Friday, October 19, 2012

She loves me, she loves me not

Margarita Carmen Dolores Cansino was born on October 17th, 1918 in Brooklyn (New York) into a family of dancers. Her father, Eduardo Cansino, was a Spanish man who immigrated from Seville to Brooklyn in 1913. He met Rita's mother, Volga Hayworth, a dancer of Irish descent, in 1916 and they married in 1917. They had two boys and a girl, Margarita, who was trained as a dancer in order to follow her parents' steps.
This picture shows her childhood. She's 5 years old.
As a child she was performing on stage with her family, in the short films, 'La Fiesta' and 'Anna Case with the Dancing Cansinos'. When she was 8 years old, the Cansinos opened a dance school and his father worked as a choreographer for Hollywood films. Joining her parents' stage act, at the age of 13, Margarita performed with the Spanish dancing troupe in shows in Mexico. Unfortunately, there were shady secrets in the family. As a teenager, Margarita danced in public with her father as partner. It reads, Margarita was subjected to sexual abuses by her father, Eduardo Cansino.
Margarita and her father. Poor girl :(
That's why she got married to the salesman and promoter Edward C. Judson at the age of 18. But this marriage was even worse. He acted as her manager and took over from his father. Judson negotiated a new contract for her young wife with Columbia Pictures in 1937. It was too hard. First she changed her name to Rita Hayworth and began to go through a transformation from humble latin dancer to a Hollywood superstar.
Margarita Cansino, before the transformation. 
Rita and her husband, the much-older Edward C.Judson.
How did Rita Hayworth change her physical appearance? Her hairline was too low on her forehead and she approved raising it by electrolysis for years. This is a way of removing individual hairs from the face or body, medical electrolysis devices destroy the growth center of the hair with chemical or heat energy. A very fine probe is inserted into the hair follicle at the surface of the skin. The hair is then removed with tweezers. Nowadays it may be very painful!!! I don't want to imagine what it would be in the 1940's. After that, her forehead was higher and she dyed her hair flaming red. She took voice lessons, learned to act and went on a diet too. A hard training, no doubt.

Her first Columbia film was 'Criminals of the air' in 1937. Two years later, she appeared in the film 'Only Angels have wings', starring Cary Grant. During her 5 years of marriage with Edward C.Judson she starred classic movies such as 'Strawberry Blonde' ,1941, with James Cagney, and 'Blood and Sand', 1941, with Tyrone Power as Juan Gallardo. The first one, was shot in black and white, nobody realized her new red hair. Rita, played the character Doña Sol, in 'Blood and Sand' where the matador Juan Gallardo, dazzled by her charms. The public understood why he would leave his good wife, Linda Darnell as Carmen Espinosa. Rita was so gorgeous and in this film she could act as Spanish beauty even though she was now thoroughly Anglicized. Some authors say, her much-older Edward C.Judson used to make her have sex with the most famous producers, to get roles in the movies.

Only Angels have wings (1939)
Strawberry Blonde (1941)
Blood and Sand (1941)
The film was a smash, and Columbia cast her in a series of happy happy dancey dancey films with the master dancer, Fred Astaire. They starred 'You'll never get rich' in 1941. It's amazing watching them!:)


The film was very successfully, and Rita Hayworth appeared on the cover of Time Magazine because she was the hottest Hollywood star. On the magazine , it read she was the new Astaire's lady given that the icon confessed that Rita was his favorite dancing partner instead of Ginger Rogers.
whip-woo!!! (wolf.whistling ;)
Next films were 'My Gal Sal', 'Tales of Manhattan' with Ginger Rogers legend and 'You were never lovelier' with Fred Astaire again, in 1942. During this period,  WWII had broken out, and Rita Hayworth became one of the most popular pin up for soldiers. They used her pic for non-gentleman purposes between the years of 1941 and 1945...and plastering her pictures and others pin up girls on any free surface. Yes! it's true, they used them from their B-17 cockpits to their walls. Did you know it? Next picture showed Hayworth sitting on a bed in a satin nightie. This picture became the second most popular pin up illustration, behind only Betty Grable's iconic white swimsuit pic. The goverment distributed it to relieve soldiers' sexual tension...
Rita, pin up legend.
She divorced Edward C. Judson in 1942. Her next husband was Orson Welles. Love sprang up between them, while he was shooting the film 'Citizen Kane' in 1941. He was her true love. They got married in 1943 and the following year she gave birth to her first daughter, Rebecca Welles. Returning to the screen after, Hayworth starred opposite Gene Kelly in 'Cover Girl in 1944 and went on to star in 'Tonight and Every Night' in 1945, which shows Hayworth dances samba with the song 'You excite me' . Marvelous!!!:)


