Fact, fiction, or stranger than fiction? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most notable plot points from the second season of the anthology series “Feud” that were grounded in reality and those where the writers exercised creative license.
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00:00 "The idea that society is filled with secrets and lies and allegiances and innuendos,
00:05 and that was worth exposing."
00:08 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most notable plot points
00:14 from the second season of the anthology series Feud that were grounded in reality,
00:18 and those where the writers exercised creative license.
00:22 "Who does that?"
00:23 "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story."
00:28 Number 10. Capote meets his boyfriend in a bathhouse. Right.
00:32 "My darlings, this is the man I've been telling you all about,
00:35 the absolutely delightful, enchanting, marvelous John O'Shea."
00:39 The first episode of Feud finds Truman Capote in a bathhouse,
00:43 where he meets a hunky stranger and strikes an immediate connection.
00:46 That stranger was John O'Shea, Capote's on-again, off-again boyfriend for nearly a decade.
00:52 The series depicts O'Shea as the catalyst behind Capote's decision
00:56 to reveal the secrets of his beloved swans.
00:59 "That lunch. It's gold. All of it. Just write it down, the lunch.
01:06 Nobody can show us these women, Truman, how they really are."
01:12 While that may not necessarily be true, their encounter at the bathhouse was.
01:17 Although, it occurred in 1973, two years before the show's timeline.
01:22 Feud also accurately portrays O'Shea as a father of four who abandons his family
01:27 to live with Capote, resulting in an increasingly violent relationship.
01:31 In the series, Capote later mentors and effectively adopts O'Shea's teenage daughter,
01:36 a plotline also rooted in reality.
01:39 "If you wanna write, you have to have...
01:50 start taking notes... about all of it."
01:55 Number 9. Bill Paley confuses Capote for former president Harry S. Truman.
02:00 Wrong.
02:00 "Is he fun?"
02:01 "Fun? Are you kidding? Truman? The most fun there is. Wait till you hear him tell stories."
02:07 "All right, I'll see it. Harry Truman is fun."
02:12 In Feud, Truman Capote's friendship with Babe Paley begins in 1955,
02:17 after the writer accompanies the Paley's on a trip to Jamaica.
02:20 This encounter was facilitated by movie producer David O. Selznick,
02:24 who informs Bill Paley that Truman will be joining them.
02:27 Initially, Paley is convinced Selznick is referring to former president Harry S. Truman,
02:33 until Capote surprises them.
02:35 "Well thank you lucky stars it isn't. I hear two hours in the plane with him
02:38 and his economic theories and you wanna plunge into the Bermuda Triangle."
02:42 Although funny, the likelihood of such a mix-up is slim.
02:47 By this time, Capote was a renowned novelist,
02:50 and had begun mingling in New York's elite circles, so the Paley's most likely already knew him.
02:56 Moreover, by 1955, Harry S. Truman had retreated to a quiet life in Missouri,
03:01 far away from the glitz and glamour of high society.
03:04 "Now at home, people have always been accustomed to having me around,
03:09 and they treat me just like they always did. It's the only place in the country where that's the case."
03:13 Number 8. Bill Paley's bloody affair. Right.
03:17 "Go back. We're talking the governor's wildebeest wife here, that was still going on?
03:21 I thought that was a one-time."
03:23 "So did I."
03:24 In the season premiere, viewers are greeted with a startling scene.
03:29 Babe Paley returns home to find her husband Bill scrubbing bloodstains from their bed and rug.
03:34 These stains were left behind by one of Bill's mistresses,
03:37 portrayed as then-New York first lady Happy Rockefeller, after one of their trysts.
03:42 "You used me to be the punchline of some sick joke about what? Being better than Nelson."
03:51 This incident is very likely rooted in fact. Bill Paley, president of CBS at the time,
03:56 was notorious for his numerous extramarital affairs,
03:59 some of which involved prominent New York women.
04:02 While it's uncertain whether this particular lady was Happy Rockefeller,
04:06 the incident was lifted directly from Capote's unfinished book, Answered Prayers.
04:11 It was the published excerpts from this book that ultimately led to Capote's fallout with his swans.
04:16 "I wonder which is worse, you betraying me for years and years and being so
04:23 flagrant and so profoundly disrespectful towards me, or Truman's betrayal."
04:32 Number 7. Babe Paley and Capote interact after La Cote Basque 1965.
04:38 Wrong.
04:38 "I was waiting for the invitation. I pictured it in the paper, the font, the edging,
04:45 how you were gonna get it right without me."
