Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart
Speaker 1: Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. He was
Speaker 1: the definition of prolific in his lifetime. American expatriate John
Speaker 1: Singer Sargeant created countless sketches and charcoal drawings, over two
Speaker 1: thousand watercolor paintings and nine hundred oil paintings. His ability
Speaker 1: to draw with a brush brought him both admiration and criticism,
Speaker 1: and he was as versatile as he was talented. His
Speaker 1: landscapes touched on Impressionism, while his other works blended Realism,
Speaker 1: classicism and grand manner portrait Sure, Sergeant's novelist friend Henry
Speaker 1: James said he offered the slightly uncanny spectacle of a
Speaker 1: talent which, on the threshold of its career, has nothing
Speaker 1: more to learn. He was famous, sure, but so are
Speaker 1: his subjects Henry James, Robert Louis Stephenson, President Franklin Roosevelt,
Speaker 1: Woodrow Wilson, and Lady Agnew, just to name a few.
Speaker 1: But his most famous painting ended in scandal, nearly ruining
Speaker 1: him and his news. Virginie Emily Avenio born in New
Speaker 1: Orleans in eighteen fifty nine, too exceptionally wealthy parents. Spent
Speaker 1: most of her life in Paris. She wore the finest
Speaker 1: of dresses and was taught to be a proper young woman.
Speaker 1: Like most in her social class, she was expected to
Speaker 1: marry into wealth, but her elegance, beauty, and figure did
Speaker 1: more than turn heads. They started rumors of loose behavior.
Speaker 1: She ignored the rumors and soon married a wealthy banker,
Speaker 1: Pierre Getroeux. Not long after, the couple welcomed daughter, Louise
Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy nine. None of that stopped the rumors, though,
Speaker 1: and word of her affairs made for frequent gossip among
Speaker 1: the elite. In eighteen eighty four, Sergeant was a young
Speaker 1: artist making a name for himself. He needed a model
Speaker 1: worthy of painting for the Paris Salon, the annual art
Speaker 1: exhibition hosting some of the finest talents in the world.
Speaker 1: He knew he had found the right news the minute
Speaker 1: he met Gatrow. She agreed to sit for him, though
Speaker 1: she had little patience or discipline for such things. Constantly
Speaker 1: distracted with social engagements, she complained that the process board
Speaker 1: her sergeant became equally frustrated with the endless breaks and interruptions.
Speaker 1: Though he finally finished the life size portrait in time
Speaker 1: for the eighteen eighty four Paris Salon. He had painted
Speaker 1: Ghatrow's skin a pale white typical of aristocratic pallor. The
Speaker 1: profile of her face gave the impression of assertiveness. Her
Speaker 1: floor length, deep black gown was sinched at the waist,
Speaker 1: with a plunging heart neckline that was rather daring for
Speaker 1: the time, and sleeveless but for a pair of thin
Speaker 1: jeweled shoulder straps, one of which had slipped to hang
Speaker 1: loosely over her right arm. Both he and Ghatroux were
Speaker 1: pleased with the result. The public, however, was not. The
Speaker 1: pose and attire were overtly sexual for the time and
Speaker 1: brought instant scandal. An aristocrat posing for such an erotic
Speaker 1: painting quickly became the talk of Paris because his depiction
Speaker 1: defied societal norms. Sergeant found work scarce in France after
Speaker 1: the exhibit, even after he repainted the draping strap to
Speaker 1: sit firmly on Gatrow's shoulder. At the urging of his friends,
Speaker 1: he moved to England and quickly became a success, painting
Speaker 1: the most elite in British and American society. Gatrow's reputation
Speaker 1: took a bit longer to restore, though she hired two
Speaker 1: different artists to paint her in more conservative clothing and
Speaker 1: demure poses. The While she was eventually welcomed back into
Speaker 1: elite's society, she never regained the status she once held.
Speaker 1: Society had expectations, after all. As it turned out, those
Speaker 1: expectations were rarely consistent. I'm Lauren Vogelbond. Welcome to American Shadows.
Speaker 1: John Pollard returned from a trip with the bad cold.
Speaker 1: Five days later he died. Twelve year old Madeline took
Speaker 1: the loss hard, not just because she had been her
Speaker 1: father's favorite, but because that day, in eighteen seventy six,
Speaker 1: she lost her family as she had always known it.
