John Barrymore came from a long line of theater actors. He himself first appeared on stage alongside his father in 1900, and in 1903 officially began his career, starring in the likes of Justice (1916) and Richard III (1920). His greatest role was his 1992 appearance in Hamlet, for which he was dubbed “the greatest living American tragedian.”
Barrymore also starred in a slew of silent films, most notably Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), Sherlock Holmes (1922) and Beau Brummel (1924). He later made the transition to sound movies, starring in the likes of Grand Hotel (1932) and Midnight (1939).
On May 29, 1942, Barrymore died at the age of 60 from pneumonia and cirrhosis. What happened next has been the subject of many rumors. It’s alleged his friends, Errol Flynn, W.C. Fields and Sadakichi Hartmann snuck into the morgue where his body was being held, propped him up against a poker table and allowed him to experience one final celebration.
As it turns out, these rumors are true! In an August 2020 episode of the popular YouTube series Hot Ones, the acting legend’s granddaughter, Drew Barrymore, revealed his corpse had actually been stolen.
“Not only yes, but there have been cinematic interpretations of it,” she exclaimed. Those interpretations include S.O.B., starring Julie Andrews, and allegedly the 1989 comedy Weekend at Bernie’s, in which two friends pretend their deceased boss is alive.
Barrymore added that she wants the same to happen to her. “I will say this, I hope my friends do the same for me. That is the kind of spirit I can get behind. Just prop the old bag up, let’s have a few rounds.
“I think death comes with so much morose sadness and I understand that, but if it’s okay, just for me, if everybody could be really happy and celebratory and have a party, that would be my preference.”
Vintage Hollywood certainly was a different era…
Blake Lively Mocks Kate Middleton, Gets Criticized for Apology, «Shame on You»
Known for her sense of humor among other things, Blake Lively poked fun at Kate Middleton and the controversies around her to promote her brands. After the Princess of Wales revealed to the public her tragic diagnosis, the actress quickly apologized after receiving criticism. However, fans think the «apology» she shared is not enough.
Health rumors and digital dilemmas
© princeandprincessofwales / Instagram
The health of Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has been a topic of public speculation since she disclosed her need for abdominal surgery earlier in the year. This curiosity intensified when several prominent news outlets removed a photograph of Middleton and her kids, citing concerns over potential manipulation. Kate admitted to not being adept at photo editing, which did little to calm the media storm.
Blake poked fun at the editing scandal.
In a now-deleted post, Lively had shared an image that was clearly edited for comedic effect, featuring an oversized lemon tumbling from the heavens, a humorous nod to photo editing exaggerations. She posed for the photos as well, and they were used as promotional images for her beverage brands. «I’m so excited to share this new photo I just took today to announce our 4 new…products! Now you know why I’ve been MIA,» she captioned it.
The actress posted an apology.
Taking to her Instagram story, the actress wrote — «I’m sure no one cares today, but I feel like I have to acknowledge this. I made a silly post around the ‘photoshop fails’ frenzy, and oh man, that post has me mortified today. I’m sorry. Sending love and well wishes to all, always.»
Blake left out Kate’s name from the apology, and the fans are not happy. «We don’t need your love and well wishes. You owe it to one person!!» commented a person on Blake’s photo. «I really liked u but to jump on the bandwagon n make fun of the Princess has made my opinion of u drop immensely! Shame on u…coz at ur age u should know, u can’t take back hurting someone,» added another.
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