Margaret West

Margaret West (September 10, 1903 – July 29, 1963) was a Texan heiress, vaudeville performer and later radio hostess.

Biography

Margaret West was born in San Antonio, Texas, the daughter of George Washington West (1879–1956), the man who in 1913 built George West, Texas, and Robbie Bedell (1880–1959).

West became a vaudeville performer and sang Western songs dressed as a cowgirl.[1] In 1948 she was a retired radio personality with homes on Santa Monica beach and in Bel-Air.[1] Pola Negri moved in with her and they became notorious party hostesses, at the same time building up a collection of artworks.[2]

At the death of West's father in 1956, West and Negri moved to San Antonio and, after a period spent in an hotel, moved to Olmos Drive,[3] where they lived until West's death on July 29, 1963.[4] Negri was the chief beneficiary to West's estate, receiving $1,250 a month ($11,948 in 2022 dollars) and the use of West's home and ownership of all furniture and art objects in the house.[5] In her autobiography, talking about West, Negri said, "It was difficult for some of the so-called sophisticates to understand that there had not been... the slightest tinge of the sexual to what we shared together."[6][1]

References

  1. "Pola Negri, 'Vamp' of Silent Films, Dies". Los Angeles Times. 1987. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. Golden, Eve (2000). Golden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars. McFarland. p. 122. ISBN 9780786483549. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  3. "Pola Negri Plans Return to Films - 17 Aug 1963, Sat • Page 47". Express and News: 47. 1963. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  4. "Pola Negri Happy To Be "Back" - 25 Aug 1963, Sun • Page 38". The Odessa American: 38. 1963. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  5. "People in news - 13 Aug 1963, Tue • Page 11". The Marshall News Messenger: 11. 1963. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  6. Kotowski, Mariusz (2014). Pola Negri: Hollywood's First Femme Fatale. doi:10.5810/kentucky/9780813144887.001.0001. ISBN 9780813144887. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
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