Ecstasy and Me : My Life as a Woman

by Hedy Lamarr

They called her 'the most beautiful woman of the century', and in a decade when Hollywood still had superstars, she was a legend. These are Hedy Lamarr's uninhibited memoirs in which she conceals little about her six marriages and is outspoken about her bisex life. After pub, she denied everything. O, Hedwig!

Genres: Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction, Film, Autobiography, Banned Books, Womens

318 pages, Hardbound Book

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Hedy Lamarr (November 9, 1913 – January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American actress and scientist. Though known primarily for her acting (she was a major MGM contract star), she also co-invented an early form of spread spectrum communications technology, a key to modern wireless communication.

Lamarr was born as Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, the daughter of Jewish parents Gertrud (née Lichtwitz), a pianist and Budapest native who came from the "Jewish haute bourgeoisie", and Lemberg-born Emil Kiesler, a successful bank director. She studied ballet and piano. When working with Max Reinhardt in Berlin, he called her the "most beautiful woman in Europe". Soon, the teenage girl played major roles in German movies, alongside stars like Heinz Rühmann and Hans Moser.

In early 1933, she starred in Gustav Machatý's notorious film Ecstasy, a Czechoslovak film made in Prague, in which she played a love-hungry young wife of an indifferent old husband. Closeups of her face in orgasm, and long shots of her running nude through the woods, gave the film notoriety.

On 10 August 1933 she married Friedrich Mandl, a Vienna-based arms manufacturer, 13 years her senior. In her autobiography Ecstacy and Me, Lamarr described Mandl as an extremely controlling man who sometimes tried to keep her shut up in their mansion. The Austrian fascist bought up as many copies of the film as he could possibly find, as he objected to her nudity and "the expression on her face". (Lamarr later claimed the looks of passion were the result of the director poking her in the bottom with a safety pin.)

Mandl prevented her from pursuing her acting career, and instead took her to meetings with technicians and business partners. In these meetings, the mathematically-talented Lamarr learned about military technology. Otherwise, she had to stay at castle Schwarzenau. She later related that even though Mandl was part Jewish, he was consorting with Nazi industrialists, which infuriated her. In Ecstacy and Me, Lamarr wrote that fascist dictators Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler both attended Mandl's grand parties. In her autobiography, Lamarr related that in 1937, she disguised herself as one of her maids and fled to Paris, where she obtained a divorce, and then moved on to London. According to another version of the episode, she persuaded Mandl to allow her to attend a party wearing all her expensive jewelry, later drugged him with the help of her maid, and made her escape out of the country with the jewelry.

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr

Reviews

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is not only atrociously written, it is also riddled with fiction. Miss Lamarr, whose autobiography this book purports to be, always vehemently denied the validity of the book's content. In fact, she sued the publisher and ghostwriters for libel. Lamarr had unfortunately trusted that the ghostwriters, Leo Guild and Cy Rice, would do an admirable job with her story and signed off on the completed manuscript without having actually read it. Instead of any normal biography, what she received was a garbled mixture of bad grammar, incoherent 'narrative,' and thinly-veiled male sexual fantasies dreamed up by the ghostwriters in order to boost sales. It is so poorly written that it is almost impossible to read- and actually doing so is a complete waste of time. Fortunately, there have recently been two actual biographies published that do the actress more justice-both published posthumously. But one can't help but wonder what might have come out of an actual collaboration with the woman herself and what stories have passed forever into obscurity.

[Sketchbook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tin-foiled erratum that reads, hilariously, like a sequel to "Little Me," the parody of a star's mishaps published a few years earlier. Hedy's memoir, which she later denounced as bogus, though she still claims the subtitle -- her life "as a woman," not a vegetable or a mineral -- is quite untainted by pedantry. She and her ghosts present a living and kicking organism with details of her orgasms w men and women. Our Hedy does not stint on taste and ingenuity. She begins, "Let me start by saying that in my life, as in the lives of most women, sex has been an important factor." She applauds the line: "that little ass is meant for more than sitting down." Prithee! She's highly amused that "I seem to be the type that other women get queer ideas about." Forsooth! Herein is a riotous debach of a honky-tonky burlesque act without pasties. Who wants to read a serious bio of a sexually miscellaneous bird when she offers herself developing mental bacilli?

