Muses: Marguerite Littman

Episode Summary

The podcast episode discusses the life of Marguerite Littman, who was known as a muse and fundraiser. Marguerite was born in 1930 in Louisiana to a wealthy family. As a child, she put on plays with her brother Speed, which led them both to artistic careers as adults. Marguerite moved to Los Angeles hoping to become a movie star, but kept her Southern accent. Though acting didn't work out, she found success as a vocal coach for stars like Elizabeth Taylor. In LA, Marguerite befriended many celebrities like Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams. She married three times, with the first two ending in divorce. After moving to New York, she wrote a advice column as "Dear Daisy" for Glamour magazine. In 1965, she married her third husband Mark Litman and moved to London. There, Marguerite continued her role as socialite hostess. She held many parties attended by famous friends like Andy Warhol. In the 1980s, Marguerite turned her connections and party planning skills towards fundraising for AIDS charities. This included getting Princess Diana to donate her dresses, raising millions. Marguerite helped nurse her friend Rock Hudson as he died from AIDS. Though she passed away in 2020 at age 90, her wit and charm live on through the memories of the many lives she touched.

Episode Show Notes

Marguerite Littman (1930-2020) was said to be the inspiration for Holly Golightly, the heroine of Truman Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” She collected many famous friends through her wit and magnetic charm. Then, she harnessed her power as a socialite to raise funds to fight the AIDS epidemic in the ‘80s.

Episode Transcript

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SPEAKER_04: This year, Hyundai features their all electric Hyundai IONIQ lineup as a proud sponsor of the I Heart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas with two high tech models. The IONIQ 5 can take you an EPA estimated 303 miles on a single charge and has available two way charging for electronic equipment inside and outside the car. The IONIQ 6 boasts a mind blowing range of up to 360 miles and can deliver up to an 80% charge in just 18 minutes with its 800 volt DC ultra fast charger. Check out Hyundai at the I Heart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas as their all star IONIQ lineup hits the stage like you've never seen before. Hyundai, it's your journey. SPEAKER_02: This August on Womanica, we're taking a trip through history to discover the stories of muses. Women whose lives inspired work that's shaped our culture in small ways and large. Special thanks to this month's sponsor, Mercedes-Benz, whose own famous namesake was inspired by a young muse named Mercedes. Join us all month long for fascinating stories of women who are drivers of creativity, inspiration, and artistic expression. Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month we're talking about muses, women who are drivers of creativity and inspiration. Today's muse was said to be the inspiration for the first time in history, and ultimately the heroine of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. She collected many famous friends through her wit and magnetic charm. Then she harnessed her power as a socialite to raise funds to fight the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Meet Marguerite Littman. Marguerite was born Marguerite Lamkin on May 4th, 1930 in Monroe, Louisiana. She was a former law lawyer, and her mother was a homemaker. The family was wealthy and well-established, and lived on what had been one of the largest plantations in the area. Marguerite was a theatrical child, and she and her elder brother Speed staged plays every Saturday, with Marguerite as the leading lady. These amateur productions led to adult aspirations in Hollywood. Speed became a playwright and novelist, and got a contract to write a film for Jerry Wald. He moved to Los Angeles, and Marguerite tagged along. When Jerry Wald met Marguerite, he thought she was the spitting image of a young Susan Hayward. He wanted to make her into the next big starlet, but first he had to get rid of her southern drawl. Marguerite trained with vocal coach Lester Luther, but even after trying unusual methods, like speaking with stones in her mouth, she still couldn't drop her accent. Marguerite explained, "'If you were to say, how are you to me, I'd have to get my mouth in a certain position and do preliminary things. I mean, you'd be long gone before I said, I'm very well, thank you.'" Marguerite gave up on trying to get in front of the cameras, but if she couldn't squash her country twang, she could at least teach movie stars to sound like her. She worked as a vocal coach on over a dozen films, most famously helping Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman's speak like southerners in the 1958 film, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. SPEAKER_00: Skipper and I... I don't wanna hear about it. Why won't you face the truth just once about Skipper, about me, about yourself? SPEAKER_02: While she lived and worked in Los Angeles, Marguerite became quite the social butterfly, meeting and keeping countless Hollywood connections. Her circle included the painter, David Hockney, writer Gore Vidal, playwright Tennessee Williams, and of course, Truman Capote. Marguerite bonded with the queer community in a time when not everyone was so welcoming. The poet, Steven Spender, described her as an ally against the gossiping classes of Hollywood. Marguerite also attracted many passionate suitors during her California years. One hid in her bushes and left her expensive cooking pots as gifts in her hallway. Another composed a 50-page love letter, complete with a marriage proposal. Marguerite later said she didn't read past the second page. Marguerite did find love briefly with screenwriter Harry Brown. They got married in 1952, but Harry, who was a rumored alcoholic, became abusive. Marguerite later recalled, "'I told Harry I was going out to buy some lamb chops, "'and never went back.'" After her divorce with Harry, Marguerite married again in 1959, this time to actor Rory Harrity. That union also ended in divorce. By now, she was living in New York City and working at Glamour magazine. In her Dear Daisy column, she answered letters from women desperate for romance advice. Marguerite provided what she called teddy bear tricks to help girls catch and keep a man's interest, often by irritating them. In one column, she advised, "'Don't put his flowers in a vase. "'Leave them in the sink.'" In 1963, Marguerite met Mark Litman, a British lawyer, while he was visiting Manhattan. She later recalled, "'I couldn't use any teddy bear tricks "'because he knew I was Daisy, but something worked.'" The couple got married in 1965 and settled in London. In her new country, Marguerite maintained her sociable nature, hosting eccentric luncheons and dinner parties for her many friends. Andy Warhol described one such affair at the London townhouse in his diaries, saying, "'Marguerite invented something great for dessert, "'chocolate soup. "'It's orange juice and Grand Marnier and chocolate, hot.'" In the mid to late 1980s, Marguerite harnessed her power as a socialite to raise funds to fight the out-of-control AIDS epidemic. She was friends with actor Rock Hudson and helped nurse him as he was dying of AIDS in 1985. In 1986, she wrote to 300 friends to ask each of them to contribute 100 pounds to become founding members of the AIDS Charitable Trust. In Marguerite's words, no one said no. From there, she led larger fundraising campaigns, wrangling artist friends to donate their work for auction. She also enlisted the help of Princess Diana, who donated her enviable wardrobe to the cause. That act alone raised over $3 million. Marguerite later spoke of her conversation with Princess Diana. She said, "'I have a wonderful idea. "'I'm going to give you all of my dresses.'" Marguerite added, "'I didn't quite know what that meant. "'I thought, oh God, do I dress that badly?'" After 11 years of raising funds, Marguerite decided to dissolve the AIDS Charitable Trust and combine efforts with other existing groups. She eventually became a director of the board at the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Marguerite died on October 16th, 2020 in her home in London. She was 90 years old. 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