Introduction

 

Society Divas

Barbara Hutton

Some socialites content themselves with lives of splendid obscurity, others seize the spotlight from the moment of their birth. From the beginning, society mavens knew that Barbara Hutton was one to watch.

Dubbed "the million dollar baby" at birth, Barbara lived her entire life in the glare of the camera. Granddaughter of F.W. Woolworth and daughter of Franklin Hutton, co-founder of E.F. Hutton, it was no secret that Barbara would one day be one of the richest women in the world. When she came into her inheritance in 1933, her estimated worth was in excess of fifty million dollars.

Her father was a compulsive womanizer whose indiscretions eventually led Barbara's mother to suicide. After her mother's death, Frank ignored his daughter completely, and she was raised by a series of relatives, the only constant being her governess, Tikki, who remained by her until the end.

Early in her life, Barbara realized that she was an object of curiosity and resentment to most people, and that the only way she could ensure friendship was to buy it. She began giving her toys and clothes away to friends when not even a teen; this would be a pattern that continued her entire life.

A serious young woman, Barbara was shy and self-conscious of her status. Very withdrawn, her closest companion was her cousin James Donohue III. A homosexual with a fortune of his own, James could provide her with the trust and companionship she craved, without the suspicion of undesirable motives. It became a trend in Barbara's life to be drawn to the company of homosexual men. Perhaps because the pressure of sex was absent, she felt she could relax and be herself. She had many gay friends throughout her life, and three of her husbands were also gay or bisexual.

Barbara's debutante ball was one of the most glamorous occasions of the 1930 social season. Maurice Chevalier and Rudy Vallee were hired to perform for the occasion, and the party cost well over $60,000. Guests included Doris Duke, as well as the Astors and Rockefellers. Though the most expensive debutante ball in history, Barbara wore a sash on her dress made from cloth from her grandfather's first store. At the party, she met and fell in love with Phil Plant, a dashing playboy with a reputation for fast cars and romantic dalliances.

Upon learning of her involvement with Mr. Plant, whom he found highly unsuitable, Barbara's father sent her to Europe in hopes that the relationship would cool off. One of the highlights of the trip was meeting the King of England. The other one was meeting her first husband, Prince Alexis Mdivani of Russia. Though without a country or money, the Prince was determined to trade on his title and improve his circumstances. Upon meeting Barbara at a party given by Elsa Maxwell, he and his sister conspired to trap Barbara in a sex scandal that would force her to marry them. They met with great success. Though forced to sign a prenuptial agreement, he was given a cash settlement at the time of the wedding, as well as a generous allowance. She became a Princess and acquired in the bargain a man she thought she loved. He and Barbara traveled the world together, visiting Italy and France, Indonesia, Thailand and China. However, it was an unhappy relationship.

From the first night of their relationship, Prince Alexis was cruel to Barbara, especially in bed. Belittling her looks and weight, his remarks set off a cycle of anorexia in the young heiress that eventually caused her to become an exercise fanatic, losing more than 20 lbs. from an already svelte frame. He also began to gamble heavily with Barbara's money, as well as buying himself and his wife virtually any jewel he could see. His drinking increased and he began to have affairs, openly telling his wife that he had never loved her. For Alexis, there was nothing to lose. Even with the prenuptial agreement, he was a richer man than he had ever hoped to be. They divorced after just a year of marriage, and the formerly impoverished Prince netted several million dollars. Barbara was shattered to realize that someone could merely pretend to love her, and only marry her for her money. It was cold comfort when he was killed in a car crash shortly after the divorce.

Barbara was never particularly lucky at love, and her next husband would not change this pattern. Count Cort Revenlow of Denmark had land and an estate, but like his predecessor, not much money of his own. In the beginning, he presented Barbara with a strong shoulder to lean on, and was a source of reassurance and support. Barbara became pregnant almost immediately after the marriage, and had a boy named Lance, almost dying in the delivery. Both Barbara and Cort were disconsolate to learn that she could never have another child. It was at this point that the Count's behaviour began to change.

