Growing up in Austria-Hungary, Hedy Lamarr had two great passions: acting and inventing. She’s best known for her work in Hollywood, stunning American audiences with her beauty and compelling dramatic talents. But recently she’s earned recognition for her technological contributions as well. She and her friend, the composer George Antheil, received a patent for radio-frequency technology that is now valued at over 300 Billion dollars. Because of Hedy, your family can safely send secure text messages and access WIFI.
Our narrator this episode, actress Tatiana Maslany, has also found success on screen. She received an Emmy and was nominated for a Golden Globe after her incredible performance in the “Orphan Black” television series. This summer, she’ll star in HBO’s limited series, “Perry Mason.”
This podcast is an expansion of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo. If you enjoyed learning about Hedy, visit our website at
www.rebelgirls.com to pick up more stories about incredible women. Use promocode REBELPODCAST to get 15% off your first purchase!
Credits:
The podcast is a production of Rebel Girls and Boom Integrated, a division of John Marshall Media. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.
Our Executive Producers are Elena Favilli and Joy Fowlkes. This season was produced by John Marshall Cheary, Sarah Storm, and Robin Lai. This episode was written by Rebecca Behrens and edited by Joy Fowlkes. Maithy Vu proofread. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi who has also sound designed this episode. Mattia Marcelli is the sound mixer. Special thanks to Grace House for always going above and beyond!
References
Camhi, Leslie. (2017, December 3). Hedy Lamarr’s Forgotten, Frustrated Career as a Wartime Inventor. The New Yorker. Retrieved from
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/hedy-lamarrs-forgotten-frustrated-career-as-a-wartime-inventorCheslak, Colleen. (2018). Hedy Lamarr (1914–2000). National Women’s History Museum. Retrieved from
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/hedy-lamarrDean, Alexandra (Director). (2017). Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story [motion picture]. United States: Reframed Pictures.
Diamond, Anna. (2017, November). Why Hedy Lamarr Was Hollywood’s Secret Weapon. Smithsonian. Retrieved from
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/hollywood-secret-weapon-180965209/George, Alice. (2019, April 4). Thank This World War II-Era Film Star for Your Wi-Fi. Smithsonian. Retrieved from
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/thank-world-war-ii-era-film-star-your-wi-fi-180971584/Hedy Lamarr. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hedy-LamarrHedy Lamarr. Wikipedia. Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_LamarrHorowitz, Kate. (2017, August 1). 8 Dazzling Facts about Hedy Lamarr. Mental Floss. Retrieved from
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502950/8-dazzling-facts-about-hedy-lamarrLichtenbaum, Elisa. (2018, April 25). 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Hollywood Star and Inventor
Hedy Lamarr. PBS: American Masters. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/blog/7-things-didnt-know-hollywood-star-inventor-hedy-lamarr/Oullette, Jennifer. (2012, January 9). Hop, Skip and a Jump: Remembering Hedy Lamarr. Scientific American. Retrieved from
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/hop-skip-and-a-jump-remembering-hedy-lamar/Wallmark, Laurie. (2019). Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor. New York, NY: Sterling Children’s Books.
Werft, Meghan. (2017, April 25). Hollywood Star Hedy Lamarr Was a Genius, But the World Only Saw Her Beauty. Global Citizen. Retrieved from
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/hedy-lamarr-genius-only-seen-for-beauty/