{In the News} Kay Williams Marries Adolph Spreckels 1945-1951

Picking up with where we left off, Kay and Clark Gable are broken up and so Kay has moved on..

September 7, 1945:

Kay Williams Is Bride

Hollywood–Blond actress Kay Williams, who last year was reported engaged to Clark Gable, today was honeymooning with sugar heir Adolph Spreckels, Jr., of San Francisco.

Same date:

Film actress Kay Williams and Adolph Spreckels, Jr., sugar fortune heir, were married last night at the home of a Wickenburg justice of the peace.

Adolph Spreckels Jr. was the grandson of Claus Spreckels, founder of the Spreckels sugar company.

Now that she married Adolph Jr., you thought that was the last we’d see of  her previous husband Macoco? Nope:

September 21, 1945:

Spreckels’ Bride Called ‘Gold-Digger’

Los Angeles–Movie Actress Kay Williams, honeymooning with the sugar heir, Adolph Spreckels, Jr., was accused of “gold digging” in a suit filed today by her former husnamd for return of $30,000 worth of gifts and money. The former spouse, Martin de Alzaga Unzue, wealthy Argentine, alleged that she made “false, untrue, malicious” representations that she intended to re-marry him.

October 12, 1945:

Adolph Spreckels, Jr., and Kay Williams have had their first honeymoon spat. Mainly because of the Macoco publicity.

No doubt it would cause some marital strife to a multi-millionaire to have your new bride called a gold digger by her former husband…

November 19, 1945:

Macoco will have his ex-mother -in-law joined as a co-defendant in the lawsuit he brought against his ex-wife, Kay Williams Spreckels.

Kay’s mother too? That’s interesting. Kay wasn’t the only one being sued:

December 6, 1945:

Sugar Fortune Heir Sued for $260,000

Los Angeles–Adolph B. Spreckels, Jr., sugar fortune heir who married Actress Kay Williams last September 6, was sued today for $260,000 damages by Beatrice Webb, actress and dancer. She charged Spreckels beat and maimed her “in sadistic frenzies” and once drenched her with rubbing alcohol and tried to ignite it.

Miss Webb charged that on December 15, 1944, Spreckels broke two of her ribs and tore her hair out by the roots, that five days later on the bathroom of his palatial Bel-Air home he attempted to set fire to her and that he beat her again last January 15 while his valet held her.

Last July 15, she declared, he beat and kicked her again and on August 15 he chased her out of the house with a  fountain pen gas bomb.

Sweet Lord in Heaven. Sounds like a great guy, huh?

February 7, 1946:

Heir Says He Paid $25,750 to Girl He Beat in ‘Self-Defense’

Hollywood-Adolph Spreckels Jr., sugar heir, explained today he was only defending himself when he kicked and beat Beatrice (Bebe) Webb, showgirl. He added that he already had paid her $25,750 for the privilege.

Spreckels, answering Miss Webb’s $260,000 assault and battery suit, said he used only “reasonable force” to ward her off when she belabored him with a telephone.

Spreckels denied he tried to “bomb” his ex-girlfriend. He said they fought in his Bel-Air mansion because Miss Webb used “insulting, abusive terms” about him in a telephone conversation.

Miss Webb charged Spreckels beat her unmercifully on several occasions but she submitted because she thought he was going to marry her.

Well, if she thought he was going to marry her, then that makes sense?!

April 15, 1946:

When Adolph Spreckels and Kay Williams moved into the former Lana Turner house in Beverly Hills they were greeted by a gent who finally managed to serve Macoco’s lawsuit papers.

April 17, 1946:

Court Sets Hearing on Spreckels Suit

Los Angeles–Judge Dudley S. Valentine has set June 25 for a hearing to determine whether Beatrice “Bebe” Webb should be permitted to prosecute a $260,000 damage suit she has filed against Adolph Spreckels Jr.

Spreckels contends that last September he paid her $25,750, which he said was in full settlement of all her claims and that as such it was a complete bar to her subsequent damage suit.

Claiming she had been permanently injured by Spreckels, she charged that she suffered two broken ribs, that he pulled her hair out by the roots and caused her to be confined in a hospital.

Kay still had her own legal trouble to deal with:

May 20, 1946:

The closest friends of Macoco, the Argentinian millionaire, are urging him to drop his campaign against his former wife, Kay Williams Spreckels.

June 23, 1946:

Actress Drops Suit Against Spreckels

Los Angeles–Showgirl Beatrice Webb dismissed her $260,000 damage suit against Adolph Spreckels Jr., sugar heir, and said in a statement that she is too ill now to appear in court.

But, her statement added, “merely because Spreckels is a millionaire, is no reason that he can get away with it.” her attorney pointed out that the dismissal is no bar to refiling.