Cort had always been a controlling person, but he now began to dominate his wife in a way he had never done before. After a kidnapping threat, he forced her to purchase the largest home in London, after Buckingham Palace, and spent huge sums of his wife's money refurbishing it. He decided which friends she could see, read her mail for her, and began to force her into sado-masochistic sex games, often with other people. Further, he pressured her to renounce her U.S. citizenship and be solely Dane, then transfer her money to Denmark, where it would be under his control in accordance with Danish law. She did relinquish citizenship, a move that alienated the entire nation, but her father was instrumental in the signing of an agreement that prevented Cort's control of the funds. It was rumored that Cort had considered murdering Barbara to acquire the assets, since under Danish law all the money would have fallen directly to him. Shortly after this, Cort lost all control and beat Barbara savagely, for which he was arrested; and Barbara filed for divorce, receiving custody of Lance.

With the imminent approach of the Second World War, Barbara decided to return to America, living in Hollywood where she worked selling War Bonds. She was very active during the war, and gave a great deal of money to the Free French. She also turned her London home over to the United States government, for the use of its ambassador. Alone in California and lonely, she was thrilled to meet the charming Cary Grant, Hollywood film star.

Cary Grant was one of the few men who truly loved Barbara for herself. One of the great idols of the screen, he was successful and famous in his own right, and didn't need anything from Barbara but herself. They married after a lengthy courtship. The years she spent with Cary were among the happiest of her life, and they remained friends until the end, though like all of Barbara's marriages, this one, too, wouldn't last. Cary had wanted a family of his own, and Barbara couldn't provide this. It must have been difficult for her to realize that there was something in life she couldn't buy. Though Cary accepted the situation, she grew both more insecure and demanding. Her shopping increased, and it became routine for her to spend more than a million dollars for a tiara or necklace from Cartier's. She also began demanding more and more of Cary socially, in spite of his punishing filming schedule. Lastly, she began to drink more and take tranquilizers. Cary eventually had no choice but to divorce her, though he took no money from her in alimony, the only one who didn't.

After the divorce, Barbara moved first to Paris, then Tangier. She saw a house there that she fell in love with, and decided to purchase it, doubling the offer of Generalissimo Franco. However, even at the price of $100,000, it was still a bargain compared to the $5 million house in London she had just given away. In Tangier, Barbara's dependence on drugs became even more severe, and months passed in a drug-dazed whirl of never ending parties. Barbara began drinking heavily and combining it with pills and hashish. She never ate, and seemed to exist on cigarettes and coffee and drugs. She was fortunate at this time in her life to meet Prince Igor Troubetzkoy. He was a man of modest means, and though he benefited from the relationship there is no doubt that Igor sincerely loved Barbara. He tried his best to keep her from the drugs she craved, but was forced to stand by helplessly as doctors came and went with injections of "vitamin shots", and her bedside tables were littered with half empty pill bottles. He at last made an ultimatum, and when she said all she wanted was companionship with no demands, he had enough and divorced her. Barbara was alone again.

So began her downward slide. Her life was now completely out of control. She awakened at home after blackouts, with strange people in her bed. She appeared drunk in public, and gave away her diamond bracelets to strangers. Money and reputation had long ago ceased to matter. Having flown to Europe to escape the drug parties, she quickly flew back to Tangier. There was a suicide attempt that made headlines worldwide. It was clear that Barbara needed a man in her life again.

At a party given by a friend, Barbara was startled to meet a ghost from the past, Baron Gottfried Von Cramm. A German, the two had known one another for years, and Barbara had been instrumental in saving him from death in Nazi Germany, after he'd been arrested on charges of homosexuality. The two quickly rekindled their friendship, and marriage ensued.

Poor Barbara was once more disappointed at Cupid's missed mark, when returning home from shopping, she caught the Baron in the arms of another man. Though they both tried to be adult about the experience, Barbara realized that the Baron would not be the life raft she needed in the storm that was her life. The two parted, and Barbara searched frantically for another strong shoulder to lean on. Enter Porfurio Rubirosa.

