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  • Dietrich Embraced Sex-Positivity Despite The Subject Being Taboo on Random Stories of Marlene Dietrich Was An Old Hollywood Rabble-Rouser And Queer Champion

    (#3) Dietrich Embraced Sex-Positivity Despite The Subject Being Taboo

    Dietrich loved sex, and was unapologetically sexual in both her public and private life. By all accounts, Dietrich had a near-insatiable libido, and brought an urgent, electric sexuality to even her most mundane roles.

    Dietrich's blatant eroticism went against 20th century Hollywood's code of ethics. After the Motion Picture Production Code was instituted in 1930, actors were held to puritanically high moral standards, and any adulterous behavior could be considered breach of contract. 

    Dietrich scoffed at all of this, utilizing fashion and innuendo to push boundries while flying under the radar of studio executives. The star's style was both provocative and progressive, blazing a trail for future generations of entertainers. 

  • She Was Aware Of Hitler's Evil Early On And Plotted To Kill Him on Random Stories of Marlene Dietrich Was An Old Hollywood Rabble-Rouser And Queer Champion

    (#4) She Was Aware Of Hitler's Evil Early On And Plotted To Kill Him

    A native Berliner, Dietrich's career began on the German stage and in 1920s German cinema. Even after moving to America following the smash success of The Blue Angel (1930) Dietrich maintained close ties to her home country.

    As a result, Dietrich became aware of Adolf Hitler's developing influence early on in the dictator's rise, long before the global public grew concerned. At first, Dietrich refused to work with UFA studios, as the company was run by the German government, meaning her work could potentially be used as propaganda. However, her tune changed slightly when she saw a chance to assassinate the Führer. 

    Dietrich detailed her plan to Douglas Fairbanks Jr., as she needed his help to set things in motion. According to Fairbanks, Dietrich wanted to sign on for one more German film, which would place her in close proximity to Hitler. Once the pair had established a connection, Dietrich would seduce the Führer, walk into his room (possibly in the nude), then finish the job. 

    Unfortunately, neither Dietrich nor Fairbanks could figure out where to hide a murder weapon on a naked body, so the plot never came to fruition. 

  • Dietrich Participated In One Of Film's First Lesbian Kiss Scenes on Random Stories of Marlene Dietrich Was An Old Hollywood Rabble-Rouser And Queer Champion

    (#1) Dietrich Participated In One Of Film's First Lesbian Kiss Scenes

    In the 1930 film Morocco, Dietrich plays Amy Jolly, a saucy nightclub chanteuse who looks equally stunning in an evening gown or a man's tuxedo. At one point, Dietrich – in her fully-tuxedoed, androgynous glory – plants a kiss on the mouth of a female audience member.

    The scene amounts to more than just a simple peck. There's flirting, wooing, and even an attempt to get a rise out of Gary Cooper. On top of that, Morocco is among the first mainstream Hollywood films to feature an on-screen kiss shared by two women; a distinction Dietrich was most likely immensely proud of.

  • Dietrich Helped Jews Escape Nazi Germany on Random Stories of Marlene Dietrich Was An Old Hollywood Rabble-Rouser And Queer Champion

    (#8) Dietrich Helped Jews Escape Nazi Germany

    While filming Knights Without Armour in 1937, Nazi officials presented Dietrich with an offer she couldn't refuse (or so they thought). In his 1992 New York Times obituary for the actor, Peter S. Flint claimed Hitler offered Dietrich a blank check in exchange for her return to German cinema. Allegedly, a disgusted Dietrich refused Hitler's offer, causing him to prohibit distribution of her films in Germany. 

    Dietrich had already made her opposition to Nazism known, and even helped several of her friends escape Germany during Hitler's rise to power. She became an official US citizen in 1939 and joined the war effort by entertaining troops overseas. Director Billy Wilder insisted she was on the front lines more than General (and future-President) Dwight D. Eisenhower.

    Throughout the war, Dietrich financed escape plans for German Jews and dissidents. It is said she personally housed several refugees and helped them gain US citizenship. For her efforts, the US government gave Dietrich the Presidential Medal of Freedom, France named her a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and the Belgium government dubbed her Knight of the Order of Leopold.

  • In Her 70s, Dietrich Called World Leaders To Chew Them Out on Random Stories of Marlene Dietrich Was An Old Hollywood Rabble-Rouser And Queer Champion

    (#5) In Her 70s, Dietrich Called World Leaders To Chew Them Out

    By 1975, Dietrich was in her 70s, and had largely retreated from the public eye. Aside from 1978's Just a Gigolo, she no longer appeared in movies, and alcoholism had taken a toll on her body and mind. 

    Dietrich became a recluse, and spent her days drinking in her Paris apartment, rarely leaving bed. To pass the time, she enjoyed calling up world leaders – often late at night – to give them a piece of her mind. 

    Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Queen Elizabeth, and the president of France were among Dietrich's favorite phone buddies, and her monthly phone bill routinely totaled over $1,000 (roughly $5,000 by 2018's standards). The contents of their chats ranged from casual check-ins to serious political discussions, and some were actually grateful for Dietrich's input.  

    "She said Ronnie is so happy," her grandson Peter Riva later remembered. "The last call he made from the White House was with Marlene."

  • She's Rumored To Have Shared Her Bed With Some Famous Names on Random Stories of Marlene Dietrich Was An Old Hollywood Rabble-Rouser And Queer Champion

    (#6) She's Rumored To Have Shared Her Bed With Some Famous Names

    Some of Dietrich's affairs were open secrets in Hollywood. While living in California, she had a long-standing relationship with Mercedes de Acosta, a socialite, poet, and screenwriter who reportedly left Greta Garbo in favor of Dietrich. Other trysts are the stuff of legend, so it's nigh impossible to gauge their veracity. 

    Among the Hollywood elite rumored to have shared Dietrich's bed: the aforementioned Garbo (with whom Dietrich had a publicly hostile relationship, allegedly due to a disastrous affair), Douglas Fairbanks Jr., James Stewart, John Wayne (a fling that supposedly lasted 20 years), US Ambassador Joseph Kennedy and his son, John F. Kennedy (Dietrich recalls the former president being "even faster than his father"), and General George S. Patton. 

    Dietrich also had a relationship with Ernest Hemingway, but most accounts describe it as non-sexual. 

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Marlene Dietrich was one of the most famous female stars in Hollywood in the 1920s. Although she has never won an Oscar, her name is well-known in the world. The English version of "Lily Marlene" she sang became the favorite song of soldiers in World War II. Beauty and courage make Marlene Dietrich one of the most iconic actresses in history.

There is no doubt that the most shocking thing is that she has not concealed her bisexual identity, although the claim that she is bisexual has never been confirmed. The random tool lists 12 things about the legendary actress as a queer icon.

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