The HORRIFYING Truth of Ann Woodward & The Shooting Of The Century FEUD Capote vs The Swans

in the glittering world of New York High Society where Glamour and wealth seemed to reign supreme Anne Woodward's life was destined for both greatness and tragedy her story which unfolded like a dark and twisted fairy tale offers a glimpse into the secrets and Scandals hidden behind the painted Smiles of the elite the notorious murder of her millionaire husband would haunt Anne Woodward for the next 20 years and culminate in her death when Truman capot the master of the true Prime novel brutally shined the spotlight on what was known as the shooting of the century in this video we will look at the life of Anne Woodward who she was how she came to fame and her brutal takedown by the man she once slighted let's begin born as evangelene Crowell in 1915 in a small Kansas town Anne Woodward had dreams bigger than her humble beginnings at the age of 23 she arrived in New York City shedding her birth name and adopting the moniker an Eden her striking Beauty soon caught the attention of the influential John Robert Powers agency propelling her into the world of modeling and entertainment her journey appeared to be the beginning of a classic Hollywood success story but Anne was about to discover that her Ascent came with a price Anne's early years in New York brought her some success as a radio actress with her radiant Beauty she earned the ironic title of the most beautiful girl in radio however her climb to fame was arduous in her mid2 she found herself working as a showgirl at a nightclub catering to the city's affluent and influential men it was here that Ann's Destiny took an unexpected turn William Woodward senior a wealthy Banker from an old money Family walked into the nightclub changing the course of Anne's life forever turns out that good old William Woodward senior was searching for a bit more excitement than his marriage could provide Anne's mesmerizing presence on stage left him Spellbound she exuded Charisma and uninhibited confidence whether she was provocatively dancing under the spotlight or mingling with the patrons in her bunny suit she stood in stark contrast to the women in his Social Circle and he found it impossible to resist her that was until his wife got wind of their Affair rumors were going around that Anne had become William senior's mistress and it was time to put a stop to it all it wasn't long after that when William Woodward Senor broke it to Anne that he needed to terminate their not so secret affair still he wanted to keep her close by so it dawned on him to devise a cunning plan he put it to Anne that she might employ her seductive charms on Guess Who his very own son William Woodward Jr despite society's current fascination with young Billy's Bachelor status it appeared that he had had no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship Woodward Senor suspected that his son might be inexperienced in matters of romance and he had even heard Whispers suggesting that Billy might be homosexual which he found unacceptable for his family's reputation an perhaps could impart some wisdom about women to his son and guide him in a different direction an readily agreed to the proposition if she couldn't have the father she was more than willing to accept the son all of which set the stage for a series of events that would lead to tragedy when Anne first hooked up with the young Billy everyone thought she wasn't good enough for him William Jr's mother promptly branded Anne as a gold digger and encouraged her son to end their relationship regardless William Woodward Jr married evangelene Crowell AKA an Eden on March 20th 1943 but much to her dismay the elite Circles of newor York High Society outright rejected her leaving her isolated from the glittering parties and social events she had aspired to attend undeterred by the icy reception Anne persevered she immersed herself in the intricacies of upper class decorum acquiring the manners fashion sense and references required to navigate the city's social Elite but to no avail Anne had hoped to be accepted into a very elite group of women known as Truman capot swans including babe paly Gloria Guinness and slim Keith to name a few but even as she produced two sons as heirs to the Woodward Fortune the swans kept her on the fringes of their orbit some say it was because of her humble beginnings and early days as a showgirl or perhaps the swans had an inkling of the spotlight that Anne would later put on everyone in the group when Truman capot brutally used an to promote his upcoming book answered prayers and in the process he betrayed them all but don't let me get ahead of myself near the end of the 1940s Anne's marriage began to deteriorate Petty fights and public arguments plagued the couple behind closed doors both Anne and Billy engaged in extramarital Affairs intensifying their conflicts by 1955 Billy made the final decision that divorce was his only option an faced a difficult Choice when Billy said he was done for good and good riddance to her despite the turmoil in their marriage she couldn't bear to lose her social status and the life she had fought so hard to attain Anne refused his plea unknowingly setting the stage for a tragic turn of events as Ann's emotional burden grew heavier she sought solace in martinis and prescription pills and while that might have contributed to what happened on that fateful night it wasn't the main event the story goes like this in in the Eerie backdrop of Halloween 1955 Anne and Billy were attending a party hosted by their friends the Duke of Windsor and Wallace Simpson during dinner they discussed a recent string of burglaries in their neighborhood voicing their determination to protect their home and property at all cost their fears took a dark turn when Billy revealed that he kept a weapon near his bedside and Anne confessed to having one as well later that night as Anne lay in her separate bedroom her dog's frantic barking signaled danger convinced that a burglar was in their home she heard noises on the roof and