The Only Woman in the Room
Author: Marie Benedict
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Date of Publication: August 6, 2019
Pages: 336
The Only Woman in the Room is the fictionalized story of
actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr. She was a woman famous for her beauty,
but a smart, savvy, and independent woman existed behind the glamour. She
was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Austria, an only child in a Jewish family.
This book begins with her courtship by Friedrich Mandt, an older arms manufacturer.
He was enamored with her beauty and became obsessed. She was encouraged
in this relationship by her father, who thought that Mandt's connections would
protect the Kiesler family from the Germans should they invade Austria.
One condition of their marriage was that Hedy would have to abandon her acting
career. After their honeymoon in Italy, the couple hosts many extravagant
dinners and parties to enhance Friedrich's munitions business. Hedy
becomes a trusted advisor to her husband and is often the only woman in the
room during negotiations and other business meetings. She pays attention
during these discussions and learns about the munitions business and about
difficulties the Germans were having with guidance systems for
torpedoes.
The relationship
deteriorates as Friedrich becomes more controlling, abusive, and
manipulative. She decides to escape and devises a clever plan. In London
Hedy meets Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM studios in Hollywood and captivates him
with her beauty. She moves to America, negotiates a lucrative contract
with MGM, and soon is cast in many blockbuster movies with the most popular
leading men of the day. During this time, she revisits the torpedo
guidance system issue and with the help of a famous composer devises a method
of alternating frequencies to improve accuracy and prevent jamming of torpedo
guidance systems. She presents her invention in Washington, D.C. to the
Navy and, again, she is the only woman in the room. The idea is rejected,
mainly because of her gender. She did receive a patent and her
innovation was implemented in 1957. This technology is still used today in Bluetooth and wireless
devices.
The Only Woman in the Room does an excellent job of bringing
this fascinating person to life. Hedy Lamarr's perseverance,
determination, and brilliance are a revelation to those of us who only knew her
superficially as a Hollywood starlet. The story is told in the first
person from Hedy's point of view which allows for even greater insight into the
character, her thought processes, and her motivations. The author did
extensive research to give this work of fiction great credibility. My
only criticism is that the The Only Woman in the Room ends in the 1940s, but
the Hedy Lamarr story had many more chapters! She lived until the year
2000, and died at the age of 85. The somewhat abrupt conclusion to this
book made me want to learn more about this fascinating lady. There is a
documentary which was released in 2017 which gives a more thorough view of Ms.
Lamarr's entire life. Entitled "Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr
Story", the documentary contains many movie clips and interviews
with Ms. Lamarr as well as with members of her family. The author's
stated purpose for this book (as well as for her many other books) is to illuminate
the significant contributions of many women which have been ignored or
overlooked. In this regard, Marie Benedict has powerfully succeeded!
