Marjorie Oelrichs
Marjorie de Loosey Oelrichs Duchin (June 23, 1908 – August 3, 1937), nicknamed "Bubbles", was an American socialite.[1]
Early life
Marjorie was born on June 23, 1908 and was daughter of Marjorie Ramely Oelrichs (née Turnbull) (1883–1952) and Charles de Loosey Oelrichs (1882–1973). After her parents divorce, her father remarried to Madeleine Lucienne Meyer, a daughter of Millius Pierre Meyer, in 1926.[2]
Her paternal grandparents were the former Blanche de Loosey and Charles May Oelrichs, a wealthy broker who was prominent in New York society during the Gilded Age. Her maternal grandparents were Lt. Commander Frank Turnbull, a retired naval officer, and his wife, the former Marion Louise Bates, descendant of William Bradford, a governor of Plymouth Colony in the 17th century. A maternal aunt was suffragist Alison Turnbull Hopkins.[3] Her paternal aunt was Blanche Marie Louise Oelrichs (better known as "Michael Strange"),[4] the poet and playwright who married, and divorced, three times, to Leonard Moorhead Thomas, John Barrymore and Harrison Tweed. She also had a ten-year affair with Margaret Wise Brown.[5]
Professional life and marriage
A well-known New York and Newport beauty, she was described by Vogue as having "waxen skin and eyebrows like butterflies."[6] An Edward Steichen photograph of Oelrichs was included in an advertisement for Pond's cold cream in a 1926 copy of Ladies' Home Journal.[7]
She became the wife of dance bandleader Eddy Duchin after the two met at the Waldorf, and wed at her mother's apartment at the Hotel Pierre on June 5, 1935, officiated by Judge Vincent Lippe.[8][9] Marjorie was removed from the New York Social Register for marrying Duchin because Eddy was Jewish; her reaction was reportedly "Who cares? It's just a phone book."[10]
Oelrichs died on August 3, 1937 in the Harbor Sanitarium at 667 Madison Avenue,[1] just six days after the 1937 birth of the couple's son, Peter Oelrichs Duchin (born July 28, 1937).[11] After Eddy's death in 1951, Peter was raised by close family friends, statesman W. Averell Harriman and his wife, Marie Norton Harriman.[10]
In popular culture
- Kim Novak portrayed Oelrichs in the 1956 Hollywood biopic The Eddy Duchin Story opposite Tyrone Power as Duchin.
References
- ^ a b "MARJORIE DUCHIN DIES AT AGE OF 29; Former Miss Oelrichs, Wife of Orchestra Leader, Succumbs in Hospital Here". The New York Times. 4 August 1937. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ TIMES, Special Cable to THE NEW YORK (4 February 1926). "C.D OELRICHS WEDS MADELINE MILLIUS; New York Stock Broker, 44, Marries Daughter of Late Paris Perfumer, 23. CEREMONY HELD IN LONDON Bridegroom and His First Wife, Who Was Marjorie Turnbull, Were Divorced in Paris in 1921". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Mrs. Alison T. Hopkins," Newport Mercury (March 23, 1951): 3. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "MICHAEL STRANGE, AUTHOR, 60, DEAD; Poet, Actress and Playwright, Ex-Wife of John Barrymore, Was Once Society Belle A Varied Career Followed Shaw's Advice Began Series of Readings" (PDF). The New York Times. November 6, 1950. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
- ^ "Michael Strange papers". archives.nypl.org. The New York Public Library. Archived from the original on 7 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
- ^ Smith, Sally Bedell. In All His Glory: The Life of William S. Paley, the Legendary Tycoon and His Brilliant Circle. Page 97. Simon and Schuster, 1990.
- ^ Johnston, Patricia A. Real Fantasies: Edward Steichen's Advertising Photography. Page 180. University of California Press, 2000.
- ^ Walker, Leo. The Big Band Almanac. Page 109. Da Capo Press, 1989.
- ^ "MARJORIE OELRICHS WEDS EDDY DUCHIN; Her Marriage to Noted Leader of Orchestras Performed by Judge Vincent Lippe. SHE WEARS TAFFETA GOWN Wedding Trip Will Be Combined With Bridegroom's Concert Tour Across Continent". The New York Times. 6 June 1935. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ a b Hamlin, Jesse (June 15, 1996). "'Chance' of Privilege / Peter Duchin's rich, hard life leads to memoir". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ Dictionary of American Biography. Page 188. 1959.