rushed to investigate armed with a shotgun she confronted the Intruder outside Billy's bedroom door and fired a fatal shot when authorities arrived at the scene at 2:35 a.m. they discovered a harrowing Tableau Anne cradled her husband's lifeless body sobbing and crying I shot him to their shock they found that the so-called Intruder was none other than her husband Billy Anne had inadvertently taken her husband's life under the guise of mistaken identity or so she claimed in the aftermath of the shooting an's Behavior raised suspicions she made cryptic statements and her lawyer Soul Rosen blat was soon on the scene to Shield her from extensive questioning the Press seized upon the case dubbing it the shooting of the century however a shocking turn of events would soon cast doubt on Anne's culpability it turns out that a man named Paul worths known for burglary claimed he had attempted to break into the Woodward residence on the night of the shooting this Revelation appeared to exonerate Anne but it also deepened the already wide Rift with her mother-in-law Elise who remained convinced of Anne's guilt soon after in a scene that mirrored a courtroom drama Anne found herself facing a grand jury trial for the alleged murder of her own husband within the Nassau County Courthouse a sheveled Anne passionately proclaimed her innocence insisting once more that she had mistakenly believed Billy was an intruder she even pointed out that the actual burglar had been apprehended nevertheless the prosecution did not shy away from bringing up her troubled marriage and undoubtedly the substantial inheritance she stood to gain if Billy were no longer in the picture when the verdict was finally delivered it set tongues wagging after a mere 30 minutes of Liberation the jury reached a controversial decision acquitting Anne Woodward of all charges on the grounds of self-defense but the public wasn't buying it many remained skeptical of her innocence and new theories popped up including one that claimed an was set free thanks to the Mother-in-law who was said to have devised the whole story of another man in the house and that she had paid him to take the WAP for Anne the reasoning was to spare the Woodward family name and get Anne out of the Limelight an's reputation was tarnished and her High Society friends turned their backs on her banished from New York High Society at the command of her mother-in-law to get out of town and sought Refuge abroad she wandered through European cities drowning her sorrows in Venice and elsewhere however her Exile came at a tremendous cost an's two sons Woody and Jimmy were sent to boarding school in Switzerland with no explanations provided her youngest Jimmy faced his own demons succumbing to addiction and mental turmoil after serving in Vietnam an attempted to reenter the New York Social Scene but her efforts were in vain she had lost her power and her looks were fading her tragic tale had one final twist when she encountered Truman capot who knew an but was never close with her they were connected via friends of friends at best in the book deliberate cruelty author Rosanne montio writes as he arrived at the table Anne immediately got up from her chair angry that she should have been Disturbed during her meal a short conversation followed during which apparently Anne called Truman a little he returned the slur by wagging his finger at her and calling her Mrs bang bang a moniker that would stick to her for the rest of her days Truman gossiped about the encounter for years afterward when word got back to Anne that capot was talking about her she called him a little toad a ball of hatred grew in Truman capot so much so that Anne became the target of the famous author's costic wit over the next two decades by 1975 capot not only hated Anne but some suggest that he began to resent his Infamous swans the wealthy and socially prominent women who were his close friends and who he had worked so hard at becoming their loyal and trusted Confidant over the years they had spoonfed Truman capot their Darkly hidden secrets their tormented feelings and their deepest desires the writer encouraged them to spill it all out all the while he was taking notes and waiting patiently to strike just like a snake in the grass in November 1975 Truman capot published a preview chapter of a book that he was working on that was going to expose everything and everybody those very women who he had courted and befriended and he wasn't going to forget that one woman that he hated so vehemently Anne Woodward the article was called laot Basque 1965 and in it he used thinly veiled characters to represent his swans along with Anne Woodward capote's portrayal of Anne and lot Basque was nothing short of brutal he depicted her as Anne Hopkins a jazzy little Carrot Top killer and a malicious Betty grael who had murdered her husband for financial gain he also gave away a bedroom Secret by giving his fictional an the nickname Lady Marmalade because because of a little trick she'd learned to do with Jam whether these claims had any basis in reality was unclear but the damage was done capote's words published in Esquire further tarnished Anne's already fragile reputation Anne never got to witness the publication of lote Basque in October 1975 overwhelmed by her tragic fate and the impending publication she sadly took her own life at the early age of 59 now watch this next video to get the real historical account of Truman capot and his swans

Channel: Fabulous, Fierce & Feisty Women In History

Views: 139,935

Keywords: Ann Woodward, The Shooting Of The Century, The Murder of William Woodward Jr, Documentaries, Fued capote vs the swans, capote vs the swans real story, capote's swans, feud season 2, feud capote vs the swans real life, fued capote vs the swans true story, truman capote, feudFX, Feud, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald, Tom Hollander, Babe Paley, Slim Keith, C. Z. Guest, Lee Radziwill, Bill Paley, Laurence Leamer

Id: eBverYp8fX4

Length: 12min 48sec (768 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 31 2024