04:48 The release of La Cote Basque 1965, one of the chapters from Capote's unfinished novel,
04:53 Answered Prayers, aired the dirty laundry of his swans through thinly veiled characters.
04:58 This included Bill Paley's aforementioned tryst with quote, "the governor's wife,"
05:03 a detail that humiliated Babe Paley, who was dealing with lung cancer at the time.
05:08 In the series, Babe and Capote have one final bittersweet interaction
05:12 after the article is published.
05:14 "I hope you're working."
05:15 "I'm trying."
05:17 "It's the most important part, the trying, because whoever really succeeds in the end."
05:25 While this gives the fictional Babe a chance to come to terms with Capote's betrayal,
05:29 her real-life counterpart never needed such closure.
05:32 Following the publication of La Cote Basque 1965,
05:36 Babe Paley reportedly cut off all contact with Truman Capote,
05:40 never speaking to him again until her death in 1978.
05:44 "Yes, it's Truman Capote again for Mrs. Paley. Yes, yes, not available.
05:51 Well, please tell her I called."
05:53 Number 6. Anne Woodward Kills Her Husband.
05:57 Right. While technically one of his swans, Truman Capote never quite got along with Anne Woodward,
06:03 as is portrayed in Feud. Their discord reportedly began in 1956,
06:08 when Woodward called Capote a homophobic slur,
06:11 and he referred to her as Mrs. Bang Bang, a nickname that stuck.
06:15 "I mean, it's torture. I hear it everywhere.
06:19 I don't even know how you can be sitting here with him. Just tell me why, Truman."
06:24 "Well…"
06:24 This moniker stemmed from a tragic incident the previous year
06:28 when Woodward fatally shot her husband, claiming she mistook him for a burglar.
06:33 Despite avoiding criminal charges,
06:35 rumors swirled that Woodward may have intentionally murdered her husband
06:38 after he threatened divorce.
06:40 "And the police knew this? How is it possible?"
06:43 "The mother. She paid to have it covered up. No scandal. The children."
06:52 "Exactly, Bill."
06:54 Capote played a significant role in perpetuating these rumors, as depicted in the show.
06:59 His publication of the same tales in La Cote Vasque 1965
07:03 is believed to have driven Woodward to take her own life.
07:06 "A merciless snake whispered lies and fanciful distortions
07:10 that so many of you whispered back to one another.
07:13 A whispering that became, in fact, an actual murder, not a made-up one."
07:18 Number 5. Capote throws out Anne Woodward and her son.
07:22 Wrong.
07:23 "Unmask yourselves, trespassers. Show your mortal facades."
07:27 "Well, I am the ghost of Christmas past, and he's the ghost of Christmas future."
07:33 "That's funny, I don't remember inviting anyone from Dickens."
07:36 Feud gets a lot of things right about Anne Woodward,
07:39 including her husband's shooting, her subsequent ostracism, and eventual death.
07:43 However, there's still one glaring fabrication.
07:47 It pertains to Woodward's supposed appearance at Capote's 1966 Black and White Ball.
07:52 "I mean, it's been frosty between us, but we were friends once, you know that.
07:58 And you always said that I reminded you of your mother.
08:03 Would you kick your mother out of a party like this?"
08:05 In the series, Woodward is the lone swan whose name was omitted from the exclusive guest list.
08:12 Despite this, she boldly crashes the event with her son Jimmy.
08:16 This leads to a heated confrontation with Capote,
08:18 in which the writer orders his guards to forcibly remove them from the ball.
08:23 While the scene adds tension and complexity to the conflict between Capote and Woodward,
08:27 there simply exists no evidence that the socialite actually showed up at the event.
08:32 "We thought it would make you laugh. And besides, I was practically one of your swans."
08:37 "No, you're never a swan. A pea fowl at best."
08:41 Number 4. Capote hosts an exclusive Black and White Ball. Right.
08:45 "You mean the kind that European royals used to have before being guillotined?
08:50 Where?"
08:53 "As far from Monroeville, Alabama as you can get, baby. The ballroom of the Plaza Hotel."
09:00 The third episode of the season stands out in several ways.
09:04 Not only is it presented mostly in black and white, it also adopts a documentary style,
09:09 mimicking the unique visual approach of the real-life documentarians, the Maisels Brothers.
09:14 The episode centers around an exclusive black and white ball hosted by Truman Capote for the
09:19 who's who of high society. While certain creative liberties are taken in depicting the event,
09:24 its existence is completely factual.
