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Rita Hayworth Collection

She was the favorite pin-up girl of American GI's in WWII, an incredible dancer, and Hollywoods first official princess.

Rita Hayworth

22 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 16 hours, 9 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
16 Audio CDs


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Play a sample episode from February 13, 1943:

"Command Performance with Rita Hayworth"



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Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

Rita Hayworth
(1918 – 1987)

Rita Hayworth 1941 Pinup
If you asked a typical GI what he was fighting for on the eve of a great battle like the Normandy Invasion or landing on Guadalcanal, more than a few of them would have probably pointed at the pin up picture they kept of Rita Hayworth from the August, 1941, issue of Life magazine.

Rita HayworthWhether Ms. Hayworth typified "the girl back home" will be endlessly debated, there is no denying that she was beautiful. However, it was a beauty defined by what others thought she should be.

Margarita Carmen Cansino was born to a family of dancers in Brooklyn on October 17, 1918. Her mother, Volga Hayworth, had been a Ziegfeld girl, while her father, Eduardo Cansino, Sr., was the son of a bolero school founder in in Madrid. Little Rita had her first dance lesson from her grandfather when she was three, and the lessons became the dominant memory of her childhood.

Eduardo Sr. moved the family to Hollywood in 1927, expecting his style of dance to be the next big thing in the movies. The Great Depression made dancing lessons an unnecessary extravagance, and the studio and all Eduardo's investments were lost. However, he saw in his daughter an ideal dance partner for the nightclub circuit. Rita was too young to work in Los Angeles clubs, but the pair was a hit in Tijuana.

It was there that Rita caught the eye of a Fox Studio talent scout, and she was given a six month contract. During this time Fox merged with 20th Century and new studio head Darryl F. Zanuck thought that Miss Cansino was "too exotic" and let her go at the end of her contract.

Rita's soon to be husband, promoter Edward Judson (who was nearly as old as her father) got her a screen test with Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures. Cohn saw Rita's potential, although he too felt she appeared "too Mediterranean", and signed her to a long term contract.

At the time, Columbia did not have a glamorous "Star", and set out to put Rita into that role. She adopted her mother's maiden name to play up her British-American ancestry, Rita Hayworthunderwent electrolysis to broaden her forehead and dyed her dark hair red (Rita would have eight different hair colors through her film career).

Cohn pressured Howard Hawks to cast Miss Hayworth in a small but important role as a man-trap in his aviation film Only Angels Have Wings (1939) with Cary Grant and Jean Arthur. The film was a the source of Cary Grant's catch phrase "Judy Judy Judy" in reference to Rita's character, and the Lux Radio Theater adaptation is featured here.

Rita's star was rising. In 1940 she made her first of five appearances on the cover of Life. She appeared in The Strawberry Blonde (1941) with James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland and Blood and Sand (1941) opposite Tyrone Power. She danced with Fred Astaire for the first time in You'll Never Get Rich (1941), and went on to be one of six women who danced with both Astaire and Gene Kelly.

In 1942, Rita was granted a divorce from Judson under a complaint of cruelty. She later admitted "He helped me with my career...and helped himself to my money". Rita was penniless after the divorce and forced to beg meals from friends.

In September of 1943, Rita married Orson Welles in a simple civil ceremony. The bride wore a beige skirt and ruffled white blouse, and the couple was back at work at the studio within hours of the ceremony.

Rita did her part for the War Effort, not only as one of the most popular pin up girls, but also making the rounds of servicemen shows with Bob Hope and AFRS programs like Command Performance, GI Journal and Mail Call. On the Burns & Allen Program, she and Gracie did a send up of her marriage to Welles, commiserating with Gracie about living with a "genius", and appeared in her most famous movie role, Gilda (1946).

Ms. Hayworth's reputation as a "bombshell" was so universal that her image was supposedly affixed to one of the atomic bombs tested at the Bikini Atoll. Mr. and Mrs. Welles were incredibly upset over the news.

Although Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth did have a daughter, Rebecca, the five year marriage was not as happy as was hoped. Welles regretted the marriage, saying that his was not a personality to create a home life. Welles directed his wife in Lady From Shanghai (1947). The film was critically acclaimed but tanked at the box office, in part because Welles cut off Rita's red curls and gave her a platinum dye job.
Orson Welles & Rita Hayworth
Rita met Prince Aly Khan at Cannes in 1948, and after a scandalous courtship they were married on May 27, 1949. This made Rita Hollywood's first official princess, unfortunately the gossip columns were abuzz with the fact that her divorce from Orson Welles was not yet finalized. Her studio, Columbia, was upset that she was refusing scripts, as well as being scandalized over her behavior with Khan.

Aly Khan was an international playboy and acted the part. When Rita sought a Nevada divorce from him there was a bitter custody dispute over their daughter, whom Rita wanted to raise as a Christian American. The divorce was finally filed in 1951 on the grounds of extreme cruelty and mental hardship.

