"Dying together's even more personal than living together."
-as Connie in
Alfred Hitchcock's "
Lifeboat"
Tallulah Bankhead was a classic screen star, though she only appeared in 18 movies. She also performed on stage and in television.
Tallulah was born in Hunstville, Alabama on January 31, 1903 to former Speaker of the House of Representatives William Bankhead and his wife. She left for New York when she was 15 after having won a beauty contest.
She made a few movies in England before signing with Paramount in 1930 in the U.S., and she became famous for her low raspy voice as well as her propensity for flamboyancy off-stage. She had a love for bourbon, snorting coke, and had numerous affairs with both men and women. Marlene Dietrich called her "the most immoral woman who ever lived." She died in 1968 after complications with pneumonia.
A few of her more amusing quotes:
"I'll come up and make love to you at 5 o'clock. If I'm late, start without me."
"It's the good girls who keep diaries, the bad girls just don't have the time."
"My father warned me about men and booze but he never mentioned a word about women and cocaine."
Tallulah once attended a midnight mass on Christmas after drinking somewhat heavily. When the priest led a procession in his robe while carrying a smoking inscensure, she leaned into the aisle and said loud enough for all to hear: "Darling, your gown is lovely but I'm afraid I have to tell you your purse is on fire."
"Cocaine isn't habit forming. I should know- I've been using it for years."
Movie credits include:
"Thirty a Week"
"When Men Betray"
"The Trap"
"Woman's Law"
"His House in Order"
"The Cheat"
"My Sin"
"Tarnished Lady"
"Devil and the Deep"
"Faithless"
"Make Me a Star"
"Thunder Below"
"Stage Door Canteen"
"Lifeboat"
"A Royal Scandal"
"Main Street to Broadway"
"Die! Die! My Darling!"
"The Daydreamer"
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