The Two and Mrs Woodwards Alleging that she thought her husband was a prowler in the night, she kills him. This convoluted and interesting case was the basis of Dominick Dunne's novel "The Two Mrs.Grenvilles."
A co-worker of mine told me once that her grandmother told her: "If you marry for money you'll have to earn every penny". More than true in this extraordinarily tragic story.
One of my fondest memories (thanks to a friend who knew the vet at Spendthrift Farm) is a private tour of the stable called the Nashua Motel where the farm houses their top studs. The first stall was home to Seattle Slew with his big wonky ears, followed by several more very famous horses (Affirmed, Sham, Raise A Native, J. O. Tobin, Wajima, Golden Act) but the biggest thrill of all was the horse occupying the last stall right across from Slew. It was none other than the 29-yr-old Nashua. I found myself whispering, asking his groom if I could feed him a carrot and stroke his ears. He laughed and assured me that the old gentleman would enjoy the attention. I was in awe. His back was straight and his coat was glossy. He had been bred to 52 mares that breeding season and had "settled" 29 of them. Pretty good for an old guy! My visit became even more meaningful to me 6 or 7 months later when I heard that the great horse had died at the age of 30. He's buried adjacent to the stable that bears his name. Love those thoroughbreds!
"This Crazy Thing Called Love" is a great, non-fiction account of this whole story. Wonderfully well researched and written. (There were so many details left out of this show!) I recommend it to everyone. Read it, and then draw your own conclusions. Also, the specifics about the deaths of the two sons are debatable. Important to read. A mythic tale and unforgettable book.
+Chris Hill Well my grandparents weren't rich and they had twin beds in the same room. It was just the way they did things then - familiarity breeds contempt is what my grandmother used to say. Women with big boobs often keep a bra on when asleep as they flop around and are uncomfortable.
+Leopararouen Personally enjoy sleeping alone. Don't need someone hogging the sheets and snoring like a freight train. The irony is that this detective thought it was strange; and how did he know she didn't sleep in a bra.
This is what happens when you suddenly get into money you did not have...greedy, greedy , greedy. She even disowned her parents and died lonely !!! Sad how the children died
Was the police officer really *that* surprised about a husband and wife sleeping in separate bedrooms? Plenty of married couples stay together for appearances and lifestyle despite hating each other's guts. I would have thought it's particularly rampant within the filthy rich circles.
Can people please just enjoy the show without arguing and insulting each other? Sheesh! I do agree about Dominick's suit. It is waaaayyy too big for him!
+MissDiane622 I think he suffered from cancer and had lost weight and perhaps with that suit they thought it couldn´t be seen!I´m a german girl and apologize for my mistakes!
Victoria Maese ~ He was never overweight, to my knowledge, so I don't think that would have been a factor. He probably did lose weight from Cancer and the baggy suits hid his frail frame.
I believe Ann killed her husband accidentally, perhaps all the medication she was taking clouded her judgement. The only good thing the old witch did (Elsie) was preventing Ann from going to prison, and she only did it for the family name. I do not see Ann as a gold digger, I see her as a beautiful woman who dreamed of a fairytale life. She made a lot of mistakes, just like we all do in our lifetime, the difference is that her life was under a microscope. Once she was found not guilty, she could have flipped off all the snobs, liquidate all her assets, move to another country, perhaps Switzerland to be near her children. She was beautiful, she could have remarried, but obviously she had a conscience, she must have truly loved her husband, she never recovered, and that ultimately killed her. Her sons must have seen it that way too, since they were equally affected. The ending to this real story is something we only see in tragic novels.
+Blanca Bonazzi Bonaca no she was afraid he was gonna divorce her and being a gold digger, she was worried of losing everthing especially life she had worked hard to achieve thru lying. she shoud have gone to jail. Elsie helped her a lot, even letting her have the property se did not deserve..gold diger full of herself to the end
Elsie was a witch and she's now in hell moving her hips under satan's thrusts. Ann was just a stupid girl who was too impressed with money. Money aint shit, look how they all ended? Why would she kill him for such a stupid reason? plus you can't fake such grief. She love that homo for real, and she kept him that long with anal sex.
Very good analysis. You can smell the old world in this documentary (even in Dominick Dunne himself, sometime) with all their rigid and prejudicial thoughts. You hear gold digger mentioned quite a lot and it sounds more like a label coined by paranoid miser rich people , insecure and nervous when someone who " is not manor born" as Dunne puts it. approaches them
The snobby Duchess of Windsor was the ultimate social climber. Who the hell is she to turn her nose up at Anne? And the Windsors were Nazi supporters. . ,
+Anne Boleyn I was thinking the same thing, divorce shunned by the british royal family but snobbing the 2nd Mrs Woodward. Do unto others as you'd want others do unto you .... hmmm, well.
