Los Angeles Times file photo
Wanda Hendrix and Keith Larson look over items of Marion Davies being sold at auction, in a photo dated Jan. 13, 1953.*
*Thanks to Chris Morales for pointing out that Davies was still alive in 1953. The 250 items came from Davies’ homes in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills, The Times said. A King George III and Queen Victoria sterling silver tea and coffee service sold for $1,950 ($15,077.76 USD 2007), The Times said.
ladailymirror.com 
Working in Hearst management for 20 years, I was privy to a lot of stories about the old man and Marion. W.R. died in Davies home, and in an effort to control the estate, the corporation had to bring the body back to the family. Marion made the mistake of calling an old friend, an editor at the Examiner to announce W.R.’s death right after he died. The editor was immediatly dispatched to Marion’s home under orders and got her so drunk that she passed out. (Marion always had a penchant for booze). The family then sent a hearse, picked up the body, and the rest is history.
Of course I wasn’t there, but it makes a heck of a story.
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