“The Unsinkable Molly Brown:” Great Sluts of History

Happy birthday, Maggie! July 18 was the birthday of Margaret Tobin Brown, now historically famous as, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” In her lifetime, however, she was Margaret Tobin or Mrs. J.J. Brown (Maggie to close friends), and never called Molly until after her death in 1932.

Your Fake Name Will Go Down in Posterity

Broadway composer/playwright Meredith Wilson apparently decided that “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” was easier to sing than “Maggie Brown,” so that’s how the musical play opened, in 1960. It ran for 532 performances, and was adapted into a 1964 movie starring Debbie Reynolds.

The play and movie were fun, the character was true to life in that she was extremely lively, funny, and likable, BUT… quite a bit was adapted, changed, and fictionalized in the (unnecessary) name of making a better story.

Margaret Tobin Brown was reported to be an excellent dancer,
but almost certainly not as acrobatic.

Maggie is responsible for the “unsinkable” part of her reputation, though. She acquired that part of her famous nickname after delivering a sly quote to reporters soon after the Titanic disaster: “Typical Brown luck. We’re unsinkable.” (Titanic Universe)

From The History Chicks:

Imagine that you followed your heart to live an honest life doing what you felt was right: working hard, marrying for love, aiding others, traveling and always, always learning. You were a wife, a mother, a socialite, an activist, a suffragist, and a citizen of the world. You were adored by many, inspired more and lived life in the fullest, kindest way that you could imagine. And, when you died, your impressive life story was altered to one that was almost beyond recognition. Often for the worse!

Mind you, Mrs. J.J. Brown wasn’t above spinning a bit of legend about herself:

I wanted a rich man, but I loved Jim Brown. I thought about how I wanted comfort for my father and how I had determined to stay single until a man presented himself who could give to the tired old man the things I longed for him. Jim was as…