No Prince of Bel Air jokes? Well I'll cover that. Now, this is a story all about how Woodward's life got flipped-turned upside down And I'd like to take a minute Just sit right there I'll tell you how he came to marry a crazy heir In high society Mr. Woodward was born and raised At dinner parties is where he spent most of his days Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool And doing his best to get into rich kid schools When a lady who was up to no good Moved into his local rich kid neighborhood He had one little date and his mom got scared She said 'That lady will never be a proper heir' He begged and pleaded with his mom day after day But his mom packed her suit case and went away He married the strange lady, said 'this is the ticket' He moved with her to a mansion and said 'I might as well kick it'. The lady thought first class, yo this isn't bad Drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass. Is this what the people of high society living like? Hmmmmm this might be alright. She didn't care that the people were prissy, bourgeois, all that It was just the type of place to send that cool cat She thought she could handle all of the fame Everyone soon would remember her name She hoped they would be prepared for her when she came. Well, the plane landed and when she came out There was her parents who looked like cops standing there with her name out She wasn't trying to get sent home yet She just got here She sprang with the quickness like lightning, disappeared She whistled for a driver and when it came near The license plate said rich folk and it had diamond studs in the mirror If anything she could say that this limo was rare But she thought 'Nah, forget it' - 'Yo, homes to my rich dear' She pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 She yelled to the driver 'Yo homes call ya later' She looked at her kingdom She was finally there To sit on her throne as the estate's new heir.
The fact both pursued the prowler with a vengeance and they slept with guna (and in his case two of them-and not to mention enough ammunition in the basement to wage a war!) and the prowlers confession that he was there that night, gave enough reasons to the Grandjury of mere mortals, a reasonable doubt, to acquit her. I don't think money played a part here. If the case was tried to-day the jury would have come to the same decision. She seems like she had remorse for the act instead of living a good life or dating or remarrying which is further proof that this could have been an accident. All shot and done she paid high for the luxury of marrying the rich.
The movie called "Two Mrs. Grenvilles" is good story with Ann Margret. This was a made for TV movie that was very engrossing not to mention very dramatic and sizzling performance by Ann Margret as Ann Woodward. The Mother in law was portrayed by Claudette Colbert.She was good too. There will be never men like Dominick Dunne and Capote who were seriously pursued their craft and still manage to fly in high circles till the end.
What high circles? It is people like you who create these types of parasites, by promoting them as superior. They are just evil and nasty people. You are high when you don't see yourself superior to others, when you help others, when you have compassion for your fellowmen. Take Jesus for example, a prince in heaven . Came here and lowered himself to be of service to God's creatures. Buddha left his highness to educate us about kindness, love, patience and endurance. They are not high, the socialites are nothing but trash. Forever over indulging themselves in sex, drugs, alcohol and the likes of other gluttony. They are trying to conceal a pain and quench a thirst that money cannot ever quench or conceal... The pain of being selfish, evil and of demons.
Her wearing a bra is suspicious? Marilyn Monroe always wore a bra, even when asleep. Stupid. (Not saying she is not guilty, but that comment is just plain stupid.)
I can see that the lady in the blue glasses had many age altering procedures (LOL just using euphemism), but still looks absolutely fabulous and not overdone. Stunningly gorgeous.
An estate with no security? It's very odd. And they had a Butler in residence! ...Usually,(In many British estates anyway), a Butler is ex military! He not only governs the house staff, but is also house security! Any burglar sneaking in would face an ex member of the SAS!!
+K Tibaijuka You should read Dunne's book, "The Two Mrs. Grenville's" which tells the full tale of Anne's life and times along with the full story. The only thing changed is the last names of the character to Woodward, etc., but is otherwise true. It is a delicious read. One of my all time favorites.
well, if you look close, she has to hide how thick her glasses are. They didn't have contacts then. not telling my age, but i new boys in school back in the days, where the glasses made their eye balls look like dinner plates LOL, without them they'd be blind as a bat.
www.uesjournal.com/2009/07/16/blue-glasses/#sthash.ASzgbqpy.dpuf Her name was Anne Slater and she was wearing the coolest glasses. They’re somewhere in between regular glasses and sunglasses. Cobalt blue frames AND lenses. That is the kicker- that the frames and lenses are the exact same color. I immediately googled her and found that these glasses are her trademark. I learned from a 2004 New York Times article by Cathy Horyn that Ms. Slater bought 36 pairs of these glasses in the late 1950′s from a Philidelphia optician, which is a good thing since she later found out the frames couldn’t be manufactured anymore because they were flammable.
