AS THE MONEY BURNS

Podcast by Nicki Woodard

Episode 031 – Take A Bow

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.   

00:29

Story Recap

While Barbara Hutton’s aunts plan her upcoming debut, Cobina Wright struggles with hiding her financial woes.  Meanwhile the news comes that Doris Duke will be presented at Buckingham Palace.

Now back to AS THE MONEY BURNS

Title

00:47

Take A Bow

[Music fade out]

Episode Tag

For the royally obsessed debutante, nothing is more enviable than to be presented at court.  But such a high honor comes with a steep price.

00:59

[Music – A Nice Cup Of Tea by Sam Costa & Peter Yorke & His Orchestra, Album Tea Dance 1920s, 30s, 40s Vintage Tea Party]

Section 1 – Story

[Music fade out]

01:16

Thursday May 15, 1930

Buckingham Palace Time: nearish 5pm

Outside at the Victoria Memorial mall, a limousine parks curiously where no car stops. 

A policeman knocks on the window.

The chauffeur politely talks to the officer who issues a stern warning.  Rolling up the window, the chauffeur glances in his rearview mirror.  Beads of sweat pool across his forehead.

From underneath large ostrich feathers, ice blue eyes stare back.  The young lady shakes their head absolutely not and that he is to remain put.

Buckingham Palace guards stand at attention, while the requisite crowd of onlookers gather for a large ceremony.  A few pressmen stroll about.

02:01

Inside the limo, the tall and awkward teen heiress Doris Duke awaits to make her big swan entrance into society at none other than the Court of St. James.  This evening, she will curtsey in front of the King and Queen of England, a rare honor for any debutante especially an American.  Next to her is her socially ambitious mother Nanaline Duke, somewhat pleased over this social triumph.

Doris hates being late and even more standing in line.  She insists that she be first, which is determined by arrival.  Doris has spent months in preparation.  Dance classes, curtesying, bowing, walking, and all the rituals associated with this event well practiced over and over.  She spent spring in Paris having special custom dresses made for the event and her upcoming private debutante ball.

02:48

Again the police comes and insists more forcefully that the limousine move.  The arrival ceremony begins at 6pm, not a moment sooner will any vehicle be permitted to block the path. 

Doris nods, allowing the chauffeur to creep around the mall slower than a snail’s pace until other vehicles arrive, preserving for her the priority number one spot.

The irony of not wanting to wait in line is that she is still waiting cramped inside a vehicle for nearly as long.  There’s a bit of agony as Doris contorts her body into an odd position to ensure her dress remains unwrinkled and her hair and feather piece stays intact.  The feathers constantly attempt to tickle or choke her.  The more petite Nanaline rolls her eyes in disapproval.  She knows her daughter will likely make some social blunder.

03:35

As the far away chimes of Big Ben indicate the 6 o’clock hour.  Doris is indeed first in line, as the motorcars arrive and lineup behind them – it’s a very, very long line.  Another 400 will bow at tonight’s event.  For the later arrivals, it might take well over 2.5 hours to enter into the palace.  No wonder Doris insisted they stay so close and ready. 

The onlookers peek inside glimpsing at various beauties, while some have shades to block prying unwanted eyes.  Other debs are up for amusement during the wait.  One has a female chauffeur with a female footman.  Knowing this will be a long night, in some of the later cars, the ladies enjoy a snack, read a book, or play cards to keep themselves amused.

04:20

A loud speaker begins calling for the select debutantes to exit their cars and enter.  By now at the Victoria Memorial mall, a considerable crowd hopes to spot the socially notable.  But for them, the first debutante is completely unfamiliar.

04:35

Exiting the limo for the carpet, Doris emerges —  

Her 5’8” frame showing off like a supermodel.  A white chiffon frock embroidered with fine crystal beads accompanied by a silver lame train.  She teeters slightly as she adjusts to the weight of the gown.  Well-rehearsed, she robotically goes through the motions.   She carries the large white ostrich fan, and on her head slightly off kilter are three large feathers with the center larger than the rest, a style referred as the Prince of Wales plume.

She is magnificent.

05:08

Accompanying her, mother Nanaline wears a silver and pink lame gown with brilliants.

Nanaline is reliving one of her most glorious moments.  Back in 1912 before Doris’s birth, Nanaline was presented at court to a younger King George V and his wife Queen Mary.  At the time, rotund Buck Duke refused to escort his wife as the men were required to wear purple silk knee britches of the long forgone style that he felt would make him look like a ridiculous elf.  Nanaline gladly attended without him radiating in a white and gold brocade gown designed by Worth with pearls, diamond encrusted bodice, and a cerise velvet cape.

