Almost Forgotten Actresses

Tallulah Bankhead

She was infamous for not wearing underwear. According to Hume Cronyn, during the filming of Lifeboat (1944) the crew complained about her flashing them when she had to climb a ladder to go into the mock-up of a lifeboat. When their objections to Bankhead's exhibitionism reached director Alfred Hitchcock, he reportedly quipped that he didn't know if it was a matter for wardrobe or hairdressing.

And given the following quotes from Tallulah herself you can see where Alfred was coming from.

“It's the good girls who keep the diaries; the bad girls never have time”

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“I've tried several varieties of sex. The conventional position makes me claustrophobic and the others give me a stiff neck or lockjaw."

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“My father warned me about men and booze but he never said anything about women and cocaine.”

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“The only thing I regret about my past is the length of it. If I had to live my life again I'd make all the same mistakes - only sooner.”