Walk the Line
What else can I say about Johnny Cash and his relentless pursuit of June Carter to be his wife? This real life romantic love story has to go down in history as one of the most endearing love stories ever to end happily for two people in love. Despite tumultuous times, the love of Johnny Cash and June Carter was unconditional and something we all strive to achieve in our own lives, but few may actually know. It shows that people really can change when they love someone enough to not want to lose them. John and June met in 1956 and were married for 35 years. John and June are buried next to each other in Hendersonville, Tennessee. It was there where they lived most of their 35 years together in an 18-room home on Old Hickory Lake. After Johnny’s death, Barry Gibb and his wife Linda bought the 13,880 square-foot Cash family home to use for songwriting.
Anna and the King
Although this movie was banned in Thailand because of historical inaccuracies and disrespect for the monarchy, the love affair of King Maha Mongkut of Siam and British governess Anna Leonowens is passionate, romantic, and classically untimely. Anna and the King is a remake of The King and I, but provides viewers with compelling scenery and gripping performances by Jody Foster and Yun-Fat Chow. In real life, Leonowens wrote two books about her life in Siam and romance with King Mongkut. Margaret Landon later used Leonowen’s books for the novel Anna and The King of Siam. The love story inspired a movie with Rex Harrison, and a Broadway play, a movie, and a television series with Yul Brynner.
Shadowlands
The real-life 1950’s romance between British writer C.S. Lewis and divorced American poet Joy Gresham is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The sheltered life of C.S. Lewis brought us his mythical, magical fantasy land of Narnia. In 1952, at age 54, Lewis would find that life is not just about fantasy as he met with Joy Davidman Gresham, a married mother of two and an award winning poet. Prior to their meeting, Gresham had corresponded with Lewis about his Narnia works, enjoyed by her children. In 1954, Gresham divorced her also famous writer husband after he asked Gresham to participate in a threesome with his mistress lover. In 1956 C.S. Lewis and Gresham married. After a long bout with cancer, Gresham died in 1959. During their short life together, Gresham and her children brought C.S. Lewis the happiest times of his life; ironically the fantasy he never wrote about as a bachelor became the best real life love story of his career.
Reds
Reds is the epic real-life love story of political activist John Reed and journalist Louise Bryant during the Communist revolution in Russia. In true Warren Beatty hopeless romantic fashion, Beatty wanted his long-time love Julie Christie to play Louise Bryant. Beatty was passionate about the making of Reds and he wanted it to be “their” movie together. Julie Christie was game to the idea up until Beatty was ready to film and then she backed out saying the role should be played by an American.
Mrs. Soffel
The unimaginable ending of a family is played out in this gripping real life love story between mother and housewife Kate Soffel and killer Ed Biddle. Kate Soffel regularly visited inmates to comfort them and read to them at a rural jail where her husband Peter was warden. Kate falls in love with inmate Ed Biddle and leaves her children and her husband. In real life, Ed and Jack Biddle were on death row for murdering a grocer during a robbery and for murdering Detective Fitzgerald from Pittsburg during their arrest. On January 30, 1902, Kate Soffel abandoned her children and husband to help Ed Biddle and his brother Jack escape from the Allegheny County Jail. Two days later, both Biddle brothers were killed and Kate was injured. Kate Soffel served two years in prison for her role in the escape. Kate Soffel died in August 1909 from typhoid fever at a Pittsburg hospital where her daughter Margaret was a nurse.
Gable and Lombard
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard met while filming No Man of Her Own in 1932. Lombard was married to actor William Powell, and Gable was married to a Texas widow with money who was 10 years older than Gable. However, it wasn’t until 1936 when they attended a party, danced all night together, and began one of Hollywood’s most notorious love affairs. In March 1939, while Gable was filming Gone With the Wind, Lombard and Gable were married in Kingman Arizona. Frankly my dear, this real life love story was meant to be.
