Episode 82: Labyrinth - Third Anniversary Bonus
All they want is love. Everyone else wants their fortune.
Third Year Anniversary recap and future storylines.
Other people and subjects include: Barbara Hutton, Doris Duke, heirs, heiresses, Wall Street Crash of 1929, Great Depression, 1932 & 1933 plots, Huntington Hartford, Evalyn Walsh McLean, Lindbergh kidnapping, Al Capone, General John Pershing, British Queen, Prince of Wales, Ivar Krueger, Hope Diamond, modern parallels, cryptocurrency implosions, Ponzi schemes, scandals, scams, bank runs, blackmail financial
depression, historical cycles
Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.
Extra Notes / Call to Action:
Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com
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Publish Date: April 03, 2023
Length: 19:13
Opening Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands
Section 1 Music: Swingin’ The Blues by Benny Carter & His Orchestra, Album Perfect Blues
Section 2 Music: Turkish Towel by The Savoy Havana Band, Album Fascinating Rhythm
Section 3 Music: Umtcha, Umtcha, Da Da Da by The Rhythmic Eight, Album Fascinating Rhythm – Great Hits of the 20s
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 082 – Labyrinth
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
Three years in with many more stories to go.
Now back to AS THE MONEY BURNS
Title
00:43
Labyrinth – Third Anniversary Bonus Episode
[Music Fade Out]
Episode Tag
All they want is love. Everyone else wants their fortune.
00:57
[Music – Swingin’ The Blues by Benny Carter & His Orchestra, Album Perfect Blues]
Section 1 – Story
[Music Fade Out]
01:13
The lights and sounds emanate from a mansion where an elaborate ball takes place. From one of the ornate glass doors, a young lady bashfully emerges onto a balcony. She is greeted by a handsome gentleman.
They dance while up above the starry sky sparkles like diamonds.
As they spin and turn, they transform from one couple to another. No matter the physical traits, all the matches have something in common. One lover always smitten, the other more in control, reserved, and with a focused attention.
The ever changing gentleman guides his dance partner further and further away from the door.
02:00
When the young lady’s guardian comes looking for her, the young couple rush to hide from sight. They huddle close together, their lips almost touching.
As the guardian looks about, the gentleman covers his lips then points towards the ocean. The young lady unable to resist agrees.
Between the ocean cliffside and the large sprawling estate, an elaborate garden maze lies. When the moment seems clear, they run.
The excitement and adrenaline pumps the blood. Under the moonlight, the bright blooms beckon, and the fragrant scents entice. Playfully, the handsome prince suggests a game of hide and seek. The young lady gleefully nods her head.
02:50
She hides first though is simple to find and hopes her discovery will end with a kiss.
The hedges are only waist high with an occasional taller bush. Of course, he finds her quickly. He playfully grabs her and runs his fingers over her face closing her eyes. He releases her before a kiss takes place.
Then he hides, and he doesn’t make it easy. During each pass, they go further and further into the maze. Laughing and teasing.
Too into their game, the young lady doesn’t notice other changes happening around her. As her feet crosses a path, behind her a vine sprouts and runs across it. When she turns a corner, the hedge stretches out and closes the trail. Each step forward, the hedges rise incrementally.
03:46
Flowers wither and decay as thorns get thicker and thicker.
She can’t find her lover and turns around to go back to see the maze has completely altered behind her. The thick and thorny hedges push her forward.
Clouds cover the night sky decreasing the moonlight. The wind howls as the air turns chilly. The rustling leaves sound more like terrifying whispers. Thunder rumbles about while drops of cold hard rain threaten more trouble.
The young lady is confused and turned around. Her dress rips against the thorns as she stumbles about. Somehow she finds herself deep into the maze when she finally hears her lover’s voice. She follows it further into the center.
04:35
Her hair and clothes a mess. She is trembling and scared when she finds him. From behind, he looks strong and warm. She steps towards him wanting comfort in his arms.
He turns around. Only the handsome prince is no longer handsome. His kind and sympathetic face is hard and cruel.
