The Ludmila Confessions

“Nina Blanchard’s” favorite models, me standing above her

This was at the end of 1960. In Caracas, everything had look so promising with William and me. We had wonderful time going dancing, celebrating the holidays, and of course living it up with alcohol and cocaine. It all seemed so inoffensive back then. But one night, before we went out to the Key Club, he told me he wanted to stop so I could meet this French lady. He said they had a business relationship, but of course they spoke French so I was in the dark. Her place looked like Gigi’s aunts place; I thought she was a prostitute or maybe a madame, because she looked so much older than I and so made up.. They went into a room, closed the door, and when he came out I felt sure this was where he got the cocaine for that night. Taking the coke back to the US was dangerous, even then, but it was so easy just to carry it in your pocket or purse. No problems! At least, I did not yet know the consequences of such acts, and unless you were a suspect the customs did not search you then like they do today.

On the other hand it is more difficult for me to describe my love for Oscar. Our romance was different, so innocent and full of outdoor life- polo, scuba diving, fishing, wine with dinners. It was so romantic and charming, the very different and rich old money world! Oscar was a young generation of that time, a Venezuelan men of European ancestry, but Oscar was the good boy, and William was the bad one, crazy and adventurous. Each one could be a romantic novel or film by itself, and in my crazy young mind I was not being bad or immoral. Since I was not married to anyone, it was all very simple and justifiable.

From Caracas William and I flew together to Miami, in first class with real napkins and crystal goblets. Even the water glass was crystal, and there was a real menu and washcloths with perfumed, or cologne on the napkins. After dinner again they served a clean hot perfumed bowl with floating flower and a piece of lemon to clean your hands. In the bathroom were cologne, perfume and all kinds of pretty things. We were talking about how things had changed in N.Y. and especially in California in the last few years. I remember when I first sat on a bus they were no black people allowed to sit up front, they all sat in the back. I have read a little history about slavery and that really made me sad, that people could treat other people like that, but I was not into politics nor I was so unselfish as too feel too busy to spend my time for any one. I did not think I could save the world – I only was interested in me, myself and I.

At our arrival at the Miami terminal, William alter picked up his new Mercedes Benz convertible sports car, which was already there awaiting for us. I’ve never understood why Jewish people would buy German cars– Hitler and the Nazis were German weren’t they? William was a French Jew and said he had been in the French Legion in World War II, spying for the French– so he said. He also told me a story that one time he was briefly taken prisoner and the Nazis were going to bury him alive, until he fooled them by screaming in perfect German that they were idiots, burying one of their own people, and that he was an important counterspy! So why a M. B.?

There was something dark and mysterious about him, and I was so naive or ignorant about things that I never went any deeper than loving him and enjoying life with him. So I didn’t dig any deeper , honestly I was not interested on his past. We drove the car up to New York together and then he shipped the car west and he flew to San Francisco. So I went back to Hollywood where Daud was awaiting me. Mama told me that he even spent couple of nights on our sofa! I forget the reason why- maybe he did not know when I was coming back?

Now I was back in Tinseltown and seriously had to look for an agent.

One lucky morning, after Gala went to work, my niece went to the school across the street and mama went to see some Russian lady friend for a job. I went off to see an agent by the name of Nina Blanchard, in a little one room office on Sunset Strip. She was just getting started and was planning to expand her operation on Sunset Blvd, since already she had one of the most famous models in the world signed with her. A few years later her supermodel died of drug and alcohol abuse, but I did not know that she was using at that time, she was so very beautiful but totally wasted her life, little I knew then that is where I was headed two…….

I walked in and Nina was right there. She just said sign here and tell the secretary to take your measurements and give all your information. Then she sent me to some photographers to take some different test shots. She did not want to change my look or cut my hair –nada , nothing, she liked me just as I was!