The Art of Artie Shaw

[Draggingtree]

The Art of Artie Shaw

By Taki • August 23, 2013

 

Sixty-five years or so ago, the biggest star in Hollywood, as well as the biggest stud, was a clarinetist whose combination of good looks, extraordinary musical talent, and great intelligence made him the brightest figure under the California sun. His name was Artie Shaw, but he was born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky, the son of Jewish immigrants. Artie married eight times and among his wives—check this—were Ava Gardner, the smoldering beauty from the deep South that drove men mad, including Frank Sinatra; Lana Turner, the blonde that went though men like a Panzer division through French infantry; Kathleen Windsor, the novelist and author of Forever Amber; Evelyn Keyes, Scarlett O’Hara’s younger sister and later the great love of director John Huston; and some others whom I’ve never heard of.

 

But wait. Artie wasn’t finished. He left my personal favorite, Betty Grable, at the altar. Can you imagine leaving Betty and her million-dollar (of that time) legs waiting in front of a justice of the peace while you were out playing the clarinet with some buddies? Betty was the all-American cheerleader type, with the best gams in town, a pouty mouth surrounded by white-white perfect skin, and an attitude that was deliciously wholesome as well as extremely sexy. Try and top that today, you Hollywood uglies.

 

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-art-of-artie-shaw/