The Myth of Lupe Vélez

"Lupe Vélez, the movie star in the '30s. Well, her career hit the skids, so she decided she'd make one final stab at immortality. She figured if she couldn't be remembered for her movies, she'd be remembered for the way she died. And all Lupe wanted was to be remembered. So, she plans this lavish suicide - flowers, candles, silk sheets, white satin gown, full hair and makeup, the works. She takes the overdose of pills, lays on the bed, and imagines how beautiful she's going to look on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper. Unfortunately, the pills don't sit well with the enchilada combo plate she sadly chose as her last meal. She stumbles to the bathroom, trips and goes head-first into the toilet, and that's how they found her."

This scene from Frasier where Roz Doyle describes the tragic ending of the actress Lupe Vélez stood out in my mind since the first time I watched it as a child. Little did I know, this was a sensationalized version of Lupe's suicide that had allegedly been written by author Kenneth Anger in 1959 for his book Hollywood Babylon. In reality, Lupe passed away in her bed as she had hoped after taking sleeping pills.

Lupe had found success in Hollywood not long after moving from her home in Mexico and soon started starring opposite major stars of her time such as Douglas Fairbanks and Gary Cooper. Vélez went on to be known for her role in the Mexican Spitfire film series and paved the way as one of the first successful Mexican American actresses in Hollywood.

In 1944, Lupe learned she was pregnant with actor Harald Raymond's child. Harald refused to marry her, which she said led to her choice to commit suicide on December 14 by consuming a lethal dose of sleeping pills. Whether her choice to take her life was caused by fears of being a single mother or perhaps due to undiagnosed mental health issues has been debated. Nonetheless, she sadly chose to take her life that day, leaving a note behind for Harald Raymond. "Harald, May God forgive you and forgive me too, but I prefer to take my life away and our baby’s before I bring him with shame or killing him." On the opposite side, she wrote, "How could you, Harald, fake such a great love for me and our baby when all the time, you didn't want us? I see no other way out for me, so goodbye, and good luck to you, Love Lupe." She was found by her secretary, Beulah Kinder, lying peacefully as if she were resting.

Newspaper photo: Boston Globe

References

Frasier quote

TCM