His smile curls into a sneer. In his hand, a rose shape shifts from a rope to a dagger to another dangerous weapon…
She steps back to find the path closed yet again.
Alone with him deep inside the labyrinth, the young lady is left to her fate.
05:23
[Music – Turkish Towel by The Savoy Havana Band, Album Fascinating Rhythm]
Section 2 – History & Historiography
[Music Fade Out]
05:40
It has been three years since I started this podcast and so much has been covered.
Simple tales have become winding and twisting paths that intersect in the most unusual ways.
Our story began during the summer of 1929. The stock market was at its best highs. Money was flowing freely. The Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties were in full swing.
The world was full of promises as a set of young heirs and heiresses were about to embark into adulthood. Doris Duke, Barbara Hutton, and Louise Van Alen are more focused on debutante balls and finding love. “Jakey” John Jacob Astor VI and Huntington Hartford are more about preparing for college while they wait to take over their fortunes. Love and adventure were on the horizon.
06:28
Then only months later the Wall Street Market Crash occurs on October 29th, 1929. While their trust fund fortunes remain mostly intact, those around them have not fared as well. The Great Depression has begun, but no one knows then how long or dark it will get. Furthermore, social rules and etiquette are changing and no one quite knows which way to turn. Old dreams die hard, and new grudges build – both in personal relationships and now with the press and public at large. Balls, weddings, and smaller events are under the microscope in a fishbowl reality as glamour collides into gloom.
07:10
Some cases in point…
Weddings are not always happy occasions.
Several young heirs and heiresses have made matrimonial matches though not necessarily approved.
-The first Huntington Hartford elopes suddenly, and his mother Henrietta Hartford winds up in hysterics only to be blackmailed later.
-Another Louise Van Alen forces her family’s compliance with a small ceremony, but the betrayal by a family friend Prince Alexis Mdivani runs deep.
-Her brother William “Sam” Van Alen however has the large celebrated wedding then honeymoons near an active volcano while Hawaii erupts from racial tensions leading to a murder trial.
-Tennis star Frank Shields marries his well to do wife, his tennis career is on track, but the family bank job is less desirable.
-An underage and smaller heiress marries an Italian prince while her family tries to break the marriage.
08:08
Wealth can be abundant but still has limitations.
-One heir Cornelius “Neil” Vanderbilt IV finds himself in both divorce court and bankruptcy court, and his wealthy parents aren’t apt to bail him out.
-A bounced check sends another former millionaire to a workhouse for his debts.
-Former opera star Cobina Wright turns her supreme hostess skills into a business only she struggles when charging her guests for dinner & entertainment.
-A Spanish painter creates a set of murals for the new Waldorf-Astoria hotel, but his wife and her siblings scheme to ever increasing wealth.
08:47
And the starkest reality, all the money and fame mean nothing when a life is on the line.
-The ongoing Lindbergh kidnapping puts everyone on edge. As dangers can come from any corner.
-Suicides remain a danger when facing various troubles whether scandal, illness, or financial ruin.
-Arguments over a family inheritance ends in a triple homicide decades after the trust was formed by Barbara Hutton.
09:18
Despite the fears, not all situations are dark and dire. Life has a way of finding the light.
-Cobina Wright’s new club features Latin dance team Medrano and Donna and African American vaudeville comedy duo Buck and Bubbles while also servicing both wealthy and entertainment elite clientele, including a celebrated World War I general.
-Tennis star Frank Shields charms the British Queen, who also finds Barbara Hutton a suitable and preferrable mate to her bachelor son, the Prince of Wales.