Who wants to read a bio of Lamarr, anyway? Well, a new Hedy documentary, "Bombshell," has just been released to good reviews and will be on PBS in 2018, though it's not as accurate or entertaining as other Hedy docs that you can find on YT. The main reason for exploring the actress Pauline Kael called "inhumanly beautiful" when she made her 1938 American debut in "Algiers" is that she's now, belatedly, credited with inventing a radio guidance system for torpedoes -- a frequency-hopping technique used today in WiFi. That's one helluva McGuffin ! She and her partner, the avant-garde composer & writer George Antheil, got a patent for it in 1942 and were posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014. However, this brainy magic is not mentioned in her 1966 memoir. Did she forget? She only recalls stardom. "To be a star is to own the world," she says, "and all the people in it."

Growing up in Vienna, Hedy (1915-2000), in her teens, made a few movies and then, skipping off to Berlin, became famous for a nude swim scene in "Ecstasy." Soon she married Fritz Mandl, a munitions tycoon, who hosted, w wife, "posturing Hitler and pompous Mussolini." The jealous Mandl followed her everywhere. Hiding from him, she once took refuge in a brothel, she giggles, where, yes, she had to oblige a client. "I thanked him. He gave me a tip." Then it was back to the schloss.

"Europe was a cauldron of intrigue," she sighs, as Patrick Dennis might have inspired. And Hedy is Jewish, we learn from documentaries and other material, though not from her tome. According to Hedy, she sews her jewels into a cape, drugs her maid and sneaks away, catching a train for Paris-London. Hedy says: Genug !

When the S.S. Normandie sails for NYC with Louis B Mayer, Hedy is aboard. Now she becomes very discreet. He does like chicken soup and while he relaxes, Hedy handles the noodle. She has an MGM contract before the liner hits the mid-Atlantic. Once in Hollywood, her story becomes tiresome, but not without contradictions. In her early 20s, she adopts a baby boy, she reflects, without explaining why. There's turmoil and she doesnt see him for over 40 years, we learn from other material. She has 6 husbands and 2 more children packed off to schools (I assume the first was her own son too), and makes a slew of lousy movies while satisfying the wardrobe mistress in her dressing-room. "I have the courage to recognize emotional needs." She also spanks a gay chorus boy to get him hard, then chirps, "If I had my way everyone would have a psychiatrist."

When the mischief did she have time to focus on the McGuffin?

The "Bombshell" doc tells us that she was on Dr Feelgood drugs in the 60s...along w JFK...so maybe the scheisse-trivia is true ! Get a copy before they're all sold out. ~~ Yes, it's badly written, the time-frame keeps changing, there are many obvious fact errors and she ends with several pages of Lamarr's sagacious "advisories." Perfect for Mom. The critic Molly Haskell notes that, unlike Dietrich and Garbo, Lamarr never developed a distinct film personality. Was it because, as Hedy writes, "My sex drive was getting uncontrollable." She doesnt blame the McGuffin.

The only interesting. creative person in her life -- unmentioned here -- was George Antheil (1900-59), who died before the memoir was published. Born in New Jersey, he spent many years as a Dadaist in Paris where he knew Picasso, Stravinsky, Dali, Cocteau, Sylvia Beach. He also scored many movies, including the cult noir, "In a Lonely Place." Unfairly, he gets only passing praise today for the McGuffin. His unknown name doesnt "sell" books or docs, does it?

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

My heroine. Guess I like 'em superlative. Hedy was a film star, a technological genius, the most stunning woman of the age, a bisexual nymphomaniac, a kleptomaniac, blew thirty million dollars before she was fifty, had the first onscreen orgasm and was possibly an Allied spy.
I wanna thieve her beauty...

[Maria Senatore · Rating 1 out of 5]

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS GARBAGE!
I have been tricked, I wanted to read a biography of Hedy Lamarr and instead I read a mix of dirty garbage from some ghost writers who had fun inventing disgusting stories about this great lady. Nothing true about this book, only sick male phantasms, I'm so disgusted about what it has been down to this intelligent woman.

[Creolecat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it’s funny I found this paperback for seventy-five cents at a Catholic thrift store. Being a fan of Hedy’s (Initially, I admit it, because she was absolutely stunning), I’ve seen documentaries, old television footage and read her bio, and she always states this was ghostwritten and not her book. Whoever is responsible tried to take the so-called titillation of her film Ecstasy (1933) to the max only for this book to become a sexually, monotonous bore. To me the film itself is no big deal. And although I think the time in which it was made and the controversy surrounding the film is far more interesting than this book, neither is more interesting than her brilliant mind.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sick, sad, and depressing. The book begins with an introduction by Hedy Lamarr's psychiatrist and it's all downhill from there. Married six times and raped by men and women alike, this book will depress you like no other Hollywood bio. Lamarr started out as a trophy wife to a Nazi munitions tycoon and ended up penniless thirty-five years later in spite of offers of financial support from Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball. Hedy Lamarr makes Asia Argento look jolly by comparison.