Orson, Rita and Rebecca. I love this pic, it's so tender!
In 1946, she would be remembered forever, with the film 'Gilda', the femme fatale who drived crazy Glenn Ford and sang 'Put the blame on Mame' capturing the legendary one-glove striptease. If you haven't watched the movie yet, you would love it!. As a curiosity, while her film was still in release, publicity linked her to a widely covered nuclear American bomb test in the South Pacific. Young scientists had put the name of 'Gilda' and Hayworth's image on the bomb, alluding to her bombshell status as a film star. Her husband Orson Welles issued a public statement at the time, saying they would be pleased only if this were the last bomb test ever. Hayworth was furious to be used in this way. 
Around the world (mainly in Spain) people were shocked by the one-glove striptease but however they weren't shocked by the slapping scene...some kinds of censures are pretty funny, aren't they? :O

Put the blame on mame. Legendary scene.
In 1947, Orson Welles directed and starred with Rita Hayworth in 'The Lady of Shanghai', and this film was the end of the couple's marriage. He made Hayworth cut her lovely red curls and dyed it blonde. Why did their marriage end? Welles wanted to renovate her image, with or without Rita's consent. This film took away her main skills, her ability to dance, to make her hair bounce...everything. She ceased to exist as a person. They got divorced after the film was shot.

Blonde Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles.
After that scandal, the studio told her, she had to grow her hair out again. Her next film, 'The Loves of Carmen' an adaptation of Georges Bizet's opera in 1948. Hayworth played Carmen to Glenn Ford’s Don Juan. However the audience expected the bubbly Gilda and they were very disappointed. They weren't the  only ones. By her recent failure, she decided to travel around Europe where she met the famous womanizer Prince Aly Khan. After a very public courtship, Hayworth got married for the third time. During her marriage, she gave birth her second daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, in 1949.

The loves of Carmen (1948)
Rita Hayworth and Prince Aly Khan.
Rita Hayworth and her daughters.
Her wedding was so ostentatious: 500 guests from the United States and Europe feasted on 50 pounds of caviar, 600 bottles of Champagne and other gourmet delights around a swimming pool scented with 200 gallons of perfume. The royal lifestyle and Prince Aly Khan's romantic adventures didn't suit the very shy  Rita Hayworth (she wasn't Gilda), so she returned to the United States after her split from Khan in 1951. Finally thet got divorced in 1953.
Her ostentous wedding.
When she came back to Hollywood, she starred in her fourth film with Glenn Ford, 'Affair in Trinidad' in 1952.  It was notable as Hayworth's return film after four years away from Columbia.

Affair in Trinidad (1952)
A year later, she starred in the Roman-set 'Salome' and as the title role in the South Pacific-set musical 'Miss Sadie Thompson'. Hayworth disappeared from the Hollywood screen for another three years in 1953 after another short-lived marriage, this time to Argentinean popular singer Dick Haymes, best known as Mr. EvilHe had been married three times and had considerable debts. When he got married again, seemed to perceive his financial and professional salvation in Rita Hayworth. She supported Dick through his battles with immigration and the threat of deportation. There were serious death threats against Rita and her daughter Princess Yasmin. Nevertheless the wedding to Dick Haymes went ahead in Las Vegas on 24th September 1953. Child neglect charges were filed against Rita. In the end the court allowed her custody of the two girls but said they would remain under supervision for 3 months as the complaint was fully justified. She spent most of the marriage embroiled in legal disputes of one kind or another. Dick Haymes both verbally and physically abused and controlled her life. He also stirred up trouble between her and Aly Khan. She was divorced from Dick Haymes in 1955. The final straw was an incident where he hit her in public, blacking her eye.
Rita Hayworth and Dick Haymes.

She starred in 'Pal Joey' with Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak. By now however her age was starting to show. She married for the fifth time, Jim Hill, a partner in an independent production team. They had a turbulent marriage and Rita was often violent towards him. In 1960 Prince Aly Khan was killed in a car crash. She divorced Hill in 1961. Her final years saw a tragic descent into Alzheimer’s disease, sadly not diagnosed until 1980. She would spent the next 20 years gradually losing herself and every memory of her bittersweet life. Many people thought she was an alcoholic but she continued to make public appearances although her health was getting worse. She was eventually put under the care of her daughter Princess Yasmin Khan, then a grown woman, and spent her final years staring out a window in Central Park West. She died on May 14th 1987 at the age of 68 :(

Rita Hayworth and her daughter, Yasmin.
After reading my post, as far as we know, she had a hard life. Reading the heading, I named this post 'She loves me, she loves me not' because 'Margarita' means 'Daisy' in Spanish. The poor little 'Margarita' pulled her petals off. That's why I am posting a little tribute, for you, wherever you are, love :(

A Spanish embroidered shawl, a black satin glove and a Margarita cocktail. (Some legends say the Margarita cocktail was named for her when she was dancing under her real name in a Tijuana, Mexico nightclub:)
Here to the The Love Goddess! Cheers!


