Margaret West
Margaret West (September 10, 1903 – July 29, 1963) was a Texan heiress, vaudeville performer and later radio hostess.
Biography
[edit]Margaret West was born in San Antonio, Texas, the daughter of George Washington West (1879–1956), the man who in 1913 built George West, Texas, and Robbie Bedell (1880–1959).
West became a vaudeville performer and sang Western songs dressed as a cowgirl.[1] In 1948 she was a retired radio personality with homes on Santa Monica beach and in Bel-Air.[1] Pola Negri moved in with her and they became notorious party hostesses, at the same time building up a collection of artworks.[2]
At the death of West's father in 1956, West and Negri moved to San Antonio and, after a period spent in an hotel, moved to Olmos Drive,[3] where they lived until West's death on July 29, 1963.[4] Negri was the chief beneficiary to West's estate, receiving $1,250 a month ($12,440 in 2023 dollars) and the use of West's home and ownership of all furniture and art objects in the house.[5] In her autobiography, talking about West, Negri said, "It was difficult for some of the so-called sophisticates to understand that there had not been... the slightest tinge of the sexual to what we shared together."[6][1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Pola Negri, 'Vamp' of Silent Films, Dies". Los Angeles Times. 1987. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ Golden, Eve (2000). Golden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars. McFarland. p. 122. ISBN 9780786483549. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Pola Negri Plans Return to Films - 17 Aug 1963, Sat • Page 47". Express and News: 47. 1963. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Pola Negri Happy To Be "Back" - 25 Aug 1963, Sun • Page 38". The Odessa American: 38. 1963. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "People in news - 13 Aug 1963, Tue • Page 11". The Marshall News Messenger: 11. 1963. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ Kotowski, Mariusz (2014). Pola Negri: Hollywood's First Femme Fatale. doi:10.5810/kentucky/9780813144887.001.0001. ISBN 9780813144887. Retrieved 15 January 2018.