The Jewels of Edythe Marrener
I’ll tell you about the lady…you tell me if you know who she is by
end of tale. No peeking at the graphic first. Okay? Yeah… sure. Heh
heh. Go ahead…peek. See what it gets you.
First…about the jewelry itself. A Turquoise and Diamond Suite, by
Van Cleef and Arpels. The necklace separates to form two bracelets.
Earrings and ring to match. Total diamond weight for the trio is 24.75
carats. It’s made of gold and palladium…and it befits the likes of
Edythe Marrener. The value of this set… back around 1984…was
roughly $22,000. Don’t know what the rate of increase is today…but
I’m sure it’s a bundle. And now…let’s get back to our heroine.
Edythe Marrener–before she changed her name–was born in Brooklyn,
New York in 1918. Her father was a transportation worker…and she
attended commercial high school with the intent of becoming a
secretary. Hoo-hah…was she ever off-base. Her father was
Irish…her mother was Swedish…and she grew up in the shadow of an
older and favored sister–a situation she resented her mother for her
entire life. She was a red-head, she was beautiful, and she was
precocious. She started off modeling for local photographers. But this
didn’t last…her evident beauty led her to Hollywood during that time
when there was a nation-wide search for an actress to play the role as
Scarlett in Gone With the Wind. Alas…she lost out to Vivien Leigh.
Her screen test was a disaster.
Our lass started her acting career in 1937…playing bit parts. She
paid her dues in nothing parts. Till…in 1939…she landed the role of
Isobel Rivers in Beau Geste. Next…she was Millie Perkins in Among
The Living. She was a huge success. He acting talents were being
recognized. In 1947 she received her first of five Academy Award
nominations.
Her losses: First…to Loretta Young in Farmer’s Daughter.
Second…to Olivia de Haviland in The Heiress. A few more losses…and
then a major win in what I think was one of the major films of it’s
time…a film that voiced an extraordinary statement against capital
punishment. I saw it around 1958 and I remember it vividly to this
day. Now…here’s my problem…if I tell you the name of the
film…those of you who have not yet guessed who our red-head
was…will surely guess now. And so I will hold off for a bit. Let me
tell you that not only was her performance as Barbara Graham
riveting…but it is still today considered one of the finest
performances of all time. As I think back…I tend to agree.
She made one more movie…and then…sadly…in 1975…at 56…she
died of cancer. She was young…she was brilliant. She loved sport
fishing and rugged males. The film to which I refer above was “I Want
To Live”…and her name…of course…was Susan Hayward. Remember
her? Her other most famous film…“I’ll Cry Tomorrow.” For those of
you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I direct you to my
home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will scroll down the table
menu till you get to the box that says Tidbits…and inside the box
where it says Tidbit Graphics…click on the link that says:
Edythe…where you will see a graphic of some of her jewelry.
And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all next
week. Benjamin Mark
TYLER-ADAM CORP.–Jewelry Manufacturers
Tel: 1-800-20-TYLER
E-Mail to: webmaster@tyler-adam.com