Veronica , being receive as a star

 It’s round about 1971 and a woman poses for a photo outside Paramount Studios. For those passing nobody would have taken a second look. It’s just a nondescript, middle aged woman doing the tourist thing. But this is no ordinary middle aged woman. Three decades earlier she was a bright star in that same studio and had appeared in the classic film, This Gun For Hire, with movie legend Alan Ladd and she would go on to make a series of profitable movies. It’s Veronica Lake.

When the photo was taken her l

ooks, fame, luck and fortune were gone. Schizophrenia, alcoholism and bad relationships with many of her colleagues had destroyed her career. Hollywood columnist, Sue Cameron, had interviewed her shortly before and found, ‘’a woman who looked like a cleaning lady. I was really startled. I instantly knew here was someone… who was probably struggling financially. You could see she was very damaged.”

Veronica was to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and asked Sue to accompany her. “There was no microphone. There was nothing. It was just three people… I was devastated for her. Just devastated… It was really a stunning experience. I could see that she recognized what was happening.

She put on a brave face. She tried to smile through it. But you could see that she was just trying to get through it. She wanted to get it over with and she couldn’t wait to leave. She literally left town as soon as that picture was taken.”

Her health continued to deteriorate and she was admitted to hospital. She found a little happiness when she discovered that members of the hospital still remembered her and came to visit asking for her autograph. Hepatitis and acute renal failure led to her demise on July 7 1973.

Today her star is visited by thousands who come to pay their respects.