Why was Marlene Dietrich a Monster as a Mother?

Music in the video:
-"Mining by Moonlight" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
-"NoGoodLayabout" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Music wanted!!
If you are a music producer and would like me to use your music please email me at [e-mail]

[@Madikkensin]

Weirdly there is so many videos like this about famous bad mothers, but none about the bad celebrity fathers.

[@Meatcity-sf8fm]

Who do you think picked up the slack of these bad mothers .

[@tyradavis2]

Men historically have been absolved of responsibility when it comes to child-rearing. Women are supposedly always to be nurturing, motherly, selfless, but a father never being there, selfish, and unloving is expected and are seen as being a man being a “man”.

[@fabergeegg1722]

Bing Crosby's son said his father was horrible, Jane Fonda said here father was emotionally abusive. Jamie Lee Curtis hated her father Tony Curtis who was never there. Tatum O'Neil wrote about her horrible, and I mean horrible father. Van Johnson didn't want to have anything to do with his daughter, who was always hungary for some attention from her father but he couldn't careless about her. José Ferrer abandoned his children he had with Rose Mary Clooney, and there are many, many more celebrity fathers who were horrible. I think as a whole, celebritys should not have children. Just devote your life to your career becuase that can of life is all about them.

[@2okaycola]

@@tyradavis2 well said you are a beautiful writer ma’am

[@brvndxxxn]

That one guy from the Mamas & the Papas

[@joey13zzzbee]

in 1974, I was at Rockerfeller Center. I was extremely depressed for personal reasons. I remember walking by a lady dressed to the nines as in Paris, smoking a cigarette, alone at a table. She had a beautiful face, but the 'sunken' body of an older women. As I walked by, I could sense her watching me. I was only 22 and androgynous looking as the style then in the mid 1970s. I stood at a ledge looking out and felt this women staring at me. I was so self absorbed and, angry, insensed that this 'women' was analyzing me. I turned and looked at her and walked back. As I walked by this women obviously interested in me, I got the start of my life, realizing it was Marlene Dietrich. I immediately forgot my depression, kept walking as I was 'nice' and never forgot that at a crucial time of my of my life, Dietrich's glamour saved me!

[@cathrynharrison4734]

That was the year I saw her on stage n london and one f her very last performances as she had a broken lag which refues to heal r daughter was a bitch a taker and a bitter dunk

[@lauraowen8142]

Like mother, like daughter...

[@davidjoy7654]

@@cathrynharrison4734 AH WELL.

[@ckotcher1]

It’s quite a thing to be “checked out” by a big celebrity. When I was on Sunset Blvd. with my ex boyfriend in 2002 a good looking guy was stopped at a stoplight with his (wife? Girlfriend?) and I was walking by. I turned and glanced towards his car and his eyes followed me as he looked up at my head working his way down to my feet. His girlfriend/ wife looked none too pleased. My boyfriend however was proud. Anyway, it was Chris Cornell. May he RIP

[@gracepolzin5758]

Wow!!! Joey s What A Testimony!!! Thankyou...

[@evelynbaron2004]

Once in Hollywood she immediately renounced her German citizenship and was also a relentless campaigner against the Nazi regime even though her post-war favorite city remained Berlin where she maintained a permanent suite in the then most glamourous hotel Kampinski's. I saw her perform in the early 70s when Burt Bararach was her pianist and she was amazing. One of her longest friendships was with Ernest Hemingway whom she called Papa. My mother, a Berliner Jew who survived the holocaust adored her. She knew more about lighting than the lighting technicians and was meticulous about camera angles but when chosen by UFA to play The Blue Angel she was slightly overweight, reshaped her body and had her back teeth extracted to emphasize her cheekbones. She was often to be seen scrubbing the front steps of the brownstone she lived in Manhattan. Like Garbo, she was most probably bi-sexual. In short, a much more complicated human being than this presentation has time to explore.

[@AgeOfVintage]

Thank you for your comment! 🙂

[@markdonaldson1349]

She's a great singer, her songs still brings up memories till date, great German icon

[@heiroot]

She was bi? You mean, someone we can change the history on to make your degenerate decisions feel better to you?

[@schnickschnack2000]

She was a prussian. Her education was focused to be disciplined and well structured. Nevertheless she was a very intelligent strong woman. These are the best skills to survive the American Showbusiness.

[@aimeekubik8803]

N Bi sexual people are complicated. Great Actress. She dropped the ball on parenting, many do. Hard to forgive your parent that neglected you, although you must in order to go forward in your own life. I hope her daughter found it in her heart to forgive, to love. We are all flawed. A screen icon is what she was. Old age overcomes us all. Old age really is not, as they say, for sissies.

[@saydvoncripps]

"It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lilly". My favourite quote. Lol

[@NYWF1939]

She never made a film called "Shanghai Empress!" It was Shanghai Express.

[@patricialivingston4605]

When people are dead, others think they can make up stuff about them and get away with it. My father knew Marlena Dietrich and her daughter Maria Reba. My father was a diaper salesman for Crib Diaper Service many years ago. Both Maria and Marlena were wonderful to him and he would have coffee with them. He was like family and he loved delivering diapers to Maria Reba's baby. They were wonderful to my dad. He said Kevin McCarthy of Body Snatcher fame was also wonderful to him and treated him with respect and kindness. Who was a monster? Olivia De Havilland, John Forsythe who were nasty and cheap.

[@gio4048]

Don't be charmed. Maria Riva's was just a fake smile, a cover to give the well-served to her poor mother when she died!

