Hedy Lamarr had plenty of contemporaries during Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Her 1930s-era films, such as “Samson and Delilah,” “Algiers” and Boom Town” were regarded by critics as a bit more sophisticated than her leading lady contemporaries, as Lamarr skyrocketed to fame as one of the most beautiful actresses of her era.
But it was her intellect that ensured Lamarr’s legacy extended far beyond the silver screen, even though it wasn’t really recognized until decades after her last film role, and may still not be fully appreciated today.
Heather Massie hopes to change that with “Hedy! The Life and Inventions of Hedy Lamarr.”
Tickets for the 7 p.m. Friday show at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center sell for $19 for adults and $11 for students, and are available at bowluscenter.org.
LAMARR’S story carries a natural appeal for Massie, who also grew up with a love of science.
“I always wanted to be an astronaut,” Massie told the Register in a recent telephone interview. “I wanted to be an inventor.
“Of course, I started university in astrophysics, and I ended up with a theater degree,” she laughed.
The more Massie learned about Lamarr, the more fascinated she became.
Consider that Lamarr — with no formal schooling, but equipped with an intellectual curiosity and a propensity for tinkering — would often spend her spare time designing and drafting inventions, even on set between filming sessions.
It was in the late 1930s, when Lamarr devised what was coined the frequency-hopping spread spectrum, a new method of transmitting radio signals that would be impervious to interference and jamming efforts.
In the early days of World War II, she and her partner, pianist George Antheil, presented the patented idea to the U.S. Navy, with the idea it could be used in torpedo guidance systems.
Alas, the Navy promptly shelved the idea for years, considering the system too cumbersome for a simple torpedo.
(As an aside, the Navy asked Lamarr to instead focus on selling war bonds to support the Allies’ efforts. She did.)
It wasn’t until years later, long after her patent had expired, that researchers realized just what Lamarr had devised, using many of the system’s principles to develop wireless communications, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology for cell phones, as well as secure military communication systems.
In 1997 — nearly 40 years after her final film role — Lamarr received the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award, helping bring renewed attention to her role as inventor.
