Tallulah Bankhead

[trof]

Welcome Dahlings!

Outrageous, outspoken, and uninhibited are just a few adjectives that described Tallulah Bankhead's personality. Most people who met her never forgot her -and she made sure of that! At the age of fifteen, she stormed out of her home state of Alabama like an April tornado, determined to gain attention and recognition. She did achieve stardom working in virtually every medium - stage, screen, radio and television - but her fame was attributed more to her outrageous antics than for her work.

Possessed of a tremendous energy level, very few people could keep up with her. She smoked over one hundred cigarettes per day, drank gin and bourbon like they were water, and carried a suitcase-full of drugs to help her sleep, stay awake and just function in general. She reportedly engaged in hundreds of affairs with both men and women. Her biting wit, salty language and outlandish behavior – like the propensity for taking off her clothes at the drop of a hat – shocked and outraged everyone.

The Bankheads were a prominent Alabama political family. Tallulah's grandfather, John Hollis Bankhead, was a Confederate veteran and a U.S. senator. Tallulah's uncle John was also a Senator and her father would serve as a U.S. Representative and Speaker of the House.
http://home.hiwaay.net/~oliver/tbbiography.htm

[xchrom]

1. i'm her reincarnated.

i even stand like that naturally.

[Taverner]

2. Southern girls, you got nothing to lose

I've been north,
I've been east to the California beach
There's only one place I know where to find you
And all you Southern girls got a way with your words
And you show it
You say hump and I'll jump
You say go and I'll know
Waste no time getting
So close to you
And you'll never run way
When you find out why I wanted to find you
Ooh baby need some brand new shoes
Get out on the street
You got nothing to lose
You rock me and your crazy
And everyone says it, yeah yeah
Southern girls, you got nothing to lose
Southern girls, you got nothing to lose
I've been up I've been down
I've been weak I've been strong
But I never met someone like you
And you'll never run away
When you find why I wanted to find you
You say hump and I'll jump
You say go and I'll know
Waste no time getting
So close to you
All you Southern girls
Got a way with your words
And you show it
Ooh baby need some brand new shoes
Get out on the street
You got nothing to lose
You rock me and your crazy
And everyone says it, yeah yeah
Southern girls, you got nothing to lose
Southern girls, you got nothing to lose
You think this boy, he loves you
Southern girls
You make it hard oh, so hard
I've been north, I've been east to the California beach
There's only one place I know where to find you
And all you Southern girls got a way with your words
And you show it
Ooh baby need some brand new shoes
Get out on the street
You got nothing to lose
You rock me and your crazy
And everyone says it, yeah yeah
Southern girls, you got nothing to lose
Southern girls, you got nothing to lose
Southern girls
Southern girls
Southern girls

[yellowdogmi]

19. The pride of Rockford IL

Nice choice. One of my favorite tunes.

[skygazer]

3. I always thought she was great

I love a sassy, outrageous woman.

[sarge43]

4. My favorite Tallulah snark

The story goes she attended a high mass and during the service as one of the priest passed by, in dress uniform and swinging a censer, she remarked, "Love your dress, dear, but your purse is on fire."

[greatauntoftriplets]

5. "I am as pure as the driven slush"....

I've always loved that line.

[brook]

6. She was one of those women

that every other woman hopes she has a little of - Dorothy Parker's another one. I don't know if it's the wit or the independence (snarkiness) - but it's something you look for in the mirror when you're practising the speech for him.

[The Brethren]

7. Given her era, I'm surprised

she didn't them a heart attack.

"My father warned me about men and booze... but he never said anything about women and cocaine."....Tallulah Bankhead

[wildhorses]

8. Tallulah Hallelujah

[Shine]

9. She's what the two year old girl next door reminds you of??

just in her low voice, I take it you meant, right?

I wonder if her nickname was "Lula"?

[trof]

16. A Tallulah 'low voice' bit: The Big Show

With the premiere of “The Big Show” on November 5, 1950, the National Broadcasting Company began shelling out $100,000 weekly to present a “shower of stars” on each broadcast in a last ditch effort not only to peel away listeners from the rival Columbia Broadcasting System (whose Sunday night line-up spotlighted former NBC employees Jack Benny, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, and Freeman Gosden & Charles Correll as “Amos ‘n’ Andy”) but to distract an audience newly-hypnotized by a “fad” called television.

Best known as a leading star of the Broadway stage, "the glamorous, unpredictable" Tallulah Bankhead brought considerable sophistication to "The Big Show" -- and found that hosting it broadened her mainstream popularity as well.The responsibility for accomplishing all this was placed squarely on the shoulders of Tallulah Bankhead, the celebrated actress of such stage hits as “Private Lives” and “The Skin of Our Teeth”. The “glamorous, unpredictable” Talloo was more than up to the challenge, having previously appeared on radio alongside Bergen & McCarthy, Eddie Cantor, and Fred Allen, in addition to dramatic performances on “The Radio Reader’s Digest” and “The Screen Director’s Playhouse.” The larger-than-life diva’s well-known persona lent itself to a veritable gold mine of jokes for the program’s writing staff, emphasizing her colossal ego, husky rasp of a voice, limited singing talent and long-running feud with Bette Davis. (Bankhead often derisively referred to Davis’ screen triumph in “All About Eve” as “All About Me”).

