speaker 1: Madeline spun it differently, though she wanted to shed light 315 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,719 Speaker 1: on the reason why women became ruined in the first place, 316 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: double standards. A month later, Breckenridge had a friend send 317 00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:15,480 Speaker 1: his secretary to gain Madeline's confidence in the hopes should 318 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:18,639 Speaker 1: say or do something he could use against her. The 319 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: plan failed, Madeline refused to discuss the matter. On February nine, 320 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 1: Madeleine and her attorney, Calderon Carlisle, arrived at the courthouse 321 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 1: for depositions. No one knew where the money came from 322 00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:37,400 Speaker 1: to pay such a high profile lawyer, or even why 323 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:41,240 Speaker 1: he had taken on such a case, and frankly, no 324 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:43,359 Speaker 1: one thought the case would go to trial. When the 325 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:48,000 Speaker 1: city Hall doors opened on March eighth of Breckinridge had 326 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:51,040 Speaker 1: tried to settle out of court, but Madeleine held firm 327 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 1: that if she were going to be publicly humiliated and 328 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: scorned for her actions, he deserved the heat as well. 329 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:02,439 Speaker 1: The courtroom was packed with spectators, members of Congress, some 330 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:06,439 Speaker 1: well known actors, and the press. When Breckinridge told the 331 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:10,480 Speaker 1: courtroom that he hardly knew Madeline, Carlyle presented a stack 332 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 1: of love letters and telegrams dating back nine years that 333 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:20,120 Speaker 1: told otherwise changing tactics. Breckenridge's lawyers insisted their client had 334 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: felt trapped in the relationship and feared blackmail, that he 335 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:28,639 Speaker 1: was not a willing participant. Carlyle called upon several witnesses, 336 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: including the women who had attended Madeline's first birth. He 337 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: had certainly been willing enough, the lawyer pointed out. Breckinridge 338 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:40,400 Speaker 1: questioned the patrimony of the child, but with a nine 339 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: year affair and a second child, no one was buying 340 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 1: his story. Meanwhile, poor Louise was having a breakdown. Everything 341 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 1: Breckenridge had presented himself to be was unraveling. She began 342 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: to question what really had transpired between her husband and Madeline. 343 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:03,520 Speaker 1: Humiliated and hurt, she came physically ill. Over the next 344 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: several days, Carlyle presented a steady stream of witnesses. One 345 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:12,120 Speaker 1: of the most prominent was Julia Blackburne. She had witnessed 346 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: Breckinridge with Madeline not long before his engagement announcement to Louise. 347 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:21,000 Speaker 1: When all the witnesses had given their testimony, the defense 348 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:23,560 Speaker 1: realized they were in trouble of losing what should have 349 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:27,399 Speaker 1: been an easy case. Women rarely won at breach of 350 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:32,639 Speaker 1: promise suit, especially ones against married men. The case didn't 351 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:35,960 Speaker 1: look much better in the public eye either. The testimony 352 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:39,919 Speaker 1: coupled with the tabloid article didn't favor their client. He 353 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:45,480 Speaker 1: certainly wasn't the family man with upstanding morals. All the 354 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:50,159 Speaker 1: evidence had done more to discredit Breckinridge than Madeleine. The 355 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,719 Speaker 1: defense hadn't planned on such a strong presentation and stuck 356 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 1: with the line that started with that their client was 357 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,920 Speaker 1: the victim. At one point they tried to shame matt 358 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 1: And with her behavior, calling her a fallen woman and 359 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:07,840 Speaker 1: a predator. Pale and worn from days on trial, she 360 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,639 Speaker 1: didn't back down. Yes, she told the courtroom she had 361 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: been involved with a married man and had had two 362 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:17,440 Speaker 1: children with him. The pregnancies weren't to trap him, as 363 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 1: the defense had said, though Breckinridge had insisted that she 364 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:24,200 Speaker 1: give up the children to stay with him. Madeline accepted 365 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: that there were repercussions regarding her lack of morality, but 366 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:31,880 Speaker 1: she wasn't the only one without integrity. Breckinridge had misled 367 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 1: her and should suffer consequences as well. She read out 368 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:38,520 Speaker 1: loud one of his very private and revealing letters to 369 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:42,440 Speaker 1: the jurors. In a last attempt to sway the court. 