Icons of Misbehavior: Tallulah Bankhead Edition
January 2, 2025
Bentleys, bourbon, and bottomless cartwheels: the iconic history of Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah bankhead, known as “more an act than an actress” was the inspiration for Cruella Deville, the daughter of a US congressman, and the queen of bad behavior. She could apparently down a bottle of bourbon in 30 minutes and was famous for her cartwheels sans under garments.
Here are some of Tallulah Bankhead’s finest moments:
1) The actor Donald Sutherland first met Talullah when he was getting ready in his dressing room and he heard a noise behind him. He turned to see Tallulah standing there, entirely in the nude. “What’s the matter darling,” she said, “Haven’t you ever seen a blonde before?”
2) At a party, the writer Dashiel Hammett told her he disapproved of her addiction to cocaine. Tallulah responded, “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I tell you it isn’t habit forming and I know because I’ve been taking it for years.”
3) Tallulah bought herself a Bentley while working in London, but she didn’t know the city well. So she routinely hired a taxi to drive in front of her to her destination while she followed behind in style.
4) Once she was in the ladies room and realized she was out of toilet paper. She asked the woman in the neighboring stall, “Darling, is there any tissue in there?”
“Sorry, no.”
“Then have you any Kleenex?”
“Afraid not.”
After a pause, “My dear, have you two fives for a ten?”
5) A doctor once told her to eat an apple every time she craved a drink. She replied, “But really darling, 60 apples a day?”
6) Lastly, a rival actress boasted that she could upstage Tallulah any time. “Darling,” Tallulah said, “I can upstage you without even being on stage.”
At their next performance, while the rival was giving a speech Tallulah set down a glass of champagne teetering half off the edge of the table and then she exited. The audience gasped and could focus on nothing and no else. Tallulah had added a piece of tape to the bottom of the glass for extra insurance.
Before her death, she shared, “The only thing I regret about my past is the length of it. If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.” And apparently her last words were, “Codeine, bourbon.”
Bankhead died of pneumonia at 66 because she was wandering around naked in a freezing dressing room.
Cheers, Tallulah.
Shop Beauty Products Used in Hannah’s Tallulah Bankhead Video
Setting spray: MILK Hydro Grip
Flawless Filter: Charlotte Tilbury
Shade 1
Foundation: HUDA BEAUTY Airbrush
Shade, Vanilla 120B
Color Correcting: NYX
Shade, 04
Powder: Givenchy Prisme Libre
Shade, 01 Mousseline Pastel
Concealer: Natasha Denona
Shade, Fair Yellow
Blush: HUDA BEAUTY Blush Filter
Shade: Black Cherry
Contour: Fenty Beauty Match Stix
Shade: Soft Amber
Highlighter: Hourglass
Shade, Incandescent
Eyeshadow: Natasha Denona Yucca Palette
Eyeliner: Maybelline
Shade, Black
Mascara: YSL
Shade, Black
Gloss: Huda Beauty Faux Filter
Shade, Glassy
Hair Oil: Bumble and Bumble
Scent: YSL Black Opium Over Red
Source consulted: The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes by Clifton Fadiman.
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Read about Hannah’s new book, How to Be a Better Drinker: Cocktail Recipes & Boozy Etiquette.
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