[@mirtham2372]

JUST ONE COMMENT...MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE HORRIBLE TO THEIR FAMILIES, HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO BE VERY KIND TO OTHERS( ALWAYS SEEKING THEIR ADORATION; LIKE SAYING: LOOK HOW WONDERFUL I AM TO YOU! IN PSYCHOLOGY IS CALLED BEING A NARCISSIST. SADLY, A FEW STARS OF THAT TIME WERE JUST THAT. (AND I KNOW THAT WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY IS STRETCHING IT A LOT, BUT IT SERVES THE PURPOSE THAT YOU TRULY DON'T KNOW ANYONE UNTIL YOU LIVE WITH THEM). THE SERIAL KILLERS, AND PEOPLE WHO ONE DAY DECIDED TO GO OUT AND SHOOT EVERYONE IN SIGHT, WERE DESCRIBED BY NEIGHBOURS AND FRIENDS AS KIND, GIVING AND LOVING. MY POINT BEING.... YOU AND YOUR FAMILY DID NOT LIVE WITH THEM. SO THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN SAY, JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE SO GREAT TO YOUR FAMILY, THAT THEY WERE GOOD TO THEIRS. THAT IS THE EXACT DESCRIPTION OF A NARCISSIST; ONLY THE FAMILY THEY LIVE WITH TRULY KNOW. THEY ARE MANIPULATIVE AND GREAT AT ACTING IN A WAY ,WITH THOSE OUTSIDE THE FAMILY, TO GET THE ADORATION THEY NEED. SORRY

[@privatedeborah1004]

It is interesting what you say about Olivia De Havilland, for ages she wanted to appear in public like the saintly Melanie in Gone with the Wind. And her sister Joan Fontaine was considered as the bitchy sister, well my own personal experience was very different. Joan Fontaine was a wonderful woman, gracious and kind to her fans, she send me personalized greeting cards vor years, while Olivia De Havilland hated to send autographs and did not care for her fans. Marlene Dietrich also cared for her fans, even in very old age she answered every single fan letter by her own. She never forgot, who made her a star:The Fans!

[@rashaunjones1027]

@@privatedeborah1004 ,anyone who was friends with Bette Davis couldn't have been that nice.I figured that about Olivia de Havilland

[@Snapepet]

Riva. The daughter's last name is Riva, not Reba.

[@richardwasserman]

My wife's father, John, met Dietrich toward the end of WW2. She was touring with the USO and after the show she walked a bit away to speak to a small group of soldiers, one of whom was my wife's father. The Germans advanced and captured the soldiers and Dietrich. Since John was the only one besides Dietrich who spoke German, the two of them hatched a plan. She cajoled the German commander into letting them speak to him. John said that since the war is almost over and you are losing why don't you let us go? All we will do is slow you down from getting home. Dietrich also claimed that the soldiers were her friends. The Germans adored Dietrich so of course they released all of them.

[@kevinbergin2225]

Wow, great story.

[@DianaMoon11428]

That's not in her daughter's book. Sounds like a complete fabrication.

[@kathrynoneill5862]

Actors and actresses can be as bad and good as anyone. Why is it hard to believe that she may not have been a good mother?

[@kimt4565]

@KarhrynO'Neil. I agree. I think it's because people want an idol to worship and admire and if they find out there idol is flawed then they feel flawed so they have to pretend it could not be possible do they can continue to feel good about themselves.

[@susandemetry7158]

In the end she became the thing she most despised. A fitting end of an awful woman.

[@tracesprite6078]

Her story makes me realise how very lucky I am to have some friends who know me as I am and are generous enough to love me. There is something very reassuring and luxurious about that experience of authentic love.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Like Vivien Leigh and later Shirley MacLaine, Dietrich facilely abandoned her small daughter, to focus on her own show business career.

[@harlowasmr5943]

Whatever happened between the two of them, Marlene supported her daughter and grandchildren financially for many years, even buying Maria a house which would now be worth a fortune. She wasn't all bad.

[@Muirmaiden]

Money and financial support don't make up for mistreatment.

[@xxoo7821]

Many parents use money as a way to control their children or as a way to relive their own guilt for the abuse they inflicted on them.

[@TheMisterMarilyn]

I would take my mother’s love over some damn house ANY day of the week!!

[@harlowasmr5943]

@@TheMisterMarilyn me too

[@gio4048]

If she ever suffered them.😂

[@jeanross7430]

She sounds narcissistic, a am familiar with these types, poor girl I recognise all the symptoms, her life must have been hell on earth, trust me I know.

[@dyan4436]

Most "movie stars" are stuck on themselves, I think they and athletes get paid too much and need to get out of politics and off their high horse! my opinion only, :)

[@tyradavis2]

If you have a voice, use it. Those people are role models and foremost humans, and do their best to use their celebrity for what they see as their civic duty. I’d hate for celebrities to be mindless entertainers only following the words of The Machine and selling their personas.

[@dyan4436]

everyone has an opinion, ty

[@nelixsulu6201]

Athletes get paid wayyyyy too much! I think in recent years the only reason why they wanna go to the pros is because of the paychecks

[@gio4048]

This is not the case with Marlene. I am a friend of a family member, and I can afford to say everything because he gave me the right.

[@okimahitt7413]

@@nelixsulu6201 The fans who pay crazy amounts for season tickets don’t seem to mind

[@eduardoramirezjr4403]

Supposedly in order to highlight her eyes for black and white photo shoots. Dietrich would take white paint and with a straight pin, outline the under lids of each eye. This way they would glow and enhance their sheen. The effect was even stronger in color photos to exploit the sapphire blue of her eyes.

[@cassiemiller7321]

Dangerious to use a straight pin in your eyes. I value my sight more than redicilous vanity!

[@eduardoramirezjr4403]

@@cassiemiller7321 Ah, but you see that the difference between the we mere mortals and the shear will of the late Teutonic beauty. Other actors have undergone extreme changes in order to achieve an effect or an illusion. Personally, I don’t recommend any of them. However, it’s fascinating to read about such things.

[@eduardoramirezjr4403]

@Beyond Memory Old Movies She had the sheer will to achieve a particular image.

[@jenniferdnoseworthy2348]

I used to do stage makeup years ago and, not with a pin but with a brush, we would do the same, makes the eyes appear bigger and if you put a little white dot in the corners closest to the nose, you will not look crosseyed 😉

[@eduardoramirezjr4403]

@@jenniferdnoseworthy2348 Maria Riva stated that Dietrich rarely let anyone do her makeup. And it was Maria that mentioned the how Dietrich applied white paint to her eyes.

[@winnienguyen4420]

Bad mom or not I'll always have the utmost respect for this woman for trashing Hitler and his regime despite being from Germany.

[@guaporeturns9472]

Tons of people in and from Germany trashed Hitler too.

[@peteradaniel]

So funny. I had no idea Marlene Dietrich played the violin, but that first photo made me research because her bow hold is absolutely perfect!

