Episode 127: Most Likely to Succeed
Another debutante season is beginning, and a new crop of beauties are already making a splash.
#Astor, #debutantes, #partythrower, #Voguemagazine, #socialfactotum, #socialsecretary
September – October 1933, “Jakey” John Jacob Astor VI enjoys being the most eligible bachelor and is looking for a wife. Several debutantes attend early debut events before the official social season begins, while one lad turns into a professional party thrower to survive his economic downturn.
Other people and subjects include:
Louise Van Alen, Vincent Astor, Eva Stotesbury, Madeleine Talmage Force Dick, Enzo Fiermonte, Katherine Force Spencer, William “Sam” Van Alen, Elizabeth “Betty” Kent Van Alen, Caroline Astor, Eileen Gillespie, Ellen “Tucky” French, Virginia Kent, Atwater Kent, Atwater Kent Jr., Betty Morris, Charles Ewing Green Lloyd, Hildegarde Graham, Miguel deBraganza, Adelaide Moffett, Alice Andre, Jorge Andre Jr., Agnes Pyne, Chadwick Wiggin, De Forest Mellon, Bayard Walker, Caroline Sawyer, Joan Blake, Katherine Blake, Nancie Stewart, Margaret Salvage, Gwendolyn Gwynne, Louise Whitehouse, Nelson McAllister Lloyd, Susanna Green Lloyd (Susannah), social factotum, social secretary de luxe, Vogue feature, debutantes, legalized beer bars, milk bar, stag line, redlight ticket, Jane Austen Pride & Prejudice quote, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Villa Rosa Newport cottage, Sonogee estate, Wheatley Hill, Muenchinger King Hotel, Hotel Pierre, Princeton University, Princeton Inn, Princeton, NJ, Ardmore, PA, Montecito, CA, Middletown, RI, Newport, Bar Harbor, Long Island, tracking down names and lineages, getting more details, hints and seeds at future storylines and scandals, marital overlaps, divorcees and remarriages, betrayals, affairs, Capote’s Swans, Swan husbands’ earlier wives, affairs, secrets, homosexuality and lesbianism, future link between characters, developing story about romance and seduction, dating again in modern era, AI sexbots and companions, frustration tolerance, negotiation, compromise,…
Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.
Extra Notes / Call to Action:
Physical – Apple TV series with Rose Byrne
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Publish Date: April 30, 2025
Length: 20:23
Opening Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands
Section 1 Music: Let’s All Go To Mary’s House by The Savoy Orpheans, Album Fascinating Rhythm – Great Hits of the 20s
Section 2 Music: Plain Mary Jane by Mrs. Jack Hylton, Album The Great British Dance Bands
Section 3 Music: The Girl Friend by Savoy Orpheans, Album Charleston – Great Stars Of The 1920s
End Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands
AS THE MONEY BURNS
Podcast by Nicki Woodard
Episode 127 – Most Likely to Succeed
Outline
Debutante activities
Bachelor prospects
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
Madeleine Astor desperately tries to marry her fiery boxer lover, while Prince Serge Mdivani and Mary McCormick duke out their divorce in the press.
Now back to AS THE MONEY BURNS
Title
00:46
Most Likely to Succeed
[Music Fade Out]
Episode Tag
Another debutante season is beginning, and a new crop of beauties are already making a splash.
01:00
[Music – Let’s All Go To Mary’s House by The Savoy Orpheans, Album Fascinating Rhythm – Great Hits of the 20s]
Section 1 – Story
[Music Fade Out]
01:15
As some things change, some things stay the same. Another year comes with another crop of debutantes ready to enter the adult world. A season of tradition and celebration begins, but the events try to remain a little low key while still garnishing quite a bit of attention.
Now each and every debutante class is distinct and different, like a grade level in school or a sorority of sorts. Inspiring hopefuls emerge onto the scene together through the rigors of the social season. They won’t just be at multiple activities or on committees together, but forging lifelong friendships in the process, possibly even each other’s bridesmaids.
Though somewhere lurking underneath is subtle yet brutal competition. The fiercest competition especially for females as they are all vying for attention and potential engagement over the same guys.
And not just the females, there are several available highly desirable males this season.