[Patricia Gulley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had wanted to read about Hedy the inventor, not about her personal sex life. So I didn't much care for this book. I read on another review that this book was ghost written and she didn't read it before signing off on it, then sued the publisher. That would be the more interesting story.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being an old movie fan I am angry and shocked at myself for never watching a single Hedy Lamarr film. After reading her autobiography "Ectasy and Me: My Life as a Woman" I am eager to watch her more acclaimed films.

Hedy Lamarr was an actress known for her beauty, her sex appeal, and also her smarts. In fact, she even has an invention patent (which sadly wasn't even mentioned in her book!). She was married 6 times, addicted to sex (having love affairs with both males and females), and had her children's best interest at heart (so she says). She talks about all aspects of her life, from living in Pre-War Europe, to moving her way up the Hollywood ladder, and eventually spending over $30 million dollars and living day-by-day in a cheap L.A. apartment.

Was I impressed by this book? Yes and no. Although a lot held my interest, I feel like she left out a lot of her life in Europe as well as the patent and I also wish she would have focused on more of her ecounters with other celebrities. Although her transcripts with her doctor bored me, I was very fond of the last chapter where Hedy rambles about her opinions on certain matters on life (even if I didn't agree with some of them!) I reccomend EVERYONE to at least read the last chapter, because some of Hedy's "life advice" stood out to me and made me think, smile, and discover that she may be right on alot of her viewpoints!

Overall, not so bad! Out of all the "classic actress" autos I've read, this ranks among the best along with Esther Williams.

[Elizabeth A. · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like Hedy Lamarr dont bother with it. Hedy had approved the ghostwritten book before she read it herself. "most of it is fiction." Lamarr condemned the book's contents as "fictional, false, vulgar, scandalous, libelous and obscene." She made a public television appearance on the Merv Griffin Show where she said "Dont talk about that book. That's not my book, someone else wrote it" and mentions writing a book called "Hedy". The video is on YouTube called- Hedy Lamarr-1969 TV Interview.

[Arima OrFer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Si quieres leer un libro de sexo, sexo y más sexo, así como de una mujer desesperada por un hombre y descripciones grotescas de pechos y abusos, este es tu libro.
Parece que quién lo escribió, creó un fanfic con Hedy Lamarr de protagonista en el que es todo freudiano.
Buscaba conocer más de la actriz que inventó el precursor del wifi, su genialidad. Pero ésto... Ésto es horrible. Está claro que hay más fantasía que realidad.
Ni me he terminado el libro, no merece la pena.

[Aida · Rating 1 out of 5]

En el prólogo ya avisa de que no es una autobiografía sino que fue publicado sin el consentimiento de Hedy Lamarr. El libro es una suerte de relatos eróticos extremadamente frívolos y sexistas sobre su supuesta vida en Hollywood. Solo habla de hombres y dinero. No profundiza en nada. Además, la edición es pésima. Hay libros mucho mejores sobre ella. Podéis ahorraros este.

[kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Racy and ILLUMINATING! Now I want to watch Hedy Lamarr movies...

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I had read Marie Benedict’s book, The Only Woman in the Room, for a book club and I had given it only 1 star. Since I still wanted to read about Ms Lamarr, where better to begin than with her own autobiography? Then, while awaiting the delivery of her book in the mail, I saw an old video of her on The Tonight Show, with Johnny Carson, in which she denied having written Ecstasy and Me. Once I began reading it, I completely understood why she had denied authorship. Clearly, the book consisted of regurgitating exhaustive tapings of interviews. The first half of the book was simply a series of disjointed ramblings, touching back together at odd intervals. Although the voice seems to be that of Ms Lamarr, the clumsiness of the writing should land solely on the invisible ghost writer. Actually Leo Guild wrote salacious paperbacks and Cy Rice wrote other biographies. Neither did justice as ghost writers to her true story. Hearing Hedy speak in interviews, proves her ability to beautifully express herself. Having said that, her last video of her in her own apartment was as scattered as the beginning of this book. Both communiques show a nervousness that I’m sure would have been edited, if Ms Hedy Lamarr had produced the final product. By the middle of this book, the writing seems to have been done by an entirely different writer. The flow and continuity made for a smooth read. Finally, the last chapter returned to a series of independent thoughts and opinions on a myriad of different topics. At the end of the book, Ms Lamarr claims to be about age 52, but she would live until the age of 85. Neither of the books mentioned here include her powerful mind and inventive genius. Only recently has the world become aware that she was responsible for inventing the technology used in today’s cell phones and GPS, which the US military never paid her for and instead sold off to a private company before the expiration of her patent. That is a huge omission of this woman’s life from those who had the opportunity to write about it. Instead, this book is filled to bursting with her sexual appetites, her six marriages, her affairs, and her drive to pursue her career. It is well worth reading, but I must say to be prepared to play a game of follow the bouncing idea, which ricochets from different times to different people to different viewpoints. Within all the ramblings, it is clear that Ms Lamar strives to remain true and honest, sometimes making lists and taking names, while at other times, trying to avoid the actual names of those involved. I loved that her confidence in her own skills and in her own beauty was strong enough for her to use it in demanding her piece of the pie in her acting career. Conversely, her old-fashioned views about a woman’s place in the marriage relationship probably cost her more than she realized. She frequently championed the cause of seeking mental health professionals during her worst times. Unfortunately, the shared dialogue between herself and one of her therapists did not ring true. I certainly hope he did not say those quotes, which felt grossly inappropriate and unprofessional. Apart from the writing and despite what feels like leading the interview, I could hear her voice loud and clear and real. All-in-all, hers was a powerful story. I recommend this book.