370 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: Breckinridge took the stand, still insisting that he was the victim, 371 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: a devoted family man until Madeleine seduced him. What was 372 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 1: he supposed to do when he finished? Carlyle called three 373 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:59,480 Speaker 1: new witnesses to the stand. A typist, the family cook, 374 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:04,399 Speaker 1: and a formerly enslaved woman. All admitted that they had 375 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,479 Speaker 1: also had affairs with brecken Rich while he was married 376 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:11,919 Speaker 1: to his last wife. Members of the courtroom gasped. With that, 377 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:18,000 Speaker 1: the prosecution rested its case. The trial resumed on April fourteen, 378 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:22,840 Speaker 1: and then the jury foreman read the verdict against all 379 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:36,480 Speaker 1: odds Madeline had one Madeleine had done more than when 380 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 1: the court case she had cracked open a door to 381 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,560 Speaker 1: a new age for women, the demand to be treated 382 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: equally on moral grounds. The suit shed light on double 383 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 1: standards that are still being fought today. One question remained, though, 384 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 1: who financed her lawsuit. Her attorney was one of the 385 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:01,680 Speaker 1: most expensive around Madeline and afford him, and had essentially 386 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:06,840 Speaker 1: been unhoused and without money when Breckenridge married Louise. At first, 387 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:10,480 Speaker 1: it might seem that Breckenridge's enemies might have opened their wallets, 388 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:14,920 Speaker 1: except they hadn't. Soon after the verdict, The Evening Star 389 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 1: reported that a wealthy Kentucky widow related to one of 390 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,480 Speaker 1: the politician's former affair partners had paid for part of 391 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:26,200 Speaker 1: the expenses. But she wasn't the only wealthy widow. There 392 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:29,960 Speaker 1: were two more. One had provided five thousand dollars that's 393 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:34,560 Speaker 1: over a hundred and thirty six thousand today. Then there 394 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:37,080 Speaker 1: was the daughter of a prominent New York businessman, with 395 00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:41,040 Speaker 1: a penchant for righting the wrongs towards ruined women. She 396 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 1: and Madeline became lifelong friends and traveled the world together 397 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 1: after the case. Also pitching in was Lucy Blount, a 398 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: wealthy woman and activist for feminist ideals who had committed 399 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,879 Speaker 1: her time to women's rights. In the end, a group 400 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,760 Speaker 1: of women had banded together to defeat the men in 401 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: the court room that had enough of double standards. For most, 402 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:06,880 Speaker 1: it wasn't that they approved of Madeleine's affair. She had 403 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:11,919 Speaker 1: simply provided them the opportunity to make themselves heard. And 404 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 1: if you're asking why the other women didn't just fund 405 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:19,159 Speaker 1: Madeline a new life, then Caroline Fellows Morgan, widow of 406 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:24,200 Speaker 1: JP Morgan, said it best to paraphrase, any man claiming 407 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:28,000 Speaker 1: such morality and living a double life should not go unscathed, 408 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:31,159 Speaker 1: should been the one to fund the majority of the 409 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:36,639 Speaker 1: legal fees. The repercussions didn't stop there, though, When Breckinridge 410 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 1: ran for reelection, he lost, and it may not have 411 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 1: been the men who made sure his bid failed, because 412 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,320 Speaker 1: although women didn't have the right to vote, they were 413 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:52,960 Speaker 1: able to do something else. They spoke up and thankfully 414 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:56,360 Speaker 1: their sons and fathers and husbands did the right thing. 415 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:05,080 Speaker 1: They listened. There's more to the story. Stick around after 416 00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:13,960 Speaker 1: this brief sponsor break to hear all about it. It 417 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:17,040 Speaker 1: was a dream come true. Fresh out of high school 418 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:20,760 Speaker 1: in four Olivia to have a land landed her first 419 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 1: acting job in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. 420 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,640 Speaker 1: Shortly afterward, Warner Brothers signed her with a five year 421 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:32,280 Speaker 1: contract for two hundred dollars a week. Jack Warner's studio 422 00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:36,600 Speaker 1: primarily produced gangster movies with male headliners like Edward Robinson 423 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 1: and James Cagney. At the time, Olivia expected her Shakespearean 424 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:44,960 Speaker 1: performance would land her serious film roles. What Warner Brothers 425 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:49,560 Speaker 1: gave her were arm candy rolls for the leading men. Still, 426 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:51,959 Speaker 1: she accepted them in hopes that she might work her 427 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:55,680 Speaker 1: way up. She teamed up with Errol Flynn in Captain Blood, 428 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:58,880 Speaker 1: and The New York Times hailed her performance. The two 429 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:04,480 Speaker 1: shared dynamic on screen chemistry that thrilled audiences. Flynn admitted 430 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:06,840 Speaker 1: to falling in love with Olivia, and she had also 431 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 1: fallen for him when he asked her out, though she declined. 