[@mattthecat9576]

I have her movie THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN on VHS! She was a great singer also.

[@voraciousreader3341]

“A great singer”?!?!? Hardly! Dietrich didn’t sing....she would string words together, fast or slow to give the emphasis she wanted, and she’d throw a pitch in here or there! There is a German style of singing called “Sprechstimme” (speaking voice), but she didn’t do that, either. A _great_ singer is someone like Barbra Streisand.

[@user-eg1kw4qi9h]

Какие к ней претензии?Она не оставила дочь у бабушки,когда отправилась в Голливуд,дочь постоянно была с ней.Она была звездой,у неё было любимое дело.Что же,ей надо было все бросить и засесть дома?Ей был дан уникальный талант!Дочери бы гордиться такой матерью,а у неё была зависть,ведь из неё не получилось даже копии великой матери.Марлен - великая женщина,в ней все уникально,талант,ум,красота!

[@gio4048]

Наконец тот, кто понял! Я хочу, чтобы это поняли и все остальные! Вы однозначно правы!❤️

[@alesiarudz]

Как я поняла из книги Марии, основная претензия была в том, что ребенка "не отпускали от юбки". Марию не пустили учиться в школу, у нее не было друзей, она была слишком вовлечена в мир взрослых, с детства трудилась на съёмочной площадке, должна была беспрекословно выполнять любые требования родителей (многие из них были абсурдными, например постоянные книксены, которые были не уместны). Марию называли по имени только если хотели отругать, она пыталась спрятаться, чтобы почитать Шекспира, потому что мать заставляла ее читать только немецкую литературу. Также Мария периодически становилась "мамой" для Марлен, ухаживала за ней, как взрослый человек. В общем, все не так однозначно. Да, Марлен великая, талантливейшая женщина. Но её манера воспитания действительно вызывает вопросы, особенно в 21 веке

[@jaymesguy239]

These people were not meant to be parents, but their society told them it would be a good thing and they could use it for publicity. If we're allotting blame, we need to take our share of the responsibility when we give power to people and then they misuse it. We need to consider that in our political choices, too.

[@cindyaraya7317]

Jaymes Guy, Sometimes I wonder if people who should never have become parents in the first place, became parents because they feel this pressure from society or their parents , heck even strangers, to become parents in the first place. I say this with something that happened to me about 5 and a half years ago. I used to work at a call center in Pompano Beach about a little over an hour away from my home for Captial One, in the disputes department. I remember befriending one of the cleaning ladies during the evening shift. One day we got to talking, and she asked me if I had an children, I told her, no, I am not too particularly fond of children, I don't hate them, but I know that I just don't have the patience for them so I never had any, do you know what she told me? She told me, I don't like children either, but you have to have them. And I wondered to myself, What the eff?

[@Jamie77ize]

@@cindyaraya7317 and people wonder why so many kids are being abused 🙄 I seldom see parents who are doing a good job parenting, and who are truly happy, being parents. I don't have children because i would make a huge mess out of it! It's sad but at least i am not responsable for ruining a life ...

[@AmberTurdsShittyBedsheet]

This seems more appropriate a response as any - they were practically told their image comes first and their image included marriage and having kids. Most didn't know how to maintain either, they just had both for image sake and work.

[@mariaevans7811]

Marlene was a wonderful actress!!! But I guess she was not an easy person to live with, not a perticular good mother, and maybe not nice, but on the screen she was wonderful!!!!! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@voraciousreader3341]

That was a great consolation for her daughter, I’m sure. Children need MOTHERS, PARENTS, not great entertainers who are also pathological!

[@JudgeJulieLit]

@@voraciousreader3341 Ditto the unmeritocratically disinherited children of Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis.

[@2degucitas]

I find her eyes mesmerizing. The shaved brow is so curvy, leading to a beautiful crease in the lid. A sleepy look, and drawn on high curved eyebrows complete the effect.

[@mattthecat9576]

They were ''clown eyebrows'.

[@gio4048]

@@mattthecat9576 They are called "bedroom eyes" and i have them too, even if brown, and they make me a bit' similar to Marlene.❤️

[@gio4048]

@Chantel Yeah, I feel lucky to have them like that. Years ago, I was obsessed with light blue eyes, and I wanted to have them! Now I wouldn't change my dark, almost black eyes with any other color.

[@LilBafta]

@@gio4048 almost black eyes are the most beautiful imo. I feel like I'm being hyponotised when I talk to someone who has them. I'm blue, green and grey eyed and do like my eyes but wouldn't mind having that kind of hypnosis power

[@gio4048]

@@LilBafta you’re right.

[@jenniferdnoseworthy2348]

IMO, none of us lived in their house, in their shoes or in their bedrooms so we don’t really know anything about these people. Interesting just the same.

[@busytraveler5445]

This is video is shameful and slanderous. Marlene was a loving mother and a very generous person. There are many stories, some are even below in the comments, that demonstrate this (let alone her humanitarian work during WWII). An example rarely mentioned: Marlene Dietrich donated her entire salary ($450,000) from "Knight Without Armour" to finance the escape of many artists from Europe prior to the WWII. She also financed her entire family (including Mrs. Riva and her 4 sons) during her entire lifetime (and still does through her estate to this day). This video is slander as she's no longer here to defend herself. There are two sides to every story.

[@arthurgearheard4701]

We all know the accusations against Joan Crawford!

[@wonderwoman8696]

Her daughter said she was not what magazines wrote about her truth is hard to except. Maria Riva wrote a credible book about both her parents not a fairytale but truth.

[@notmypotato3730]

she was eighty when she became bedridden. What do you expect from her. as someone who has worked in nursing homes. it doesnt seem so strange to me for her to spend the last ten years on her own. using a bedpan. and alone. if you live that long. You may be the same. People are so hard on "stars". She was only human. The daughter didn't mind enjoying her moms mother did she.

[@robertdoherty2001]

She was deeply involved with John Gilbert near the end of his life and lavished his daughter with attention and affection once he died. Strange she was so disinterested in her own child. She was a dedicated volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen during the war, performing the most menial tasks. Her life seems to be so contradictory depending on who is talking. Her image was paramount, and you have to have a towering ego to attain the heights she achieved. There’s supposed to be an unpublished autobiography which is to remain so until 30 years after her death. Should be a good read.

