Phyllis Haver, a small-town Kansas girl, moved to Los Angeles at a young age. Upon her graduation from high school, she played piano to accompany silent films in local theaters. She was bitten by the show business bug.

She got an audition with producer Mack Sennett. Taken by her charm and beauty, Sennett hired her as one of his original “Sennett Bathing Beauties,” an assembly of young ladies featured in comedy shorts and promotional appearances. The “Sennett Bathing Beauties” also included Gloria Swanson and Mabel Normand.  Soon, Phyllis was a leading lady at Sennett Studios. After signing a contract with rival DeMille-Pathé Studios, Phyllis was cast as “Roxie Hart” in the first film adaptation of the play Chicago. She received rave reviews, with critics calling her performance “astounding,” and “a most entertaining piece of work.” Later she worked with legendary director D.W. Griffith and famed silent film actor Lon Chaney.

In 1929, Phyllis married millionaire William Seeman in the home of popular cartoonist Rube Goldberg. The couple were married by then-New York City Mayor James Walker. Phyllis retired from acting soon after, but the marriage ended in divorce after 16 years. Phyllis wanted a quiet life and she felt Seeman’s lifestyle was too erratic.

Years later, Phyllis moved to secluded Sharon, Connecticut. In 1960, at the age of 61, Phyllis took her own life with a lethal dose of barbiturates.

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Glamorous Jane Harker enjoyed a whirlwind career in Hollywood in the middle 1940s. She was featured in 20 different roles, but was only given on-screen credit for three. The others, including her long-standing role of the suffering “Alice McDoakes” in the popular series of “So You Want To…” short subjects opposite George O’Halloran as the hapless “Joe McDoakes,” were all uncredited.

Jane was usually cast as characters without a name, like “Bar Patron,” or “Cigarette Girl,” or the classic “Redhead Snob with Sid at Party.” However, in 1947, Jane starred alongside Ann Sheridan in The Unfaithful (along with Peggy Knudsen), a film for which she was listed in the credits.

In 1948, Jane called it a career and left Hollywood behind. She settled in Minneapolis where she lived in near obscurity until her death in 2000 at the age of 77.

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Vickie Hogan was born in Houston, Texas, but was shuffled around with a family of half siblings, the result of several of her mother’s relationships. Vickie was briefly raised by an aunt until she was reunited with her estranged mother. Vickie was soon known as “Nikki Hart,” choosing a new first name and pairing it with her new stepfather’s surname.  A poor student, she failed her freshman year of high school and dropped out soon after. In 1985, the 18-year-old was working at Jim’s Fried Chicken Restaurant in Mexia, Texas when she married Billy Smith, a cook at the same restaurant.

In 1992, now calling herself “Vickie Smith,” she appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine and was featured in the centerfold of the May issue. As a result, Vickie, now calling herself “Anna Nicole Smith,” was signed as the replacement for supermodel Claudia Schiffer as the “face” of Guess Jeans. Photographers exploited Anna Nicole’s resemblance to 50s movie bombshell Jayne Mansfield and shot her in similar poses made famous by the late screen siren. Giant billboards of Anna Nicole’s provocative ads for Guess were plastered everywhere and full page ads graced the pages of the most popular fashion magazines. She soon became an international representative for H & M stores, appearing in oversized outdoor ads in Norway and Sweden.

In 1994, at the height of her modeling career, New York magazine ran a story about “white trash” in America. A candid, unflattering shot of Anna Nicole appeared on the magazine’s cover. In the photo, a smirking Anna Nicole is seen in a short skirt with a bag of Cheez Doodles between her spread legs. Through legal representation, Anna Nicole sued the magazine for five million dollars, claiming unauthorized use of the photo. New York claimed that it was one of dozens of photos shot specifically for the cover. “I guess she just didn’t like the one we chose.,” stated the editor. The case was settled out of court.

