AS THE MONEY BURNS

Podcast by Nicki Woodard

Episode 116 – Eastern Rites

Outline
Large wedding & honeymoon

Debt collectors

Series Tag

00:00

[Music – My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands]

AS THE MONEY BURNS is an original podcast by Nicki Woodard.  Based on historical research, this is a deep exploration into what happened to a set of actual heirs and heiresses to some of America’s most famous fortunes when the Great Depression hits.

Each episode has three primary sections.  Section 1 is a narrative story.  Section 2 goes deeper into the historical facts.  Section 3 focuses on contemporary, emotional, and personal connections.   

00:30

Story Recap

Barbara Hutton and Prince Alexis Mdivani have a civil ceremony, while other Mdivani marriages implode.

Now back to AS THE MONEY BURNS

Title

Eastern Rites Part 2 of 2

[Music Fade Out]

This episode is dedicated to my mother…

Episode Tag

A large crowd gathers for a fairy tale royal wedding, but will the honeymoon have a happy ending?  Part 2 of 2

01:11

[Music – Stardust by Freddie Gardner, Album More Sophistication]

Section 1 – Story

[Music Fade Out]

01:29

PART 2, continued…

Love is definitely in the air this nuptial season.  The flurry and buzz of excitement mixes with the various scents floating amongst the roses in the Luxembourg Garden or carried in the breeze from the lime trees along the Champs Elysee.

A refreshing distraction from a world amidst the throes of the Great Depression.  It is only fair that people want a distraction from their troubles by momentarily fantasizing once again even if only vicariously about pleasures such as romance. 

There is plenty of negativity already, and as always there are attempts to thwart or diminish another’s happiness.  How cruel life can endlessly be.

02:15

Thursday, June 22^nd, 1933, Paris

A trail of broken hearts already lead up to and away from the altar.  But today, 3,000 gather at what hopes is a fairy tale come true – the marriage of the slightly chubby budding fashionista heiress Barbara Hutton and the formerly impoverished and dispossessed Russian Prince Alexis Mdivani.

Police security tries to manage the situation.

02:48

From the grand Alexander Nevsky Cathedral entrance, a red carpet is covered under a flower-lined gold and red canopy, which the ruggedly handsome Prince Alexis gave to the church for this occasion.

Only 8 minutes before the ceremony Prince Alexis appears with Georgian Minister Araki Tchenkeli.  Alexis is dressed in a swallowtail coat, striped pants, and pearl and diamond stickpin.  One remarks that the Prince looks more like a dapper gangster than a royal.

Outside the crowd consists mostly of females, young French women and shopgirls dreaming of better lives.  Police try to restrain overly eager ladies trying to get a glimpse of the bride.  Reporters and cameramen do their best to document all they can.

03:36

Arriving in her father’s limousine 10 minutes after the ceremony was scheduled to begin, Barbara and her father Franklyn Hutton step out with big smiles.  Both suppressing the rage still seething from the fight only moments earlier when he told her his daughter her fairy tale moment will be her ruination. 

Franklyn appears in a morning coat and striped pants with a top hat.  Mentally, he tallies all the wasted extravagances as he must sign the checks for nearly $150k (today in 2024 that would be $3.6 million).  He pays for everything from her trust fund account since his daughter remains a legal minor for a few more months until this upcoming November.

04:24

No matter what he says, today IS her day.  Fashionable Barbara wows the crowd in a heavy ivory cream satin gown with huge puff sleeves, lace details, fashioned in a Russian and Renaissance Russian style by French designer Jean Patou.  A three point, eight foot train trails behind her managed by a special servant called a beadle, himself wearing a sword and gold chain.  On top of her head sits a horseshoe tiara of gold and tortoise shell studded with diamonds.  Her antique lace veil is made from a Woolworth family heirloom.  She carries no flowers.

Alexis meets Barbara at the front of the church, and she follows behind him towards the altar as is the Eastern Orthodox custom. 

05:17

The church itself has a large mosaic gold dome and stained-glass windows trailing in the sunlight.  Lilies, hydrangeas, roses, gardenias, and other flowers fill the room.  Their sweet fragrances combine with incense.  Along with a large bronze candelabra, hundreds of candles light the church.  Many in the congregation nearly faint from the intense heat as they stand with no seats available for the nearly 45 minute long ceremony.

