Author Description

Brief Synopsis for “Castle Happy: Unexpected Love Stories” B-film actor and horse wrangler Arthur Lake gets a lucky invitation from Hearst’s son, Jack, to a lavish 1938 Halloween party, hosted by one of the richest men in America, William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies, his life-long mistress and film actress, at their famous San Simeon Castle Estate. The folksy, but awkward and naïve, Lake meets Davies’ seventeen year-old “niece,” Patricia, but fails to impress her. No wonder, since she’s obsessed with the narcissistic movie star Errol Flynn, who has also been invited along with Bette Davis at the height of her acting career but near the depths of her personal life. Patricia brings Flynn a perfumed assignation letter, which he brags about to Bette. The hosts are enraged when, prodded by Bette, they find Flynn “accidentally” on top of Patricia in his bedroom. To avoid scandal, Hearst and Davies concoct a plan to marry Patricia off ASAP—with Arthur as the somewhat clueless but convenient groom. Hearst and Davies use persuasion and industry clout to remove Flynn from Patricia and mollify Davis. But will Patricia consent to marry a stranger? Marion sets up a “screen test” audition with Arthur playing Dagwood to Patricia’s Blondie to help her decide. Like the “happy-ending” movies of the period, the test amazingly succeeds. Lake begins his life-changing career as Dagwood Bumstead in 22 films and 100s of radio and TV sitcoms and strangely enough as Patricia’s real life husband. Errol does find love with the butler while Bette questions, “Why at the end of every story, am I always the one left alone?” Throughout it all W. R. and Marion demonstrate their abiding love for each other which actually did endure until death parted them. That is probably the most unexpected of these love stories and reflective of the dreams of many of our current musical ticket buyers.