who was joan crawford's lawyer greg bautzer

Full Answer

Did Greg Bautzer have an affair with Joan Crawford?

Greg Bautzer Profile. has an intense and much publicized affair with Joan Crawford. Bautzer will be immortalized as "Uncle Greg" in the 1981 biographical film, Mommie Dearest.

Who was Greg Bautzer?

• Bautzer is the subject of a fascinating new biography, The Man Who Seduced Hollywood: The Life and Loves of Greg Bautzer by B. James Gladstone and published by The Chicago Review Press. Youngsters don't get it, but the middle-class Greg was a genuine symbol of his times and also of genuine all-American ambition and know-how-to-get-what-you-want!

What was Joan Crawford's attitude toward her escorts?

A close friend of Crawford's described her attitude: "A man must be a combination of butler and bullfighter. Crawford expected her escort to place her napkin in her lap, light her cigarette, open doors for her."

What happened to John Bautzer's wife?

On June 10, 1956, Bautzer married actress Dana Wynter. They had one son, Mark Ragan Bautzer. The couple divorced in 1981. Bautzer died of heart failure at his Beverly Hills home on October 26, 1987, at the age of 76. He is interred at Westwood Memorial Park.

Who was the lawyer that Joan Crawford was with?

Greg BautzerGregson Edward Bautzer (April 3, 1911 – October 26, 1987) was an American attorney who represented such individuals as Ginger Rogers, Ingrid Bergman and Joan Crawford, Kirk Kerkorian, Howard Hughes and William R. Wilkerson.

Who is Uncle Greg in Mommie Dearest?

Greg Bautzer Profile(Gregson Edward Bautzer)?marries 19-year-old Buffy Cobb Chapmanc. 45divorces Chapman, who will soon start dating Victor Maturec. 45has an intense and much publicized affair with Joan Crawford. Bautzer will be immortalized as "Uncle Greg" in the 1981 biographical film, Mommie Dearest.35 more rows

Who did Joan Crawford marry?

Alfred Steelem. 1955–1959Phillip Terrym. 1942–1946Franchot Tonem. 1935–1939Douglas Fairbanks Jr.m. 1929–1933Joan Crawford/Spouse

Was Greg Savitt real?

The characters Carol Ann and Gregg Savitt did not exist in real life, and are composites of Joan's various housekeepers and boyfriends. The scene where Joan has an angry confrontation with the Board of Directors at Pepsi Cola does not appear in the book at all.

Who was Joan Crawford's boyfriend in Mommie Dearest?

Joan is in a relationship with Hollywood lawyer Gregg Savitt, but her career is in a downswing. Despite wanting a baby, she cannot get pregnant; seven pregnancies when she was married to actor Franchot Tone ended in miscarriages.

Did Bette Davis sleep with Robert Aldrich?

Although both Davis and Crawford allegedly had reputations for relationships with colleagues, there's no evidence to prove that Davis and Aldrich had any sort of romantic relationship — so, a steamy scene between Davis and Aldrich is based more on rumor than on proven facts.

Was Mommie Dearest true?

Mommie Dearest is a memoir and exposé written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford. Published in 1978, it attracted much controversy for its portrayal of Joan Crawford as an unbalanced and alcoholic mother, with some family friends denouncing it as fiction and others corroborating it.

How much did Christina Crawford inherit?

Crawford left about $2 million in her will. On October 28, 1976, less than a year before her death, she had made a new will. She left a trust fund of $77,500 to each of her adopted twin daughters, $35,000 to her longtime friend and secretary, Betty Barker, and smaller bequests to a few other people.

Who did Bautzer date?

He became, early on, a hot commodity, dating stars such as Lana Turner, Dorothy Lamour, Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, and most spectacularly, Joan Crawford. Bautzer gradually became more than arm-candy.

Who was Howard Hughes' lawyer?

Bautzer gradually became more than arm-candy. He morphed into one of Hollywood’s most powerful lawyers — a mover, a shaker, a deal maker. He advised studios, moguls and the lunatic that was Howard Hughes. (And he and he alone could get Hughes on the phone.)

Who said the public likes colorful personalities but they like to know that underneath it all, the actresses are ladies

Hollywood had a big laugh when Crawford later dissed Marilyn Monroe, saying, “The public likes colorful personalities, but they like to know that underneath it all, the actresses are ladies.”. Joan had convinced herself, despite sleeping with directors, producers and leading men, that she was a “lady.”.

Did Merle Oberon have a grudge?

He had his demons — drink and an unexpectedly bad temper. But it never lasted, and even those subjected to the worst of him, always forgave, because he didn’t hold a grudge. He was always there for a friend or an ex-lover. For instance, when Merle Oberon needed TWA airplane tickets, she called Bautzer.

Who was Bautzer's fourth wife?

Friends said Bautzer had been in failing health for the last four years after a heart bypass operation. With him when he died was his fourth wife, Niki, whom he married three years ago.

How did Greg Bautzer die?

Gregson (Greg) Bautzer, an entertainment lawyer who represented some of the most glamorous stars of Hollywood in the 1940s and ‘50s and romanced many others, died Monday morning of heart failure at his Beverly Hills home while dressing to go work. He was 76.

Did Bautzer lose his driver's license?

He also had a series of drunk-driving charges and eventually lost his driver’s license in 1948 , but friends said he stopped drinking more than a decade ago.

Who was Greg Bautzer?