Speaker 1: They owned no property, and despite her father's profession as
Speaker 1: a lawyer, he left no estate to speak of. Her
Speaker 1: mother couldn't provide for six children, so she did what
Speaker 1: many women were forced to do in such circumstances. She
Speaker 1: sent the children to live elsewhere. Edward, the oldest, found
Speaker 1: employment and left to fend for himself. Madeline's older sister, Mary,
Speaker 1: and the baby Ernest, went to live with an aunt, Rosalie.
Speaker 1: John and Horatio were sent to an orphanage in Louisville.
Speaker 1: John's sister in Pittsburgh took Madeline, though she and her
Speaker 1: husband already had six children of their own. Madeline threw
Speaker 1: herself into her school work to lessen the pain. Teachers
Speaker 1: said she was well behaved and attentive, but seven children
Speaker 1: to feed and clothe proved hard, and so when she
Speaker 1: turned sixteen, her aunt sent her back to her mother.
Speaker 1: It didn't last long, though, her mother sent her away
Speaker 1: once more, this time to another family member in Lexington.
Speaker 1: Madeline wanted to pursue her education. She didn't want to
Speaker 1: end up without skills like her mother, without money, though
Speaker 1: even returning to school seemed out of the question. Jobs
Speaker 1: and pay for women were limited, and young ladies were
Speaker 1: groomed to become wives, not scholars. While out riding one day,
Speaker 1: she came across James Rhodes. He was a friend of
Speaker 1: her uncle's, a much older man with an ash and complexion.
Speaker 1: Telling of his age and hard life, he asked her
Speaker 1: to marry him, and she declined. He persisted, though, telling
Speaker 1: her he'd pay for her education if she accepted. Madeline
Speaker 1: wanted to become a writer. Rhodes expected her to become
Speaker 1: a teacher upon her return, and of course take care
Speaker 1: of him in his old age. Feeling that this might
Speaker 1: be her only option, and thinking she could either repay
Speaker 1: him or outlive him, she reluctantly agreed in three At seventeen,
Speaker 1: she went to study at the Notre Dame Convent. When
Speaker 1: the other girls heard she had made an agreement to
Speaker 1: marry a man old enough to be her grandfather, they
Speaker 1: were less than kind, forcing her to transfer to wesleyan
Speaker 1: female college in Cincinnati. She wrote in her journal that
Speaker 1: she felt should die of pain thinking of her impending
Speaker 1: marriage to the lecherous Roads, and that somehow she had
Speaker 1: to get herself out from under such a deal. The
Speaker 1: arrangement weighed heavily on her mind, even when she received
Speaker 1: a telegram informing her that her sister Rosalie had fallen
Speaker 1: ill with consumption. After boarding the last train home, a
Speaker 1: man approached her, asking if they had ever met before,
Speaker 1: Though she doubted such a meeting had ever taken place,
Speaker 1: she recognized him instantly, Colonel William Campbell Preston Breckenridge. Her
Speaker 1: father had spoken highly of him, and young Madeline had
Speaker 1: idolized Breckenridge. Almost as much as she had her father,
Speaker 1: twenty years her senior. He was the son of a
Speaker 1: prominent minister, grandson of a senator, and first cousin to
Speaker 1: Vice President John Breckenridge. He had his own political aspirations
Speaker 1: and currently served as a member of the House of Representatives.
Speaker 1: He also lived in Lexington and was returning home. Madeline
Speaker 1: was enthralled. On the trip home. The two talked about
Speaker 1: their family. His first wife had died and he had remarried.
Speaker 1: He and his wife, Issa, had three children. She told
Speaker 1: him about her father and education. She listened intently as
Speaker 1: he talked about his law practice and his stance on
Speaker 1: civil rights. Occasionally he took cases defending freed black men.
Speaker 1: As a minister's son, he dedicated himself to preserving family
Speaker 1: values and morals. For a short time after the Civil War,
Speaker 1: had even held a job, Madeline could only dream of
Speaker 1: the editor of the Lexington Observer. The two parted ways
Speaker 1: after that. Madeline stayed in Kentucky until her sister's death
Speaker 1: and funeral. The meeting with her Idol had made a
Speaker 1: deep impression, though, and once she returned to school, she
Speaker 1: talked quite a bit about meeting Breckinridge sinsing a crush.
Speaker 1: Her classmates kitted her, often addressing her as Madeline Vivian
Speaker 1: Enridged Pollard. Once she had settled back into her studies,
Speaker 1: letters from Rhodes poured in in his mind. She had
Speaker 1: been away at school long enough and the time had
Speaker 1: come for her to either repay him or marry him.