02:17
As in the deemed Newport’s “Most Eligible,” the proud scion John Jacob Astor VI, aka Jakey, has finally come into his fortune, and he is definitely determined to take his appropriate place in society which would make his former Gilded Age queen bee grandmother Caroline Astor very proud. No longer burdened by a mere $250 monthly allowance (that is $6,250 today), Jakey with his full fortune is amassing a fleet of automobiles, checking Newport real estate, and making several plans. Jakey is also obsessed with time thus carries four watches, one on each wrist and in each vest pocket. But don’t be fooled, it is more an obsession with speed than punctuality. He also owns over a dozen gray suits for his closet though most are strewn about his floor. Unlike his older half-brother Vincent Astor, Jakey is willing to play the Society game to the hilt and will enjoy his elevated status this particular season.
03:18
What would he want in a wife? Good breeding, certainly both in name and one likely to avoid any scandal. Ah yes, Jakey dreads scandal and is dodging his recently divorced mother Madeleine Talmage Force Astor Dick as she tries to marry her fiery Italian boxer lover Enzo Fiermonte.
There are plenty of old school families gathering, and a few more new money has joined the mix. Jakey’s pool of potential brides is long.
But so is his competition in more ways than one.
03:52
Back in July 1933, sub debutante Hildegarde Graham first enjoyed a dinner party at her parents’ cottage Villa Rosa followed by Jakey’s Aunt Katherine Force Spencer holding a supper dance for her at the Muenchinger King Hotel in Newport. The night ended with 3 young men in trouble for running red lights in their cars afterwards in Middletown. Each lad had to pay a $10 fine (that would be $246 in 2025). The 3 culprits are none other than Chadwick Wiggin, Miguel de Braganza, and Jakey Astor. Hmmm, could these speedsters potentially been racing each other?
04:31
The buds of this season are ready to bloom as they participate in all sorts of events. Best gals show off in gay debutante events as the sons of the rich eye their potential mates. There has already been a tad bit of pre-activity. As tennis activities roll into polo activities, themes and events change accordingly. Minor presentations occur throughout, but they are nothing as to what will come in a few weeks’ time. Rest will be needed for these pretty debutantes. For soon they will be submerged in a strenuous nonstop 3 months of ongoing, teas, dinners, dances, and other activities.
05:06
Princeton senior Charles Ewing Green Lloyd is applying the principal of social factotum – a versatile and adaptable individual especially in a social context who juggles multiple tasks and responsibilities. A society handyman or servant who can smooth over interactions and operations.
After losing his father novelist and newspaperman Nelson McAllister Lloyd last February, Charles learns he will need an income as there is no inheritable fortune. He is charming and good looking and quite industrious. He has attempted to sell blankets, run errands on Wall Street, and considered the tasks of selling magazines door to door. However he has now decided to finance his last year of school at Princeton by becoming a professional party-thrower. A social secretary de luxe invading a more female dominant space. From his late mother Susanna Green Lloyd who died when he was an infant, he got all the right social connections. Thus he knows the rules, the right places, and the right people to appeal to aristocratic hostessing mothers.
06:11
From his own experience in the stag lines, Charles can sort out the lads good on the dance floor from those “too tight” to be any fun and hopefully those who might get too drunk on the side, which is a perpetual issue. Whether it is a polo game or a debutante ball, Charles will provide the services from guest lists to dance music, taking care of all the necessary details.
His first event starts off…
06:35
Wednesday, September 6th, 1933, Long Island
Charles throws a swell dinner dance amongst the polo set for debutante Nancie Stewart, whose grandfather was the longtime head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 100 guests enjoyed their evening then pile into their vehicles and later join Gwendolyn Gwynne’s debut, who also had attended the earlier affair.
With that success, Charles has a list of ideas and is ready to make way in his new trade for the upcoming social season.
He might should pay attention to some of the competition.
07:09
Saturday, September 9th, 1933
Another early Long Island debutante party has a surprisingly successful novelty item. While many are now incorporating the legalized beer bars, the popular treat at the Margaret Salvage’s debutante party is a milk bar, where 2 pretty milk maids in lederhosen ladle the wholesome cold drink to a fair share of the more than 1500 guests throughout the night. Some attendees happily propped themselves up at the spot.
Guests that evening include popular upcoming debutantes Adelaide Moffett, Alice Andre, Katherine and Joan Blake, and Virginia Kent.
