Community Chat

[golding76]

Yes, cherry.  I think all those who admired Jacqueline Kennedy and the family felt it was God's grace that spared her being on Earth for that tragedy.  How she adored that son!  She loved both her children deeply.  I always thought she was a wonderful mother.

As I wrote above, though, I think it truly odd that her son died from an aircraft diving into water just as Onassis's son had.

[golding76]

"As TIME reported in his 1975 obituary, “After the honeymoon, the marriage was filled with what one intimate of Ari’s called ‘the nights of long silences.’ Jackie loved concerts, ballet and theater; Onassis preferred raucous bouzouki music, belly dancers and at times the company of roistering Greek businessmen. Much of the time they lived separate lives.” He was never the same after the sudden death in 1973 of his only son. He expressed the idea that President Kennedy’s death had cursed his wife, and in turn, him, calling her “the witch,” according to TIME’s 1994 obituary for the former First Lady."

[Somertime]

@golding76 

After Onassis suffered a series of personal disasters, including the death of his only son, Alexander, in a helicopter crash, he began to loathe Jackie.  I am sure you know all this.

At first he was put off by her exorbitant spending, but then, when he suffered financial and personal disasters, he began calling her the Greek word for "witch" and avoided her. 

When JFK, Jr., perished in an airplane accident, the superstitious part of me wondered if Onassis had placed a curse on Jackie, hoping she would suffer his same agonizing fate.  I know, dark stuff, but I have wondered about that.  As I wrote, he blamed her for all his misfortune.

I was remembering the same, Goldie.  He blamed JBK for the death of Alexander and his 3 sisters (who reminded me of the three witches) did as well and taunted him with it as well.  He was very superstitious.  I have no doubt that he cursed her.  It all fell apart for him after that.  His life was tainted and tragedy befell those connected to him.  His first wife, Tina, married Niarchos, his hated rival, who died under questionable circumstances.  Tina's sister was, also, married to Niarchos and her death, also, was questioned.  The death of his son and then the death of his daughter who had a very unhappy life.

I do believe Jackie married him for the security as well as the safety and pricacy he could afford her.  Through her marriage to him, she would be wealthy beyond her dreams and in her mother's eye, a success.  Teddy Kennedy negoiated the pre-nup as well as being involved in the negoiations of the death settlement.

I do believe JBK's remaining years were happy and comforting for her.  She loved her work and her relationship with Templesman was smooth and rewarding.

[golding76]

Somertme,

As a Greek-American who visited the "homeland" often during the later heydays of Onassis and Niarchos, I heard and learned much about these storied "golden Greeks."  

Did you know that Niarchos had his own private island, too?  My family has a house on the Greek island of Spetses, and I was fortunate to stay there on several of my visits to Greece.  As you can guess, there is much water travel because we would not only enjoy Spetses but also the nearby island of Hydra and the mainland, just across the way from Spetses.  We would go to different parts of the island by boat.

Well, we came within the vicinity of Spetsopoula ("little Spetses"), which was the island that belonged to Niarchos. 

The Greeks used to love to talk about their Jet Set compatriots.  It was easy to bump into them, too.  In Athens, we went to a famous nightclub frequented by Aristotle Onassis; it was called Zampetta's, after the famous bouzouki player Giorgios Zampetta, who owned the place.  He was Onassis's favorite bouzouki player.  Many of the famous bouzouki players seemed to have their own nightclub.  My favorite was Stelios Kazantzidis, and I had one wild night at his club, dancing my head off.   

Kazantzidis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_SycP75t8U

[Somertime]

@golding76 Yes, I knew of the Livanos family and of Niarchos' island.  It was, always, a dream of mine to go to Greece.  When I lived in NY, the closest I ever got was to Astoria which was referred to as Little Greece.  The taverna's were wonderful and the food out of this world, no English spoken but that never mattered to us.  We spent every Saturday before Greek Easter Sunday in one.  At Midnight, everyone would come in after service with candles and out would come the bread with the colored eggs in it, all the food, the ouzo and retsina would flow like water.  Everyone would dance, plates would break. Opa!!

Thank you for the link to Kazantzidis!  The only Greek musician I know and love is Nana Mouskouri.

How lucky you were able to go back so often especially during the "golden" days!  I am sure you have many stories to tell.

I miss Greek food very much.  We have no Greek restaurants, here.  Not even Krinos in the grocery store for taramasalata!  I tried ordering it on Amazon but it was horrid.  I,pnly, know one word in Greek and naturally, it's a very, very bad one!

[AuntG]

Remember being home sick with the worst ear infection/vertigo I ever had so I had TV on for three days. When her son came out and said something to the press about doing things on her own terms, I wondered if she perhaps took enough medication to sleep away. His comment just sounded strange to me that day.

[shoekitty]

I p think she had the millions from JFK we all think she had.  I think she married for money and security, for her and mostly for her children.  At the point she married Onassis she had lost her husband, BIL, and then MLK was shot.  She was dogged 24 hrs a day and couldn't move in New York.     I think  she was concerned about kidnapping her kids and a whacko shooting one of them. This was all written after she died.  So who knows.  When Onassis died I think she a bit of trouble with Ari's daughter Christina wanting to cut her out of  the business. I thnk some wheeling and dealing was done and she went back to NY. 

She was a class act for sure. I loved the fact she worked everyday without fail at her editing job. Everyone said she was a pleasure to work with and demanded not one special treatment.

[ROMARY]

Yes, I do believe it was a matter of safety (to live in Greece).

Lots of security and body guards.

She had a 'deal' with Onassis. ( I'm only guessing.)

Also, I really don't see anything wrong with falling in love with a successful, ambitious man, and yes, with $$$$.

Better (easier life) than without $$$$. 

I've seen it work just fine, in many instances.

I call it a matter of good luck, running across and falling in love with a decent man with sufficient funds. 

It can happen.

[Pearlee]

---

@ROMARY wrote:

Yes, I do believe it was a matter of safety (to live in Greece).

Lots of security and body guards.

She had a 'deal' with Onassis. ( I'm only guessing.)

Also, I really don't see anything wrong with falling in love with a successful, ambitious man, and yes, with $$$$.

Better (easier life) than without $$$$. 

I've seen it work just fine, in many instances.

I call it a matter of good luck, running across and falling in love with a decent man with sufficient funds. 

It can happen.

---

@ROMARY   Fine if it's love too.  Oftentimes it's just the $$$$$.  I think Jackie did love John, but not Onassis as I posted above.

[ROMARY]

Pearley: 

Yes, that's what I meant.

Love with JFK.  

A 'deal' with O.

 Safety,  security, financial, etc. 

They were 'on the same page', so to speak.

I believe they (Jackie and JFK and O.) formed a friendship years ago. 

 O. was very powerful, safety-wise and other-wise. 

My heart drops each time I think of John Jr. , his wife, and her sister.