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#26 - Polly Adler

Unruly Figures

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The Life and Times of Polly Adler

Polly Adler ran a brothel in New York City during World War II. She met Joe DiMaggio, Desiarnaz and Lucille Ball at the club Copacabana. When Orson Wells wanted to include a brothel scene in Citizen Kane, it was to Polly Adler's house that he went to get a feel for how it should look. The scene ended up being cut by Hollywood sensors, but his signature in her autographed book survives.

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