432 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:14,120 Speaker 1: And you see, Flynn was married and Olivia didn't date 433 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 1: married men. Over the years, Flynn continued to pursue her, 434 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 1: and she continued to turn down his advances. Olivia didn't 435 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 1: wait for Flynn either. She dated Jimmy Stewart, John Houston, 436 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,560 Speaker 1: and even Howard Hughes. But there was one other suitor 437 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 1: she turned down, a naval lieutenant named John F. Kennedy, 438 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:40,480 Speaker 1: Yes that jfk. Per their contracts with Warner, Olivia and 439 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 1: Flynn were paired in six more films together. He was 440 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:46,800 Speaker 1: happy with the success and the wealth that these leading 441 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:50,600 Speaker 1: roles brought him. Olivia wanted respect as an actor and 442 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 1: roles where she was more than just a pretty face 443 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: with token minds. She appeared in the nineteen thirty six 444 00:29:56,400 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 1: film Anthony Adverse, which earned six Academy Award nominations. That 445 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:03,960 Speaker 1: same year, she started alongside Flynn for the box office 446 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:08,280 Speaker 1: hit The Charge of the Light Brigade. Despite newspapers and 447 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: critics commending her performances, it was Flynn who benefited. Warner 448 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 1: Brothers tore up his initial contract and gave him a 449 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: better deal two thousand, two hundred and fifty dollars per week. Meanwhile, 450 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:22,560 Speaker 1: they agreed to raise Olivia's pay to a whole five 451 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:26,160 Speaker 1: hundred dollars if she changed her contract from five years 452 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:30,840 Speaker 1: to seven. Those had been successful in showcasing stronger acting 453 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:34,400 Speaker 1: skills when loaned out to other production companies, Warner Brothers 454 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:37,880 Speaker 1: continued to hand her stereotypical roles where she was expected 455 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 1: to play clueless, inept characters. Still people loved her. She 456 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: portrayed a young woman who fell in love with the 457 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 1: artist hired to paint her portrait in ninety seven's Call 458 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 1: It a Day, and later a comedy with Betty Davis 459 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 1: earned her more acclaim. She teamed up with Flynn again 460 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:59,960 Speaker 1: for the Adventures of Robin Hood in eight. The film 461 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:02,400 Speaker 1: went on to be one of Hollywood's biggest successes of 462 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:05,320 Speaker 1: its day and earned an Academy Award for Best Picture. 463 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:10,000 Speaker 1: While the film raised Flynn's status at Warner Brothers, lending 464 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:13,680 Speaker 1: him rolls of his choosing, Olivia's roles remained the same, 465 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:17,960 Speaker 1: unchallenging ones for her next two films. She was cast 466 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,080 Speaker 1: as dizzy rich girls. In the film that followed, her 467 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:25,040 Speaker 1: role as a love interest once more depressed. Her complaints 468 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: to Jack Warner went unanswered when MGM wrote a letter 469 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 1: to Warner asking them to loan out Olivia for an 470 00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 1: upcoming adaptation of a best selling novel. They refused. Olivia 471 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:40,080 Speaker 1: had loved the novel and wanted a role in the project. 472 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:43,440 Speaker 1: Determined to land the role she wanted, she went to 473 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: Jack Warner's wife. He relented. Oddly, Olivia didn't want the 474 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: leading role MGM had her in mind for. She wanted 475 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:56,239 Speaker 1: the role of Melanie Hamilton's Scarlett O'Hara's kind hearted and 476 00:31:56,360 --> 00:32:00,920 Speaker 1: strong friend in Gone with the Wind, Critics saying her praises, 477 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 1: calling her a standout among the star studded cast. The 478 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 1: role earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. 