MR. RIGHT

HISTORY’S GREATEST LEADING MEN

When you look at your significant other – what do you see? Better yet, when you speak to others about him, what do you say?

There’s a reason that acceptance speeches are as big a part of any awards show as the trophies, themselves.  Most successful people know that their success has only been made possible by the people who’ve encouraged and supported them along the way. In this special Women’s History Month edition of “Mr. Right” let’s take a look at some of history’s greatest men through the eyes of the women who loved and supported them.

 

Prince Albert

PRINCE ALBERT – The love story of England’s Queen Victoria and Prince Albert – undoubtedly one of history’s greatest royal love affairs – resulted in 9 children, countless commissioned works of art, volumes of passionate discourses and more.

Recently discovered letters from the Queen to her uncle Leopold – the matchmaker who first brought her and Albert together – indicate just how much the dashing young Albert set the Queen’s hear aflutter:

‘He is so sensible, so kind, and so good, and so amiable too,’ she writes, adding: ‘He has besides, the most pleasing and delightful exterior and appearance, you can possibly see.’

( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133365/Tender-letter-reveals-Queen-Victoria-fell-love-Prince-Albert.html#ixzz2MsZ23VUC )

 

 

 

 

 

Jackie Robinson

JACKIE ROBINSON – Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947. The upcoming feature film “42” – the number Robinson wore on his jersey – will chronicle much of his public struggle for racial equality and excellence on the baseball diamond.  But to his widow Rachel – the proud keeper of his legacy, Jack, who she met when she was a freshman at UCLA and he was a senior, was so much more than his public persona.

“Jack was quiet, confident friendly and had a beautiful smile, just the opposite of what I had anticipated,” she remembered of their first encounter. “I was just so relieved to see that he was a human being that I could admire.” (UCLA Today, May 05, 2009)

“[Jack] was a man very capable of great love and commitment. I always felt especially fortunate to be loved by him and to experience his great tenderness.”  (http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/interview-rachel-robinson)

Jackie Robinson died on October 24, 1972 at age 53.

 

Desi Arnaz

DESI ARNAZ – The show title may have been “I Love Lucy,” but, by all accounts, the famous redhead was totally head over heels for her sexy Latin lover, as well. Like many Hollywood couples, Desi and Lucy met at work on the set of the 1940 film Too Many Girls. A Hollywood screenwriter couldn’t have written their love story any better, as their lives – played out on television –  would both revolutionize the media format and continue to delight audiences for decades after their deaths. Lucy once confided that the enormous success of their show was more than either of them ever imagined and, in some ways, even hoped for.

“I’m sometimes scared of everything that has happened to us. We didn’t think Desilu Productions would grow so big. We merely wanted to be together and have two children.”

The original black and white series “I Love Lucy” ran from 1951 to 1957, and a modified version of the show ”The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” ran for three years after. But too many girls and too much liquor would ultimately undermine one of history’s most beloved couples. Both the series and their marriage ended in 1960.

“Desi was the great love of my life. I will miss him until the day I die,” Lucy once said.  “But I don`t regret divorcing him. I just couldn`t take it anymore.”

 

Gerald Ford

GERALD FORD – The enduring legacy of former First Lady Betty Ford may be the contributions she’s made to helping others break free from addiction – born out of her own painful struggle with substance abuse. But her union with former US President Gerald “Jerry” Ford was said to be one of Washington’s greatest love stories. Even from the beginning, the Fords – who were married for 58 years – seemed to be totally in sync with one another.

“Once I’d said marriage was the last thing on my mind, and he’d made it clear it was no part of his program either, we could relax, have a good time [and] go to all the football games. He wanted a companion, and I filled the bill. As for me, I liked handsome blond men, I found him physically attractive; I enjoyed his company and his friends.”

“I had such belief in my husband. I never doubted he could do it. … But I wasn’t sure what kind of First Lady I would be. There was a great deal of whooping and hollering right at the beginning because I’d said Jerry and I were not going to have separate bedrooms at the White House, and that we were going to take our own bed with us. … Even now, after all those years of married life, I like the idea of sleeping with my husband next to me.”

Excerpts from Betty Ford’s 1978 memoir The Times of My Life.

 

John Lennon

JOHN LENNON – Much-maligned by fans of the Fab Four for purportedly “breaking up the band,” Yoko Ono was the muse who inspired some of former Beatles front man John Lennon’s most memorable cultural contributions – both in and out of the studio. An avant-garde creative force in her own right, Lennon once called Ono, “The most famous unknown artist in the world.” As a couple, they were vocal critics of the Vietnam War – staging sensational public protests including their 1969 honeymoon/Bed-In for Peace in Amsterdam and recording the anti-war anthem “Give Peace a Chance.”

Yet, despite the tumult that often characterized them, publicly, they wanted to be known for the tenderness and genuine affection for one another that they shared, as well.

“When people get cynical about love, they should look at us and see it is possible,” Ono once said.

In 1980, their controversial and fascinating love story came to a tragic end when an assassin’s bullets struck John down outside their home in New York City’s storied Dakota building.  But her words, when speaking with Esquire Magazine about her partner more than thirty years after his death, clearly illustrate the depths of their passionate bond and love for one another.

“[John] was very good. He was a very strong and beautiful and protective force for me.”

 
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