Hedy Lamarr News

Book Review: Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World by Richard Rhodes "Any girl can be glamorous," actress Hedy Lamarr once said, "All you have to do is stand still and look stupid." Whether maximizing the elements for a skin-deep litmus test in a brief nude scene in the notorious 1932 Czechoslovakian movie Ekstse , or playing the temptress sapping the strength of Victor Mature in Cecile B. Demille's Samson and Delilah , the stunningly "stupid" Lamarr stood out.

2,292,387, for her invention of a “Secret Communication System.” That’s the gist of Richard Rhodes’ “Hedy’s Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr,” although, of course, it’s far more complicated than that.

Everyone knows the name Hedy Lamarr; even Mel Brooks could get laughs from naming a character "Hedley Lamarr" in Blazing Saddles .

In 1942, the folks at the U.S. Patent Office issued her patent No. 2,292,387, for her invention of a "Secret Communication System." That's the gist of Richard Rhodes' "Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr," although, of course, it's far more complicated than that.

In 1942, the folks at the U.S. Patent Office issued her patent No. 2,292,387, for her invention of a "Secret Communication System." That's the gist of Richard Rhodes' "Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr," although, of course, it's far more complicated than that.