For 21st century listeners, “The Big Show’s” sharp comedy writing - described by Bankhead in her memoirs as “ersatz venom” between her and her guests - remains the program’s crowning achievement; veteran comedy writer Goodman Ace (who had enjoyed a lengthy radio career alongside his wife Jane in “Easy Aces”) supervised a talented staff of scribes that included George Foster, Morton Green, Frank Wilson, Selma Diamond, and, uncredited, Ace’s long-time pal Fred Allen. Producer-director Dee Engelbach put his personal stamp on “The Big Show” as well, and bandleader Meredith Willson brought his patented “chiffon” musical arrangements to bear with a 44-piece orchestra and 16-voice chorus. (Willson was also able to use his experience as sidekick to George Burns and Gracie Allen to play the part of Bankhead’s stooge, frequently salaaming her with “Thank you, Miss Bankhead, sir.”)
http://www.radioarchives.org/sets/PC43.htm

[musette_sf]

10. yes, I too love Tallu

I read a great paperback (bought used, yellowish by the time I got it) about her life some years ago... "Miss Tallulah Bankhead" by Lee Israel.

I got into wearing a re-issue of Coty's Chypre back in the 80s when they brought back some of their turn of the 20th century scents. it was because I'd read in Israel's book that Tallu wore it in her London stage days, and the girl fans who were mad for her wore it likewise. something about the term "sheep" for someone wearing Chypre was in there, some kind of rhyming slang thing.

I had car trouble once in Tallulah AL in the 80s. since I was a fan, I was kind of thrilled to actually visit Tallulah, the place.

Tallulah, like Dorothy Parker, is a particular favorite of mine. Them, and Stephanie Miller

[flamingyouth]

11. I LOVE her!

I'd post one of my favorite stories about her, but it's probably not suitable for the Lounge.

[sarge43]

12. More Tallulah snark

Earl Wilson: "Have you ever been mistaken for a man on the telephone?"

Tallulah: "No. Have you?"


On seeing a former lover after many years, "I thought I told you to wait in the car."


Can you image Dotty Parker and her in snarking cage match?

[musette_sf]

21. bwahahahaha Earl Wilson

back in the glory days of the NY tabloid gossip columns (Page Six notwithstanding).

[LynneSin]

13. Well you have to appreciate her for this one......

Like her family, Bankhead was a Democrat, but broke with most Southerners by campaigning for Harry Truman's reelection in 1948. While viewing the Inauguration parade, she booed the South Carolina float which carried then-Governor Strom Thurmond, who had recently run against Truman on the Dixiecrat ticket, splitting the Democratic vote.

It's from her entry in Wikipedia

[Smooth Operator]

14. my favorite Tallulah story

Tallulah Bankhead & Zeppo Marx

Zeppo Marx first met Tallulah Bankhead at a Hollywood party - and was clearly smitten. When he finally managed to get her away from the crowd, he embraced Tullulah, stared into her eyes, and proclaimed, "Tonight, Tallulah, I'm going to screw your brains out." Without missing a beat Tallulah replied, "Oh, and so you shall darling! And so you shall!"

[NewWaveChick1981]

15. Tallulah was the best...

She's an inspiration to Naughty Girls everywhere...

[trof]

17. Article by Tallulah about fellow Alabamian Willie Mays

What is so rare as a Willie Mays?
By Tallulah Bankhead
Article originally published in Look, September 21, 1954

Do you want to know why the Giants are going to win the pennant?
Well, darlings, I can tell you in two words: Willie Mays.

Willie does everything with a flourish. He has the spectacular touch. Everything he does on a ball field has a theatrical quality. Even when he strikes out, he can put on a show. In the terms of my trade, Willie lifts the mortgage five minutes before the curtain falls. He rescues the heroine from the railroad tracks just as she's about to be sliced up by the midnight express. He routs the villain when all seems lost. Willie has that indefinable thing called color. Color blended with talent brings the highest prices in the amusement market. Those blessed with both have what it takes at the box office.

But I do have one qualm about Willie Mays. Can he stand the long and uproarious cheering without getting dizzy? The applause of thousands is pretty intoxicating stuff for a 23-year-old. But I think Willie can take it. I thing he is the thoroughbred he looks. He will come through the wringer of publicity and acclaim unscathed. I'm convinced of this because I think he'd rather play ball than do anything else in the world. The joy and enthusiasm he puts into every play mark him as one dedicated. He goes all out on every swing of his bat, every racing catch. Not all players approach the game with such zest. A good many of them would rather be fishing or hunting. Ask any baseball manager. Willie is one of the fortunates of the world. He is paid for doing the thing he enjoys doing most. I wish I could say as much for Tallulah.
http://home.earthlink.net/~tgrillo/article.htm

[sarge43]

18. What a lovely tribute and so true.

She was a naughty girl, but she was a lady, too.

[meegbear]

20. Favorite quote by her:

Reporter: "Is Cary Grant gay?"
Tallulah: "I don't know, he never sucked my dick."

[blitzen]

22. My wife's great-uncle (now 96 years old) used to play cards with her in NYC

back in the 30s, when he was an actor. He has a lot of good stories. He later moved to the Southwest, became an Episcopalian priest and a pillar of the community.