Speaker 1: Thinking Breckinridge might offer her legal advice, she wrote to
Speaker 1: him explaining her situation. He not only replied, he also
Speaker 1: offered to meet her while in Cincinnati on business. He
Speaker 1: arrived not long after and asked if she'd like to
Speaker 1: attend a concert with him. They could discuss her situation beforehand.
Speaker 1: She quickly agreed. He didn't take her to the concert hall, however,
Speaker 1: Instead he brought her to a remote location where he
Speaker 1: attempted to kiss her. She resisted, and he took her
Speaker 1: back to the school. Before he left, he pressed ten
Speaker 1: dollars into her hand. Though bewildered, she took the money.
Speaker 1: He then told her why his conduct that evening had
Speaker 1: not been improper. It's not clear what, if anything she
Speaker 1: said in respe bunts. One thing is clear, though they
Speaker 1: briefly discussed her deal with Rhodes. If she wanted to
Speaker 1: know how to resolve the situation, she would need to
Speaker 1: meet him at the public library the next morning. Though
Speaker 1: he hadn't acted exactly like a husband and gentleman, she
Speaker 1: thought maybe he had misunderstood her too. Thinking about Rhodes
Speaker 1: again gave her all the courage she needed. Breckinridge was
Speaker 1: a powerful man, a lawyer, and he was still her idol,
Speaker 1: so she agreed to meet with him the next morning.
Speaker 1: He was waiting for her when she arrived, but they
Speaker 1: didn't go inside to talk. There was a change of plans.
Speaker 1: He told her they could speak more openly at a
Speaker 1: friend's home. Thinking of who might overhear her story, she
Speaker 1: left with him. They were welcomed inside and sat in
Speaker 1: the parlor. Not long after they arrived, a woman entered
Speaker 1: informing him that the upstairs room was ready. Madeline refused.
Speaker 1: Breckenridge made her another offer, transfer to Sayer Institute in
Speaker 1: Lexington and he'd take care of Rhodes. She could live
Speaker 1: in a small cottage instead of a dormitory, all expenses paid.
Speaker 1: Of course, clearly he was offering the same deal she
Speaker 1: had made with Rhodes, only with a more comfortable residence,
Speaker 1: and without the marriage, she would be his mistress in
Speaker 1: exchange for her studies. Once she finished school, she would
Speaker 1: be free to live her life. She considered her options, and,
Speaker 1: having some attraction to Breckenridge, decided to accept. He made
Speaker 1: good on his word, and she made good on hers.
Speaker 1: Over the next few months, he visited her frequently, and
Speaker 1: by the summer of eighteen eighty four, she was pregnant.
Speaker 1: She did her best to conceal the pregnancy while at school,
Speaker 1: lasting until February of eight five. Breckenridge aid for her
Speaker 1: to return to Cincinnati and the Norwood Foundling Asylum. Asylums
Speaker 1: at the time housed not only people considered to have
Speaker 1: mental illnesses, but other illnesses as well, and women who
Speaker 1: had fallen from society fallen meaning did become pregnant out
Speaker 1: of wedlock. Breckenridge had her registered as Louise Wilson to
Speaker 1: protect her reputation, but was more likely protecting his own.
Speaker 1: On May nine, with only two midwives by her side,
Speaker 1: she gave birth to a baby girl. Having spent months
Speaker 1: alone without so much as a visit from Breckinridge, Madeline
Speaker 1: decided to give up the child and break off the
Speaker 1: affair with his reputation to protect. It wasn't like he
Speaker 1: could demand she repay him. He wrote back, begging her
Speaker 1: not to leave. He swore that he loved her and
Speaker 1: that if she'd give up the child, and if he
Speaker 1: were ever free from his marriage, he would marry her.
Speaker 1: He swore he'd protect her and properly take care of
Speaker 1: their future children. He told her that if she ended
Speaker 1: the relationship, any chance of finishing her education would be lost.
Speaker 1: Without higher education, she wouldn't be able to support herself
Speaker 1: as a woman. Her opportunities were few. He wasn't wrong.
