Breakfast in bed is something we’ve never really understood. There’s all the crumbs! And you can’t really sit up. And what if your dog is allowed on the bed? They have so much access. But anyway, it still seems like the ultimate indulgence — something you should only treat yourself to in expensive hotels and on Mother’s Day or Hangover Day. Therefore, it’s actually no surprise to us that society doyenne Brooke Astor enjoyed breakfast in bed every day. Then, according to testimony by her social secretary during the trial of her alleged money-swindling son Anthony Marshall, she would spend the morning responding to invitations and writing thank-you notes, then head off to some luncheon or charity event that invariably put a smile on Astor’s face.
But what really put a smile on her face (when she was alert enough to keep track of what was going on in her later years) was flirting with famous men, according to more testimony. She adored Matthew Broderick and went to see How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying five times. He used to joke around with her as her memory slipped away, and even played with glass figurines with her near the end. Her favorite moment of flirtation was with president Bill Clinton, who gave her a National Medal of Freedom:
“She insisted Bill Clinton had grabbed her on the lower back. The very low back,” [friend and theater producer John] Hart said, smiling again at the memory. “She thought he was a lady’s man, but she didn’t mind.”
Leave it to Brooke Astor to find the classiest euphemism for “Bubba grabbed my ass” we’ve ever heard.
A Peek Into Brooke Astor’s Social Calendar [NYT]
BROOKE’S NIGHT A B’WAY TRAGEDY [NYP]