CopyPhotoScan Thanks for your reply and information. The glasses seemed so dark to me that I thought they were perhaps for a vision problem of some sort.
CopyPhotoScan I love that lady! She represent a long gone era.Beautiful and classy...I can only imagine her in her 20s-30s... Also,when she talk abt someone she knew,it's always in a positive way. I don't know much abt the lady...only that she's a N-Y socialite!!! Tnx for yr interesting comment. In these D.Dunne's docs,there's often a young lady marrying an older man for his money and status (blue blood).Maybe the classy Ms Slater like younger men with a thick french-canadian (Québécois) accent! I have nothing to lose but my dignity,right? lol nahhhhh (Btw,sorry for my awful English)
It's amazing how quickly we went from wealthy couples being looked at funny for sleeping in the same room to looking at them funny for not sleeping in the same room.
He's been dating her for some time, he decides to ask her to marry him, and he doesn't even know whether she has parents or nt? I guess things were really different back then -- people didn't talk about their personal lives. I imagine nowadays, Mrs. Woodward would find someone to give her access to the old Facebook pages Ann had deep-sixed when she set her sights on Billy... Or maybe gold diggers don't even try to cover their dirt the way they used to.
It seems obvious to me who is actually the lower class. And as for Edward, who was too much of a coward to take on the Throne, and Wallace who really thought she was gonna be the Queen of England, she was the only one who thought it.
Well, isnt it convenient that a prowler happened to be in the neighbourhood. I believe that she pretended that the prowler was there, screamed, the husband hopped out of bed, gun in hand, ... ran right into her trap. So the Woodwards name dies out when the old Mrs. Woodwards died.
evimlck The shooting/killing was no doubt well planned, and carried out in cold-blood, but she's not the first one and wont be the last one got away with murder.
Xiaomin L Feador Yeah, I saw quite a few like that. Like the one I saw where the wife shot her husband and ran downstairs to the kitchen to make it look burglarized. And she broke the sliding glass doors from the.. inside. Lol.
so glad they died out, those kinds of people are just wasting my good Lord's oxygen... and then we were left with the damn woolworth who were really worth nothing and then they went out of business in the nineties
women are told to sleep in their bras to prevent sagging. It is common for married couples to have separate bedrooms especially amongst the moneyed classes. the detective should know this.
It seems to me that she did it. Sympathy for her girl-from-Kansas story and disdain for the snobbery of the Eastern Establishment hardly deflects anything from the dysfunction of the marriage. The cops and others who were suspicious were probably on to something. But the closing of the ranks of high society (and the somewhat dubious confession of the burglar, who suddenly remembered being there) clouded the picture and let her off. True, Anne didn't end up enjoying the fruits of the murder. It didn't turn out how she planned. The sympathy she was probably expecting turned out to be snobbish suspicion instead, with her drug habit and the loss of her sons making things that much worse. But Woodward died right after he both exposed her past *and* finally gained solid grounds to divorce her. Taken together with their poisonous marriage and Anne's desperate ambition to cling to the top, it's too connected to be a tragic accident.
Blue Blood?????? No such things in America, just pretentious people who think they are a cut above others. What does it say about America "all men are created equal", but if you have money you are more equal than others. Elsie Woodward was just a nasty snobbish woman who had delusions of grandeur
+lucieclayton10 What I find strange about Americans, is they always fall over royalty and buy up titles like duke or sir, then at the same time tell you they are the greatest republic ever.
those rich people have pact with the devil so their lives always end in tragedy when the devil come for their souls... Hey remember you sold me your soul? rank my butt everybody is equal, you can't see the ones with higher ranks. If you are here with me inthe same world you are not above me
They describe her as a gold digger but what more did she do then just marry rich. Wow, the reporters also seem to look down on her. Now that is low class behavior.
Of any 100 women in these exact circumstances I would say 99 would have dome so deliberately. Unlikely as it seems I believe this was an accident. She was just too fuzzy headed from pills to scheme and act out such an evil plan. Her reactions afterwards are the only real indication that this was not contrived. A guilty person would not have hung around.
That woman with the giant blue glasses looks like something from a circus. Does she honestly think she looks good with halloween glasses. What an idiot!
"Ah ... but who can't have *not* noticed how *no* one informed La Corpsina, did they, that but *one* male blue morpho butterfly, no matter how perfectly preserved and perched, could possibly even to *begin* to offer substantial coverage". (Attributed to Lady Merkin-Minge Foxcrotch, Duchess of Toadswallow).