Becoming Jane
This is the story of Jane Austen’s life and while not historically accurate, the plot leads viewers to believe that at a young age, Austen’s love affair with Irishman Tom Lefroy inspired her to write the romantic novel Pride and Prejudice published in early 1813. In fact, the real life romance was described as more of an adolescent crush. Austen was not known outside her circle of friends and family for writing Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen went on to write Emma and Mansfield Park. Austen died on July 18, 1817 at age 42 and later would become one of the most loved writers of British literature. Anne Hathaway, who stars as Jane Austen, learned to play the piano and worked with a dialect coach to prepare for the making of Becoming Jane.
Shakespeare in Love
William Shakespeare, while a minor, married Anne Hathaway who was 26 years of age and pregnant with Shakespeare’s child at the time of their marriage. Some scholars believe Shakespeare was in love with another woman, Anne Whateley, while others believe Anne Hathaway and Anne Whateley was the same woman. It’s a mystery! While the movie Shakespeare in Love includes fictional characters, the romantic plot does portray the insatiable lust and love Shakespeare had for women.
Amadeus
Amadeus is not your typical romantic love story movie, but the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri fills our romantic hearts with a love of classical music, while ripping our hearts in half with the portrayal of jealousy and tragedy from a rival composer. Aside from falling in love with Mozart’s music all over again, we see Mozart and his love Constanze Weber in their glory. In real life, Mozart fell in love with Aloysia Weber in 1977 while looking for work in Mannheim. After four months in Mannheim, and no work, Mozart spent the next several years traveling around before settling in Vienna. In 1782, he married Constanze Weber, Aloysia’s younger sister.
Sound of Music
The real-life love story of Maria and Captain Von Trapp cannot be left off this list. What are the odds of a singing nun leaving the convent after falling in love with a widowed singing Naval Captain with seven singing kids, and then marrying him? This real-life love story is just too much for hopeless romantics everywhere.
The Other Side of the Mountain
This is the real-life story of skier Jill Kinmont destined to win the 1956 Olympics but tragically paralyzed for life after a skiing accident during training in Alta, Utah. Jill’s husband left her after the accident, but Jill became a teacher and later found true love with Dick Buek played by Beau Bridges. Once again, Jill’s courage and strength is tested when Dick dies in a plane crash during their engagement to be married. Olivia Newton-John sang the Oscar nominated theme song Richard’s Window for this movie. Get the kleenex box for this one, but know that Jill is happy and currently living in California. Jill Kinmont is an inspiration to all.
Blaze
The real-life love affair of West Virginia burlesque stripper Blaze Starr with Louisiana Governor Earl K. Long from 1958-1960 shocked the nation. Mrs. Blanche Long had her husband committed thinking this would end the love affair, but Long and Starr stayed lovers until he died in 1960.
The real-life love story of John Forbes Nash and Alicia Larde may not be romantic but it certainly is another fascinating story of unconditional love. The movie shows us Alicia’s commitment to helping her husband overcome paranoid schizophrenia and later go on to win the 1994 Nobel Prize in economics. In real life, Alicia has to deal with a lot more than Nash’s mental illness. Nash had secret homosexual affairs and a child out of wedlock with a nurse while he dated Alicia. Despite Nash’s colorful lifestyle, Alicia and Nash married in 1957. The couple had a son in 1959 who suffers from episodic schizophrenia, and they divorced in 1963. Still devoted to their love for each, Nash and Alicia began living together again in 1970.
Bonds of Love
This is the real-life love story of divorced Rose Parks, who falls in love with Robby Smith, a mentally challenged man. Smith’s family is not happy about the relationship.
Bonnie and Clyde
Another Warren Beatty classic real-life love story teams Beatty and Faye Dunaway in a timeless portrayal of love between Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Everyone knows the ending, but who can argue that this real-life love affair was one of the most bizarre tales of dominance and commitment in romance history?
