The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty (34 page)

Life
’s story later noted that the “18 guests, dressed like well-bred miniatures of their movie-colony elders, showed up on a rainy evening at Miss Gabor’s Bel-Air home. When the evening threatened to segregate into sexes, Francesca, a chip off the old block, murmured to the girls, ‘Let’s go in and meet the boys.’ ”

Later, Zsa Zsa was photographed while doting on Francesca—who was wearing a white-and-pink short-sleeved bouffant ball gown—and helping her open dozens of elaborately wrapped presents presented by the offspring of celebrities like Van Johnson, Dick Powell, and Deborah Kerr, all of whom came with their famous parents. As songs like “Picnic” and “Sugartime” by the McGuire Sisters played on the sound system, Zsa Zsa was interviewed not only by the reporter from
Life
but also one from the Associated Press. “My sweet daughter, she is the apple of my light,” Zsa Zsa said, of Francesca, commingling the metaphors “apple of my eye” and “light of my life.” She continued to rave, “As you can see, we are one big, happy family. Connie is right over there,” she said. She then pointed to a tall man in a cowboy hat looking around with a bewildered expression, as if he had never seen any children’s party quite like this one. “My divorce from Connie has not affected his relationship with our daughter at all, not one bit,” she said. “And there’s Nicky, Barron and Marilyn, too,” she told the reporter.

After dinner was served—fried chicken and mashed potatoes—all of the children and adults assembled on the wooden floor Zsa Zsa had laid down on top of the brick-paved library for a stage. It was where the orchestra had already assembled. Zsa Zsa walked onto the stage wearing a strapless bouffant floral-printed evening gown, cut about as low as possible. She then told a few jokes that seemed a little inappropriate considering the party’s age group, but the famous parents certainly enjoyed them. “I’m a
great
housekeeper, as you can see,” she said, motioning around to her surroundings. “I get divorced. I keep the house!” And this one: “I believe in large families. Every woman should have
at least
three husbands!” Asked about the diamond brooch she was wearing, she said it was a gift. “I don’t take gifts from perfect strangers,” she allowed, “but, then… nobody’s perfect.” She knew how to get a laugh.

Finally, turning serious, Zsa Zsa announced, “It is my great pleasure to introduce a good friend of mine. I’m sure you watch his television program every week, don’t you? Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Eddie Fisher!” Eddie then came out to great applause to perform a few of his big hits, such as “Heart” and “I Need You Now.” Afterward, the cake, as big and as ornate as any royal wedding cake, was brought out as the guests all sang “Happy Birthday” to Francesca. Then, right on cue, the telephone rang. Surprise! It was Pat Boone, calling from New York. As it happened, he wasn’t able to rearrange his schedule in order to appear in person, so it was decided that he would sing “Happy Birthday” to Francesca long-distance. “Why, this is the best birthday
ever
!” Francesca enthused after hanging up with her “most favorite star of all.”

At around ten o’clock, the guests began to filter out. Francesca and Conrad then stepped outside to enjoy some private time together. They began to play in the expansive yard as Zsa Zsa stood in the kitchen watching through an open window with attorney Gregson Bautzer, a very good friend of hers who was at the party along with his wife, actress Dana Wynter. (Bautzer had been Eva Gabor’s date the night she and Zsa Zsa met Conrad for the first time, many years earlier. He had also attended Zsa Zsa’s wedding to Conrad.) With one hand, Conrad tossed a red ball in Francesca’s direction, while with the other he nursed a Dewar’s neat. Though the little girl would sometimes catch it, she usually missed the ball. She would good-naturedly run to retrieve it and then pop it into the air to return it to her dad. It was relaxed and very natural.

“Will you just look at those two,” Zsa Zsa said to Gregson with a satisfied smile. “They get along so well, don’t they?” she added, lighting a cigarette. “Family is
so
important, don’t you agree, Greg?” Then, speaking loudly to her daughter through the open window, she cautioned, “Now, Francie, don’t you dare get those gloves dirty! They’re pure silk! I just bought them at Magnin’s!”

“Yes, they’re really great together,” agreed Gregson as he watched father and daughter at play.

