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In Paris early this spring handsome old General Zakhari Mdivani died. To bury him Princes David and Serge left their California wives and wells, drew most of the cash out of their California banks and rushed abroad. Last week Wives Mae Murray and Mary McCormic, convinced that their absent husbands are highly solvent, were in court suing them respectively for divorce and separate maintenance. Brother David, according to Princess Mae whose divorce suit charges "unreasonable jealousy," has been drawing $500 monthly from the oil company for which she "put up the money." Naming $1,000 as Brother Serge's oil income. Princess Mary charged "cruelty" in her suit for separate maintenance, got an order attaching Serge's Los Angeles bank account last week, found it empty. Joining forces, the two Hollywood Princesses inspired a stockholders meeting which ousted the Princes from their oil company directorships, elected Princess Mary's lawyer president of Pacific Shore Oil and Princess Mae's lawyer vice president.
"I have the most terrible dreams, do you too, Mae?" cried Princess Mary. "No," snapped Princess Mae shortly, "I haven't had enough sleep to dream."
But the indisputably most successful of the marrying Mdivanis was Alexis, the youngest and last to arrive in the U. S. Shrewd, he never went to Hollywood, confined himself to the hard money fortunes of the East, got himself married to Louise Astor van Alen, great-granddaughter of the late, great Mrs. William Astor, drum major of the famed 400. When she divorced him Alexis, undaunted, drifted over to Paris, then had the inspiration of plunging around the world to Bangkok, where Miss Barbara Hutton, heiress to the Woolworth 5#162; amp; 10#162; store millions, was due to arrive on a world cruise.
The cruise ended without formal engagement, but rumors of Alexis' Hutton coup flooded the heart of every Paris gigolo with copious bile. A Prince Nicho las Dadiant, self appointed "Marshal of the Georgian Nobility" in Paris, hissed that Mdivani means "secretary" in Georgian. The Mdivanis kept their peace, knowing that Hutton means money in any language, and Miss Hutton serenely announced her engagement. "Alexis has a right," said she, "to be proud of the title which has been in his family for generations." A Hutton aunt tried to raise the issue of Mdivani Mohammedanism but Alexis' friends explained variously that he has either been baptized a Christian, renounced Islam or never seriously practiced any religion. Last week, after buying the last of the most expensive trousseau Paris has seen in years, including $180 worth of silk stockings and a $6,000 ermine coat Miss Hutton announced:
"I like the leisurely life Alexis leads. Once an American marries a girl he wraps himself up in business again. . . . It's going to be fun being a princess."
Said Papa Hutton :
"Prince Alexis has worked real hard to marry my daughter. It's unfortunate his first marriage was unhappy. I am sure Barbara will be happy with her Prince."