Speaker 1: She could be a cook, made or seamstress, but none
Speaker 1: of those jobs paid enough to support oneself. There were
Speaker 1: factory jobs, but the pay wasn't much better and working
Speaker 1: conditions were often deplorable. Teachers earned the most, but still
Speaker 1: not enough money to live on their own. Breckinridge wrote
Speaker 1: more letters, perfecting his love. She believed him and returned
Speaker 1: to Kentucky to finish her studies. The affair picked up
Speaker 1: where it had left off, except this time she felt
Speaker 1: he would eventually marry her. She wrote in her journal
Speaker 1: that had won her love and that she remained faithful
Speaker 1: to him. Obedient, in all ways, though he kept her
Speaker 1: in the shadows. She told herself that he treated her
Speaker 1: well and that she wanted for nothing except to end
Speaker 1: the secrecy. She often lamented that they could not be together.
Speaker 1: He told her that as a man of faith that God,
Speaker 1: he could never leave his wife. He told her to
Speaker 1: be patient, that whenever his wife died, he would marry her.
Speaker 1: Now one could argue that Madeline had to know that
Speaker 1: at this point he wasn't a man of moral standing,
Speaker 1: and that he might be asking her to wait decades,
Speaker 1: perhaps the rest of her life. Yet she agreed. Madeline
Speaker 1: became pregnant again in seven. This time Breckenridge moved her
Speaker 1: to Washington, d c. In February of eight, she gave
Speaker 1: birth to a son. The only person by her side
Speaker 1: was the midwife hired to care for her. Once again,
Speaker 1: she gave up the child. He wrote her a letter afterward,
Speaker 1: telling her to hold on that one day did Mary.
Speaker 1: When his political career cook him to Washington, he visited
Speaker 1: her often, but still kept her a secret, and when
Speaker 1: he returned home she made friends with the wives of
Speaker 1: several politicians. Years passed with him visiting her frequently. Then
Speaker 1: in Issa Breckinridge died. Madeline had waited eight years for this.
Speaker 1: The time had come for her turn to be his wife.
Speaker 1: Of course, he assured her that they had announced the
Speaker 1: engagement after a short and proper morning period. When June
Speaker 1: of e arrived, Madeleine grew tired of waiting. Breckenridge reminded
Speaker 1: her that in polite society, he was still in mourning.
Speaker 1: For weeks, the two argued. In the end, he asked
Speaker 1: her to be patient just a little while longer, and
Speaker 1: she relented. In July, Madeleine visited her friend Julia Churchill Blackburn.
Speaker 1: As the wife of a former governor, Julia was part
Speaker 1: of an elite circle. Madeline was excited should be included
Speaker 1: among the Washington elite once she was married. She couldn't
Speaker 1: refrain from telling Julia and a few other friends. When
Speaker 1: a reporter for the Washington Post heard about the engagement,
Speaker 1: Madeline thought she needed to make a formal announcement before
Speaker 1: the press discovered the trail of Breckinridge's visits while he
Speaker 1: had still been married. That's when the next telegram arrived,
Speaker 1: not to her, but to the press. Breckenridge had heard
Speaker 1: about the reporter's intent to publish their engagement and was
Speaker 1: denying any involvement with her. Furious, Madeline wrote him a
Speaker 1: scathing letter and waited for his response. His reply didn't
Speaker 1: arrive by telegram or letter, though she read it in
Speaker 1: the paper. The next day, Breckinridge had announced his engagement
Speaker 1: to Kentucky socialite Louise Scott Wing It was a short engagement.
Speaker 1: He married his new fiance two days later. The truth stung.
Speaker 1: Madeline had never truly intend to marry her. She had
Speaker 1: been a mistress and meant nothing more than that. Now,
Speaker 1: in her mid twenties, she felt she had given up
Speaker 1: her youth. Society looked upon mistresses as fallen and ruined women.
Speaker 1: The opportunity to marry with dignity was gone, as was
Speaker 1: her reputation. Women in her situation had no recourse except
Speaker 1: to fade away. Anything they said would be construed as
Speaker 1: bitter in the eyes of society. Certain women were predators
Speaker 1: out to prey on good men. People would point at
Speaker 1: her and talk behind her, back to her face, did
Speaker 1: tell her she had gotten what she deserved. That part
Speaker 1: was true enough. She was partly at fault and would
Speaker 1: accept the consequences, but Breckinridge was going to take his
Speaker 1: share in the mess too, and Madeleine knew exactly how
Speaker 1: to do it. Things were about to get ugly. It
Speaker 1: happened over a meal. Breckenridge and his new bride were
Speaker 1: enjoying dinner at the Cochrane Hotel in d C on
Speaker 1: August twelfth, EIGHTEE, when an aid from the U. S.