In 1991, while working as a stripper, Anna Nicole met 89 year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall, whose net worth was over one billion dollars. After a quick divorce from Billy Smith, 26 year-old Anna Nicole married the octogenarian Marshall. She never lived with her new husband and rarely kissed him, but, nevertheless, claimed that she loved him. Thirteen months after the marriage, Marshall died and Anna Nicole assumed she had just inherited a fortune. Marshall’s grown children, specifically E. Pierce Marshall, disputed her claim to half of Marshall’s estate. After a decade long battle, during which Anna Nicole filed bankruptcy, awards were granted and rescinded and Marshall’s son passed away, a final decision was still never reached.

Anna Nicole enjoyed a brief foray into movies and television. She appeared in a popular E! Network reality show that focused on her outrageous behavior and her personal relationships. After two seasons, America grew bored with her over-the-top antics and the series was canceled.

Anna Nicole gave birth to a daughter, sparking a tabloid controversy over the the identity of the father. Everyone from a photographer  to her attorney to Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband claimed to have fathered the child. While visiting Anna Nicole in the hospital, her 20 year-old son Daniel died in her room. It was determined the caused was a lethal combination of various drugs.

Anna Nicole herself was addicted to painkillers and she was allegedly receiving rehabilitation treatment. On February 8, 2007, Smith was found dead in Room 607 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Emergency personnel were unsuccessful, despite their quick response. The cause of death was attributed to the huge amount of many different prescription drugs, most of which were prescribed to her attorney. Anna Nicole was 39 year-old. Legal battles delayed her burial and, due to the lack of embalming and some of the drugs in her system, her body began to decompose at a faster-than-normal pace. She was finally buried at a cemetery in The Bahamas, one month after her death.

A 2014 ruling denied a request from Anna Nicole Smith’s estate to sanction the estate of E. Pierce Marshall.

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At 21, tall, statuesque Bess Myerson was entered into the Miss New York beauty pageant by a photographer for whom she had modeled in college. The entry was sent without Bess’s knowledge. At first, she was angered, but soon came to enjoy the competition, especially the fact that, at five foot ten inches, she towered over the other contestants. Bess won the pageant and headed for the Miss America competition.

As the victim of substantial antisemitism, it was suggested that Bess, the child of Russian immigrants, change her surname to something “less Jewish-sounding.” She refused. She was crowned “Miss America 1945,” and despite her win coming on the heels of World War II and the Holocaust, three of the pageant’s five sponsors withdrew from having her represent their companies. While on her year-long tour as Miss America, Bess encountered “No Jews” signs posted in places such as hotels and country clubs. These experiences led her to offer lectures on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League. She became a vocal opponent of antisemitism and racism and her speaking tour became the highlight of her Miss America reign. At the time, Bess was heralded as a hero to the Jewish community. One writer noted that “In the Jewish community, she was the most famous pretty girl since Queen Esther.”

In the 1950s, Bess became a popular panelist on television game shows, including I’ve Got a Secret, where she was considered part of the show’s regular cast. She also served as host of the television broadcast of the Miss America pageant from 1954 to 1968.

In 1969, Bess was appointed the first Commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs by then-mayor John Lindsay. In her position, she became a strong advocate for consumer rights, as well as serving on several presidential commissions on violence, mental health, workplace issues, and hunger. She was a frequent companion of mayoral hopeful Ed Koch. In 1980, Bess ran for a US Senate seat, but was unsuccessful.

When Koch was elected mayor of New York City, Bess was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs. While in office, she became romantically involved with a married sewer contractor. It was soon revealed that the judge presiding over the contractor’s divorce case was socializing with Bess. After the contractor’s child support payments were greatly reduced, investigations began as to whether or not the judge had been bribed. When questioned, Bess invoked the Fifth Amendment and was forced to resign her position with the Koch administration.  She was tried on federal charges of conspiracy, but was subsequently acquitted.  The scandal became known as the “Bess Mess.” To make matters worse, just prior to her trial, Bess was arrested for shoplifting in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Bess avoided the public spotlight during the later years of her life. She made donations towards building expansion at the Jewish Museum of Florida. In 2013, it was reported that Bess was suffering from dementia. She passed away in December 2014 at the age of 90, although her death was not made public until the summer of 2015.

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