“I know this birthday party is a little much,” Zsa Zsa admitted. “But all I want is for Francie is to have a beautiful life. I think every young girl deserves that much,” she added with a reflective smile, “and a father is
so
important to a child. Don’t you agree, Greg?”

“I do,” he answered. “And my God, that Connie is such a fool sometimes,” he added, shaking his head.

“Why do you say that?” Zsa Zsa asked.

“Well, you know, sometimes he says that Francesca is his daughter, and sometimes he says she is not,” Gregson answered. The remark was casual and off the cuff, as if he was just thinking aloud.

Zsa Zsa faced Gregson directly. “What do you mean by that?” she asked, suddenly stiffening. “When has Connie ever said that Francesca is not his daughter?”

“Oh… I mean…” Suddenly, Gregson was at a loss for words; he began to sputter. Ordinarily a very smart, discreet lawyer, he had spoken out of turn. Now he was definitely on the spot, and likely annoyed with himself about it, too. “What I mean is that… sometimes he feels like a father and… sometimes… he doesn’t. That’s all.”

“But that’s not what you
said
,” Zsa Zsa countered, her expression now stern. “What you
said
is that he sometimes thinks Francesca is not his daughter.
That’s
what you said.”

“Well, has he ever said anything like that to you?” Gregson asked Zsa Zsa.

“No,” Zsa Zsa answered quickly. “Not once has he ever said anything like that to me. And just look at them,” she continued. “He is so nice to her and she loves him so much.” She added that Conrad was always present for all of the girl’s parties, and as far as Zsa Zsa could tell, he truly cared for Francesca. “Why, we’re
family
,” she concluded, according to her distinct memory of the events.

“Look, let’s just have a fun day and not worry about it,” Gregson said, trying his best to end the conversation. “I was talking through my hat, anyway. Let’s forget it.” He then leaned in to her and added, “Take a look around, Zsa Zsa. This is the high life, baby. You got it made, sweetheart. Enjoy it! Who the hell cares what Conrad Hilton thinks about anything?” And with that, Gregson Bautzer left the room as quickly as his legs could take him.

Now alone, Zsa Zsa Gabor turned her full attention to Conrad and Francesca, still playing in the backyard and acting for all intents and purposes like father and daughter. Only she would know exactly what was going on in her head in that moment, but to hear her tell it many years later, as she sat smoking her cigarette and staring at her ex-husband and her daughter, Zsa Zsa was more than a little concerned.

Natalie Wood’s Advice

A
re you sure about this? Because this is a big decision. You need to think about it carefully.”

It was late in the evening of November 4, 1958. Natalie Wood—the famous actress who once dated and was still friendly with Nicky Hilton—was trying to reason with a dark-haired eighteen-year-old girl named Trish, offering her advice about her love life. As it had happened, Natalie’s fling with Nicky had overlapped with her love affair with Robert Wagner, a handsome actor known for his pretty-boy looks and exaggeratedly groomed pompadour. Natalie and Robert had married the year before, shortly after her affair with Nicky ended. Now Natalie felt she could offer some insight into what Trish could expect in a relationship with the Hilton heir.

The two were sitting on a not very comfortable Victorian-era black-and-gold settee in an ornately appointed suite at Manhattan’s Waldorf-Astoria in which Natalie was staying with her new husband. Nicky and Trish McClintock had also checked into the hotel for a weekend of fun and socializing in New York City. They’d been dating for a couple of months, and despite the age difference—Nicky was thirty-two—Trish had fallen head over heels in love with him. Just days earlier she had agreed to marry him. It had all happened so fast, no one in either of their lives seemed able to understand the relationship. Trish’s father was particularly upset about it. After all, at thirty-eight, Frank Grant McClintock was only six years older than Nicky. It didn’t matter to Trish, though. She knew what she wanted—what she felt she needed—and it was Nicky Hilton.