[@hectormanuel9793]

Funny, but most of the people who criticize others as terrible parents, are for the most part terrible parents themselves, usually in other ways. Marlene, should have been childless, and that can be said of millions of people in the world! I'm surrounded by men and women who are raising the monsters of tommorow!

[@resipsaloquitur5562]

I've read Maria Riva's book and highly recommend it. It is a riveting read and a cautionary tale that not all women should be mothers. Marlene was aware that Maria was writing a book and supported the project. The book also highlights Marlene's incredible talent for style and design, having designed many of her movie costumes.

[@gio4048]

Sure, Marlene knew about the book. And then do you know what happened?

[@cindyaraya7317]

@@gio4048 Do you? Did you live with Marlene for as long as her daughter did?

[@gio4048]

@@cindyaraya7317 Believe me, if I had lived with them, all this would not have never happened.

[@gio4048]

@@cindyaraya7317 oh don't worry, that if fate had wanted it, I would have lived much more time with her, and I would have done everything to bang that person in the place she deserved, in psychiatry!

[@gracecamaxtli7090]

@@gio4048 actually, you should try "banging" yourself into psychiatry. For you to think that if you had lived with this family, that you could've prevented all the bad blood - is insane. Who are you to think that you're that influential, powerful, or skilled? And who in their right mind even fantasises about living with dead celebrities? Jfc

[@wilburbonzo]

6:20 Shanghai Express not Empress

[@AgeOfVintage]

Thank you for the fix 🙂 I appreciate

[@gio4048]

You should see what's going on here.

[@kennithallen9932]

The mistake shows this guy doesn't know what he's talking about .

[@gio4048]

He better not know, so he doesn’t say bullshit.

[@randyfloyd560]

Morocco came out here in the United States before The Blue Angel. Sternberg planned that. Dietrich in Morocco was the first US audiences saw.

[@nvt3136]

Magnetic and charming she was and still is. The problem with her is that she was not only very narcissistic but she was a charming succesfull psychopath aswell. Psychopaths use their charm to get power over other people. People admire charming succesfull psychopaths ( compare the fascination for the James Bond character, JB who murders, seduces, doenst have boundaries, has a lot of sex but doesnt have conciense or fear, and doesnt have the ability to have long stable loving relationships). People admire psychopaths because they do things that normal people don t dare. Marlene exploited her charm and beauty worldwide. The combination of charm, power and beauty made the glamour. Ofcourse she was and still is facinating because of that but these traits made her abusing others aswell, making other unhappy. The inability for long healthy and stable relationships made her lonely and lost in the end.

[@veronicafarlette3097]

A complete narcissist . Cruel to her child, keeping her around to supply "eternal praise and adoration " she was the only person who counted, no-one else was important.

[@nelixsulu6201]

She had a lot of affairs too! 😬

[@gio4048]

none of your business.🙂

[@veronicafarlette3097]

@@gio4048 Well, why is my comment any of YOUT business ?

[@gio4048]

@@veronicafarlette3097 Because serious mistakes should be corrected.😉

[@veronicafarlette3097]

@@gio4048 Oh, I suppose you knew her personally ? I think not ! As for mistakes, you need to study Narcissism, because she was a CLASSIC one, maybe you are too !

[@angelamariafagundescorreaa1299]

I read Maria Riva's book, along with Lana Turner daughters one and of course Mommie Dearest. Riva's one is beautiful, so well written , Maria Tells of course Marlene was narcissistic but also a great loving mother, and never Beat Maria

[@NotIfWhen]

This sounds like the most depressing wasted life to me. Hopefully her soul found the peace she desperately sought in this life.

[@gio4048]

Abused by her evil daughter, Marlene's soul Is still suffering. I can feel it.😢

[@jamesgladden6618]

I love Marlene Dietrich I think she was a wonderful actress show is reminding me of people in my family i2i from German descent I don't know what kind of a mother she was only her child us Marina District will always be beautiful I love her singing Lili Marlene I just gotta watch her old movies that's all we had growing up in the 60s before movie

[@lozbailey9322]

Jimmy Stewart really loved her and asked her to marry him. She declined. She discovered she was pregnant with his child but decided to terminate without discussion with Jimmy. She eventually told him after the procedure and he was devastated. It wasn’t long after this that their relationship came to an end.

[@sofiabravo1994]

Poor jimmy

[@emcarcia]

I read somewhere else that it was jimmy who forced her to abort the baby but im v hesitant into believing it since it was v far from the jimmy ive known

[@lozbailey9322]

Hi Em. I’m going by a KZbin post I saw on the biography of Marlene Dietrich . . . and because it was on KZbin, it must be true . . . right?

[@emcarcia]

@@lozbailey9322 but dont get me wrong i love jimmy stewart sm. also i dont think he could ask dietrich to marry him since she was already married to rudolf then

[@lozbailey9322]

Yes, she was married, but she and her husband were living separate lives and she wanted out.

[@fabiwilliams4644]

Shame she couldn't be as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.

[@gio4048]

This is to be said to her daughter!

[@cindyaraya7317]

Fabi Williams, Couldn't agree with you more.

[@carlsenlifeafter60carlsen11]

She was a narcissist, and that always destroys children. Sad

[@MsPrecious61]

Narcissist are terrible parents because no one can ever up stage them. The child must be squelched at all cost to their fragile ego. How do I know? I am the daughter of a narcissistic parent who has passed on and now must face God. My siblings are the same. They destroy anyone who dare would challenge their ego

[@tjo1976]

Exactly. I was thinking this all through the video

[@fernandoforte1960]

Love you Marlene and I always will. Bless you.

[@janedow8829]

I don’t see any videos on your channel about famous male Hollywood actors who were a) wife beaters b) deadbeat dads c) abusive fathers. Why is that?

[@KrysC-TX]

Bing Crosby would be a good one.

[@AgeOfVintage]

Bing Crosby video is coming!

[@noorgonzalez1076]

😩🤣😭🕊

[@MaribelLopez-jt4xw]

My mom used to talk about her.

[@gio4048]

I hope she hasn't spoken ill of her as she doesn't even deserve.🙏🏻

[@MaribelLopez-jt4xw]

@@gio4048 Oh no, I don’t remember exactly what she said other than how beautiful she was. Probably said more but that’s the summary of what I remember.