[nico · Rating 3 out of 5]

como ávido admirador que me considero de hedy lamarr, decir que me he sentido decepcionado a la hora de leer esto es poco. desde el principio, tras ver que se avisaba de como esta biografía no había sido autorizada por la misma hedy y como esta comunicó que lo escrito en estas páginas no era de fiar, debería de haber reculado pero aun así quería darle una oportunidad ya que mi profesor de filosofía me había prestado el libro y era la primera vez que encontraba un libro sobre una figura como la suya; lo cual, me produjo mucha ilusión en su momento.
para empezar: pintan a la actriz como nada más que un sex symbol cuando es mucho más que eso o la cara bonita que posee la misma. está lleno de relatos sexuales en los que ella forma parte e incluso abusos que sufre a manos de los hombres de su alrededor, con sexismo incluido (viendo la vida que llevaba en hollywood). tampoco llegaba a profundizar demasiado en el hecho de que es la inventora del wifi entre muchos otros hitos o las relaciones que tuvo con ciertos personajes en la historia, lo cual siempre había sido algo de lo que me habría gustado sonsacar más información. y a decir verdad, volviendo al tema del wifi y de como ella estuvo involucrada, ojalá hubieran podido abordar mejor el tema sin tan solo dedicarle un mísero capítulo extra como epílogo.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason this is a 4/5 is because she lost me a few times while reading it. There were two chapters that were just transcriptions from a conversation she had with someone. She also had nearly an entire chapter on just clipping from articles. I think I enjoyed her realness and how she spared no detail. She maintained a sense of dignity. I love how unapologetically she is about herself and her last chapter wraps her personal views in one bow. Some things in these pages will not go over well with today's society and world. This is from the 60s and times and views were different then. Going forward if you can put that aside you may enjoy her book. I felt at times she bounced back and forth. Once you got used to it, it just made sense. I think this book is a reflection of the woman she was. It's a good book and one I'm glad I finally read. I feel I learned something and understood her on a different level now reading this book. Interesting read.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaya por delante que yo con Hedy Lamarr no puedo ser imparcial.

Tenía muchas ganas de leer esta autobiografía y la verdad es que no me ha decepcionado. No sé si realmente tiene mucho de auto, porque hay partes que me cuesta creer que escribiera la propia Hedy y que, más bien, parecen un intento de sus editores para conseguir que el libro fuera más "jugoso". También me falta mucho de la faceta de Hedy como inventora y me sorprende que no comente nada sobre la II Guerra Mundial. Se centra principalmente en su vida en Hollywood, en su experiencia en el mundo del cine y en su vida personal y amorosa, que es altamente interesante... pero Hedy fue mucho más que una mujer bella y una actriz y en eso, esta autobiografía se queda muy corta. Con todo, merece mucho la pena la lectura. Muy recomendable.

[Mike Errico · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found on a stoop. I think that's an important detail. In short: An education in the present day, from a weird time capsule. Every page contains what would now be flagged immediately (rightly) as sexual harassment, in a book written not by Hedy, but by two hack-tastic male ghostwriters. She disavowed the book, and supposedly signed off on it without even thumbing through it, so I'm not sure why I was reading it, except that every once in a while folks like Hitler or Mussolini would show up, and I was a little interested in how a murderous dictator might get flirty with a starlet. Even so, I was not interested enough to do more than skim, and eventually just kinda put it down with a queasy feeling. I'd return it to the stoop, but it's raining out.