A lot of couples have separate bedrooms... weird that they kept questioning that... idiots... far from being a "clue"... and she was wearing a bra??? Maybe she slept with her bra on... Wow, smart coppers eh... big clues.
Haha, the Lady talking about how Ann didn't want to give Billy a divorce and said she asked for "2 million dollars, which in those days was horrendously..." She was about to say, "horrendously high", but realized that didn't sound quite nice for public talk, so she said, "...was horrendously - significant sum of money."
I know this was years ago, but if it had happened in current time, her story would be very plausible. America today has a "shoot first ask questions later" attitude. I read an article about a guy who shot his teenage daughter, by accident, when she was sneaking back into the house.
Wow that detective is as bright as my dog's butt. Most men snore and keep their wives up all night. Also, many women sleep with their bras on. Scary to think how many innocent people are in prison due to similar logic.
According to the well researched book about Billy and Ann Woodward they were getting along much better AND there was no other husband that Ann had not divorced. She stood to gain nothing with Billy's death.
cudnt agree more!!!! but consider they knew no better because of the way they were raised? Fact is nothing was morally wrong to them because they were raised to believe money makes them 'better than everyone else' so they dont think they need to be better people or have morals, they become products of their environment, its no excuse merely their pathology, they can help it no more than they can help where they are born, they are at a disadvantage because although they have monetary wealth, they have no idea of what has true value, they have different ideals and they never work hard for anything and so they never learn to appreciate that which has true worrth, like i said no excuse, just pathology! Sad really, if it has no monetary worth they dont appreciate it and miss out on things that have true value :(
Some women sleep in a bra. That really was NOT a good clue. There have ALWAYS been preferential treatment to those with money &/or fame. Ted Kennedy & others in that family & Patricia Hearst, as well as Paris Hilton, come to mind - many others, too. I resent hearing people call females "ladies" - they are "women" until they prove themselves to be true "ladies". Same with the term "Gentlemen" - a male needs to act the part before earning the right to be called a "Gentleman". I once heard a woman on the Gerardo Show describing the rape that she had endured at the hands of a low-life creep & she, in her ignorance, used the term "Gentleman" when speaking of the rapist. And the real kicker - NO ONE pointed out to her that he was NO gentleman! Contrary to what Liz Smith said, Elsie Woodward had NO dignity when she KNOWINGLY allowed the murder of her son to be covered up. No dignity at all! It seems that everyone who ended up testifying was either coerced into lying about the state of the relationship between Ann & Billy or they were paid to lie. Did anyone believe, at the time or when first beginning to watch this program, that Ann would be found guilty? I sure did NOT!
I like the lady with the blue glasses. ...its the prim and proper ones like her who instigate with their tongues and take notes....evil hitches...cans of snakes....
Ad she been born rich and things would be different. If she became a prostitute it was during her marriage. They may think they will have a prince charming... but they just might get a "client" - a demanding one, since he got husband rights! THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOW SOCIETY AND HIGH SOCIETY. Both act like scum to their fellow ex-friends.
@ Andrea Sims (no reply button)......I don't believe this "..... destroys the myth that crime is a result of poverty ...." It is a fact that impoverished people do commit crimes for a number of reasons. BUT is is ALSO a fact that there is also crime among the wealthy as well.
See some women think money is the answer to all the prayers but in reality is the answer to all there nightmares yourself stop trying to be someone else it doesn't work. It just brings nightmares
The old lady lived to be 98 but the young generation died. Did the old lady have other children besides Billy? Apparently not. It's hard to put all the blame on Billy because he was deceived by his own father and married a gold digger, whereas if he had been given time he would have found a good girl outside the small world of the rich New Yorkers. Obviously he didn't like any of the young women from that society, maybe he was more sensitive and more intellectual. Ann got her wish but she found out that all the money and a town house count for nothing if you are shunned by everybody you know. The poor boys, they paid for their elders'folly.
The Nuharoo OK but it's the male who continues a family by carrying the name. Here the only Woodward male and his only two sons died. I wonder what happened to that family. I know that Paul Newman's wife was a Woodward but that's all I know.
I understand the issue of succession completely. It's a shame how bad things went. Seeing her son murdered and then of course, her two grandsons commit suicide almost on the same day and then the mess her DIL became, knowing that she had to cover up for the sake of the grandkids and family name.
So this is the marriage Truman Capote depicted between the hooker and the socialite? Of course, she killed him! He wanted out of that travesty of a marriage, and she wasn't going to get squat. Feel sorry for the sons though. No winners here.