[@gio4048]

@@MaribelLopez-jt4xw it's better than nothing, and the important thing is that she spoke good about her.😊

[@ScarletVoodoo]

Can anyone confirm that the picture at 8:38 is really her? I can't find it on an image search.

[@tinorozzo7536]

Dear Age of Vintage: Your videos har very interesting, and I agree that you can't completely cover everything that happens in a persons life in such a short time. So therefore I will nok blame you for not mentioning Dietrichs admirable efforts during WW2. But I think your work would improve a great deal if the pictures were more in sync with the text. Just a humble wish. Best Regards, Tino Rozzo

[@kimlittlejohn2195]

I agree...she did great things for moral and financial support of cantines and her family. She lived America and voiced strong opinions against Hitler.

[@AgeOfVintage]

Thank you Tino for your nice comment! 🙂 Yes, it is hard to cover everything, but I do plan to make more videos of Marlene, covering other things. I hope you will enjoy that one too!

[@cindyaraya7317]

@@kimlittlejohn2195 She supported cantines? Can you please explain that to me a little bit?

[@kimlittlejohn2195]

@@cindyaraya7317 the Hollywood Cantines. They were places set up for Military personnel to visit to meet Hollywood stars and the folks that lived in the area. To dance. Sing have some food etc. The young men and women were usually far from home and this personnel touch helped them with their home sickness.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Indeed; if this were an ordinary Powerpoint presentation, the non-sync of slide graphics with narration would fail the whole.

[@deniselandmesser9966]

I never saw any of her movies.

[@gio4048]

Too bad....

[@kevinbergin2225]

When they say she didn't want Maria to get close to a pet dog (8:06) Well then, I say she should have gotten a cat.

[@LilBafta]

Marlene has a signefd quote in one of her books that was found in her apartment after she died in regards to something written about her which says "I've hated cats all my life!"

[@sandroradioable]

30`s 40`s was a very rough time for most people at that time. I agree that it was not easy to live with her in privat for many times, but the daughter had a rich live in that time, when most kids was in very very poor circumstances and hungry. And psychology in child education was in most part of the world not the best at that time. But the book of her daughter is very interesting to read. I read it several times and it was also in many ways entertaining and funny. A big star is a star with a shine. And that has also a shadow. But that`s the price of famous people.

[@gaurij1269]

Love you Ms Dietrich ❤

[@haroldchipman8590]

I like your portrayals but this one was biased and incomplete. You don't mention her androgynous and bisexual nature that even Maria Riva comments. And above all, you don't mention her fabled career as an entertainer/singer after the leading lady parts dried up, In the early 50's she was the highest paid entertainer in the world. She had in fact already sold many records in the 30's when she sang in French, German and English ('Falling on love again'). There was so much more to her than you portray. And she kept Maria and her failing husband in the cash with her performances. I personally attended one of her performances in the 1960's and she had a unique charisma and style ...

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Perhaps a documentary film for KZbin is too constrained by time and space limits to present a full, unabridged, "history of the world" and "every breath the subject takes" life account. Perhaps you could produce a fuller documentary, with all the Dietrich facets omitted here.

[@CindyLouWho77]

Well, THAT excuse her abuse! 🙄

[@Warcrimeenthusiast]

Madeleine Kahn played her better in Blazing Saddles

[@loritracy1385]

Thank you 🌺

[@carolinewatson8455]

I think she was gay

[@gio4048]

Specifically, bisexual. ;)

[@lesleybrown1583]

'she' was a he! Transman like most of them! We live in a satanic matrix! They 'do' it when they are young and pump then full of hormones and many surgeries! Be blessed!

[@gio4048]

Marlene didn’t have any surgery. She just had her teeth done in her 60’s.

[@kimberlymusick3489]

@@lesleybrown1583 no, she was born a girl. the family has baby photos. it was just as she aged she started getting more plastic surgery.

[@lindamaemullins5151]

@@lesleybrown1583 this !!!

[@Rudipolt]

Aloha Marlene

[@laxjetbear]

Assuming you read Maria’s book, we got VERY different takes on Marlene Dietrich. A friend was touring during WWII, entertaining the troops. Late one night, he awoke and had to use the latrine. As he was using it, there was a tremendous noise from the next latrine. He finished up and went next door, to see what was going on. There, with a bucket and scrub brush, on her hands and knees, was Marlene Dietrich, scrubbing away. He said “Miss Dietrich, what are you doing?” She replied “These boys are risking their lives fighting for our freedom. The least they can have is a clean toilet.” Hardly the self-centered portrait you have tried to paint. She did do many of the things you mention, but it was always to protect the image of Dietrich. And that was a character that she spoke of in the third person. Marlene Dietrich was very different from the woman who played that role. And her relationship with Rudi did end with the birth of their daughter, Maria. Maria was the one person Marlene loved above all else. She didn’t always make it easy for her, but they were very close and Maria was always there for her. And Marlene did a lot for Maria, as well.

[@gio4048]

Don't get duped like most people. Where I disagree is that Marlene didn't do all these good deeds to protect her image. At this point, she didn't give a damn about her image when the lives of many people were at stake. We can talk about image when she posed for photos, when she made films, when she dressed androgynous and glamorous but in her private life Marlene was a normal and human person like everyone else. There was no image. Maria, already as a child, had shown hostile behavior towards Marlene, of which she always complained wondering why. I don't know what world you come from to say that Marlene did not make it easy for Maria when it is quite the opposite, when you say that they were close when they were almost as detached as two strangers, more and more from Maria's part though, and that Maria was there always for her if the only times he was there was to make her suffer.

[@evelynbaron2004]

The toilet scrubbing is legendary; she really did all that stuff. Her dysfunctional relationship with her daughter is front and centre in this video presentation which distorts the full picture of what Dietrich was like and what she stood for.

[@gio4048]

@@evelynbaron2004 exactly! A real posthumous murder, to poor Marlene. Even if she can no longer die, defaming her like this would be like killing her millions more times in nearly 30 years. We must stop. #JusticeforMarleneDietrich

[@cindyaraya7317]

@@evelynbaron2004 What full picture? It doesn't distort anything, it just shows her for the terrible mother that she was, even if she was a great actress.