Speaker 1: Marshal's office walked up to their table. After confirming Breckenridge's identity,
Speaker 1: he introduced himself and handed over an envelope full of
Speaker 1: legal papers. Acting as though it were nothing. The colonel
Speaker 1: showed the papers to his wife, Madeline was suing him
Speaker 1: for breach of promise to the tune of fifty thousand
Speaker 1: dollars today that would be a cool one and a
Speaker 1: half million. Such lawsuits weren't uncommon then, you see, without
Speaker 1: jobs or pay that could equal a male counterpart, a
Speaker 1: woman's primary job was to marry. It was drilled into
Speaker 1: her from childhood to become a proper wife, hopefully to
Speaker 1: a wealthy suitor who could best care for her and
Speaker 1: their children. But with these lawsuits came gandal. Society and
Speaker 1: juries alike assumed that such cases happened because the woman
Speaker 1: ruined herself before marriage, ruined, meaning that she was no
Speaker 1: longer chased. While men were expected to have pre marital relations,
Speaker 1: women were not. Instead of going off into the shadows,
Speaker 1: Madeleine admitted to having a nine year affair with Breckinridge,
Speaker 1: starting when she was seventeen. She argued that he took
Speaker 1: advantage of her youth and promised her marriage. In return.
Speaker 1: He painted her as a willful predator. She had boldly
Speaker 1: seduced him. Not long afterward, it had become clear to
Speaker 1: him that she was out for his money and status.
Speaker 1: She had done this before, he later told the press,
Speaker 1: in fact, had been tricked into rescuing her from a
Speaker 1: similar situation. Therefore, he couldn't have ruined her. She was
Speaker 1: already ruined and hardly the marrying kind. While the major
Speaker 1: newspapers didn't carry Madeleine's reply, small upstarts did. Six hundred
Speaker 1: thousand people opened the Sunday edition of the World Tabloid
Speaker 1: to read her side of the story. She put the
Speaker 1: details of their entire affair out into the open. Breckinridge,
Speaker 1: a married man who claimed to uphold morality, had seduced her,
Speaker 1: had fathered two children and kept her in the pregnancies
Speaker 1: a secret from his wife and children at home. Without
Speaker 1: a job or financial support, she couldn't keep her children,
Speaker 1: and Breckinridge wanted nothing to do with them. Illegitimate children
Speaker 1: were a hot topic in the late eighteen hundreds, with
Speaker 1: cases of abandoned and murdered newborns on the rise. In September,
Speaker 1: Madeline moved into a House of Mercy for fallen Women,
Speaker 1: where she told the press about her plans to devote
Speaker 1: her life to charity. Living with nuns and doing charity
Speaker 1: work didn't exactly come across as a woman out for money.
Speaker 1: Breckinridge continued to say that she was a bitter, scorned woman.
Speaker 1: Madeline spun it differently, though she wanted to shed light
Speaker 1: on the reason why women became ruined in the first place,
Speaker 1: double standards. A month later, Breckenridge had a friend send
Speaker 1: his secretary to gain Madeline's confidence in the hopes should
Speaker 1: say or do something he could use against her. The
Speaker 1: plan failed, Madeline refused to discuss the matter. On February nine,
Speaker 1: Madeleine and her attorney, Calderon Carlisle, arrived at the courthouse
Speaker 1: for depositions. No one knew where the money came from
Speaker 1: to pay such a high profile lawyer, or even why
Speaker 1: he had taken on such a case, and frankly, no
Speaker 1: one thought the case would go to trial. When the
Speaker 1: city Hall doors opened on March eighth of Breckinridge had
Speaker 1: tried to settle out of court, but Madeleine held firm
Speaker 1: that if she were going to be publicly humiliated and
Speaker 1: scorned for her actions, he deserved the heat as well.
Speaker 1: The courtroom was packed with spectators, members of Congress, some
Speaker 1: well known actors, and the press. When Breckinridge told the
Speaker 1: courtroom that he hardly knew Madeline, Carlyle presented a stack
Speaker 1: of love letters and telegrams dating back nine years that
Speaker 1: told otherwise changing tactics. Breckenridge's lawyers insisted their client had
Speaker 1: felt trapped in the relationship and feared blackmail, that he
Speaker 1: was not a willing participant. Carlyle called upon several witnesses,
Speaker 1: including the women who had attended Madeline's first birth. He
Speaker 1: had certainly been willing enough, the lawyer pointed out. Breckinridge
Speaker 1: questioned the patrimony of the child, but with a nine
Speaker 1: year affair and a second child, no one was buying
Speaker 1: his story. Meanwhile, poor Louise was having a breakdown. Everything
Speaker 1: Breckenridge had presented himself to be was unraveling. She began
Speaker 1: to question what really had transpired between her husband and Madeline.
