Her friends called her Lem.
She tried to be a good girl, but her sultry looks and nice body,
and her ability to make people laugh... Everyone liked Lem.
Men liked to give her jewelry...
Kicked out of the Stork Club for a fist fight with another woman,
her notoriety and her name in the gossip columns increased (she loved it),
but her parents were outraged. Her mother was hearing stories that she was a whore.
Lenore about 18 years old.
She was named as the other woman in the Paterno divorce case. It made the newspapers.
She complained that the butler had never liked her. He was even claiming that he had caught Lenore
in bed with Mr. Paterno. Okay, he probably did.
Lenore and Jake Webb. Her first marriage. The honeymoon lasted 8 days. The marriage was about the same but
officially it lasted for 3 years.
He was a grandson of one of America's richest men, but he had no money himself.
The honeymoon was partially financed with bad checks. Did he score with Lenore by laying a BS story on her?
During the war, her parents sent her to England, where they had relatives.
She had been in the newspapers, again, and her mother was upset.
She spent much of the war living in a suburb of London.
She eventually linked up with Randolph Churchill, the son of Winston.
He liked to drink, he was a womanizer, and he was brilliant.
He was also bi-polar. Many people did not like him.
It was never intended to be a serious relationship.
She had a threesome with Desi Arnaz...
That's Dorothy (a model), Desi and Lenore (on the right)
at a New Years celebration.
Introducing Hamish Menzies, her second husband.
They were married from 1951 to 1954.
He was a good looking guy with a really nice singing voice.
During the time he was married to Lenore, he recorded a very popular song, 'Less than Tomorrow'.
Decca Records called him a sensational new discovery.
He had done some acting. He starred in the 1949 romantic comedy film 'A Man's Affair'.
His song and film can be heard and seen on YouTube.
For whatever reasons, the marriage failed.
Shortly after her marriage to Hamish, under her stage and professional name of Leonore,
she tried her own nightclub act.
Comedian Henny Youngman said that she had a good voice, knew her material and had her arrangements
all prepared. He said, "She was gorgeous; I really liked her."
"I loved Frank Costello!"
That's what Lenore told me in our 1989 interview.
In the 1950's, she was involved with the gangster.
But she said, "Frank was one of the nifty gangsters, not like we have today".
Frank really was a gentleman gangster. He never carried a gun.
He was the inspiration for the Vito Corleone character in 'The Godfather'.
This is Lenore (Leonore) Lemmon.
Think what you want... I contend that she was a party girl
and a gold digger who has been misunderstood by history.
She was a girlfriend of powerful defense attorney Edward Bennett Williams.
He was a cool guy who was the Perry Mason of that time.
She met George Reeves sometime in 1958.
She said, "He was smitten with me."
Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olsen in the TV series, asked him,
"Are you crazy?" George replied, "She makes me feel like a boy again."
George and Lenore were two people who should never have met, but they did...
On June 16th, 1959, George Reeves died of a single gunshot.
Many people think that the two of them were angrily arguing and the situation became physical,
with her possibly slugging him.
George had a gun in the nightstand in the bedroom. The gun came out, there was a struggle for the gun,
and it accidentally went off, Killing him.
I believe it really was suicide.
However, from that day forward, she has always been a suspect.
There are people from that time who have said that they honestly believe that she shot and killed George.
She has been ordered out of the house by the police, who place a 'Police seal' on the house.
Walking beside her is probably a detective who doesn't want to make the newspapers.
The police said it was difficult to determine who all had been in the house that night.
One of the people who may have been in the house that night...
was Polly Adler.
Polly was famous for running a high class whore house in New York City.
She had known Lenore in that city, but years later, in the Los Angeles area, they became friends.
From the book 'The Man to See'. Taken at the end of 1959 or early 1960, that's Edward Bennett Williams
on the left sitting next to Jean Pochna (notice her nice jewelry). At the far side of the table is Lenore,
wearing an expensive necklace. Edward 'dated' both Jean and Lenore. He gave them jewelry; it was really expensive jewelry.
"I was a party girl!"
That's a direct quote from Lenore Lemmon.
Desi Arnaz once had a long talk with he and Lucy's grown-up daughter. He told her,
"I never cheated on your mother. Those other women were all whores and prostitutes."
It's a true story.
Here is a very poor quality photo but it shows Lucy and Desi Arnaz, with Lenore between them.
Bundles for Britain helped our British friends in the beginning of World War II.
Leonore as the doorgirl.
Lucy isn't smiling. Does she suspect that Desi knows this young pretty Brunette?
Yes, Desi knew Lenore...
Years after the death of George Reeves, she met Jack Whittemore. He was a well-to-do jazz booking agent who had been in
the business for almost fifty years.
They were a couple for years, until his death.
Jack Whittemore represented many of the top jazz artists including Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Jimmy Dorsey and many others.
Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in Seattle is an institution. John Dimitriou knew Jack.
He said, "Jack Whittemore was the best jazz booking agent who ever lived."
I had two conversations with Lenore in 1989. I liked her.
I think she liked me.
She passed away just months after I spoke with her.
Lenore made some serious mistakes in her life, as most of us have.
But when you come down to it, she had a colorful life. I hope she found happiness.
Whether you call her Lenore or Leonore, this is the last photo taken of she and George Reeves.
It was taken less than a week before his death.
They look happy together...
