Mary Astor

Mary Astor (May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress.

Scandals

In March 1934, Astor was sued by her parents, Otto and Helen Langhanke, for support and a public family feud burst out violently as they all went threshing into court hurling charges.

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The Langhankes said they did not even have enough money for the necessities of life; the only money they had received from their daughter in the last six months was $60 in grocery coupons, and they had to sell some of their furniture to survive. They also cited a foreclosure notice on their home, saying their daughter would not help them pay the mortgage.

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Despite the Depression, Otto had continued to improve their estate. He then took out an $18,000 loan and had a swimming pool installed, which Astor said neither of them ever used and was a waste of money, and he could not afford to pay on the remaining $15,000 incumbrance.

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Astor said all her earnings went to her parents until 1930, being deposited by the studio directly into their bank account, and she received a small allowance. She then decided it was necessary for her to look out for her own future and wiped the slate clean. She gave them the house in June of that year, free and clear of all incumbrance, and for a year thereafter gave them $1000 a month. In addition, in March 1931, she loaned them $2,515.19, which they did not repay and she never asked for. She said that she told them in March 1933 that she could not afford to support them in their expensive home, which cost more than the one she and her husband and daughter were living in. She offered them an allowance of $100 a month if they moved from the mansion; she also offered to set them up in a suitable house in San Mateo County, together with food and utilities, but they did not accept either offer. Their lawyer responded that a daughter could not dictate to her parents where they could or could not live as if they were "Peter the hermit."

Related Topics:
1930 - San Mateo County

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The judge ruled that she should give her parents $100 a month. Moorcroft, now valued at $200,000, went on the auction block and sold for only $21,500. Otto was outraged and did not want to accept the bid, but the auctioneer said they had a signed contract, the buyer had deposited the proper deposit, and the sale was final. The Langhankes then moved to San Fernando.

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In the meantime, Astor's marriage to Franklyn Thorpe continued to deteriorate. She learned from Kaufman that Thorpe had talked to him about their affair. When the inevitable confrontation came, Thorpe told her he would name Kaufman in a divorce suit. He said that if she would let him take their daughter, Marylyn, she could have her back after six months to keep for six months. She believed that later on she could get custody of Marylyn and avoid bad publicity.

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In April 1935, Thorpe divorced her in an uncontested suit and gained sole custody of their daughter. While working on Dodsworth (1936) starring Walter Huston and Ruth Chatterton, Astor sued to gain sole custody in July 1936, after having Marylyn living with her for six months, as well as for the recovery of stocks and property paid for by her movie earnings, or the value, and a vicious battle broke out that was also well documented by the press.

Related Topics:
Dodsworth - 1936 - Walter Huston - Ruth Chatterton

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Thorpe cited her adultery with Kaufman and introduced excerpts of her diary as evidence of the affair. Astor said he had stolen her diary and that most of the passages submitted were forgeries. She said she was intimidated into not contesting custody when he threatened to ruin her career. She said he assertedly threatened to deprive her of her daughter's companionship unless she transferred the securities to him, which she did shortly before the divorce. She further asserted that he was busy with his practice and unable to properly rear the child.

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Excerpts of what she wrote about her marriage and affair with Kaufman were then released by Thorpe's lawyers to the press, who dubbed it the "purple diary," although it was actually penned in Aztec brown ink and not purple, and it became headline news. Although the excerpts in the papers were fairly harmless, with romantic and sentimental chatter and no intimate details, lurid tales of sexually explicit contents began to circulate. No one ever actually read the authentic diary, however, and such reports of its contents were purely speculative.

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When Thorpe surrendered the diary to the court it was impounded and the full contents never revealed. The judge was only concerned with the welfare of the child. Astor wanted her diary back, while Thorpe asserted it should be returned to him. The judge then ordered that it be stored in a safe deposit box at Security-First National Bank at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood, sealed against prying eyes. In April 1952, with no objection from Astor or Thorpe, the diary was destroyed, unread, by order of the court.

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Astor received joint custody of her daughter. Marylyn lived with her mother during the long school months and with her father during summer vacation. She shared Christmas with both parents.

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