05:48

Now entering the palace, Doris is whisked away into the cold anteroom to await.  There are gilded chairs to sit while awaiting their moment of procession.  Only 9 other Americans appear in her batch, a total of 17 including the day before, that in group of 800 ladies total in two days.  This evening 7 of the Americans are already married, and thus they are permitted to wear more colorful dresses than the unmarried.

In the group the night before included Campbell Soup heiress Charlotte Dorrance and radio magnate’s daughter Elizabeth “Betty” Kent.  This was the first event of its kind in over 2 years with the King, thus highly in demand.  The previous year the Prince of Wales and his mother Queen Mary presided over the ceremony.

06:30

The ladies await or lean on the tall gilded chairs.  Some are nervous, others overly elated and excited with dreams of fairytale endings of dancing with the handsome and somewhat eligible Prince of Wales.  The energy is contagious.

Last minute adjustments to the plumes and dresses.  Others practice their deep knee bow, though the 1920s column dresses don’t permit a whole lot of flexibility.  The beaded dresses and headdresses are also heavy adding clumsiness and neck strain, and these aren’t showgirls with athleticism and conditioning.

07:02

Amongst them, Mrs. Charles Dawes quickly greets Doris.  Mrs. Dawes is the wife of the American ambassador who could not attend tonight’s ceremony due to illness.  She serves in his place and guides all the Americans in attendance and will make the formal presentation. Mrs. Dawes loves the glamor as she flutters around looking for the Atlanta Constitution publisher Mrs. Clark Howell who as a married woman sparkles in color. 

No need for the virginal bride look of a young debutante, Mrs. Howell is radiant in a silver and pink moire dress delicately embroidered with small rhinestones.  She sparkles in a graceful circular skirt of uneven hemline with train of moire and silver cloth and matching shoes.  She also has a pink and silver feathered fan.  Mrs. Dawes goes over with Doris and Mrs. Howell the final etiquette and maneuvers.

07:47

Doris steps forward and hands over her card for the announcement.

There standing at attention under glaring lights, in front of these dignified people, Doris freezes and wants to run away.  Afraid she will make a complete fool of herself and trip.

She feels the wave of panic and can’t distinguish the unfamiliar faces, though she knows and feels one set of eyes baring deep into her soul commanding her forward – her mother’s.  Nanaline would never tolerate such a public embarrassment.

The steward urges Doris forward and she complies.  Despite all her preparatory work, she might have known best not to be the very first in line. She could have let a few go ahead and replicate their motions.

08:28

Doris proceeds into the Throne Room.  Crown marker insignias on the carpet indicate where a debutante should stop along the procession. 

She twists her arm to partially carry the veil, but it still trails a good 18 inches behind her.  She kicks back her gown for the final adjustment of the train then steps ahead.

Deep breath, avoid vertigo, flush of heat overtakes the body in sheer panic.

08:54

Plenty of pomp and circumstance for the special occasion. 

Under a golden canopy on twin golden thrones sits King George V in his scarlet colonel-in-chief uniform as head of the military and Queen Mary in heavy chiffon lace with an overdress of peach chiffon, embroidered pearl and silver.  Her train of peach and silver brocade, and on her head a tiara of pearls and diamonds.  On her breast, the Order of the Garter along with other jewelled orders.

Returned from a recent African trip, suntanned David the Prince of Wales is in his Welsh guard uniform.  Handsome and indifferent next to his fairly ignored brother Bertie the Duke of York and the father to future Queen Elizabeth II.

Other males in the room including ambassadors even members of the royal guard don more period attire, of yes purple knee britches of a bygone era an ode to origination of the ceremony.

09:48

As Doris rehearsed countlessly, glide, appear delicate and graceful. 

-Curtsy in front of the King

-Glide 3 steps to the right curtsey again in front of the Queen

-Continue in the rightward movement towards the door

ALWAYS facing the King and Queen.

Never ever turn back on the Royals.

10:12

Doris can feel the sweat pooling at her head as the feather fan tickles her nose.  She is for once in her life truly awed by being in front of such majestic royalty.

The King is indifferent and rather bored by the endless faces of such a procession – remember she is now 401 with almost 400 more to go.  The Queen curiously looks at the richest girl in the world.  Could she be the one to finally win over the reluctant Prince of Wales’s heart?  She would prefer a British or royal young lady, but David seems to now prefer Americans especially the married ones.

Doris succeeds the treacherous walk only to realize another mistake.  Being the first in line, she now has to wait for the rest of the ceremony to finish – a whole 2 and a half hours while the other young ladies walk through and have their curtseying moments. 

Now to survive the rest of the evening activities.