Bugsy
Finally Warren Beatty marries the real love of his life, Annette Bening, after playing real-life lovers Ben “Bugsy” Siegel and mistress Virginia Hill. Bugsy Siegel, a celebrity gangster who seized the mob opportunity of Las Vegas, and Virginia Hill, his outspoken Georgia peach, was a match made in Heaven – or Hell. Either way, their love affair was steamy, dangerous, and short-lived. It is thought that Benny and Virginia were married in Mexico in April of 1947. Benny summoned Virginia from Paris to their Hollywood home in June. Virginia came home only to fight with Benny, break a bottle on a Flamingo customer’s head, and flee to Zurich. On June 20, 1947, Benny Siegel was sprayed with gunshot and killed in their Hollywood home. Only five people attended Benny’s funeral, none of who were Virginia or Meyer Lansky. Nobody knows who killed Bugsy Siegel.
Mask
Mask is the true story of Roy L. “Rocky” Dennis played brilliantly by Eric Stoltz, who finds love with beautiful Diana Adams played by Laura Dern. Roy died in 1978 from a rare disease, craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, at age 16. Sadly in 1987, Roy’s 32 year-old brother Joshua died of AIDS. Ironically, Rocky’s overly protective but loving mother, Florence “Rusty” Tullis played by Cher, died at age 70 from an infection almost a month after a motorcycle accident. Tullis was riding a three-wheeler when a tire fell off causing her to lose control and throwing her into a telephone pole. During Rusty’s rehabilitation from two broken legs, she complained about stomach pain and was taken to a hospital where she later died. The lesson learned: all of these family members, while not perfect, lived life to its fullest and accepted each other despite their faults.
Once
Once is a modern musical based on the real life romance of Glen Hansard of the Irish band, The Frames, and Marketa Irglova, a Czech singer/songwriter. In a serendipitous twist, Marketa’s vacuum cleaner broke and it just so happened that Glen repaired vacuum cleaners for his dad’s production down the street from where Marketa sold flowers. During the next week they play music together using a borrowed piano in a nearby store and by the end of the week, record an album together.
Power and Beauty
This is the wild story of mistress Judith Campbell Exner who was made famous from her real life love affairs with Frank Sinatra, mob boss Sam Giancana, and most controversially John F. Kennedy. Judith died of cancer in September 1999.
Sugartime
Sam Giancana was no stranger to romance and love. The nation was once again stunned as we learned of the unlikely real life romance of Sam Giancana and Phyllis McGuire of the famous McGuire Sisters singing act. Sam and Phyllis met in 1960 in Las Vegas when The McGuire Sisters were on top of their world. Years later, during the production of Sugartime, Phyllis became furious and wanted nothing to do with it. The movie is criticized for its historical inaccurate and insensitive content, however the story of this real life romance still captures people’s curiosity of how a beautiful, successful McGuire sister, raised in an Evangelical setting, could fall in love with a notorious mob killer.
Titanic
You either love this movie or hate this movie. I still think this is one of the best romantic movies based on a real life story that was ever made. Even though the Titanic story is so tragic in real life, the fictional love affair of Jack and Rose in the movie seemed to pay tribute to the real people aboard the Titanic whose love was lost that fateful day. I cannot even imagine the grief of those families as they watched their loved ones die or know that they will die, never to see their loved ones again.
The Aviator
While this movie is more about Howard Hughes as an accomplished aviator, it still grabs the intriguing romantic involvement of Howard Hughes with Hollywood’s Katharine Hepburn and Ava Gardner. There is just something about a real life daredevil bad boy falling in love with real life Hollywood glamorous stars that makes The Aviator a die-hard romance story.
Evita
The real life love affair and marriage of former prostitute Evita Duarte with Argentinian president and dictator Juan Perón has to be one of the greatest rags to riches love stories in history. The chemistry between Madonna who plays Evita, and Antonio Banderas who musically narrates the love story, as Ché, is so passionate you will melt. Argentina was changed forever with the controversial leadership of Eva Perón.
