tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5834131700403691808.post7678290358248083153..comments2024-02-22T16:14:52.668-08:00Comments on Marlene Dietrich: The Last Goddess: Why Is Maria Riva Still A Punching Bag?Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970797639620201166noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5834131700403691808.post-89742468560296614262022-01-09T09:45:33.148-08:002022-01-09T09:45:33.148-08:00I knew Hugh Pickett well. He talked regularly with...I knew Hugh Pickett well. He talked regularly with Marlene -- maybe once a week or so throughout the late 1970s up until her death. I remember Hugh saying that Maria didn't seem the nicest of people. In fact, Hugh had to send Marlene some money which she gave either to Maria or to her husband. I got the impression that Maria (and the rest of her family) lived off of Marlene -- used her somewhat as a cash cow. Around 1982 or so, Marlene and Hugh had a publisher lined up in Vancouver which was going to publish Marlene's autobiography. Unfortunately, the publisher went broke and the book got published in a hacked-up formatby another company. One thing I remember about Marlene was that she was extremely generous. I was in the Canadian navy and she offered to send me posters, records, etc. I didn't accept her offers, but to me she seemed very kind. Marlene even sent me Canadian dollar bills that people had sent to her from Canada to cover postage for autographs. Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00295994728975790540noreply@blogger.com