The story goes that renowned Hollywood lawyer Greg Bautzer set his sights on Hollywood from the moment he earned his law degree, borrowed $5,000 from someone (we know not whom), and used it to purchase a fine wardrobe and to get himself the best table at the Brown Derby for lunch each day. His plan was to become well-known to the movie community, date as many movie stars as he could, gain their trust, and corner the legal market. The Brown Derby was at that time the Hollywood hot-spot. In the evenings he would dine there and invite movie stars to dance with him. He was handsome, a terrific dancer and, by all appearances, very well off. And he had charm.

How did Bautzer work for Hughes?

Hughes employed Bautzer to set up his young starlets with ‘contracts’ and accommodation. They were paid out of a corporate entity named Black Gold Productions. This was a totally separate account from the one that dealt with his established actresses. Black Gold merely gave him the means to enable him to seduce young things by paying their living expenses and promising them fame and fortune. He would select any girl that took his fancy, no matter where he happened to see her, and then send one of his minions around to offer her a contract and lavish apartment. Singing and dancing lessons were also thrown in. Meanwhile, Hughes would deliberately keep her at arm’s length, promising to visit, but then continually cancelling at the last minute. By the time he was ready to actually meet her she was already on tenterhooks and ready to do just about anything to show her gratitude. He was even known to purchase a dog for a girl he fancied, arrange for it to be kidnapped, then return it personally to the grateful young owner. His tricks of seduction were many and varied. And Bautzer was privy to the arrangement.

Who was Howard Hughes' wife?

‘Tax free?’ was the only question the lady asked. Hughes took fright at this and hastily withdrew the offer. Liz would have declined it anyway, as she was about to wed Nicky Hilton who was filthy rich in his own right. This was just one of scores of tasks Hughes had Greg carry out over the years. It could be argued that Bautzer was probably the only real friend the eccentric billionaire had, even if he was an employee on-call to the billionaire 24/7. Greg’s wife Dana Wynter was anything but happy about this arrangement and told Hughes so, much to his astonishment. He was not used to being chastised or spoken harshly to, but Dana was a no-nonsense kind of woman. It was she, after all, who barred Frank Sinatra from their home. She was appalled that he would bring his mobster friend, Sam Giancana, with him to dinner in her home, yet not even have the courtesy to tell her who he was.

Who was the phony biographer who threatened to publish Hughes' autobiography?

When phony biographer Clifford Irving threatened to publish Hughes’ autobiography, it was Bautzer who arranged for seven journalists who had known Howard for years and could instantly recognize his voice over the phone, to meet in conference. ‘I don’t know him. I never met him’, said Hughes, and that was enough to declare Irving a fraudster and send him to prison. Bautzer was driving in his car in 1976 when he heard over the radio that Hughes had died at the age of 70. Greg had his chauffeur pull over to the side of the road and wept uncontrollably for ten minutes or so. Another eleven years would pass before Bautzer, too, passed on from heart failure at the age of 76. Few Hollywood identities saw more action than he. The timeline below gives a fair indication of his love life:

Did Greg Bautzer have a drinking problem?

On the dark side, however, he also had a drinking problem and could be violent when provoked. His drinking and temper could be an explosive combination wherever he happened to be. On at least one occasion Frank Sinatra saved Greg from serious injury (or worse) when he got into an altercation with some Mafia figures in Las Vegas, and Frank managed to spirit him away just in time. Bautzer had no idea who the men were and was too drunk to care anyway. His four-year affair with Joan Crawford regularly degenerated into a knock-down, drag-out fight between the two of them. Whenever they attended a party it was almost expected that they would be throwing things at each other before the evening was over. At a house-party one evening a jealous Crawford poured a glass of red wine over Arlene Dahl when she caught Bautzer flirting with her.

What did Greg Bautzer want to do?

Greg Bautzer wanted to become a major player in Hollywood as soon as he got out of law school. Advertisement. It’s almost like a scene from a movie where he comes up with this plan to invest $5,000 that he borrowed from someone — we don’t know who — and buy himself a fancy wardrobe.

Who is Greg Bautzer?

For nearly 50 years Greg Bautzer was one of the premier entertainment attorneys in Hollywood, with a client list that included moguls Howard Hughes, Charles Bluhdorn, Darryl Zanuck and Kirk Kerkorian. He also made a name for himself handling the high-profile divorces of Ingrid Bergman, Nancy Sinatra and Rock Hudson.

Who saved Bautzer's life?

Frank Sinatra ends up saving Bautzer’s life when Bautzer almost gets into a fight in a Las Vegas nightclub with gangsters. He didn’t realize they were gangsters, and Frank jumps up from another table in the casino and says, “Greg, we have to go. We are going to be late for a meeting.”.

Who is Susan King?

Susan King is a former entertainment writer at the Los Angeles Times who specialized in Classic Hollywood stories. She also wrote about independent, foreign and studio movies and occasionally TV and theater stories. Born in East Orange, N.J., she received her master’s degree in film history and criticism at USC.

Who is the author of The Man Who Seduced Hollywood?

Bautzer, who died in 1987 at 76, is now the subject of a new biography, “The Man Who Seduced Hollywood,” by B. James Gladstone, executive vice president of business and legal affairs for Lionsgate Entertainment. We talked with him about the book.

Did Bautzer work with Howard Hughes?

Bautzer knew and worked with all of the top executives in Hollywood, including Howard Hughes. It seems that he and Hughes were pretty much cut from the same playboy cloth. Advertisement. I came away with a picture of Howard Hughes that is not the common one of him being crazy and obsessive-compulsive.

Overview

Gregson Edward Bautzer (April 3, 1911 – October 26, 1987) was an American attorney who represented such individuals as Ginger Rogers, Ingrid Bergman and Joan Crawford, Kirk Kerkorian, Howard Hughes and William R. Wilkerson.

Early life

Personal life

Death

See also

External links