We never know who might appear within our tales. Special appearances include Al Capone, Bill Robinson aka “Bojangles,” World War I General John Pershing, the Prince of Wales and his mother the British Queen, plus other assorted royals…
10:07
A few episodes to highlight:
Episode 61: Served Well, an amusing anecdote at Wimbledon with the British Queen
Episode 75: Fiery Eruptions, a honeymoon, volcano, and racial tensions in Hawaii
Episode 78: Ransom Or Reward, the 1st of several Lindbergh kidnapping episodes
Episode 81: Percussion, more ties to the Harlem Renaissance & World War I
All the troubles near and far with so many twists, but these are not one and done despite assumptions. Many of what has already happened will definitely repeat and more than once or twice. As time and our tales will tell,…
10:56
[Music – Umtcha, Umtcha, Da Da Da by The Rhythmic Eight, Album Fascinating Rhythm – Great Hits of the 20s]
Section 3 – Contemporary & Personal Relevance
[Music Fade Out]
11:12
I started this journey long ago, even before the ravages of the pandemic. Back in more affluent times when one rarely thinks about things like a financial depression. An era that breeds arrogance and carelessness which will always precede a crash.
I knew the inevitable as I learned many years ago at university that large depression cycles have a roughly 75 year span, so I knew we were long overdue. We had blips here and there that have been band-aided and masked. But you can’t outdo or outrun a cycle. The ebbs and dips have a gravity and momentum of their own.
I wanted these stories to be more personal, add touches and information not as readily known, re-linking associations while personalizing the forgotten to enhance our understanding of the past, our situations in the present, and guidance for the future.
12:10
The devil is always in the details. And there are so many details…
Now our current circumstances triggered or at least heightened by the aftermath of the pandemic, which has gone on far too long, so we are now experiencing large scale crashes. How many more will come? Will regulations change again to prevent more occurrences?
Much like 1932 & 1933, many news breaking stories sound awfully familiar. So will the ends be the same, or what new changes will occur and with what side effects?
12:49
In 1932, the “Match King” Swedish Ivar Kreuger’s suicide exposed a large scam within his large financial empire which impacted internationally nations, corporations, and individuals. The current crypto implosions eerily similar. Will their leaders choose the same opt out method of dealing with the messes they created?
In 1932, the Lindbergh kidnapping is the most famous individual and then unsolved crime of the Twentieth Century. Everyone was riveted and trying to solve it. Hope Diamond owner Evalyn Walsh McLean gets scammed in efforts for recovery. Even Al Capone from Cook County Jail offers his assistance. Modern day cyber sleuths continually obsess over details in attempts to solve crimes.
13:37
For the world at large, present day parallel stories involve:
-An upcoming presidential election
-Bank runs
-Collapsing financial empires
Within our recurring story arcs and characters, upcoming storylines are:
-A recently married couple implodes as one spouse seeks a richer mate.
-One of the largest homes in America closes to prevent pillaging and retaliation. Will this become an American Versailles?
-Another home is liquidated after a Ponzi scheme is exposed.
-One fortune hunter pursues his biggest prize around the world.
-A formerly wealthy reporter faces down an angry crowd.
14:19
Stay tuned as the circumstances grow more dire as the days of the Great Depression get darker before the light comes.
Seduction, betrayal, and greed are at play when fortunes are at stake. Many appearances are deceiving until the moment comes too late. Crimes within crimes are more than common when it comes to trust and the heart.
How will our heirs and heiresses navigate the troubles ahead? Come find out.
This has been a wonderful journey being able to finally tell these tales. I greatly appreciate those who listen, and I love those who make an effort to comment or share. Whether highlights, additions, and the occasional corrections – the participation and investment are very appreciated.
15:06
While some things change, others remain the same.
The one main constant over these three years has been the amazing music collection by Past Perfect Vintage Music, a digital archive of remastered music from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. No matter the episode or the reviewer, there is universal praise of the music. Many thanks for Past Perfect’s wonderful collaboration. Check them out at www.pastperfect.com.
With that note and for this special occasion, please enjoy the full version of our theme song My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton.
If you enjoy As The Money Burns, then please share, like, & subscribe.
Hook
15:53
[Music – My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands]
The plots are getting thicker as the scandals, love triangles, scams, betrayal, lust, greed, and envy continue building up before imploding in AS THE MONEY BURNS…
Until then…
Credits
16:11
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, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Transcripts, timeline, episode guide, and character bios are available at asthemoneyburns.com.
19:13
THE END.