[@chrissinclair4442]

Dietrich was very smart. Unfortunately it lead into her self gratification, and manipulation of others. She did not have the tools or mental stability of a warm loving mother. She could have used mental tenacity to cope and do better, but most including her don't.

[@lamicoharris7998]

As an actress I adored her... As for her personal life whatever she was or was not is neither here nor there.. She took her story with her to her grave.. I'd just like to remember all the wonderful movies she's left us.. Everyone has a story our lives are just not put on public display...

[@markdonaldson1349]

She's a great singer, her songs still brings up memories till date, great icon

[@noorgonzalez1076]

🙏🏽🙇🏻‍♀️BRAVA🙏🏽🙇🏻‍♀️

[@carolyng651]

well she was beautiful and spoiled

[@JPJ740]

... consummate clothes horse w/ uniquely german F.U. façon .... should have gotten an oscar for "Zeuge der Anklage".

[@ilovegameslibb2917]

I’m named after her. My uncle liked her and gave me that first name. Sad to here she was a bad mother and a drunk. I’m neither.

[@janetmyers2371]

I love it

[@bridgetgrant5680]

Other women are delighted to become a grandmother for the first time but she wasn't.

[@vitreoustransition9673]

Having read five books and her autobiography she actually was very delighted and later on maria didn't allow her further time with the grandchildren 😡 also marlene adored them so much to the point of calling them her children too, meaning she loved them as if she had delivered them.

[@evelynbaron2004]

It's not a crime of nature to lack a maternal instinct; there is a distinct stereotype here of what a woman is supposed to feel. There is certainly evidence of diva like vanity and emotional distance from her daughter although she provided handsomely for her financially throughout her life, but she was emotionally unavailable, not cruel or abusive. The fact that she had distant relationships with her mother and grandmother in turn of the century Prussia probably went a long way to stifling motherly instincts of her own; being bi-sexual probably complicated things further. We're all speculating on inadequate information about the psyche of someone we don't know, just as we do with contemporary celebrities who often go to extraordinary lengths to create a public persona to protect their privacy, like the first time the late Tom Petty with his mad hatter's gear and them dark glasses on at night, meeting his biographer in a restaurant hiding dressed in camo in the bushes before they went in. I am so glad I'm not famous!!!!!!!!

[@toriladybird511]

My mother told me to get an abortion. I was 21!

[@QueenlySweetpea]

@@toriladybird511 .. I hope You didn't ..

[@YA-qj8fx]

@@toriladybird511 My mom likes to remind me every year on my birthday that my dad told her to abort me. Moms need to be more careful about the things they say to their kids.

[@safiremorningstar]

I'm going I think also but if she was raised by her father which it sounds like she was and his secret companion Tamara Matul that it goes without saying that there might have been slight prejudice on the part of her daughter because of the fact that her mother was such an ass and didn't even ask for a divorce from her husband probably because she liked her men Bernard Shaw was known to be gay so I find that very interesting considering that it seems more like she like bragging rights more than anything else. I wonder sometimes if it's women who are born at a certain time period in Germany and have daughters instead of having sons as was expected of them if they treat their daughters like crap for that reason.

[@JosephStJames2000]

She survived two world wars, radically changing public tastes, the rise of the studio system, the fall of the studio system --- yet held steadfast to her particular form of style. She simply had the wrong kid; I would have loved her to be my mother. Hanging out around MGM, meeting fascinating people, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. Surely there was fun to be had there. Surely there was trouble to be had there! Not all kids need to be mollycoddled. Lots of kids would have had the adventure that lifestyle offered. I know I would have.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

You are male, adventure and "thing" and "systems" driven. Maria, as a girl child, had a wholly different, more emotional biological temperament and needs.

[@czernykins]

My heart sunk when I found this doc. My narc mother used Marlene to brainwash me. Excusing abuse of own children is just as bad as abusing them again. My heart goes out to Maria and any daughter of a narc mother. There's no such thing as 'simply having the wrong kid'. We never asked to be born, and never asked to be born into a life of abuse by who should have loved us instead. We didn't chose to be abused. The narc parent had the choice between loving us or treating us badly and they chose the latter. No excuse for that. Ever.

[@JosephStJames2000]

Upon reading the replies to my comment, I definitely agree that a druggie mother is horrible.

[@1956Bluedragonfly]

Look at those eyebrows !

[@gio4048]

"Published on December 25, 2020" A Christmas present from Hell that no one needed.

[@huldrrrr9486]

All these people in the comments defending a narcissist...

[@prometheuspredator7971]

She says that she had an affair with John F. Kennedy? Oh my gosh! This is something I can not believe. She was old enough to be his mother, but both of them would sleep with anyone. I have read that Marlene had no scruples, boundaries, and she was a highly sexualized person. She had multiple affairs with men and women, and would sleep with anyone that would strike her fancy.

[@crystalship9900]

She had the affair with JFK's dad, not JFK. My God.

[@kevinbergin2225]

@@crystalship9900 Both I believe. Though not at the same time.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

@@kevinbergin2225 Yes, both.

[@MaribelLopez-jt4xw]

Did she have eyebrows? Looks penciled.

[@jazmynbrown6820]

They look terrible.

[@MaribelLopez-jt4xw]

@@jazmynbrown6820 Agree

[@gio4048]

Do we want to talk about yours? (:

[@mechellewinslow65]

Her eye brows made her look severe

[@gio4048]

A person's eyebrows and heart are two extremely different things.

[@ellemontgomery1037]

I can’t imagine dying and being bashed by your own flesh and blood.

[@YA-qj8fx]

Well, then be kind to your children.

[@ellemontgomery1037]

Hogwash... she was a good mother. Kids turned ugly on their own.

[@YA-qj8fx]

@@ellemontgomery1037 I don't know whether she was or wasn't. I didn't live in her home and neither did you.

[@ellemontgomery1037]

@@YA-qj8fx I never asked you if she was or wasn’t, and I never said I live there.

[@gio4048]

Marlene would also have given her own life for her daughter, see yourself... The disgusting daughter, instead,, would have taken Marlene's life without giving her hers.

[@rochellecrump-mcnulty9675]

My first time here, your narration was awesome

[@gio4048]

If it was true.😅

[@kevinbergin2225]

If Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo got in a fight, who would win? Support your answer.