A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1645 Hollywood Blvd honors Rita Hayworth.
Rita Hayworth

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

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  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    22 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 16 hours, 9 min
    22 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 16 hours, 9 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 22 shows - total playtime 16 hours 9 minutes
    2. Bergen Mccarthy 450422 Rita Hayworth.mp3
    3. Bob Hope 430105 170 Rita Hayworth 8044.mp3
    4. Burns Allen 440321 George Genius W Rita Hayworth.mp3
    5. Command Performance 430213 Burns And Allen, Betty Hutton.mp3
    6. Command Performance 450531 Charles Boyer Nat King Cole.mp3
    7. Command Performance 450809 187 Walter Okeefe, Les Paul.mp3
    8. Command Performance 450815 Victory Extra.mp3
    9. Command Performance 480529 Sixth Anniversary Special.mp3
    10. Democratic National Comittee Program 441106.mp3
    11. Gi Journal 450713 103 Without A Song.mp3
    12. Hollywood Fights Back 471102 2o2 Special.mp3
    13. Jack Benny 450520 552 From San Francisco.mp3
    14. Lux 420525 353 Test Pilot.mp3
    15. Lux 390529 221 Only Angels Have Wings.mp3
    16. Lux 411222 331 Remember Night.mp3
    17. Lux 420323 344 Strawberry Blonde.mp3
    18. Lux 430426 394 Lady Has Plans.mp3
    19. Lux 440911 448 Break Of Hearts.mp3
    20. Lux 460204 513 This Love Of Ours.mp3
    21. Mail Call 450321 137 F Morgan Burns Allen Harpo.mp3
    22. Screen Guild Theater 400414 052 Elmer Great.mp3
    23. Suspense 461003 213 Three Times Murder Afrs.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    22 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 16 hours, 9 min
    22 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    total playtime 16 hours, 9 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 22 shows - total playtime 16 hours 9 minutes
    2. Bergen Mccarthy 450422 Rita Hayworth.mp3
    3. Bob Hope 430105 170 Rita Hayworth 8044.mp3
    4. Burns Allen 440321 George Genius W Rita Hayworth.mp3
    5. Command Performance 430213 Burns And Allen, Betty Hutton.mp3
    6. Command Performance 450531 Charles Boyer Nat King Cole.mp3
    7. Command Performance 450809 187 Walter Okeefe, Les Paul.mp3
    8. Command Performance 450815 Victory Extra.mp3
    9. Command Performance 480529 Sixth Anniversary Special.mp3
    10. Democratic National Comittee Program 441106.mp3
    11. Gi Journal 450713 103 Without A Song.mp3
    12. Hollywood Fights Back 471102 2o2 Special.mp3
    13. Jack Benny 450520 552 From San Francisco.mp3
    14. Lux 420525 353 Test Pilot.mp3
    15. Lux 390529 221 Only Angels Have Wings.mp3
    16. Lux 411222 331 Remember Night.mp3
    17. Lux 420323 344 Strawberry Blonde.mp3
    18. Lux 430426 394 Lady Has Plans.mp3
    19. Lux 440911 448 Break Of Hearts.mp3
    20. Lux 460204 513 This Love Of Ours.mp3
    21. Mail Call 450321 137 F Morgan Burns Allen Harpo.mp3
    22. Screen Guild Theater 400414 052 Elmer Great.mp3
    23. Suspense 461003 213 Three Times Murder Afrs.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    22 recordings on 16 Audio CDs. Total playtime 14 hours, 30 min
    22 recordings on 16 Audio CDs
    total playtime 14 hours, 30 min

    Rita Hayworth Disc A001

    1. Lux 390529 221 Only Angels Have Wings

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A002

    1. Screen Guild Theater 400414 052 Elmer Great

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    Rita Hayworth Disc A003

    1. Lux 411222 331 Remember Night

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A004

    1. Lux 420323 344 Strawberry Blonde

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A005

    1. Lux 420525 353 Test Pilot

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A006

    1. Bob Hope 430105 170 Rita Hayworth 8044
    2. Command Performance 430213 Burns And Allen, Betty Hutton

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A007

    1. Lux 430426 394 Lady Has Plans

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A008

    1. Burns Allen 440321 George Genius W Rita Hayworth

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    Rita Hayworth Disc A009

    1. Lux 440911 448 Break Of Hearts

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A010

    1. Democratic National Comittee Program 441106

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A011

    1. Mail Call 450321 137 F Morgan Burns Allen Harpo
    2. Bergen Mccarthy 450422 Rita Hayworth

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A012

    1. Jack Benny 450520 552 From San Francisco
    2. Command Performance 450531 Charles Boyer Nat King Cole

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A013

    1. Gi Journal 450713 103 Without A Song
    2. Command Performance 450809 187 Walter Okeefe, Les Paul

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A014

    1. Lux 460204 513 This Love Of Ours

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A015

    1. Suspense 461003 213 Three Times Murder Afrs
    2. Hollywood Fights Back 471102 2o2 Special

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Rita Hayworth Disc A016

    1. Command Performance 480529 Sixth Anniversary Special

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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