John Barrymore came from a long line of theater actors. He himself first appeared on stage alongside his father in 1900, and in 1903 officially began his career, starring in the likes of Justice (1916) and Richard III (1920). His greatest role was his 1992 appearance in Hamlet, for which he was dubbed “the greatest living American tragedian.”
Barrymore also starred in a slew of silent films, most notably Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), Sherlock Holmes (1922) and Beau Brummel (1924). He later made the transition to sound movies, starring in the likes of Grand Hotel (1932) and Midnight (1939).
On May 29, 1942, Barrymore died at the age of 60 from pneumonia and cirrhosis. What happened next has been the subject of many rumors. It’s alleged his friends, Errol Flynn, W.C. Fields and Sadakichi Hartmann snuck into the morgue where his body was being held, propped him up against a poker table and allowed him to experience one final celebration.
As it turns out, these rumors are true! In an August 2020 episode of the popular YouTube series Hot Ones, the acting legend’s granddaughter, Drew Barrymore, revealed his corpse had actually been stolen.
“Not only yes, but there have been cinematic interpretations of it,” she exclaimed. Those interpretations include S.O.B., starring Julie Andrews, and allegedly the 1989 comedy Weekend at Bernie’s, in which two friends pretend their deceased boss is alive.
Barrymore added that she wants the same to happen to her. “I will say this, I hope my friends do the same for me. That is the kind of spirit I can get behind. Just prop the old bag up, let’s have a few rounds.
“I think death comes with so much morose sadness and I understand that, but if it’s okay, just for me, if everybody could be really happy and celebratory and have a party, that would be my preference.”
Vintage Hollywood certainly was a different era…
Taylor Swift Seen Struggling to Perform, and Fans Are «So Worried»
The show must go on, and so it did for Taylor Swift, who was seen having a hard time trying to keep it together during a concert. Footage of the singer struggling ended up on social media, which gave rise to a wave of comments showing concern for her well-being.
In a TikTok video, the 34-year-old singer was seen heavily coughing and clearing her throat multiple times while trying to perform one of her hit songs at a show in Singapore. The clip was followed by a caption that read, «Hope she’s okay, she’s been coughing.»
Fans quickly found the video and began expressing their worry for Swift’s health, who has been on a world tour comprised of 152 shows across five continents. «I was there and so worried about Taylor,» one user wrote, while another pointed out that «she needs some rest.»
People speculated that she has probably been affected by «the drastic weather changes in different regions» while touring, and praised her for keep going nevertheless and not canceling any concerts. «I can only imagine how exhausting it must be whilst on tour giving it 100% with every performance. She is incredible!»
Perhaps to fans’ peace of mind, Swift has a crucial policy in place to prevent her from getting sick during The Eras Tour, which is considered the highest-grossing tour of all time since it surpassed $1 billion in revenue.
Amid her extensive tour in Australia, it was noted that fan meet-and-greets were no longer offered to minimize her chances of falling ill. «When Taylor is on tour, strict measures are put into place to stop her interacting with anyone outside of her ‘bubble’. They can not risk her getting sick under any circumstances,» a source explained in an interview. «Even those in her bubble, including her dancers and managers, are restricted what they can do and where they can go during their downtime.»
Media outlets report that if Swift were to cancel even a single show during her tour, it’s estimated that it would result in significant financial losses amounting to millions of dollars and cause disruptions to the remaining tour schedule. The stakes are high, so one can never be too careful!
All celebrities have fans that keep a close eye on them and support them unconditionally. However, every coin has two sides and fame often brings along critics as well. Julia Roberts experienced that darker side after receiving a negative mass reaction to her birthday post in honor of her husband. People couldn’t stop bring up an unknown woman in the comments. Find out more here.
Leave a Reply