Elsa Maxwell
Elsa Maxwell (born May 24, 1883 in Keokuk , Iowa , † November 1, 1963 in New York City ) was an American journalist .
Life
Elsa Maxwell was born in Keokuk as the daughter of Scottish emigrants and came to California as a toddler . At the age of 14, she dropped out of school and joined a Shakespeare theater company . In 1905 she switched to the vaudeville stage and went on a European tour. On her travels, Maxwell met important people from society and cultivated their contacts.
After an exquisite dinner for the British politician Arthur Balfour , later 1st Earl of Balfour, at the Hôtel Ritz in Paris , Elsa Maxwell established herself as the first hostess of high society in 1919 . Later they organized banquets , dance balls , garden parties, costume parties , golf tournaments on the French Riviera or International Motor Boat Races from Lido to Venice for the European construction and moneyed aristocracy and filled the society columns of the newspapers.
Maxwell returned to New York in the early 1930s and took advantage of her popularity as a hostess. She then shared the illustrious party stories in her daily columns in countless newspapers and on the radio ( Elsa Maxwell's Party Line ). She moved to Hollywood in the late 1930s and was the most famous society reporter of her time - she decided on the rise or fall of Hollywood greats.
Trivia
- Elsa Maxwell is known as the mother of all tabloid journalists today.
- At a garden party in 1948, Maxwell introduced the actress Rita Hayworth to the British-Indian Prince Ali Khan, son of the Aga Khan III. , before whom Hayworth later married.
- Elsa Maxwell had a close friendship with Maria Callas , who was mistaken for a lesbian relationship .
- It was also Maxwell who introduced the opera singer to Aristotle Onassis . The love affair between the two made headlines until the shipowner's marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy in October 1968.
literature
- Elsa Maxwell and Bernd Ruland: My crazy life , Swiss Verl.-Haus (1964)
- Elsa Maxwell: How To Do It - Or The Lively Art Of Entertaining , Rizzoli International Publications (2005) ISBN 0-8478-2713-5
Web links
- Elsa Maxwell in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Elsa Maxwell (English)
- Elsa Maxwell, Society hostess (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Maxwell, Elsa |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American journalist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 24, 1883 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Keokuk , Iowa |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 1, 1963 |
| Place of death | New York City |