Inside the church, three cameras snap away documenting the occasion.  Playing up the royal theme and distinguishing from the guests, servants dress like admirals in knee breeches, plumed hats, and long swords as they greet the 800 elite guests, including boulevardier Berry Wall and film star Lili Damita.  The most distinguished guest is the Indian Maharajah of Kapurthala in a purple turban.  Other attendants for the ceremony too dress in breeches with gold chains around their necks.

06:23

Four priests serve throughout the ceremony.  2 Russian and 2 Georgian in shimmering gold robes encrusted with diamonds.  Leading them, the dean of the Russian clergy, the Archpriest Jacob Smirnoff leads them with his long white beard hanging over his Greek Orthodox clergy gold vestments.

Expanded from the usual 9 to 30 by Alexis’s request, a Russian choir is led by Monsieur Affonski, who sings the bridal anthem as Barbara walks behind the Prince down the aisle towards the altar.  Both bride and groom carry lit candles throughout the ceremony. 

07:00

Prince Alexis joins his Best Man Phillippe de Rivas, otherwise known as Felipe Rodriguez de Rivas y Diaz de Eraso, the future V (Fifth) Conde de Castilleja de Guzman,  Yes, that’s right in other words the brother of Alexis’s former fiery forbidden lover now Countess Silvia de Rivas de Castellane.

The bride is unattended as custom dictates, however reports still indicate that her bridesmaids are none other than childhood friend and classmate Jane Alcott, secretary and recent traveling companion to the Orient Jean Morley Kennerley, and none other than Countess Henri de Castellane – eh-hem Silvia de Rivas, who is in fact Barbara’s best friend and despite being the Prince’s former lover encourages the relationship and marriage, and whose brother also serves as the best man.  Missing from this group is the “richest girl in the world” heiress Doris Duke, who is not participating despite earlier speculations.

08:10

Four immaculately groomed young Russians with silk hats stand behind the groom while four others likewise stand behind the bride.

Serving as ushers, Barbara’s 3 cousins – the flamboyantly gay James “Jeem” Donahue (already tipsy from the 6 Brandy Alexanders prior to the service), his brother Woolworth “Woolly” Donahue, and Fraser McCann.   Other ushers noted are French historian Rene de La Croix de Castries – also translated as Count Renault St. Croix, Victor Grandpere, Christian Dufort, publisher & Barbara’s other recent traveling companion to the Orient Morley Kennerley, Paris Opera dancer Serge Lifar, and Prince Theodore of Russia (also known as Prince Feodor Alexandrovich Romanov – nephew of the last Romanov Czar / Tsar Nicholas II and brother-in-law of the man credited with killing Rasputin). 

09:09

Also mentioned as ushers though may have been only guests Park Avenue lad and eh-hem one of Barbara’s most ardent former paramours and son of a Broadway star James Blakeley and Marshall Heminway of New York – the latter who happens to be son of an ex-Follies Girl Laura “Dolly” Heminway Fleischmann O’Brien and now stepson to none other than Mae Murray’s 2^nd ex-husband former polo star and Olympian Jay O’Brien.  Mae is currently in the process of divorcing her 4^th husband Alexis’s brother Prince David Mdivani.  Such a strange assortment of exes in attendance.

09:50

The head priest takes the gold crowns and touches 3 times each of the bride and prince’s groom and bride’s heads, then hands the crowns to ushers who will hold them above the couple’s heads in 5 minute shifts for the next 30 minutes.

Throughout the ceremony, Barbara’s beautiful deep blue eyes mist up.

The couple kneel on pillows before the priest.  Kiss icons.

The bride agrees to obey. In the ceremony, the Archpriest refers to them as king and queen.

The couple takes communion of sacred wine from the same gold cup.  Then the priest binds their hands with a rose-colored handkerchief three times around the wrists, then holds his hand over theirs.  Next while holding the rings he leads them around the altar  3 times – to signify marriage should be endless circles.  The rings are to be placed on the 4^th finger of the right hand.

The priest asks the bride twice if she has changed her mind.  Both times, she firmly answers, “No.”

10:59

At some point, the priest asks if they had ever promised this love to anyone else before.  They both answer, “No.”  Uhhmmmm, disregarding former wife Louise Van Alen or the other exes in attendance.

The couple simultaneously step to a small red silk rug before a table to signify that authority in the home will be equally divided.  However, the Prince sneakily declares himself boss of the family by touching his foot on the rug a split second before Barbara’s.

The ceremony ends with the couple kneeling in prayer.

Alas, they give a chaste kiss, unlike many of their more passionate and lustier ones shared prior and likely thereafter.

