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Happy is the bride the sun shines on...
“In 1927 she had become the bride of romantic leading actor, Rod la Rocque. The Chicago born
matinee idol had been a stage actor before entering films. Their lavish wedding ceremony was
produced by Goldwyn himself and was considered the ‘Social Event of 1927’. The wedding took
place in the Beverly Hills Church of the Good Shepherd. Some of the most famous names in
Hollywood crowded the flower-bedecked church. Cowboy star Tom Mix made quite an entrance,
arriving atop a stagecoach, driving six prancing horses. A lavish reception followed the ceremony. A
rumor at the time, reported that some of the lavish display of mouthwatering delights – were
merely ‘props’ and that one unsuspecting guest had munched upon a papier-mâché
drumstick – (probably just another of those Hollywood myths.) The couple lived happily in an
unostentatious home, minus a swimming pool, in the Foothill Road area of Beverly Hills. They enjoyed
forty-two years of wedded bliss until Mr. La Rocque passed away on October 15, 1969. Miss Banky had
not made a public appearance since. Â… In later years, La Rocque became a real estate broker
specializing in handling ranch properties. Thanks to wise investments the La Rocques were considered
one of the film colony’s wealthiest couples.” -- From The World of Yesterday Vilma Banky Feature, 1979.
She had met Rod la Rocque shortly after she arrived in Hollywood at an intimate dinner party given
by Cecil DeMille and his wife at their mansion on DeMille Drive. The only other guest were Mr. and Mrs.
Samuel Goldwyn and Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Lehr. Goldwyn told her confidentially, "I have a very nice
young man for your dinner partner."
Her eyes opened wide and she looked up at La Rocque. After that dinner party, he went around, telling
everybody, "I've met the girl I'm going to marry." His friend, Victor Varconi, taught La Rocque how to say
"I love you" in Hungarian, but what he really taught him was the Hungarian for "Go to hell!" La Rocque
surprised Banky by repeating the term in loving nuances at a private dinner they shared up in Altadena at
Marcel's. She was startled, but then, when she realized he didn't even guess what he had said, she got to
laughing so hard that she couldn't stop. Hollywood, of course, cynically wondered how long it would
last; some even doubted the couple's being truly serious."
"Be that as it may, La Rocque told reporters that Miss Banky and he would wed in the summer of '27. They had
wanted a simple ceremony at the Santa Barbara Mission, with only family and very close friends present. But
then Goldwyn took over, crying, 'No, no, no! This is my wedding. I will plan and supervise it personally, and
it is all on me!'"
"Crowds stopped traffic outside the church, and lined the mile-long boulevard between the Good Shepherd
and the hotel, hoping for a glimpse of the wedding couple."
The LaRocques lived very quietly, and despite what Hollywood had earlier prophesized about their
marriage, it lasted for forty-two years.
The LaRocques were not very social, yet enjoyed one another's
company. Their marriage was truly a happy one and something straight out of a Hollywood movie.
Another Wedding Picture of Rod and Vilma from Photoplay |