09:26 "Do you remember getting the invitation to the ball?"
09:28 "No, and it was an invitation that people were clawing to get."
09:33 "Yeah."
09:34 "It was New York at its most vicious."
09:36 In 1966, Capote, fresh off the acclaim of his masterpiece in Cold Blood,
09:41 organized the lavish party, meticulously curating a diverse array of stars to attend.
09:47 Notable guests included Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow,
09:50 Johnny Carson, Lady Bird Johnson, as well as most of Capote's swans.
09:55 "If you were rich enough, or social or beautiful enough,
09:58 you would have been here to see for yourself. And as somebody said, unkindly,
10:03 if we were rich enough, or social or beautiful enough, we wouldn't be standing out here in the hall."
10:08 Number 3 - A boring and sparsely attended ball.
10:12 Wrong. Watching the third episode,
10:14 one might conclude that Capote's ball was marred by numerous mishaps.
10:18 "How dare you?"
10:19 "It was boring in there. People were fleeing the party of the century."
10:23 What became of that meticulous planning? And where are all the high-profile guests?
10:28 Feud portrays the ball as a lackluster affair,
10:30 with outdated music and unappetizing food that repulsed guests.
10:34 "But this looks like dog food. This can't be the only option.
10:37 Some people flew all the way from Europe for this party. This cannot be supper."
10:41 "Well, so it is, fancy pants."
10:44 This depiction is very likely inaccurate. Capote's ball was renowned for its opulence and exclusivity,
10:51 resulting in the New York Times later referring to it as, quote, "the best party ever."
10:56 Media coverage generated significant buzz, and the event remained a topic of discussion for decades.
11:02 While the real-life Capote did opt for a simple menu,
11:06 this aligned with the cultural norms of that time, and is unlikely to have surprised the guests.
11:12 "Chicken hash, your favorite, Mr. Capote. And a signature cocktail, that daiquiri punch."
11:17 Number 2. The Swans each believe they're the guest of honor. Right.
11:22 "It's not something I want, but it is about what I've done here, isn't it?"
11:26 "Witches."
11:27 "We made New York the capital of the world, the center of everything."
11:35 For his black and white ball, Truman Capote knew that making himself the guest of honor
11:39 would be a tasteless move. So he had to find a suitable figure for the role.
11:44 "Truman Capote cordially invites you to a ball celebrating Madam X."
11:53 "Bed X is where Babe's name goes, right?"
11:55 "All will be revealed, Mr. Palliant."
11:58 Capote had already decided to bestow that privilege on Catherine Graham,
12:02 the publisher of the Washington Post. However, he continued to dangle the prize before his swans,
12:08 leaving them to vie for his attention and the prestigious title. At some point,
12:12 each of them was convinced that they would be the guest of honor,
12:15 only to find themselves disappointed when Capote publicly announced Graham.
12:19 "None of us wanted it. It would have sown jealousies. I didn't want that.
12:24 This evening is 4K, as it should be."
12:28 By all accounts, this also occurred in real life,
12:31 and seemingly foreshadowed Capote's ultimate betrayal of his swans years later.
12:35 Number 1. The Maisels Brothers make a documentary about the ball.
12:56 Wrong. As mentioned earlier, the third episode of the season is presented as a documentary.
13:02 That is because in the series, Truman Capote hires documentary filmmakers Albert and David
13:07 Maisels to make a film about the event. "Well, no one else is gonna say it, I will.
13:11 I find it impossible to be oneself with that thing on. It's absolutely intrusive."
13:16 "You have nothing to fear but bad lighting."
13:18 Despite the considerable conflict and tension caused by the intrusive camera crew,
13:23 no such documentary was ever commissioned. The Maisels Brothers, renowned for their 1975
13:28 documentary "Grey Gardens," were acquainted with Capote, and Albert reportedly attended
13:33 the actual ball, just without any recording equipment. "It will make a good book."
13:38 "You gave me a title, and for that I am forever grateful." "Did I?" "Answered prayers."
13:45 This plotline was likely inspired by another short documentary the Maisels Brothers made
13:50 about Capote in 1966, titled "With Love from Truman." However, that film was unrelated to
13:56 his black and white ball. "It's an exploration, it's a celebration."
14:01 "Of the meaning of the unparalleled success that Truman is experiencing."
14:06 Which of the fabricated storylines did you initially believe was true?
14:10 Let us know in the comments below. "Can I watch that back again?"
14:13 "The whole thing?" "The Ann Woodruff scene, yes."
14:20 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
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14:29 [Music]