Speaker 1: Humiliated and hurt, she came physically ill. Over the next
Speaker 1: several days, Carlyle presented a steady stream of witnesses. One
Speaker 1: of the most prominent was Julia Blackburne. She had witnessed
Speaker 1: Breckinridge with Madeline not long before his engagement announcement to Louise.
Speaker 1: When all the witnesses had given their testimony, the defense
Speaker 1: realized they were in trouble of losing what should have
Speaker 1: been an easy case. Women rarely won at breach of
Speaker 1: promise suit, especially ones against married men. The case didn't
Speaker 1: look much better in the public eye either. The testimony
Speaker 1: coupled with the tabloid article didn't favor their client. He
Speaker 1: certainly wasn't the family man with upstanding morals. All the
Speaker 1: evidence had done more to discredit Breckinridge than Madeleine. The
Speaker 1: defense hadn't planned on such a strong presentation and stuck
Speaker 1: with the line that started with that their client was
Speaker 1: the victim. At one point they tried to shame matt
Speaker 1: And with her behavior, calling her a fallen woman and
Speaker 1: a predator. Pale and worn from days on trial, she
Speaker 1: didn't back down. Yes, she told the courtroom she had
Speaker 1: been involved with a married man and had had two
Speaker 1: children with him. The pregnancies weren't to trap him, as
Speaker 1: the defense had said, though Breckinridge had insisted that she
Speaker 1: give up the children to stay with him. Madeline accepted
Speaker 1: that there were repercussions regarding her lack of morality, but
Speaker 1: she wasn't the only one without integrity. Breckinridge had misled
Speaker 1: her and should suffer consequences as well. She read out
Speaker 1: loud one of his very private and revealing letters to
Speaker 1: the jurors. In a last attempt to sway the court.
Speaker 1: Breckinridge took the stand, still insisting that he was the victim,
Speaker 1: a devoted family man until Madeleine seduced him. What was
Speaker 1: he supposed to do when he finished? Carlyle called three
Speaker 1: new witnesses to the stand. A typist, the family cook,
Speaker 1: and a formerly enslaved woman. All admitted that they had
Speaker 1: also had affairs with brecken Rich while he was married
Speaker 1: to his last wife. Members of the courtroom gasped. With that,
Speaker 1: the prosecution rested its case. The trial resumed on April fourteen,
Speaker 1: and then the jury foreman read the verdict against all
Speaker 1: odds Madeline had one Madeleine had done more than when
Speaker 1: the court case she had cracked open a door to
Speaker 1: a new age for women, the demand to be treated
Speaker 1: equally on moral grounds. The suit shed light on double
Speaker 1: standards that are still being fought today. One question remained, though,
Speaker 1: who financed her lawsuit. Her attorney was one of the
Speaker 1: most expensive around Madeline and afford him, and had essentially
Speaker 1: been unhoused and without money when Breckenridge married Louise. At first,
Speaker 1: it might seem that Breckenridge's enemies might have opened their wallets,
Speaker 1: except they hadn't. Soon after the verdict, The Evening Star
Speaker 1: reported that a wealthy Kentucky widow related to one of
Speaker 1: the politician's former affair partners had paid for part of
Speaker 1: the expenses. But she wasn't the only wealthy widow. There
Speaker 1: were two more. One had provided five thousand dollars that's
Speaker 1: over a hundred and thirty six thousand today. Then there
Speaker 1: was the daughter of a prominent New York businessman, with
Speaker 1: a penchant for righting the wrongs towards ruined women. She
Speaker 1: and Madeline became lifelong friends and traveled the world together
Speaker 1: after the case. Also pitching in was Lucy Blount, a
Speaker 1: wealthy woman and activist for feminist ideals who had committed
Speaker 1: her time to women's rights. In the end, a group
Speaker 1: of women had banded together to defeat the men in
Speaker 1: the court room that had enough of double standards. For most,
Speaker 1: it wasn't that they approved of Madeleine's affair. She had
Speaker 1: simply provided them the opportunity to make themselves heard. And
Speaker 1: if you're asking why the other women didn't just fund
Speaker 1: Madeline a new life, then Caroline Fellows Morgan, widow of
Speaker 1: JP Morgan, said it best to paraphrase, any man claiming
Speaker 1: such morality and living a double life should not go unscathed,
Speaker 1: should been the one to fund the majority of the
Speaker 1: legal fees. The repercussions didn't stop there, though, When Breckinridge
Speaker 1: ran for reelection, he lost, and it may not have
Speaker 1: been the men who made sure his bid failed, because
Speaker 1: although women didn't have the right to vote, they were
Speaker 1: able to do something else. They spoke up and thankfully
Speaker 1: their sons and fathers and husbands did the right thing.