07:50
Sunday, September 10th, 1933
Charles quickly turns around and arranges the buffet dinner dance for Bayard Walker served on the terrace of his parents’ Long Island home. The evening entertained 90 guests with some of the most eligible debutantes and bachelors, amongst them Ellen “Tucky” French, Alice Andre, Jorge Andre Jr., Betty Morris, Agnes Pyne, and Miguel de Braganza.
Amidst all these activities, a weekend respite of being a guest versus a host might be nice.
08:23
Weekend of September 17th, 1933
Straying from their winter home in Montecito, California, recent debutante Alice Andre and her brother Jorge Andre Jr. host several of the upcoming elite at their Wheatley Hill home in Long Island. Ellen “Tucky” French has been a month long guest. And now this weekend their guests include Eileen Gillespie, Jakey, Charles, speedster Chadwick Wiggin, Louise Whitehouse, and De Forest Mellon.
Shortly thereafter Charles hosts another event…
08:59
Friday, September 22nd, 1933, Princeton, New Jersey
Another supper dance this time at the Princeton Inn for Agnes Pyne and her cousin Caroline Sawyer. One of the last events before the males trail off to Yale, Harvard, Princeton, or wherever else for their studies.
By now, Charles has at least a half dozen more events to plan for this 1933 – 1934 debutante season and will now be planning one of the most consequential debs Ellen “Tucky” French’s debut at a dinner party at the Hotel Pierre later this season. The resourceful Charles should be at the top of his Princeton class list for “Most Likely to Succeed.”
09:42
Elsewhere in Long Island…
Over in the horse racing set, redheaded artist Virginia Kent is getting a lot of press as the most desirable debutante among the Philadelphia set. Virginia is the daughter of radio magnate Atwater Kent, sister of another eligible bachelor Atwater Kent Jr. and previous debutante Elizabeth “Betty” Kent Van Alen – sister-in-law to Louise Van and the wife of Louise’s brother Willam “Sam” Van Alen (they honeymooned in Hawaii during a volcanic eruption). Virginia is a belle who spent a year studying sculpture abroad in Paris then bowed at Buckingham Palace in the spring before returning stateside.
10:23
Returning from their Bar Harbor estate Sonogee, the Kents relocate to their West Hills home in Ardmore, Pennsylvania and quickly engage in the horsey set of activities. This year Virginia will make her highly anticipated debut and will be guided through the process by none other than Eva Stotesbury. The crème de la crème will definitely be in attendance in late November.
Now formerly, it was only proper for a young lady’s name to be announced at birth, marriage, and death. But it seems those rules are going to the wayside as all sorts of details make their way into the press. Some mentions are more glamorous than others.
11:00
In the October 1st, 1933* Vogue issue, an article titled “Three Newport Debutantes” feature a photo collage of:
· Hildegarde Graham – the brunette sub-debutante with artistic skills who will make her official debut next August 1934.
· Ellen Tuck French, aka “Tucky,” – a redhead with a tad mischievous streak. Her illustrious family is known as the Divorcing Frenches, which her own parents’ marital woes adds to the family count.
· And lastly, Eileen Gillespie – a vivacious blonde beauty with long colonial ties. She is featured with her curly canine.
11:39
Could it possibly be true like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice opening quote – “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
From so many to choose, has Jakey already met another fiancée or two, or possibly even his future wife? Will one lucky young lady be getting a ring on her finger in the very near future?
Friendships formed, romances began, and unexpected rivalries await…
12:15
[Music – Plain Mary Jane by Mrs. Jack Hylton, Album The Great British Dance Bands]
Section 2 – History & Historiography
[Music Fade Out]
12:30
When I started this project over a decade ago, I ran across a phrase saying that the elite changed spouses like dance partners. I mean it seems likely since this would be a set of people that knew each other. I registered the phrase in my head without truly knowing as to what depth or how much – and was like whatever time will sort that stuff out.
12:56
But oh my word, I never expected to get as bad as it will get in the future. You see every time a name pops up I try to track down: who they are, what did they do, what are they known for, what is their family of origin, who did they marry and/or divorce, are there any children, and whatever else might flesh out this person and connections to the past. That way I can give a little more flavor to the person rather a mere mention and also expose more depth to the stories involved.
13:26
A few months back I uncovered the multiple wives of Capote’s Swans’ husbands. Yes, that sounds tricky. The first or earlier wives of the husbands to the later 1960s and 1970s domineering socialites referred to as the Swans. I found several associations to several side characters within our story.
