Decaying Facts About “Little” Edie Beale, The Tragic Socialite
In another lifetime, “Little” Edie Beale might have been as glamorous as her cousin, Jackie Kennedy. But fate wasn’t so kind to her—it was downright cruel.
1. She Is A Cult Figure
When the cult documentary Grey Gardens came out in 1975, “Little” Edie Beale captivated the world. Though she was once the height of New York society, the film revealed just how far Edie had fallen. All those debutante balls were long behind her, and she was now living in utter squalor alongside her mother, “Big” Edie.
But when it comes to Edie Beale, that’s the least of the disturbing revelations. This is her whole story.
2. Her Family Was Wealthy
Born in 1917 to a wealthy Manhattan family, Edie was the only daughter of Phelan Beale, a prominent New York lawyer, and Edith Bouvier Beale, a beautiful and glamorous socialite.
In fact, Edith met Phelan through his work at her father’s successful law firm. With all this privilege, it looked like Little Edie was set for an extraordinary life. But “extraordinary” doesn’t always mean “good”.
3. She Had Deep Roots
It wasn’t just that Little Edie was born into a wealthy family. Her mother’s line, the Bouviers, was also extremely influential in society. Through them, Little Edie was a first cousin to none other than the glamorous Jackie Kennedy Onassis and her sister Princess Lee Radziwill. But it didn’t take long for the dark side of the family dynamics to come out.
4. Her Family Was Messed Up
The Bouviers may have been famously luxe, but Little Edie’s maternal line was also seriously suspect. Her uncle, “Black Jack”
Bouvier, earned his nickname by being a notorious, gambling lush, and was reportedly even too drunk to walk his daughter Jackie down the aisle when she married John F Kennedy.
In an end that would presage Little Edie’s own, he ended life as a recluse in his New York City apartment. So yeah, there was something in the water in Edie’s clan. But the most important man in her life, her father, was somehow even worse.
.jpg){kind=link}