Speaker 1: They listened. There's more to the story. Stick around after
Speaker 1: this brief sponsor break to hear all about it. It
Speaker 1: was a dream come true. Fresh out of high school
Speaker 1: in four Olivia to have a land landed her first
Speaker 1: acting job in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Speaker 1: Shortly afterward, Warner Brothers signed her with a five year
Speaker 1: contract for two hundred dollars a week. Jack Warner's studio
Speaker 1: primarily produced gangster movies with male headliners like Edward Robinson
Speaker 1: and James Cagney. At the time, Olivia expected her Shakespearean
Speaker 1: performance would land her serious film roles. What Warner Brothers
Speaker 1: gave her were arm candy rolls for the leading men. Still,
Speaker 1: she accepted them in hopes that she might work her
Speaker 1: way up. She teamed up with Errol Flynn in Captain Blood,
Speaker 1: and The New York Times hailed her performance. The two
Speaker 1: shared dynamic on screen chemistry that thrilled audiences. Flynn admitted
Speaker 1: to falling in love with Olivia, and she had also
Speaker 1: fallen for him when he asked her out, though she declined.
Speaker 1: And you see, Flynn was married and Olivia didn't date
Speaker 1: married men. Over the years, Flynn continued to pursue her,
Speaker 1: and she continued to turn down his advances. Olivia didn't
Speaker 1: wait for Flynn either. She dated Jimmy Stewart, John Houston,
Speaker 1: and even Howard Hughes. But there was one other suitor
Speaker 1: she turned down, a naval lieutenant named John F. Kennedy,
Speaker 1: Yes that jfk. Per their contracts with Warner, Olivia and
Speaker 1: Flynn were paired in six more films together. He was
Speaker 1: happy with the success and the wealth that these leading
Speaker 1: roles brought him. Olivia wanted respect as an actor and
Speaker 1: roles where she was more than just a pretty face
Speaker 1: with token minds. She appeared in the nineteen thirty six
Speaker 1: film Anthony Adverse, which earned six Academy Award nominations. That
Speaker 1: same year, she started alongside Flynn for the box office
Speaker 1: hit The Charge of the Light Brigade. Despite newspapers and
Speaker 1: critics commending her performances, it was Flynn who benefited. Warner
Speaker 1: Brothers tore up his initial contract and gave him a
Speaker 1: better deal two thousand, two hundred and fifty dollars per week. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: they agreed to raise Olivia's pay to a whole five
Speaker 1: hundred dollars if she changed her contract from five years
Speaker 1: to seven. Those had been successful in showcasing stronger acting
Speaker 1: skills when loaned out to other production companies, Warner Brothers
Speaker 1: continued to hand her stereotypical roles where she was expected
Speaker 1: to play clueless, inept characters. Still people loved her. She
Speaker 1: portrayed a young woman who fell in love with the
Speaker 1: artist hired to paint her portrait in ninety seven's Call
Speaker 1: It a Day, and later a comedy with Betty Davis
Speaker 1: earned her more acclaim. She teamed up with Flynn again
Speaker 1: for the Adventures of Robin Hood in eight. The film
Speaker 1: went on to be one of Hollywood's biggest successes of
Speaker 1: its day and earned an Academy Award for Best Picture.
Speaker 1: While the film raised Flynn's status at Warner Brothers, lending
Speaker 1: him rolls of his choosing, Olivia's roles remained the same,
Speaker 1: unchallenging ones for her next two films. She was cast
Speaker 1: as dizzy rich girls. In the film that followed, her
Speaker 1: role as a love interest once more depressed. Her complaints
Speaker 1: to Jack Warner went unanswered when MGM wrote a letter
Speaker 1: to Warner asking them to loan out Olivia for an
Speaker 1: upcoming adaptation of a best selling novel. They refused. Olivia
Speaker 1: had loved the novel and wanted a role in the project.
