4 divorces, loss of a child, schizophrenia and other rehearsals of the fate of 1940s star Veronica Lake

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Veronica Lake was a movie sensation in the 1940s, but today her name is hardly a household name. Her career was rapidly going up and also rapidly sliding down. She shone on TV screens and, sparkling with happiness, radiantly smiled at the audience, but outside of the roles she was a deeply unhappy woman. Four divorces, the loss of a child, schizophrenia and much more played a fatal role in her life, recalling how fleeting universal admiration, fame and success can be.

1. Tragedy

She experienced tragedy early in her film career. During the filming of the 1944 film The Hour Before Dawn, a pregnant Veronica tripped over a cable. She started bleeding and was rushed to the hospital. The child was born alive, but lived only a week, after which he died.

2. Ashes in the store

Veronica died alone. Her ashes were ultimately stored in a Virginia funeral home. But there are many different stories about this, one of which says that the writer Donald Bane allegedly sent Veronica's ashes by mail to his apartment in New York. He then stated that he gave the ashes to William Roose, a friend of Lake, who said he would scatter the ashes in Miami. And what happened next is known only to one god. The ashes ended up on display in an antique shop in Catskill, New York.

3. Schizophrenia

Veronica's life was not the easiest. One of the reasons for her difficulties on the set and stormy personal life was a mental disorder. As a child, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. As a result, she battled the disease throughout her life and career. She developed symptoms such as auditory hallucinations, paranoia, mental confusion, and dysfunctional interpersonal relationships.

4. Bad character

There were also a lot of rumors and gossip about Veronica, which significantly hindered her career. One of the reasons was the behavior on the set. She has developed a reputation as a difficult person to work with, which is why the directors hesitated to take her for the role. For her actions, she earned the nickname bitch. Joel McCree, her co-star in Sullivan's Quest, turned down an offer to play in another movie, claiming that life was too short for two films with Veronica Lake.

5. Paranoia and alcoholism

With age, she became more and more paranoid and, living in Hollywood, Florida, became a real recluse. One day Veronica told her friend that it seemed to her that the FBI was listening to her phone and watching her. She eventually returned to New York, but was quickly transferred to a Vermont hospital due to acute hepatitis caused by years of alcoholism.

The doctors did not expect her to live long. The last days of her life, she signed autographs to nurses and seemed rather optimistic. She eventually died of kidney failure on July 7, 1973.

6. Her unique hairstyle was the fashion of the 40s

Throughout her stellar career, she wore an interesting and unique hairstyle. Her long and thick hair was slicked back to the right side, covering her eyes. This image stuck and was so popular that it became a security issue during World War II. Government officials asked Veronica to change her appearance, as they feared that her vision impairment could lead to accidents for assembly line workers.

In fact, this hairstyle was nothing more than an accident. While rehearsing for one of her first films, her hair accidentally fell on her face. Veronica and the directors loved the look, so it caught on and quickly became fashionable across the United States.

7. There were practically no people at her funeral

Very few people attended Veronica's funeral. None of her four ex-husbands came to the service. Her second husband, André de Toth, was particularly hostile. Veronica's son, Michael, asked de Thoth for money to cremate his mother. Andre refused and answered with a lot of obscenities. Michael had to take out a loan to travel to Vermont and retrieve his mother's body, and then cremate it. As a result, Veronica's ashes remained in the funeral home for about two years, until the writer Bane collected the ashes, paying two hundred dollars for it.

8. First role

Its rise began with the dramatic film "I need wings." Her looks and acting caught the attention of director Preston Sturges. This led to the fact that tempting offers and dozens of interesting roles literally fell on her head, making her a real rising star.

9. Sudden success

Sudden success is rare in Hollywood, and Veronica was one of the few stars to achieve success in a short period. Gun for Hire was a classic noir film about murder and blackmail, in which Veronica portrayed a femme fatale. The picture became popular with audiences and critics, and people were especially fascinated by the beauty and unique style of Veronica, instantly turning her into one of the most successful actresses.

10. Talent or looks?

Veronica was far from the best actress in terms of acting skills, and the general public did not consider her gifted in this regard. So, success came to her thanks to her bright appearance and charisma, which she deftly and skillfully used.

11. Rise and Fall

Veronica's sunset began with the 1944 film An Hour Until Dawn. She played a Nazi spy in the film, and her performance was highly acclaimed by critics and audiences. Nevertheless, Veronica was criticized for her obnoxious German accent and poor performance in general.

After the success of the 1946 film Blue Dahlia, offers largely began to decline and in 1948 Paramount finally terminated Veronica's contract.

12. Difficult childhood

Veronica had an unstable childhood. Her father worked at a tank farm and was rarely at home. In 1932, he died in a strange explosion at work. The girl was then ten years old. A year later, her mother married a newspaper illustrator again. Two years later, in 1934, Veronica's mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The family was forced to move from Manhattan to Saranac Lake, New York so that her mother could receive treatment.

13. She did not keep in touch with relatives

At the time of her death, Veronica had three children: Elaine, Michael and Diana. In addition, she had three grandchildren. Unfortunately, Veronica died alone, as she did not keep in touch with her children and grandchildren.

14. From star to waitress

A popular star in the 40s and 50s, Veronica ended up working as a waitress in the early 60s. She denied having experienced financial difficulties when the press learned about her work.

The woman claimed that she paid almost two hundred dollars a month for the apartment (today it is about two thousand dollars), which meant that she was definitely not broke. Her status as a waitress sparked public interest, leading to a small resurgence in the fame of the unsurpassed Veronica Lake after she gave a series of interviews. However, from that day on, she will never be able to regain her status among the Hollywood elite.

15. Unsuccessful marriage

She has been married four times. At the start of World War II, she married art director John Detley. After divorcing him, she married the Hungarian director Andre de Thoth. Veronica and de Thoth eventually declared bankruptcy and divorced in 1952. She then married music producer Joseph McCarthy, but that marriage also ended in divorce in the late 50s.

Her last husband was an English naval officer, Robert Carlton-Munroe. The couple were in the process of divorcing when Lake died.

16. She inspired many

Veronica Lake's story inspired the writers to create Los Angeles Secrets, starring Kim Basinger, as Lynn Bracken. The film focuses on the dark side of the "city of stars", suitable for the atmosphere and life of the times of Veronica Lake.

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