Does anyone else feel there was something fundamentally "different" about the extremely rich "back then" vs today? At least from the outside? Although I'm sure the snobbery and conceit were just as disgusting and rampant, but my god they seemed to have so much more STYLE! I mean, the idea of debutante balls/coming-out balls, the GORGEOUS clothes, etc., just seemed so much more "fairytale" like. I'm sure things were just as petty within their circles, but it did seem a lot more magical from the outside versus today's nouveau AND gentrified riche.
Leopararouen I think the racist and elitist parts are absolutely criminal, and should never, ever be tolerated in any form. What I'm referring to, generally, probably comes down to a particular style. I really love the idea of putting on a super pretty dress with gloves and having tea without it seeming "weird." I like the style of that time, but certainly not its values. I hope that makes sense. I also like the idea of proper etiquette and manners, but again, I don't think such things should be enforced. These are my personal aesthetics. I think it completely wrong for a family to cut off other members simply because they didn't have the same sense of style as they! I'm super proud that you're happy and free, and you seem like a totally lovely person! :)
Leopararouen Oh my goodness!! What's her/his name?? I'd so love to get a Bengal... They (cats in general) do allow we humans to bask in their glow occasionally. :)
Leopararouen Oh, how gorgeous! I'd so love to have cats again! We used to have several cats, but sadly had to give them to my family. They were destroying our house! No matter what we did, they decided it was better to use the bathroom on our front dining room carpet. We had to replace the carpet three times before my beleaguered husband said he'd had enough. :( They're now plaguing my mother-in-law. :D Hehe!
Fortune Hunters often dont end very well... I think it shameful and very telling, that she turned her back and disowned her own parents, who didn't fit in with her high-reaching... But I also have to say that the grandmother sure didn't do any better with the boys. Sending them off to strangers at some school far away, sure didn't sound loving or caring, though I know in this period of time that is what the Wealthy did--send their children off to school, even at as young as 6! That's still a baby! I guess she made her bed, and then lay in it. She had no friends, for several reasons... She could have gone elsewhere and started a new life, instead of dealing with the way she was treated all around her. It sounds like she had no communication with her own children, but doesn't really say that... But though it seems she shot her own husband, it Is possible it was an accident.... So look what Jealousy and Controlling gets you, too! Money is NOT the way to Happiness. And not one of the most important things in life.
I think Elsie sent them away to get them away from the press. As for Ann, she did try to improve herself and better herself, she just went about it the wrong way. I wonder why she clung so desperately to a society life, to a society that did not want her. This should be used as a morality tale about how and why fortune hunting is something that women should avoid doing at all costs. No one really accepts someone from a different background.
Humans do many dumb things that hurt themselves the most. Temper is a perfect example. But no, money does Not bring happiness. Why didn't she go some new place, like Hawaii, and have a total change in her life? Sounds like they took her kids too...I wonder if she was a good mother.... The grandma sure didn't do so good with them....
Valerie Adams Apparently Ann wasn't too warm of a mother since there's no news if whether or not Anne really communicated with them. Elsie failed, largely since she never should have sent them away to boarding school and never should have done that, essentially exiling them. As for Ann's life, I often wonder why Ann chased a life that would never allow her to fit in. If I were her I would have quietly lived alone for a while and then gone to Hawaii, or perhaps anywhere other than the old set she tried and failed to become part of.
"He came from the finest families" opening statement. Well the Kennedys, the Rothchilds, the Du Pont they all were the finest too but they all faulted. She was a victim especially from the so called fine society
That old man ought to have been ashamed to have passed his used, cast aside, nasty POS sexual partner tramp onto his son--a nasty, corrupt, uncaring, insensitive, worthless, uncaring POS who calls himself someone's father; but that is how the wealthy, the so-called blue bloods, so-called elites, and other classes of these worthless people [in spite of having wealth] operate. Wealthy, but worthless and full of the devil, on their way to hell unless they repent.
Is this really how rich folks live? Wtf just file for divorce and hide out for six months.. cause when itcomes to greed and resentment .. people get fuckin crazy! but murder?
Wait wai waaaaai...so the prowler was IN the house when Ann shot him??!! Did I hear that right? Also, f all of them, tiger-killing pieces of 💩 with her fake uppity bull💩, I really hope she didn't actually say "isn't that what everyone does?" or whatever
I don’t really get it. ..It’s america. Where dreams come true. And Ann worked hard to reach her goal without hurting no one in the process. The old pig is more to blame. This « Elsie » broad is as crazy as the other and « american blue blood »??? That’s a fun one. If Ann was drunk and high on pills there’s no doubt to me that could have been an accident. Anyway, suicide is death penalty so she got what the bitches wanted and they got the suicide from the two boys as well. All of this is preposterous and inhumane.