[Licia Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Hedy Lamarr. I must have been eight when I saw her in Samson & Delilah and was immediately mesmerized by her beauty. Later, when I learned about her personal history: her marriage to a Nazi arms dealer and supporting the U.S. military with her frequency hopping research, I was eager to learn more about her.

I have to agree with other reviews concerning this book. I don't think it accurately reflects Ms. Lamarr's life.

That said, this book was a quick read. Also, it dispels the illusion of glamor that old Hollywood exuded and is a cautionary tale to beautiful women who seek to use their looks to succeed in life.

[Michael Patton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea why I read this book. Maybe I didn't even know at the time. And yet, though I read the book over forty years ago, I remember certain details pretty well. As I recall, Ms. Lamarr did say she'd thought of radar before anyone else. But she didn't mention she had a drafting desk at home and actually worked out the details for that idea and others as well. Did the publisher want a book about a film sex goddess, not an engineer? Or was the omission Hedy's choice? I've noticed there's many biographies about her life in print. Any of them would probably be better than this book.

[NoID · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une autobiographie (vraiment?) pour émoustiller le chaland… plutôt bien réussie.



Il y a des longueurs, certes, le style n’est pas vraiment folichon, mais c’est souvent drôle.



Et quelle vie ! 6 mariages, autant de divorces (ce qui n’était pas vraiment simple à une époque où il fallait prouver les torts), tant d’hommes (et bisexuelle affirmée) et plus de 30 millions de dollars gagnés… et autant perdus!



Mais aussi une femme – la plus belle du monde – forte, décidée, brillante, qui prend sa vie en main, qui ne se laisse pas faire dans le cinéma des années 40. Remarquable.



Et le Wifi ? Oui, aussi, et pas que !



https://www.noid.ch/ecstasy-and-me/

[I.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The true (?) story of Hedy Lamarrs life in movies and romance with extra focus on affairs and marriages.
Big chunks of this are super lazy with reprinted newspaper articles, interviews, and profiles lifted from other sources and other parts are suspect due to what Lamarr claimed later. However it is mostly entertaining as long as you don’t mind a few over the top “scandalous” bits (that read more like fantasies than reality ?). It’s not particularly well written and jumps around a lot but it’s certainly got a tabloid trash vibe that makes an okay read.

[Circé MV · Rating 4 out of 5]

« Ecstasy and me »
Un coup de dopamine dans le sang les aventures de la star s’enchaînent; on dévore le livre par son franc parler, sa vie fascinante, pathétique, déchirante, brûlante puis la descente arrive. On a fin de toujours plus mais Hery Lamarr s’est épuisée, les années sont passés et la vie s’est calmée.

Hedy Lamarr nous montre une facette de Hollywood doré bien huilée. Elle témoigne aussi de cette recherche constante d’amour à s’en brûler les ailes et on espère un peu comme elle que tout finira bien à la fin.

Lecture intéressante

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hedy (rhymes with “lady”) had a very interesting life. She did many amazing things and many strange (to me) things. She has good explanations for many of her life choices. She also frequently does the opposite of what she proclaims about herself. I’m not sure if it’s a human condition or a big star condition or left over from her early life in Austria.
It was an interesting read but, for me, it was slow going.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un livre passionnant, très bien écrit et surtout bourré d'humour ! On revient avec bonheur sur l'âge d'or d'Hollywood pour en apprendre de belles sur les coulisses de l'usine à rêves.
Dommage que la dernière partie de l'autobiographie soit si vite expédiée.

[Steff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une autobiographie fascinante d'une star sulfureuse et terriblement humaine... et qui inventa un système de téléguidage pour missiles à l'origine du WiFi d'aujourd'hui !
Comme quoi Hollywood réserve toujours des surprises !
Une seule envie : (re)découvrir les films d'Hedy Lamarr !

[Nidia F]

Very fascinating that someone as intelligent as her was only adored for her looks and her sensuality. The book is a bit of a free flow of thought and sometimes bounces around, but it definitely puts a different light on Hollywood's most beautiful actress!

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book may be slightly poorly written however Hedy was a marvelous woman. You can take a lot from her life and the advice she gives in the book. Not only was she a fabulous actress during her time but one smart lady! Worth a read.

[Haris Gabriel · Rating 1 out of 5]

A disclaimer should automatically be added everywhere the book is listed: This was not written by the amazing woman herself. Shame that many people never get to know they're reading a fictitious and vulgar account and not the real life of Miss Lamarr.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really excited about this book. It was good but you can feel the lack of honesty and personal touch. I’ve come to learn it was written by ghost writers. There’s a feeling like this could have been great, if Hedy was involved at all.

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual read, I found. Not the best autobiography. Very self centred