479 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:12,640 Speaker 1: Even with the award, Warner Brothers continued to cast her 480 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:17,200 Speaker 1: in the same roles as before. The films were highly successful, 481 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 1: catapulting her male counterparts into better and deeper roles, while 482 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:25,719 Speaker 1: she remained type cast. She rejected several scripts, landing her 483 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:30,120 Speaker 1: suspensions from the movie studio. The only time Olivia played 484 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,600 Speaker 1: more difficult roles was when Warner loaned her out In 485 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:38,160 Speaker 1: Paramounts Risk hit hold Back the Dawn, she played a 486 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:42,040 Speaker 1: small town teacher whose life and sexuality were awakened by 487 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: a European gigglow. The role earned her another Academy Award nomination, 488 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:51,280 Speaker 1: this time for Best Actress. Olivia and Flynn paired up 489 00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:54,480 Speaker 1: for two more movies. It became obvious to him that 490 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:58,360 Speaker 1: their eighth movie would be their last together. He later 491 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:01,600 Speaker 1: said that his last line to her had off screen, meaning, 492 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 1: walking through life with you, ma'am has been a very 493 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:10,160 Speaker 1: gracious thing. In ninety three, should fulfilled her seven year 494 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:14,640 Speaker 1: contract with Warner Brothers, except the studio tacked on six 495 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:17,360 Speaker 1: months for the times to decline movies and had been 496 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:22,720 Speaker 1: suspended while other actors had accepted similar contract add ons 497 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 1: from the studio. Olivia hired an attorney. In ninety three, 498 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:33,320 Speaker 1: California's Supreme Court sided with Olivia. Outraged, Warner Brothers filed 499 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:37,240 Speaker 1: an appeal. The studio's attorneys attempted to anger her in court, 500 00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:41,120 Speaker 1: making her look like an overindulged and thankless star. As 501 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:45,040 Speaker 1: the saying went in Hollywood, men were bosses, women were bossy. 502 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:49,440 Speaker 1: Jack Warner seethed, we brought her from obscurity to prominence 503 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:51,440 Speaker 1: and can show that we made a profit on every 504 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:54,640 Speaker 1: picture she has ever been in. One of the studio 505 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:57,760 Speaker 1: attorneys did their best to intimidate her. Is it not true, 506 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:00,680 Speaker 1: Mr Haveland, that you failed to show up on set 507 00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:04,600 Speaker 1: to play roles requested of you, always one to take 508 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:07,320 Speaker 1: the high ground, Olivia turned on the charm she was 509 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:11,839 Speaker 1: known for. I didn't refuse, she answered politely. I declined. 510 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:16,319 Speaker 1: Once more, the courts sided with her, but it came 511 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:19,759 Speaker 1: with a cost. Warner Brothers blacklisted her from working in 512 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:23,960 Speaker 1: Hollywood and appealed to the California State Supreme Court. Olivia 513 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,880 Speaker 1: was just happy the trial was over. Little did she 514 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:32,240 Speaker 1: know she had changed Hollywood contracts forever. Co star greats 515 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:35,600 Speaker 1: like Clark Gable and her former flame Jimmy Stewart used 516 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:38,239 Speaker 1: what became known as the de Haveland Rule to move 517 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:43,040 Speaker 1: forward with their own careers. Decades later, Johnny Carson, Courtney Love, 518 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:46,480 Speaker 1: and Jay Leno also used the ruling in similar situations, 519 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:51,520 Speaker 1: and Warner Brothers couldn't keep Olivia blacklisted for long. She 520 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:55,440 Speaker 1: worked with other studios, winning two more Oscars. In nineteen 521 00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:58,400 Speaker 1: fifty two, she left Hollywood, moving to Paris when she 522 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:04,040 Speaker 1: married Pierre Gallant In She retired from acting in two 523 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:07,200 Speaker 1: thousand three. She received a standing ovation as the presenter 524 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:12,040 Speaker 1: for the seventy Academy Awards. President George Bush awarded her 525 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 1: with the National Medal of Arts in two thousand eight, 526 00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:18,719 Speaker 1: and in France appointed her a Night of the highest decoration. 527 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:24,080 Speaker 1: Having walked through life with Grace, Olivia to havelland passed 528 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:27,399 Speaker 1: away peacefully in her sleep in her parents home on July. 529 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:40,480 Speaker 1: She was a hundred and four American Shadows as hosted 530 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:44,360 Speaker 1: by Lauren Vogelbaum. This episode was written by Michelle Muto, 531 00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:48,360 Speaker 1: researched by Ali Steed, and produced by Miranda Hawkins and 532 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:52,799 Speaker 1: Trevor Young, with executive producers Aaron Mackey, Alex Williams, and 533 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 1: Matt Frederick. To learn more about the show, visit grim 534 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:59,200 Speaker 1: and mil dot com. From more podcast from my Heart 535 00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:03,280 Speaker 1: Radio at the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 536 00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:12,040 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts. M HM