Ava Gardner: Southern Belle and Bombshell

One night Gardner went to see Artie Shaw (they remained casual friends), which made Sinatra jealous. He returned to his hotel room and sullenly threatened to commit suicide. Ava didn't take him seriously, and when she picked up the phone in another room to make a call, she heard a shot ring out in the bedroom. She ran in, expecting to find him dead, only to find him holding the gun - and the pillow and mattress shot through.

In 1950 Gardner was picked to star in "Show Boat", when other stars like Judy Garland and Dinah Shore were not available for the part. It was arguably one of her best performances. In 1953 she starred in "Mogambo" with Grace Kelly and Clark Gable, which brought a wonderful trio of stars together for the film. 1954 brought on "The Barefoot Contessa" co-starring Humphrey Bogart.

Ava's marriage to Sinatra became rocky as she became the more popular of the duo. Frank would take the stage of his live act and the crowd would call out for Ava. For the proud Sinatra, this treatment was hard to swallow. Before the divorce was even final, Ava had become disenchanted with the Hollywood system, and moved to Spain where she began having affairs with bullfighters and movie stars.

In 1964 she starred in "Night of the Iguana" with Richard Burton and Deborah Kerr. Based on a Tennessee Williams' play, many consider this film to be her last good film.

She continued making movies (albeit not very good ones), but still kept her "star" status long after she made her final move to London. She began working on her autobiography, but unfortunately she died of pneumonia in 1990 before the first printing was released. The book became a success, as Gardner refused to hide any of her faults and foibles. The fun-loving, bawdy attitude of Gardner came through in her book, which quickly became a New York Times Bestseller.

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