Porfurio Rubirosa was a former diplomat from the Dominican Republic, and a confirmed playboy. He had romanced some of the richest and famous women in his day, including Kim Novak, Doris Duke, Ava Gardner, Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe. He was embroiled in a tumultuous relationship with Zsa Zsa Gabor when he met Barbara. Barbara fell instantly in love with him, and they were quickly married. But Porforio, whose physical endowments and sexual skill were legendary, was not to be tamed. He continued his affair with Zsa Zsa through the entire marriage, to Barbara's growing consternation. She did everything in her power to keep him faithful, buying him so many suits that he was instantly catapulted to the top of the 10 Best Dressed List. She also bought him a private jet, which enabled him to commute between Barbara and Zsa Zsa more conveniently. She sold the jet in short order, and got rid of Porfurio not long after. In total, the marriage had lasted 53 days, and he received $3.5 million dollars. Some divided the settlement by the number of days, arrived at $66,000 a day and said he'd done well. Others in a position to know divided using a more intimate measurement, and said he'd been grossly underpaid.

At this point she met a man named James Douglas, who cared for her sincerely. From their first meeting, it was clear that he only wanted friendship and what was best for Barbara. As she couldn't go on the way she had been, she accepted his companionship, and began to pull herself together.

The two of them moved to Mexico, where Barbara built an elaborate Japanese Villa, and landscaped it and decorated it entirely in Japanese style. She even had the Mexican staff dress in Japanese clothing and learn Japanese manners. This was a happy, tranquil time in Barbara's life that was not long to last.

Her son Lance arrived, after years away at boarding school, and was extremely bitter at the way he had been raised. An explosive argument erupted between the two of them, and his subsequent departure made her realize just how badly she had wasted her life. Feeling hopeless, she returned to her drug dependency and Tangier. She was by now extremely unstable, and had to be restrained on the flight. At this point she was a prime target for 2 brothers living in Tangier.

Prince Raymond Doan had little more than a title and enthusiasm for money when he set his sights on Barbara. Together with his brother, he set about on a campaign to win her. He did the actual wooing, his brother writing the love poems that she was known to favor. Despite being warned of their intentions, she deliberately went ahead and married him. This marriage, too, was short lived. Prince Raymond was her 7th husband, and her last.

Shortly after this her son was killed in a plane crash, and Barbara had had more than she could take. She spent her last years in a haze of alcohol and pharmaceuticals, spending profligately until she was forced to begin selling her assets. Her various villas and many tiaras were sold for a fraction of their worth. She was ultimately forced to send her servants to all of her former friends, requesting the return of the gifts she had given, in order to pay her bills. Few complied.

Barbara's last days were spent at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she was a fixture at the lobby and bar in the evenings. She would dress in an evening gown and all her jewels, diamond bracelets to her elbow and tiara firmly in place, and wait for a gentleman or lady to chat with her. They were always rewarded with a diamond ring or watch or other expensive token of her appreciation. It wasn't long before the wrong sort began to patronize the hotel, and security was forced to intervene. Several times, an eager companion would simply reach over, grab a bracelet and run.

In the end, Princess Barbara was bedridden, and reduced to using a bedpan. The management was finally forced to hire a special aide to wipe her backside, as she used so much toilet paper herself - at least one roll at a time - that she had completely blocked the hotel plumbing on more than one occasion. When Barbara finally died, she had just $3,500 in her bank account.

It is easy to look back at Barbara and see the error of her ways. Much harder is it to put ourselves in her position, and feel the pressure of being the leading Social Diva of the era. The question is not why she self destructed, but how she could have lasted as long as she did. But for all her faults and foibles, Princess Countess Barbara Hutton Mdivani Revenlow Grant Troubetzkoy von Graham Rubirosa Doan will forever be enshrined in the Pantheon of Society, as a reminder of a life lived in chaos, but at full throttle. 

(Written by Jeff Woloson)

Let us know what you think!

 

Click 'n Shop

more like this