[@jackierobinson-hicks3879]

Wow

[@lynnscotland826]

She was beautiful .

[@gio4048]

Outside and especially inside!

[@christmastree6817]

@@gio4048 Only on the outside.

[@gio4048]

@@christmastree6817 just you don't know her. You JUST know what was said about her, that it's all wrong. This is the huge difference! Mine is not an opinion, it is a certainty. Shocking, huh? I don't expect you to believe me right away of course, you will have to know many things first, that i tell anyone who wants to know. I don't make heavy accusations against her family if i don't have the proof and above all, the right!

[@TheMidnightBell07]

Hey, Marlene's account is a lie because she writes stuff when people are alive and well.The daughter's account is the truth because she waits until her mother isn't alive before she shares it with the world. I guess I'll have to believe the lie because at least someone was alive to dispute it.

[@LilBafta]

Did you mention the fact that she wa bisexual? I certainly didn't hear it. What a peculiar choice to leave that out if so. It was deeply linked with her fashion/aesthetic.

[@lanacampbell-moore4549]

Thank You AOV😁

[@AgeOfVintage]

Thank you Lana! 🙂

[@milozen2658]

Marilyn monroe c'est inspiré de Marleen dietrich c'est évident, sa blondeur, son côté femme libre, fatale et rebelle, le cinéma et la chanson, chanter avec les soldats, les Kennedy , être une icône...

[@frankdielsi306]

LOVE her films.

[@shangrila73eldorado]

Her daughter writes a novel less than a year after her mother's death, and capitalizes on the fanfare. What she says is valuable but it is only one voice. It's shoddy journalism, on the part of Age of Vintage, not to seek out any alternative voices for this piece and to relay the daughter's word as if it is pure fact and the final verdict on Marlene Dietrich. This is "woke" and unethical carelessness. Shall we cancel Dietrich too?

[@karenhodges7545]

Never liked her. She was unique. She just seemed wicked and cold. She was famous before i was born. May she Rest In Peace

[@erikramaekers63]

No other actress worked so hard to entertain the troops in WW2.Hitler hated her.She was a nice lady who helped other actors (Cooper and Stewart) with their careers.She wasn't a bad mother but didn't like people in her last years.Her daughter was(is) just jealous because she never became a star.This guy hates Dietrich(maybe Hitler is still alive)

[@gio4048]

Perfect! And soon everyone will understand this over time. The daughter is the Hitler of her personal life!

[@lamicoharris7998]

@@erikramaekers63 here here!!! I totally agree with you.. I think she was a wonderful actress.. Her daughter seems very tasteless to speak so ill of her mom.. So very sad..

[@lamicoharris7998]

@@gio4048 Eloquently put... She should be ashamed of herself.

[@gio4048]

@@lamicoharris7998 She is not! Instead, she’s proud! Because money has always brainwashed her. Even now at 96 she would start spreading lies on the grave of her poor dead mother only and exclusively for money, as she always did. She was always starving! Her son's brother-in-law even said she sold fake items that never belonged to Marlene to pocket millions of dollars! She and her children are big scammers! These are very serious allegations that would never be spread if there wasn't a shred of evidence. Robert Randolph, whose brother is married to John David Riva, Marlene's nephew, has them all! It doesn't matter how long a person lives but how he lives. Please, disclose, write it under other videos if you comment under other videos of Marlene!

[@kimberlymusick3489]

Maria is the one who is ungreatful. Marlene was a GREAT mother! her daughter and grandchildren do nothing but talk crap about marlene and tell lies. it's sick.

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

How the hell would you even know? I'm more inclined to believe the people who actually knew her (her daughter and grandchildren) then a random fan like you, who is lost in worship.

[@vitreoustransition9673]

I agree!they so mistreated her 😡so ungrateful!i adore marlene

[@kimberlymusick3489]

@@gozerthegozarian9500 I know because she has one relative, Robert Randolph who is the only one that supports her. there is proof that maria and her grandsons sold trash and goodwill items claiming them as Marlene's. now I may not know the full story, I'm not saying Marlene was perfect, but she sure was a good mother and grandmother. she bought her daughter her damn house for Christ's sake! she did a lot to support her daughter and Maria in return gave her nothing but hurt. it will never be forgiven for what those evil people did, and her only supportive relative, Robert Randolph, has proof of this all over his facebook page and an iger who is good friends with him @lili.marleen will give you more information. this isn't just a fan made thing, this is real.

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

@@kimberlymusick3489 My god, so much to unpack here...Robert Randolph is a far more distant relative* than her daughter is, he did not live with her as long as she did and was not raised by her. Most of his information appears to be second-hand. If you think throwing money and material things at a person in any way balances out emotional neglect and psychological abuse, I don't know what to tell you, except that Maria Riva's behaviour and personality are typical of people who grow up materially spoilt and emotionally deprived and abused. Ironically, the accusations you throw at her are the best evidence for her being correct. * = he appears to be a nephew or something like that...so given that Marlene was very much alienated from her German family for ages, he can't have seen much of her. I doubt that any relative of mine who hasn't seen me in decades would make a qualified assessment of me...

[@kimberlymusick3489]

@@gozerthegozarian9500 ok, but he's still related to the family. he has some of Marlene's belongings and pictures. he also has a baby photo of her and her sister Liesel but that's not the point. she could've kept diaries, and bits of info to leave behind for her family. he is a family member regardless. that's why I trust him. it wasn't just him either. there were plenty of WWII veterans that touch up on her as well. she saved thousands of lives during the holocaust and WWII.

[@sharptoothtrex4486]

If Marlene Dietrich is as horrible as Joan Crawford, she might be this way. Although Marlene is a Capricorn and Joan Crawford is an Aries. How can Capricorn women be that vicious? Even Faye Dunaway is a Capricorn woman, she might sound vicious if she acts this way.

[@imsocuteimsorich4952]

Why did the families of famous people like Joan Crawford betty davis+marlene Dietrich write books about their lives when they were dead, about horrible things that happened to them when they where young, I find it disgusting waiting till they die, ,rest in peace to MARLENE" BETTY" AND JOAN AMEN ,🌹🐦💙☀🌻🌼🌸👍💟💖💙🐦🌹😘GOD BLESS YOU,🐦💙🌹😘💟👍🌼🌸

[@theavandenberg6876]

I read her daughter Maria's book on her. So I knew she really wasn't a nice woman.