The two young ladies were settling into their chat after what had been an eventful night. Earlier, Nicky, Barron, R.J.—as Robert Wagner was known—and the actor Nick Adams (who would later star in a TV series called
The Rebel
) joined them for dinner at an upscale restaurant. Although they all had a few drinks and were no doubt feeling a bit high, no one seemed to be inebriated by any means. By the time they returned to the Waldorf, however, Nicky and Barron had a serious case of the giggles, as if the alcohol had finally kicked in and was making them giddy. Eventually Nicky and Barron began to engage in some juvenile horseplay. Suddenly, Barron slipped on a newspaper and fell backward. It was such a freak accident, it took everyone by surprise. One moment, Barron and Nicky were laughing and mock fighting, and the next, after a loud thud, Barron was flat on his back. It looked serious; everyone was concerned. Nicky immediately sobered up and sprang into action. He helped Barron into the elevator, secured a cab, and got his brother to a nearby hospital as quickly as possible, leaving his fiancée, Trish, behind in the suite with Natalie, R.J., and Nick Adams.

When Nicky and Barron returned to the suite, the group learned that their concerns had some merit. Barron had broken his leg. Relieved that it wasn’t anything more serious, Nick Adams wearily said good night. Then Barron went to his room, and Nicky and R.J. went off to enjoy the view from one of the terraces, leaving Natalie and Trish to their cups of coffee and girl talk.

The evening’s events had brought Natalie’s concerns about Trish’s romance with Nicky into sharp focus. At just twenty, Natalie Wood wasn’t much older than Trish, but because she’d been involved in the cutthroat world of show business since the age of five, she was much more experienced. And because of her previous relationship with Nicky, she was aware of the dark side behind his charismatic, playful demeanor. “So, how are things going between you and Nicky?” Natalie wanted to know.

“It’s wonderful,” Trish said, according to her memory of the conversation. “He’s just great.”

“You know, he really is,” Natalie agreed, looking a bit troubled. “He’s a wonderful man. But he does have a problem, you know? Are you sure you’re ready to handle this kind of thing?”

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t seen him drink?” Natalie asked.

Actually, as it happened, this night marked the first time Trish had ever seen Nicky have an alcoholic beverage. She wasn’t that concerned about it.

“Sweetheart, it’s a problem,” Natalie added. She then said that she and Nicky had once dated, so she knew him quite well and felt that his drinking was not a small matter. She said it was “a lot for any woman to handle.” Being candid, she had to admit that she didn’t know if Trish was ready to cope with such trouble.

Trish didn’t know what to think. Her silence was a disheartened one. Natalie was an actress, she reasoned, and perhaps she was just displaying her flair for the dramatic. “Okay, well, if he has a problem, I will deal with it,” Trish said finally.

“What’s the attraction?” Natalie asked.

“I have never met anyone who has such strong faith that people will ultimately do the right thing,” Trish answered. She added that she first fell in love with Nicky’s idealism, and then with him as a man. “I love him,” she said, “and that’s all that matters.”

Natalie smiled. “Oh my,” she said, shaking her head at Trish’s naïveté. “Love isn’t enough.” She reached out and took both of Trish’s hands in her own and told her that she used to believe the same thing, “that when you love a boy, that’s enough,” she said, a bit wistfully. But she added that she’d since learned the hard way that this was not always the case. “Love is
not
enough,” she concluded. “You need much more.”

Trish held her ground. “Well, I’m not leaving him,” she said. “I see all he can be, and I want to help him get there,” she added.

Natalie shrugged as if to suggest that she had tried her best and was now ready to let it go. She then suggested that Trish at least take her time and not rush into marriage. Trish said she would do just that. “Fine,” Natalie concluded as she set her eyes on the fancy cake platter set before them. “Now, let’s have some of that nice coffee cake, shall we?”

In her heart of hearts, Natalie Wood must have known that her advice to Trish would go unheeded. Just as she had to learn her own hard lessons, so would Patricia “Trish” McClintock. For Trish, sitting in a glamorous suite at the Waldorf-Astoria while listening to advice about her love life from one of the world’s most famous actresses—a woman who three years earlier had been nominated for an Oscar for her work in
Rebel Without a Cause
—was just the first of many years’ worth of head-spinning moments she would experience as the fiancée, and later wife, of Nicky Hilton. Trish would spend the next eleven years doing everything she could think of to prove Natalie wrong… to prove that love really
was
enough.