AS THE MONEY BURNS

Podcast by Nicki Woodard

Episode 028 – Big Dame Hunters – 1 Year Anniversary Special

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.   

Story Recap

00:28

This is a special episode commemorating the 1 year anniversary of As The Money Burns podcast.  There will be some recapping past storylines and teasing future ones.

Now back to AS THE MONEY BURNS

Title

00:42

Big Dame Hunters – 1 Year Anniversary Special Episode

[Music fade out]

Episode Tag

All they want is love.  Everyone else wants their fortune.

00:55

[Music – These Foolish Things by Benny Carter, Album Perfect Blues]

Section 1 – Story

[Music fade out]

01:07

Open on the Serengeti, the large open plains with all forms of wildlife.  A large pride of lions amidst gazelles, elephants, and wildebeests.  A watering hole depletes as more animals gather for a drink competing with alligators and less than friendly predators.

Yet the most dangerous predator is that standing a bit further away.  The one seeking glory, power, and fame by taking down a magnificent beast.

The hunter – a male, could be of any origin, age, race, ethnicity, religion, or class.  He morphs from one to another as he moves about.

Big Game Hunters love the thrill of the chase and need to catch the largest of the big game prizes.  They will kill, skin, and mount their trophies.  It’s primal, since the beginning of time.

02:06

Heat rises on the Serengeti melting the scenery away like a mirage disappearing and transforming.

The hunter goes from safari khakis with binoculars and a rifle to whatever uniform necessary and a killer smile.

The grassy plains into a charity event at a seaside polo field.

The pride of lions into the heads of dynastic fortunes.

The gazelles any of the young impressionable heiresses still waiting to fall in love.

The wildebeests, elephants, and other creatures are the various guests and servants milling about.

With the rise of civilization, there is shift in priorities and focus.  A bigger catch, more elusive and rare.  A whole different set of skills.  The faint of heart need not apply.

A young heiress slips away from her guardian and friends to grab some more lemonade.

Once the hunter finds his target, he will go in for the kill.  No holds bar.  The accidental, not so accidental introduction.

For these people, all’s fair in love and war — and money… 

03:23

Later that week…

The hunter cleaned up as a devastatingly handsome male dressed in his best carries a large bouquet of flowers.  He arrives outside a large sprawling mansion.

He goes up the steps and waits for the large ornate door guarding those within to open.    Obviously, an unexpected but not an unknown guest to the staff at hand. 

When the door finally ominously opens, the handsome male pours on the charm showing off his generous and sincere gift.  The proper butler is unsure if the handsome male’s company and attention is to be desired at this moment, so precautions must be taken.

The handsome male is invited into the hidden enclave.  The heavenly fragrance of tuberoses greet visitors upon entrance.  The décor befits the location but far beyond the normal.  White marble, pink marble, gilded flourishes, an Austrian crystal chandelier hovers over the grand staircase that descends to the lower level and allows others to ascend further into the heavens.

04:38

Pick your preference – Is he a spicy and suave Latin lover, a sophisticated and worldly European, a creative and sultry African American jazz musician, an Asian prince, a bohemian Hawaiian surfer, a gifted and sensitive artist, an international spy, a contemplative intellectual, a dispossessed royal, an all American jock, the playful and seductive movie star, a salt of the earth gardener,… 

He could be all or none.  The truth at one time or another they all show up, they all take their shot, as the prize is far too big to not make an attempt. 

What he truly is a playboy, and what he aspires to be is a kept man. 

05:33

Gold fountains bubble with crystal clear water.  He is led to the salon to wait for further acceptance.

Up in her ornate bedroom, the female – shifting from young to old, ugly duckling to swan, take your pick – sits at her vanity fretting over what would make her beautiful.  She delights at the idea of having her suitor waiting.  Anticipating his bids for affection.  It can be exhilarating.

She enters the salon greeting her suitor.  His face drops a little upon sight, remembering she might not be as physically desirable.  Coy and proper, they agree to meet again.

It might be on the tennis courts, or maybe along the luxurious French Riviera, riding a gondola on the canals of Venice, trekking through the Himalayas, catching surf in the Pacific, on safari in Africa, or in the jungles of India.

06:38

For now, they will take it slowly.  They will attend a formal party.  She will be the belle of the evening escorted by the most handsome man in the room, at least to her eyes. 

They dance cheek to cheek.  Her heart swelling with the hope of fairy tale romance come true.  As they turn and promenade, he gets ready for the kill.  His hands tangle with her long strand of pearls.  He contemplates snapping her neck, but it’s much too soon.

Then he spots another more desirable trophy in their midst.   The female might be prettier, older, curvier, or even uglier, but what she clearly is and what is most desirable is significantly wealthier.

07:34

The game, the hunt, the prize,… is not a big cat or a large beast.  The prize is far more unique, almost mythic.  Like catching a great white shark, a unicorn, or something even more fantastical.

But like any Big Dame Hunter, once the prize is bagged.  Another bigger, more prestigious one comes along…

Young girls’ hearts be damned.

Fortunes lost.  Fortunes gained.  Hearts broken.  It’s all the same.  The price to pay to be in the game.