TOO RICH: THE SECRET LIFE OF DORIS DUKE {PART 1 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
This two-part made-for-television drama examines the strange and colorful life of billionaire tobacco heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke.
The first installment begins as 80-year-old Doris undergoes a facelift and is cared for by Bernard Lafferty, her butler/confidante, and is then re-hospitalized for two months after a stroke. Declaring that she's done with hospitals and hovering caregivers, Doris reflects on her late father, James Buchanan "Buck" Duke. Back in 1912, Buck happily announces the birth of his daughter, though Doris' half-brother Walker Inman, no longer the heir to Buck's fortune, bitterly declares her their mother Nanaline's "most expensive mistake." Buck dotes on little Doris, and she is devastated when he dies of a heart attack in 1925, leaving the bulk of his money to Doris and to Duke University, with nothing for "wastrel" Walker. In the present, Bernard begins to take control of the household and keeps an ailing Doris away from the phone. Dr. Caulfield urges her to get rid of him. Bernard, however, fires the doctor over a supposed conflict of interest and enlists an attorney to help him become her power of attorney and executor of her will, using Doris' failing memory to his advantage.
Back in the past, when young Doris accepts her role as "the richest girl in the world" and takes legal control of her fortune, an outraged Nanaline fears would-be kidnappers and extortionists out in the "real world." In 1936, adult Doris meets politically ambitious James Cromwell at a New Year's Eve party, though Nanaline speculates that he's merely a gold-digger with no true affection for her. Doris defiantly marries him, but learns shortly thereafter that he is indeed broke, thanks to the Great Depression. The newlyweds spend their European honeymoon in separate rooms. In London, Doris meets "honest fortune-hunter" Alec Cunningham-Reid, whose ex-wife has taken a liking to James; though the two strike up a romance, she chooses to return to America without him, also informing James that she won't be financially supporting his bid for Congress. Back in the present, Bernard gives false statements to the press about Doris' well-being and continues spending her money on himself, though she begins to notice his behavior as she slowly recovers.
In the past, Doris travels to Hawaii on her own and begins a whirlwind romance with handsome Olympic swimmer/surfer Duke Kahanamoku. When she becomes pregnant with his child, she is advised by lawyer Clark Warner that James will have legal parental rights if they are still technically married; she reluctantly agrees to a $1 million divorce settlement. Duke points out that Americans tend to react badly to mixed-race couples and children; when a distraught Doris attempts to drown herself, their newborn daughter, Arden, dies a day after her premature birth. Crushed, Doris returns home to Nanaline, who seems unmoved by her daughter's tragedy or by Walker's recent death from alcoholism. Doris orders Clark to find a way to get her to war-torn Europe, where she is desperate to feel useful by volunteering. Once abroad, she is deeply struck by the soldiers' suffering and writes extensively about her experiences.
In the present, Bernard forces Doris to take daily "vitamins" and soon convinces her to sign a new will making him her executor. Doris is clearly unaware of the ramifications and merely states that she wishes to be buried at sea. Myra, one of the maids, secretly warns her to stop take Bernard's pills; when she attempts to escape to the hospital, Bernard intervenes and drugs her. She then begins to realize the true meaning of the new will. Doris' live-in nurse eventually storms out, angry at taking orders from a "butler." When Bernard begins making preparations for Doris' death, Myra starts shredding the new legal documents, desperate to stop him from claiming Doris' millions when he inevitably kills her. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: 1999/02/xx 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:27:11
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:84578
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Biography; Wealth; World War II; Depressions - 1929 - United States
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 1999
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Martin Rabbett … Executive Producer
- Robert M. Sertner … Executive Producer
- Bernard Sofronski … Executive Producer
- Frank von Zerneck … Executive Producer
- Stephanie Germain … Executive Producer
- John Erman … Executive Producer, Director
- Rich Arredondo … Producer
- Randy Sutter … Producer
- Ted Babcock … Co-Producer
- Erik Storey … Co-Producer
- Bob Colacello … Co-Producer, Based on the articles by
- Peter Sadowski … Associate Producer
- Dennis Turner … Writer
- Stephanie Mansfield … Based on the book by
- Pony Duke … Based on the book by
- Jason Thomas … Based on the book by
- Patrick Williams … Music by
- Lauren Bacall … Cast, Doris Duke
- Richard Chamberlain … Cast, Bernard Lafferty
- Lindsay Frost … Cast, Doris Duke (age 20s to 50s)
- Kathleen Quinlan … Cast, Nanaline Duke
- Joe Don Baker … Cast, James Buchanan "Buck" Duke
- Roberta Maxwell … Cast, Myra
- Sheila McCarthy … Cast, Tammy
- Howard McGillin … Cast, James Cromwell
- Brian Stokes Mitchell … Cast, Duke Kahanamoku
- Liam Cunningham … Cast, Alec Cunningham-Reid
- Craig Eldridge … Cast, Peter
- Hayden Panettiere … Cast, Young Doris Duke
- Geordie Johnson … Cast, Lawyer Orin Hunter
- Leon Pownall … Cast, Clark Warner
- Mare Winningham … Cast, Chandi Heffner
- Michael Nouri … Cast, Porfirio Rubirosa
- Anthony Lemke … Cast, Walker Inman
- Edward Evanko … Cast, Dr. Caulfield
- Noah Klar … Cast, Jason (Soldier)
- Mark Walker … Cast, Kaplan
- Richard Fitzpatrick … Cast, New York Lawyer
- Patrick Galligan … Cast, CIA Agent
- Steve Cumyn … Cast, Nordic Butler
- Noel Burton … Cast, Ship Purser
- Julian Casey … Cast, Savoy Reporter
- Stephanie Belding … Cast, British ATS
- Carmella Barut … Cast, Hawaiian Doctor
- Peter Colvey … Cast, New York Tour Guide
- Philip Pretten … Cast, Reporter #1
- Frank Fontaine … Cast, Reporter #2