Bread and salt are placed in their hands before they leave the church and again when they enter the later reception to indicate they shall always have abundance.

Barbara is quite weakened by the end and a little wobbly.

12:04

They emerge from the church, smiling happily, flushed, and fatigued.

As they leave the church, the outside crowd excitedly breaks the police line and touches Barbara almost crushing her, mussing up her dress, stepping on the train, and knocking the crown off her head, which is quickly retrieved.  A few fights break out on the outer perimeters.  Remember these are young ladies.

Police form a wedge around the couple to aid them into the automobile.  It takes nearly 20 minutes to reach the vehicle.  Then they are still not safe.  The car is surrounded by so many people, that it gets pushed a block before the chauffeur dares to start it.

12:46

The crowds are thick and heavy as an elderly woman tries to make her way through the crowd begging, “Si vous plait.  Si vous Plait.  Please let me through.  Please let me through, I’ve brought her up since the age of 5.” 

Could it be that Barbara’s beloved surrogate mother French governess Germaine “Ticki” Touquet did not join the regular family entourage? 

13:09

The bridal party makes it way to the Hotel Ritz for the brilliant reception where scores of personages from international society circles attend.  In non-Prohibition Paris, champagne and caviar are served.  The reception is supposed to be rather demure since the Prince remains in mourning over his father’s recent April death.

For the first dance, the dashing Prince twirls his bride across the floor.

13:35

Then comes the one enviable moment that fellow heiresses Louise Van Alen and Doris Duke will never get to experience.  The one thing money can never buy.  Franklyn secures the second dance with his daughter, who is too delighted in her own moment to worry about their earlier fight.  There she informs him that she is gifting him $5 million ($120 million today) for his astute handling of her finances.  The fortune he doubled to nearly $50 million dollars (which now in 2024 would be the equivalent of $1.2 billion).  He worries all the rest will go down the Mdivani drain. 

The third dance is with cousin Jeem.  He begs to join her honeymoon for fun, but Barbara worries that might be too much too soon.  However, Jeem is one of her few lifelines and can always cheer her up, so they agree he might join them in Venice.

14:42

After the last toast, Prince Alexis returns to his separate hotel room at the Meurice Hotel, only 2 blocks from the Ritz.  He walks around in B.V.D.s and socks preparing to change into traveling clothes when there is a knock on his door.  Mistaking it as his valet, he opens the door to be confronted by 2 process servers. 

15:05

Long ago, Alexis continued to run up a tab at the Van Alen brothers’ tailor in London. Angered by how their former school mate, friend, and decades long leech first seduced then discarded their beloved younger sister Louise, James “Henry” Van Alen and William “Sam” Van Alen hired a French lawyer to recover the $5k owed (roughly $120k today) more as a practical joke than the actual need for financial compensation.   By now, the brothers may have already forgotten about the debt.  Meanwhile watching all the press coverage, their lawyer picks this moment at the most inconvenient time for the Prince to enact their revenge.  In knickers and way past the banks’ closing time, Alexis scrambles to find the money.  Luckily, his new alliance to one of the proudest American industrial aristocracy, eh-hem Barbara, quickly forks over the needed payment so they can continue on their way.

16:07

Spoiling his mood, the groom does not seem to have taken the joke so humorously.

Back at the Ritz, Barbara does several interviews where she admits to knowing the Prince since she was a 15 year old girl all the while claiming he was her best friend who listened to all her fears and troubles with a caring ear. 

As the couple heads to the train, Barbara coos those damning words, “It’s going to be fun being a princess.”

16:37

They depart in the evening on the Midnight Express for their honeymoon.  13 trunks with princess crowns above her initials follow the bride to her honeymoon destination.  Much has been written over the 40+ new outfits she has had specially made for her new status.  Also she carries an extensive collection of over 100 music albums.  They will go to Italy at Lake Como, Venice, and Lido onto St. Mortiz then Barcelona and lastly Biarritz before settling back in Paris while intending to spend much of their time traveling abroad.

17:15

Inside their private railcar, Alexis stairs blankly out the window as the landscape rushes by.

Nervously, Barbara floats about in her flesh-colored chiffon lingerie nightdress embroidered with the Mdivani coronet.  Ready to be ravished, she smiles lovingly and lustily at her handsome athletic husband.

Coming over to the bedside, he instead looks at her bored and utters contemptuously,

“Barbara, you are too fat.”