Elsa Maxwell
| Elsa Maxwell | |
|---|---|
 Maxwell photographed by Carl van Vechten |
|
| Born | May 24, 1883 Keokuk, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 1963 (aged 80) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Gossip columnist, author, songwriter, hostess |
Elsa Maxwell (May 24, 1883 – November 1, 1963) was an American gossip columnist and author, songwriter, and professional hostess renowned for her parties for royalty and high society figures of her day.
Maxwell is credited with the introduction of the scavenger hunt and treasure hunt for use as party games in the modern era [1] She also appeared as herself in the films Stage Door Canteen (1943) and Rhapsody in Blue (1945), as well as co-starring in the 1939 film Hotel for Women, for which she wrote the screenplay.
Elsa Maxwell took credit for introducing Rita Hayworth to Prince Aly Khan in the summer of 1948.[2] In 1953, Maxwell published a single issue of her magazine, Elsa Maxwell's Café Society, which had a portrait of Zsa Zsa Gabor on the cover. Anne Edwards' biography of Maria Callas (Callas, 2001) and Peter Evans biography of Aristotle Onassis both claim that Maxwell introduced Callas to Onassis.[3][4] Edwards also claims that Maxwell was a lesbian who tried to seduce Callas, 40 years Maxwell's junior.[5] Callas biographer Stelios Galatopoulos produced love letters from Maxwell written to Callas, who was less than receptive.[6]
From 1912 until 1963, Maxwell's lover was Scottish socialite and singer Dorothy "Dickie" Fellowes-Gordon. Fellowes-Gordon was Maxwell's sole heir.[7]
[edit] Bibliography
- RSVP: Elsa Maxwell's Own Story, by Elsa Maxwell, 1954.
- How To Do It, or The Lively Art of Entertaining, by Elsa Maxwell, Little, Brown and Company, 1957.
- Ari: The Life and Times of Aristotle Socrates Onassis, by Peter Evans, 1986
[edit] Notes
- ^ Time Magazine, The Press: Elsa at War. Nov. 7, 1944.
- ^ Adrienne McLean Being Rita Hayworth, p. 91, Rutgers University Press, 2004 ISBN 978-0813533896
- ^ Edwards, Anne (2001). Maria Callas: An Intimate Biography. Macmillan Publishers. p. 156. ISBN 978-0312269869.
- ^ Peter Evans Nemesis, p. 44, Harper Collins, 2004 ISBN 978-0060580537
- ^ Edwards, p. 159
- ^ Stelios Galatopoulos Maria Callas, Simon & Schuster, 1998 ISBN 978-0684859859
- ^ Time, November 22, 1963. "Only 100 gathered to say a final goodbye to the woman who had given thousands of parties for thousands of people, and few of the glittering names she had called 'dear' and 'darling' were on hand. One mourner there who didn't get much society-gossip-column attention was Dorothy Fellowes-Gordon. And to this longtime friend, the international party giver left her entire estate. It amounted to less than $10,000."
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Elsa Maxwell |
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Elsa Maxwell |
- Clan Maxwell
- Elsa Maxwell quotes
- Elsa Maxwell at the Internet Movie Database
- Elsa Maxwell at Internet Broadway Database (IBDB.com)
- Review of R.S.V.P.: Elsa Maxwell's Own Story in Time magazine, November 1, 1954
- Transcript and video of Elsa Maxwell on The Mike Wallace Interview (November 16, 1957)
- "The Cruise Director", obituary in Time magazine, November 8, 1963
- Norwich William, "Entertaining: Elsa on My Mind"; The New York Times, January 30, 2000
- Elsa Maxwell at Find a Grave
- Elsa Maxwell, as mystery guest, on the television program What's My Line October 13, 1957, April 12, 1950