Now as I dive into a new crop of debutantes, let me tell you it only magnifies and gets even more entangled. The marriages are typically fairly short then recycled. Almost no family previously mentioned is left untouched or shall we say unscathed. I cannot reveal at this point in time because it disrupts the story and will take away some of the delight when the revelations do surface.
14:16
There are marriages, affairs, divorces, and even homosexual and lesbian encounters. At least one alienation of affection claim in the late 1950s linking two seemingly separate in-laws of our more primary characters in the story. Oh, and that one happens to involve lesbianism too.
However all this mate swapping is a reminder about sexual competition and betrayal. Within tight knit circles there is a lot that can and does happen. Seemingly friends and relatives ready to move in and on when the moment strikes.
14:53
Another currently hidden detail is someone who is known later to be a Grande Dame of the lesbian persuasion. It is not for prudish sake that those stories have not emerged. I am researching a time when such things were kept relatively discreet, and unless I see a bigger trigger or hint in the research I am not going to force a speculation for a particular situation.
15:16
These new revelations of course necessitate giving some side storylines a little time to breathe as they enhance the overall story being told. Much if not all will be revealed in time. Some I will likely save for the post story wrap up.
By the way, I will post the photos from that October 1933 Vogue article via social media on Instagram, Facebook Meta, and X for those interested.
Many more Easter eggs hidden and seeds planted in this ongoing tale of love and fortune. Though some will blossom much sooner than later. More love and betrayal to follow on our trail of broken hearts and dreams to come.
16:03
[Music – The Girl Friend by Savoy Orpheans, Album Charleston – Great Stars Of The 1920s]
Section 3 – Contemporary & Personal Relevance
[Music Fade Out]
16:24
One of the main things that motivated me in developing this story has always been the idea of romance and seduction. How did a select group of men seduce these young heiresses? What were the dynamics leading up to and later the collapse of these relationships.
I discovered these stories when I was newly divorced and wading back into the dating pool to find more frustrations than had previously plagued me prior to my marriage. I have never been good at dating by any means. It has always been a battle between sexual objectification and seemingly second or third class citizenship within a relationship. Add to that my highly independent and individualistic nonconformist nature, and well it has not been easy.
17:10
I do well in friendships and family, but the rigors of romance and those most all encompassing of relationships just doesn’t seem to click right. So I am very drawn to these tales where those issues prominently bubble to the surface.
Once again, I find myself needing to re-enter the dating pool. I am reluctant for sure. Not quite ready to tackle the old issues as well as whatever new ones have emerged since.
17:39
I fear the future and impending AI complications of sexbots and companions will only compound the disconnect. There will be even more issues with the lack of frustration tolerance and the inability to compromise effectively with another person. AI and a lot of algorithms are set up to give you more of what you want and in high doses. This short circuits resilience and patience and overindulges the senses to a level of detachment.
Any relationship – professional, friendship, and especially marital, requires reciprocity and balance. We can see the result of imbalances in power dynamics in multiple other scenarios like wealth to know there can be dire and negative consequences.
18:23
Looking back in the past, we could deceive ourselves that things were simpler. But knowing where these stories eventually go, I know full well that is mostly in perception. Because the methods and technology may change, but human nature is human nature, and the same problems recur regardless.
Our heirs and heiresses have plenty more heartache to go.
18:49
Recently, I watched PHYSICAL, an Apple tv series starring Rose Byrne. Physical is a fictional re-exploration of the 1980s aerobics fad and exercise culture. Plenty of back biting and ambition along with disheartening relationship dynamics. The one thing that really kept me hooked was the unlikely, complicated, and in the end beautiful friendship formed between the thin obsessed, aloof, and reluctant main character and her overweight needy best friend and eventual business partner. That’s PHYSICAL available via Apple TV.
If you enjoy As The Money Burns, then please share, like, & subscribe.
Hook
19:34
[Music – My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands]
Next when we return to AS THE MONEY BURNS…
Marrying in haste is easy, but divorces can be oh so much trickier. Two complicated marriages finally dissolve in the courtroom.
Until then…
Credits
19:55
AS THE MONEY BURNS is an original podcast written, produced, and voiced by Nicki Woodard, based on historical research. Archival music has been provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, check out their website at www.pastperfect.com.
Please come visit us at As The Money Burns via Goodpods, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook (now Meta), or Instagram. Transcripts, timeline, episode guide, and character bios are available at asthemoneyburns.com.
22:23
THE END.