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(#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.
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(#2) She Was Openly Bisexual
Dietrich's legendary libido wasn't reserved for men. She fancied women too, even though same-sex desire went against 20th century America's societal conventions.
While making her way to the US for the first time in 1930, Dietrich tried to pick up another one of the ship's female passengers. When the woman objected, Dietrich explained, "In Europe, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, we make love with anyone we find attractive."
Dietrich did not change her ways when she reached her new home in America. On the contrary, she began picking up Hollywood starlets left and right, and before long she had a group of steady female lovers whom she referred to as her "Sewing Circle."
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(#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.
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(#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.
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(#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."
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(#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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(#7) Dietrich Rarely Shared A Home With Her Husband Of 50 Years
Before her career took off, Dietrich married an assistant director named Rudolf Sieber. However, they only lived together for the first few years of their union. Once Hollywood beckoned Dietrich, the couple never shared the same home again, even though they had a daughter named Maria.
Despite this, Dietrich and Sieber remained married (if mutually unfaithful) until cancer took him in 1976.
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(#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.
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(#9) She Planned To Seduce King Edward VIII For The Sake Of England
In 1936, Edward VIII, then King of England, abdicated the throne to marry his American mistress, Wallis Simpson. He lived out the rest of his days happily wed as the Duke of Windsor.
If things had gone down the way Dietrich envisioned, history might've been very different. At the time, the actor was living with her lover Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in his London home, and was noticeably upset to see Edward VIII abandon his country and duties for a "homely, flat-chested woman."
Just after the king announced his abdication, Dietrich set out via chauffeur to Edward's country estate in Fort Belvedere. Reportedly, Fairbanks wasn't sure Dietrich's plan would work, but she dismissed his protests, saying, "we are doing it for England, which we both love... Some sacrifices must be made"
While accounts vary as to what went down at Fort Belvedere, all stories end with Dietrich's failure to reach King Edward VIII.
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(#10) Her 'Blue Angel' Screen Test Shows She Had Guts Even Before She Became Famous
Filmed in September 1929 – and mostly unseen until 1992 – Dietrich's screen test for her breakout film The Blue Angel shows the fiery personality hiding underneath her languid, easy-going demeanor.
In the clip, director Josef von Sternberg speak to the actor in German, and a pianist off-screen begins to play "You're The Cream In My Coffee." On three occasions, the pianist flubs the tune, breaking Dietrich's flow. She berates him each time, spitting insults like, "You call that piano playing? I'm supposed to sing that junk? It belongs in a wash house, not here. Get it? Dope."
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(#11) She Played The Musical Saw
When one imagines the glamorous sounds that accompanied Hollywood's Golden Age, one most likely does not think of the musical saw—perhaps the least sexy instrument of all time.
However, Dietrich was a gifted saw musician, and would routinely play the instrument while entertaining troops during World War II. According to Folkworks music expert Roger Goodman, her technique was flawless.
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(#12) No Video Was Shot For The Documentary About Dietrich's Life
When actor and filmmaker Maximilian Schell expressed interest in working on a documentary about Dietrich's life, she agreed to cooperate, assuming he respected one rule: the crew could neither film nor photograph herself or her home.
In the early 1980s, addiction had driven Dietrich away from the public eye. She wanted to be remembered for her work and beliefs, rather than the reduced state she had fallen into. Schell was able to work around this request, and the final product is composed of audio interviews with Dietrich coupled with film clips, photographs, and news reels from her career.
Marlene released in 1984, and garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary. Few stars could make a 90-minute audio interview feel watchable, but Dietrich's moody, eccentric personality set her up to be the perfect subject.
Dietrich died in her Paris apartment in 1992. She was 90 years old.
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About This Tool
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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