[@lindseycarribean5113]

What you say reminds me the story told in a book too by Christina Crawford with her famous evil mother.

[@lindseycarribean5113]

What horrible stuff have you learned about Dietrich ?

[@gio4048]

What you read is the book that Marlene had written with so much love and which her daughter then twisted without mercy, replacing it with defamatory lies because of her sick mind blinded by hatred towards her mother!!!

[@Albowllyfan993]

@@gio4048 , Get help, you aren't "well".

[@gio4048]

Of course you say it, you know nothing. I am the bestfriend of a relative of hers and he has informed me of shocking facts. If even after that you say I'm not “well”, you're the one who needs help.

[@roderickfernandez5382]

During the years of her Cabaret and theater work her daughter was virtually her slave traveled with her everywhere took care of her clothes did her bidding get me this get me that so she has a perfect right to be better about this woman. She was totally manufactured and manufactured beautifully but like any antique you have to either redo it put it in the closet. Marlena decided on the closet and the bottle. Her last film she's heavily veiled and sings just as gigolo I suppose she somewhere in her 70s after that no more Detrick

[@lisadempsey9259]

I love your channel...these stars were so awesome that today's "stars" are forgettable weekly

[@tessareynolds8377]

Most actors and actresses are self absorbed and narcissistic. Loving themselves over family. There are exceptions but few.

[@marilynsmymother711]

I think that could be said for many people in general. We just get to see it publicly with celebrities. I’ve seen it privately with many people, and heard stories about many others. These are people that no one would care about because they’re not famous. That hasn’t didn’t stop them from being self absorbed and narcissistic.

[@gio4048]

Not the case with Marlene, I assure you. Marlene was one of the few Hollywood celebrities who never bragged about her success , but who lived her career with absolute normality. The rest are lies of the enemies.

[@teresabrewer4052]

So a narcissist who needs constant attention and everything to be about them wouldn't be drawn towards acting? I disagree narcissist would be very drawn towards fame

[@naco1390]

Her daughter is a wonderful writer!!!I read the book many times,Dietrich was a selfish person ,excentric , but she was a star in these days, and the old films have a lot of glitter and beauty, not like this crap from this days. She was born for it,thats all. I love Marias book .So many interesting facts,first hand.

[@markdonaldson1349]

She's a great singer, her songs still brings up memories till date, great German icon

[@randomchance7796]

These tell all books by the children of stars make me wonder how much might be true and how much is entitled spite by very spoiled offspring

[@dianheffernan3436]

Wow,Mary Magdalene...?

[@gio4048]

Marie Madgdalene, and her daughter is SATAN!

[@anitarichmond8930]

I absolutely adore Marlena Dietrich, and she's right regular people are so ugly. When I go to the airport or a hotel lobby I always look flawless, a vision of perfection and style with my head held high exuding confidence. Best face forward girls.💄

[@gracecamaxtli7090]

Lol

[@TobyRossFun]

closet cases make lousy parents

[@kateharvey1982]

I don't guess I've ever seen anything she's ever done she doesn't sound like a person that I'd ever wanted to meet

[@cindyaraya7317]

kate harvey, Me neither.

[@bethroesch2156]

I know she's "one of the greats" but I just never took to her. She was a beautiful lady, too bad she had kids

[@QueenlySweetpea]

She didn't have " kids " only one child, a daughter ..

[@markdonaldson1349]

She's a great singer, her songs still brings up memories till date, great German icon

[@mzjamm2]

Since you have made up your mind about Marlene and started of the video with every negative thing you could why should I listen anymore. You definitely were not a fan. I read her daughters book and I enjoyed it. It made me love Marlene more. She wasn't my mother and I understand the issues intense selfish actors have. Bing Crosby was a terrible father to his first family. I enjoyed Marlene's films!!

[@nancyjones695]

Monster monnies , what about monster daddies?

[@ydcee3123]

No one cares about that. They only tell how many kids they have, not how they left them and or abused them. Even if they are famous. But let a woman become famous. They are sure to drag her name through the mud. Men they pat on the head.

[@TheMisterMarilyn]

They would do shows about them, but they are usually extremely difficult to find, usually from one day after the baby is born....

[@Carol-D.1324]

I am sure there are plenty (Bing Crosby for one), but THIS post is about something else.

[@hopemccubbin8661]

Bing Crosby!

[@hopemccubbin8661]

@@TheMisterMarilyn huh? What does that even mean

[@gio4048]

I can't take this anymore! STOP, STOP, STOP! It will be very short and everyone will know the truth that will put an end to all this squalid madness against the poor Marlene, whose only fault was giving her heart to the wrong people, who played with it for a long time and then broken. Soon the world will learn who the real culprits of these controversies are because her daughter and her grandchildren are the real monsters! The revenge will be terrible and there will be no mercy for anyone. JUSTICE FOR MARLENE!!!!

[@lindseycarribean5113]

Lol all those idols viewed and treated like half-gods or godesses are at the end humans just like the rest of us with their qualities and flaws. Maybe some of those news are exagerrated and maybe some have some truth in it. Yes, she is an iconic actress but she wasn’t so iconic as the person : She had a lot of affairs with married men. With their huge egos ( like Crawford or Davis) , a lot of those stars are not meant to be parents. They could treat their kids like toys and could used them to give a good image of themselves as the hard-working and devoted parent and could be fearful or jealous if they were more succesfull than them. We don’t know how those people live behind close doors... It could be the best... as the worst !

[@frantrictantric]

It wasn't only her heart she gave away haha

[@lindseycarribean5113]

@@frantrictantric her body too.

[@bridgetgrant5680]

Well it was an open marriage.

[@wecelts]

Sadly, where she is now I think she is getting her justice.

[@Lesley_T]

This is the spark notes version of Maria’s book. No more...and slightly wishing for less.

[@ganmerlad]

She really wasn't very pretty, but she was elegant and charismatic. Attitude and confidence can really make all the difference. Unfortunately, it sounds like she was also a narcissist so it would have been hard on everyone who loved her.

[@johannarocho3040]

Beauty is vain!