December 6, 2008

Martha "Sunny" von Bulow has died -- after 28 years in a coma.

Her husband Claus von Bulow was accused of trying to kill her. Their story was depicted in the movie (and book) "Reversal of Fortune." A clip:



That's Jeremy Irons as von Bulow. The lawyer -- Alan Dershowitz -- is played by Ron Silver. (Unconscious, on the bathroom floor, playing Sunny, is Glenn Close.)

Von Bulow was convicted, and Dershowitiz won the appeal that got him a new trial. He was then acquitted. Where is he now?
Claus von Bulow is living in London, "mostly taking care of his grandchildren," said Alan Dershowitz, the defense lawyer who won his acquittal at the second trial.

"It's a sad ending to a sad tragedy that some people tried to turn into a crime," Dershowitz said. "I hope this finally will put to an end to this terrible tragedy."...

Claus von Bulow's main accusers were his wife's children by a previous marriage, Princess Annie Laurie von Auersperg Kniessl and Prince Alexander von Auersperg. They renewed the charges against their stepfather in a civil lawsuit a month after his acquittal.

Two years later, Claus von Bulow agreed to give up any claims to his wife's estimated $25 million-to-$40 million fortune and to the $120,000-a-year income of a trust she set up for him. He also agreed to divorce her, leave the country and never profit from their story.

21 comments:

Kev said...

(the other kev)

Dershowitz: From what I've seen of the rich, you can have them.

Von Bulow: Oh, I do.

It's just too bad no one was stupid enough to try to sell any of Claus' memorabilia.

I'm Full of Soup said...

That was the perfect TV and tabloid crime.

Irene said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trooper York said...

I hate the way kids cry when they find out there is no such thing as a Claus Van Bulow.

ricpic said...

Prussians make the best ice people.

English make the best twits.

Americans make the best slobs.

And the French make no sense at all.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Sunny thank you for the sunshine you gave to me
Sunny thank you for the love you brought my way
You gave to me your all and all
And now I feel that I'm 10 feet tall
Sunny once so true, I love you


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbUl_E-R91Q

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Somebody on the web claimed that Bobby Hebb wrote "Sunny" in 1963 after the death of his brother and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

James Brown put his stamp on "Sunny"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui-PZtAfNbk&NR=1

John Stodder said...

Here are two of my heroes, Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington, collaborating on a fairly ridiculous version of this little piece of fluff:

http://tinyurl.com/6msrem

John Stodder said...

Brian Wilson says he wrote the Beach Boys' classic "The Warmth of the Sun" in tribute to JFK after his assassination. Not something I would have ever guessed.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

You r right John. it's awfull.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Speaking of fighting for money, I think I'm going to miss this one tonight.

http://tinyurl.com/5md2cy

De La Hoya should not be in that ring.

Wince said...

Jane Spencer: Would you like a nightcap?

Frank Drebin: No, thank you, I don't wear them.

Trooper York said...

This year the Court St Merchants want me to dress up as Santa Claus for the Christmas tree lighting in Carroll Park.

I think I might come dressed as Claus Von Bulow.

A homburg, pin striped suit, and a vial of insulin.

Eli Blake said...

What do Claus von Bulow, O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson and Robert Blake have in common?

They could all afford a really good lawyer. And they were all acquitted (though O.J. was stupid enough to commit another crime after he had been bled dry by years of living on very little income and having to give anything that showed up beyond basic living expenses to Fred Goldman).

Meanwhile, the large majority of cases in which an innocent person has been cleared by DNA or other evidence after spending years in prison also have one thing in common: either they were represented by a public defender, or they paid for a lawyer but could not afford a very good one.

So the real lesson is this:

1. If you want to commit murder, get rich first.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The Menendez brothers are in prison.

Yes, there was mistrial but Phil Spector will end up in prison just like the "boys".

Unknown said...

So the real lesson is this:

1. If you want to commit murder, get rich first.


Then there's the "life lessons" message:

1) Don't murder, you piece of shit.
2) Don't steal, you loser.
3) Don't kidnap, you lowlife.
4) Don't rape, you fucker.
5) Don't molest children in any fashion, you absolute lowest of the low, you living demonstration of both evolution's and the major religions' most marked, shared failure. (Stand-by secularists et al are even worse, and make no mistake.)
7) Don't obfuscate with the sole intent to ameliorate any one of the above.

Bonus advice: Don't pollute basic shit with partisan puke. That way leads not just to major headache, but also to cancer.

Bissage said...

Mr. Dershowitz gives good quote.

George M. Spencer said...

Imagine...being in a coma since Jimmy Carter was president....there was a war in Afghanistan...we had big problems with Iran...the US economy was in bad shape..Chrysler asked the US goverment for $1 billion to avoid bankruptcy...

TitusPlayItCoolBoy said...

My favorite part of that movie is when he orders Ginger Prawns. I love how he says Ginger Prawns.

Unknown said...

I wonder if she dreamt or what she felt.