Love,
Lorena Be-Bop

P.S. El post estará traducido próximamente en mi Facebook, pero si quieres leer un post maravilloso en castellano sobre Rita Hayworth, visita el blog 'Diario de una Pin Up Frustrada' :)

40 comments:

  1. Excelente post biográfico como muchos otros. ;-) Hay muchas cosas que no sabía, la verdad. ¡La escena del guante es realmente legendaria!

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    1. Muchas gracias X, fue largo de escribir y de recopilar todos los hechos de su vida, pero que mejor recompensa que esta...¡me encanta que aprendáis con Be-Bop!

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  2. Caramba, estaba esperando ansiosa y me he quedado enganchada. Sabía que había tenido una vida complicada, pero no tanto. Yo la recuerdo como Terpsícore en La diosa de la danza: maravillosa, dulce y sensual. Me ha gustado mucho el recuerdo,brindemos por ella con un margarita, por supuesto. :-*

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    1. es que menuda vida, la pobre...No he visto 'La diosa de la danza' , pero acabo de leer una pequeña crítica y ¡tengo que verla!:)

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  3. Querida, ¡qué post más fantástico! Gracias por enseñarnos un poquito más sobre su vida. Había cosas que ni me hubera imaginado: Me ha dejado helada aquello de que su padre abusaba de ella cuando era niña. ¡Qué horror! Gracias por la mención, mrs Be Bop. Todo un honor :)

    Saludos de Una Pin Up Frustrada,
    Helena Drive

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    1. Hola Helena! ¡Muchas gracias! Ahora todos, gracias a las dos, ya sabemos un poco de su vida, cuando veamos una película de ella, seguro que recordaremos todas las cosas que sufrió, para ser la diosa del amor :)

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  4. Una vida muy dura. Y pasa muy a menudo. Nos imaginamos que estas estrellas llevan una vida de lujo y muchas veces nada más lejos de la realidad. Es bastante triste.

    Besos.

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    1. Hola Ro! si, tienes razón...la sigo admirando,pero tras investigar sobre su vida, ya no me gustaría tanto parecerme a ella. Pobrecita.
      Besos

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  5. ¡Qué estupendo post, Lorena! Ya sabía algunas cosas, pero no otras; desconocía lo puerco que era su padre, por ejemplo. Con esa vida tan azarosa parece que no consiguió ser feliz, al menos, por espacios largos en su vida. (Demasiados hombres que no le duraron un suspiro)Murió demasiado joven, qué terrible el alzheimer, se lo lleva todo: los malos y los buenos recuerdos.
    Muy bien, Lorena!!

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    1. ¡Gracias Nena! me encantan tus 'muy bien' jeje, sabes sacarme una sonrisa.
      Si te pones a investigar, casi todas tienen una vida bastante turbia, pero la de Rita soprende, le ves ese rostro tan dulce, y no piensas todo lo que hay detrás...Seguiré próximamente con más chicas pin up entre todo mi mundo Be-Bop ;)

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  6. Oh! Fantastico post bonita! Cuando algo se hace con cariño y con ganas...este es el resultado ;)
    Sigue asi!

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    1. ¡que bien has definido lo que siento al hacer un post! cariño, ganas salpimentado con Be-Bop :P

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  7. ...traigo
    ecos
    de
    la
    tarde
    callada
    en
    la
    mano
    y
    una
    vela
    de
    mi
    corazón
    para
    invitarte
    y
    darte
    este
    alma
    que
    viene
    para
    compartir
    contigo
    tu
    bello
    blog
    con
    un
    ramillete
    de
    oro
    y
    claveles
    dentro...


    desde mis
    HORAS ROTAS
    Y AULA DE PAZ


    COMPARTIENDO ILUSION
    LORENA

    CON saludos de la luna al
    reflejarse en el mar de la
    poesía...




    ESPERO SEAN DE VUESTRO AGRADO EL POST POETIZADO DE LEYENDAS DE PASIÓN, BAILANDO CON LOBOS, THE ARTIST, TITANIC SIÉNTEME DE CRIADAS Y SEÑORAS, FLOR DE PASCUA ENEMIGOS PUBLICOS HÁLITO DESAYUNO CON DIAMANTES TIFÓN PULP FICTION, ESTALLIDO MAMMA MIA,JEAN EYRE , TOQUE DE CANELA, STAR WARS,

    José
    Ramón...