Speaker 1: Determined to land the role she wanted, she went to
Speaker 1: Jack Warner's wife. He relented. Oddly, Olivia didn't want the
Speaker 1: leading role MGM had her in mind for. She wanted
Speaker 1: the role of Melanie Hamilton's Scarlett O'Hara's kind hearted and
Speaker 1: strong friend in Gone with the Wind, Critics saying her praises,
Speaker 1: calling her a standout among the star studded cast. The
Speaker 1: role earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Speaker 1: Even with the award, Warner Brothers continued to cast her
Speaker 1: in the same roles as before. The films were highly successful,
Speaker 1: catapulting her male counterparts into better and deeper roles, while
Speaker 1: she remained type cast. She rejected several scripts, landing her
Speaker 1: suspensions from the movie studio. The only time Olivia played
Speaker 1: more difficult roles was when Warner loaned her out In
Speaker 1: Paramounts Risk hit hold Back the Dawn, she played a
Speaker 1: small town teacher whose life and sexuality were awakened by
Speaker 1: a European gigglow. The role earned her another Academy Award nomination,
Speaker 1: this time for Best Actress. Olivia and Flynn paired up
Speaker 1: for two more movies. It became obvious to him that
Speaker 1: their eighth movie would be their last together. He later
Speaker 1: said that his last line to her had off screen, meaning,
Speaker 1: walking through life with you, ma'am has been a very
Speaker 1: gracious thing. In ninety three, should fulfilled her seven year
Speaker 1: contract with Warner Brothers, except the studio tacked on six
Speaker 1: months for the times to decline movies and had been
Speaker 1: suspended while other actors had accepted similar contract add ons
Speaker 1: from the studio. Olivia hired an attorney. In ninety three,
Speaker 1: California's Supreme Court sided with Olivia. Outraged, Warner Brothers filed
Speaker 1: an appeal. The studio's attorneys attempted to anger her in court,
Speaker 1: making her look like an overindulged and thankless star. As
Speaker 1: the saying went in Hollywood, men were bosses, women were bossy.
Speaker 1: Jack Warner seethed, we brought her from obscurity to prominence
Speaker 1: and can show that we made a profit on every
Speaker 1: picture she has ever been in. One of the studio
Speaker 1: attorneys did their best to intimidate her. Is it not true,
Speaker 1: Mr Haveland, that you failed to show up on set
Speaker 1: to play roles requested of you, always one to take
Speaker 1: the high ground, Olivia turned on the charm she was
Speaker 1: known for. I didn't refuse, she answered politely. I declined.
Speaker 1: Once more, the courts sided with her, but it came
Speaker 1: with a cost. Warner Brothers blacklisted her from working in
Speaker 1: Hollywood and appealed to the California State Supreme Court. Olivia
Speaker 1: was just happy the trial was over. Little did she
Speaker 1: know she had changed Hollywood contracts forever. Co star greats
Speaker 1: like Clark Gable and her former flame Jimmy Stewart used
Speaker 1: what became known as the de Haveland Rule to move
Speaker 1: forward with their own careers. Decades later, Johnny Carson, Courtney Love,
Speaker 1: and Jay Leno also used the ruling in similar situations,
Speaker 1: and Warner Brothers couldn't keep Olivia blacklisted for long. She
Speaker 1: worked with other studios, winning two more Oscars. In nineteen
Speaker 1: fifty two, she left Hollywood, moving to Paris when she
Speaker 1: married Pierre Gallant In She retired from acting in two
Speaker 1: thousand three. She received a standing ovation as the presenter
Speaker 1: for the seventy Academy Awards. President George Bush awarded her
Speaker 1: with the National Medal of Arts in two thousand eight,
Speaker 1: and in France appointed her a Night of the highest decoration.
Speaker 1: Having walked through life with Grace, Olivia to havelland passed
Speaker 1: away peacefully in her sleep in her parents home on July.
Speaker 1: She was a hundred and four American Shadows as hosted
Speaker 1: by Lauren Vogelbaum. This episode was written by Michelle Muto,
Speaker 1: researched by Ali Steed, and produced by Miranda Hawkins and
Speaker 1: Trevor Young, with executive producers Aaron Mackey, Alex Williams, and
Speaker 1: Matt Frederick. To learn more about the show, visit grim
Speaker 1: and mil dot com. From more podcast from my Heart
Speaker 1: Radio at the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you get your podcasts. M HM