Scandals: NATALIE WOOD & ROBERT REDFORD
September 3, 2023 by marianne h donley in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger tagged as hollywood scandals, Natalie Wood, Robert Redford
Robert Redford told Success Magazine in an interview in 1980, “I was a failure at everything I tried.” He even got in trouble with the law.
He couldn’t hold down a job. Redford even said he used to work at a supermarket as a box boy and got fired. And then his dad found him a job at Standard Oil, and he got fired from that too!
In 1965, Redford got his first spicy role for acting opposite Natalie Wood in Inside Daisy Clover, for which he won a Best New Star Golden Globe.
The two teamed up again in 1966’s This Property Is Condemned. Wood also appeared with him in the 1972 political drama The Candidate, when Redford asked her to do a cameo. Wood and Redford lost touch shortly after that.
Doors opened for Redford movie roles. Hollywood insiders began whispering that Redford and Wood were having an affair, especially when they teamed again in This Property is Condemned, where he played Wood’s lover.
Later, when he reflected on working with the lovely actress, Redford never admitted to having the serious romance that others claimed; only admitting they’d, “…enjoyed a closeness beyond friendship.”
The Skylar Drake Series
SCANDALS: FLORENCE HENDERSON and BARRY WILLIAMS
May 3, 2023 by Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger tagged as Barry Williams, hollywood scandals, The Brady Bunch
A rumor began during the run of the 1970s TV show The Brady Bunch. It was that 36-year-old Florence Henderson and co-star, 16-year-old Barry Williams, who played the oldest son Greg, dated and had an affair. This shocking bit of scandal haunted Henderson long after the show ended.
At the time the show was airing, Henderson was a happily married mother of four. But she was forever associated with her role as Carol Brady.
Williams confessed that he admired Henderson and said during an interview that he fantasized about being with her. He admitted that he once took her on a date to discuss their mutual interest in music. At the end of the date, he fulfilled his dream of planting a kiss on her cheek.
Henderson opened up about her supposed date with the younger Williams, which had almost ruined her reputation, as it looked like she had an affair with a teenage boy.
Williams once told a radio station, “From the time that I met her, I had a great affinity for her and then an attraction to her. She’s played so many different roles in my life as a mother, as a professional, as a mentor and she was inspiring to me as well.”
In her book “Life Is Not a Stage,” Henderson recalled the moment she went out with Williams, noting that she would have done it with any older children if they had asked as she saw herself as a mentor.
Florence noted she understood Williams was entering adulthood, and she did not want to discourage him by turning him down. She saw his request as innocent.
The duo was driven on the date by Williams’ brother since he was too young to drive at the time. Henderson explained that the night was purely innocent, including the goodnight kiss, which was blown out of proportion.
The late actor noted she was aware of Williams’ crush on her and played her part to help him get past it. After leaving the show, both stars remained friends and shared a good bond. Henderson remained loved as the beloved Carol Brady until she died in 2016 at age 82.
“She knew the respect that people had for her character,” Lloyd Schwartz, son of program creator, Sherwood Schwartz, said to Variety. “Whenever anybody came up to her to say anything about the show, she was as warm as could be–I saw it a million times.”
The Skylar Drake Series
Vintage 1950s: The Joan Bennett Scandal by Janet Elizabeth Lynn
August 3, 2018 by Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger tagged as hollywood scandals, research, the 1950s, writing
My husband, Will Zeilinger and I co-write the Skylar Drake Murder Mystery series, a hardboiled mystery series that takes the reader to 1950s Los Angeles and other areas of the west. Our new book, Slick Deal, begins News Year’s Eve 1956 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The first murder and clues lead to Avalon, Catalina.
During our research of the 1950s we come across mysteries and scandals in the newspapers. These give us ideas to include as background in our novels. One scandal stood out and we used in Slick Deal was the Joan Bennett Scandal. We modified the events to fit in our story.
Joan Bennett was a successful screen actress, represented by her long time agent Jennings Lang. On December 13, 1951 she and Lang met to talk over an upcoming TV show.
Bennett parked her Cadillac convertible in the lot across the street from the Beverly Hills Police Department. She and Lang drove off in his car.
Her husband, Walter Wanger, drove by and noticed his wife’s car parked. Half an hour later, he again saw her car there and stopped to wait. Bennett and Lang drove into the parking lot a few hours later. Lang walked her to her car. As she started the engine, turned on the headlights and prepared to drive away. Wanger walked up and shot and the agent in a fit of jealousy
Bennett said she saw two vivid flashes, then Lang slumped to the ground. Wanger tossed the pistol into his wife’s car.
The police, who had heard the shots, came to the scene and found the gun in Bennett’s car when they took Wanger into custody. Lang was taken to a hospital, where he recovered.
Wanger said, “I shot him because I thought he was breaking up my home.” He was booked on suspicion of assault with intent to commit murder.
Bennett denied a romance. She blamed the trouble on financial setbacks involving film productions Wanger was involved with. She said he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Wanger served a four-month sentence, then quickly returning to his career to make a series of successful films.
Meanwhile, Bennett went to Chicago to appear on the stage.
Bennett made only five movies in the decade that followed, as the shooting incident put a “stain” on her career and she became virtual
ly blacklisted.
In a 1981 interview, Bennett compared the judgmental 1950s with the sensation-crazed 1970s and 1980s. “It would never happen that way today,” she said, laughing. “If it happened today, I’d be a sensation. I’d be wanted by all studios for all pictures.”
Joan Bennett died of a heart attack on December 7, 1990 (at 80 years old).
The results of our research? SLIVERS OF GLASS, STRANGE MARKINGS, DESERT ICE and SLICK DEAL . . . and yes, we’re still married.
Website: www.janetlynnauthor.com
Blog: www.themarriedauthors.blogspot.com
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