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    1. Hola Jose Ramón! Muchísimas gracias por el poema, es muy bonito. Lamento no poder contestarte con otro pero es que a pesar de que lo he intentado alguna vez, no está entre mis puntos fuertes...
      Voy a visitar tu blog!
      Gracias de nuevo y ¡Bienvenido a Be-Bop Lashes!

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  8. Qué entrada más interesante Be-Bop, me ha encantado. Preciosa, y las fotos...un gran trabajo de recopilación sin duda.
    :)

    Por cierto, tienes una cosita en mi blog...pásate cuando quieras :)
    Un saludo

    www.marilynbedroom.blogspot.com.es

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    1. ¡Hola chicas! gracias por el premio, ya ocupáis un rinconcito en mi blog :D
      Os debo otro, continuando la cadena primavera ;)

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    2. ¡¡Muchísimas gracias Lorena!! Jo, es que además nos encanta tu blog. Así que encantadas de ocupar ese rinconcito :)

      Un abrazo

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    3. ¡De nada chicas , un placer!Gracias por vuestras palabras, me encanta teneos como Be-Bop girls;)
      Besos!

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  9. Genial este post! Felicidades por el blog! Muy bonito!
    Las fotos y todo el contenido en general, muy bueno!

    A mi también me han dado el premio primavera :)

    +NEW IN+
    Sé que te gusta la fotografía y me encantaría que te pasaras por mi blog y opinaras sobre mi último trabajo fotográfico. + The pumpkin Girl+
    A ver que te parece!!!! :)

    Dontletmeout Blog
    No te quedes fuera ;)

    Espero verte pronto por mi mundo, Besitos.
    +CrisGuco+

    Follow in Bloglovin

    Facebook Oficial

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    1. Muchas gracias Cris:) ¡Voy a ahora mismo a ver tus trabajos!...suena bien lo de la chica calabaza;)
      Besos

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  10. Qué maravilla...Ya sabía yo que estabas preparando algo fantástico. Entiendo que te haya costado. Este tipo de entradas requieren un gran esfuerzo, pero compensa verlo después publicado, y más si a la gente le gusta y lo lee.

    Las fotos son maravillosas. Ya sabes que es una de mis divas favoritas. Guapetona y dulce. Quizás demasiado frágil porque se dejaba dominar por los hombres con los que compartió su vida. Que algunos se aprovecharon bien.

    Bellísimos, como ella, sus bailes con Astaire y las danzas en "Salomé".

    Enhorabuena por el post, Lorena.

    Un abrazote

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    1. :D ¡no sabes lo contenta que me has puesto!valoro muchísimo tu opinión, aunque siempre me pongas por las nubes ;)
      Gracias guapa

      Un besote

      PD.¡me quedo embobada viendo los bailes que hacía con Fred Astaire, jajaja yo quiero bailar así! :D

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    2. No te lo vas a creer, chiquilla. Acabo de tirarme a la cama, miro al frente (bueno, un poquito de costado) y... ¡tachán! Veo mi calendario de "Fotogramas", cuya foto del mes de octubre la ocupan...¡Glenn Ford y Rita en "Gilda"! He entrado aposta para decírtelo. Qué fuerte...

      PD.- Y no es que te ponga por las nubes, es que me gusta cómo haces los post, son muy originales :) Good night!

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    3. Que bonito calendario !! Y será una portada preciosa ;) si que es casualidad. Seguro que mañana miro a mi alrededor y me encuentro con algo del Sr. Reeve, bueno sin ir mas lejos hace poco acabo de planchar una camiseta de Superman jajajaja no mía, de mi novio. Lo tuyo sin duda mas glamouroso. Voy a buscar algo de Rita para decorar mi habitación :D es una buena opción la pareja Ford-Hayworth. Yo conforme abro los ojos veo a mi adorada Katharine Hepburn, es mi debilidad :) un beso!

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    4. Este año estaba un poco "mosca" con el calendario porque es muy clasicón. Siempre salen los mismos y un par de veces te puede hacer gracia, pero todos los años...No sé. No he visto muy originales las fotos este año. Y cuando las revisé en enero, la que más me gustó fue ésa, pero no le hago ni caso porque sólo lo tengo delante el finde (que entre semana estoy fuera). Y lo miro de vez en cuando, pero la foto no me llama, hasta anoche. Me quedé flasheada, jaja, cuando los vi. Dije, ya es casualidad...

      Y qué bueno lo de la camiseta de tu novio. Plánchala con cuidado, ¿eh? Jajaja

      Katherine, qué fuerza...También me gusta, también.

      Otro beso

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    5. Nunca he tenido el calendario de fotogramas,pero me imagino que es como dices, será muy clásico. Yo prefiero poner las fotos que me gustan, me gusta ir a imprentas y sacarlas tamaño poster...o visitar las tiendas especializadas, pero generalmente salen más caros.
      La camiseta, si que la plancho con cuidado, bueno en general todo jejeje yo cuido mucho las cosas, la ropa me dura años:)

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  11. Vaya, no sabía yo que Gilda tenía sangre sevillana. el sevillano en cuestión veo que era un prenda, como la mayoría de los que se acercaron a Rita, por otra parte. No tuvo mucha suerte la muchacha, va a ser cierto eso de que "la suerte de la fea, la guapa la desea".

    Un beso, Lorena, y enhorabuena por el magnífico post. Ahora todos tenemos a Margarita un poco más cerca.

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    1. ¡Hola Mara! muchas gracias, hoy me he acercado a la librería y he comprado un nuevo libro...ya os desvelaré el personaje :)

      Los hombres que le rodearon, eran unos auténticos desgraciados, pero a excepción del padre que la pobre no tuvo más remedio porque era su padre, los demás ya pudo elegir mejor. Aunque en mi opinión, según lo que he leído, Orson Welles, a pesar de que la convirtió en otra persona, en 'La dama de Shanghai' en el fondo no se portó tan tan mal (aunque la matara con ese pelo rubio, en lugar de su flamante melena roja)...él tenía que elegir como quería que fuese, al fin y al cabo era el director de la peli.
      Su padre, el playboy de Aly Khan,Edward C.Judson Dick Haymes etc , pfff los quemaría a todos x)

      Me alegro que te gustara;)
      Un beso!

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  12. Preciso post Lorena!!en Gilda se sale!!y dioos, como bien dices es increíble verlos bailar (a ella y a Fred Astaire), mi próximo post de parejas va dedicado a él y a Ginger Rogers, me alucinaban!!y que mítico lo de que se acortó el nacimiento del cabello, curioso...Era muy guapa, y de mayor seguía siéndolo, lástima que el alzheimer acabara con su vida...

    besines lOrena!!!!

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    1. Hola Marlen! muchas gracias:) con ese próximo post me vas a encandilar ¡que grandes eran Rogers y Astaire! top hat es de mis pelis favoritas!

      Deseando estoy de leerlo :)

      Un beso!

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  13. Superb post, Lorena - so many marvelous images of this timelessly gorgeous woman. I've always counted Rita amongst my favourite vintage actresses, not only because of her looks and style, but because she had such talent and charisma.

    ♥ Jessica

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    1. Hello Jessica! thank you very much. She's one of my favorite too. Last weekend I watched her movie 'Down to Earth', she looks so gorgeous!:)

      Love,
      Lorena

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  14. What a wonderfully informative post! I think she seemed like a such a wonderful character on top of such a beautiful actress!
    Miss Turnstiles xx

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    1. Welcome Miss Turnstiles! Thanks a million, I really appreciate your opinion. It was a little bit long, but it's worth reading your comments ;)

      Love,
      Lorena

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  15. Dziękuję za wizytę i pozostawienie miłych słów :)
    Masz bardzo ciekawego bloga, na pewno tu zaglądnę znowu.
    Pozdrawiam i życzę miłego dnia :)

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    1. Thank you very much Dorgia! welcome!
      Glad to hear from you

      Love,
      Lorena

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  16. Wow Lorena, this is such a beautiful post! I adore Rita Hayworth and had no idea she had such a troubled life, its sad that she had to change for Hollywood, she looks so beautiful as Margarita before her transformation in to Rita. I love to think that a the 'Margarita' could be named after her, what a great excuse to drink more of them!!

    Ps.I am sorry I have not commented on your blog much lately I have been a bad blogger and I keep missing posts, I am trying to get better :) I also want to thank you for all your sweet comments you have left on mine it means allot xx

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    1. Hello Wendy! he,he indeed you can drink a toast to Rita, having a Margarita;)
      It's no bother at all dearie, I love your blog and I always read your news.
      I owe you a special post ! I don't forget it! :)

      Lorena Xxx

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  17. Absolutley love this post.rita is my idol.

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  18. That's cool Kitten. Glad to have you among my followers! Welcome!!!:)

    Love,
    Lorena

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