The New York actress had accused Spreckels of beating her “in sadistic frenzies,” and of once trying to set her afire. In an answer, he contended he paid her $25,750 last September in settlement of any claims she might have against him.

Well, one lawsuit down.

June 30, 1946:

When you hear the sensational charges being flung back and forth between Kay Williams (now Mrs. Adolph Spreckels, Jr.) and her ex-husband Macoco, reflect that while they’ve both been identified with Hollywood, neither one of them is, properly speaking, of Hollywood. Filmville wash so much dirty linen of its own that it shouldn’t be unfairly blamed for washings that don’t actually belong on its clothes line.

What is the point of that, to say they are not worth mentioning by mentioning them?

And then in the middle of all of it:

September 17, 1946:

Adolph Spreckels Expecting Child

Hollywood–Kay Williams, blonde actress-wife of millionaire Adolph Spreckels, Jr, is expecting her first child, it was revealed today.

Miss Williams was formerly married to Martin de Alzaga Unzue, wealthy Argentine sportsman, who filed suit for return of $30,000 he claimed the actress got from him on a promise of remarriage shortly before she wed Spreckels.

She denied she promised to re-marry and said she considered the gifts “just friendly gestures.”

I couldn’t find any articles mentioning it, but this pregnancy must have ended in a miscarriage.

June 10, 1947:

Local cafe society will be shaken to its foundations when the long-dragged out suit of Macoco against Kay Williams Spreckels hits the wires, around Aug. 25.

June 17, 1947:

Only Kay Williams’ millionaire husband, Adolph Spreckels, is preventing her form flinging a $200,000 defamation suit at Macoco, her no-longer-adoring ex.

Aren’t you curious what juicy tidbits are going to be dug up with the suit goes to trial? Well, we’ll never know:

July 3, 1947:

Argentine Millionaire ‘Forgets’ $35,000 Gift

Los Angeles–Having lost her love, Martin de Alzaga Unzue, wealthy Argentine sportsman, has decided to forget about the $35,000 worth of jewels he gave Actress Kay Williams, now that she has broken her promise to re-marry him.

He has dropped a suit he brought against her for recovery of the jewels which he claimed he gave her after she said she would re-marry him.

Instead Miss Williams, who admitted receiving the presents, shortly thereafter became fifth wife of Adolph Spreckels, Jr., sugar heir.

Wouldn’t the decent thing be to return the expensive presents, even if you never did promise to remarry him? Oh well, another lawsuit done.

September 8, 1947:

Macoco had a champagne party at El Morocco when the radio report came that Mr. and Mrs. Spreckels had been involved in a fight. but then came the supplementary report that the warring couple was not Mr. and Mrs. Adolf [sic] Spreckels–the Mrs. Spreckles who is Kay Williams, Macoco’s ex-wife.

Throwing a party when you hear your ex-wife has fought with her husband, classy move.

April 9, 1948:

Spreckels and Wife Seeking Fee Settlement

Los Angeles–Sugar Heir Adolph Spreckels, Jr. and his wife, former Actress Kay Williams, today offered $7,500 up to their former attorney, Roland Rich Woolley, to settle his $19,750 suit for attorney fees.

The offer was filed in superior court where the attorney sued to collect $15,500 from Spreckels and $4,250 from Mrs. Spreckels.

Woolley said in his suit that he successfully defended Spreckels in a $260,000 assault and battery damage suit brought by Show Girl Beatrice Webb. The attorney said he claimed a $20,000 fee and got $4,500.

Mrs. Spreckels had Woolley as her attorney when her former mate, Martin de Alzaga Unzue, Argentine millionaire playboy, sued her for return of $30,000 worth of gifts. She kept the gifts.

All that money and you don’t pay your attorney’s fees?

June 29, 1948:

On The Rocks

Los Angeles–The marriage of Actress Kay Williams and Adolph Spreckels, Jr., sugar fortune heir, who wed less than three years ago, has gone on the rocks.

Uh oh. Hey, already her longest marriage thus far, though…

July 21, 1948:

Spreckels Heir Sued For Divorce

Santa Monica–Blonde actress Kay Williams charged cruelty today in a divorce suit against wealthy sugar heir Adolph B. Spreckels, Jr.

The suit, filed Tuesday, asked $2500 monthly support and their Bel Air estate. The couple married September 6, 1945, in Wickenburg, Ariz.

The actress, former wife of Argentine millionaire Martin De Alzaga (Macoco) Unzue, has been linked romantically with Clark Gable. She was Spreckels’ fourth wife.

Spreckels’ attorney, Dan Schnabel, said he would file a cross-complaint for divorce and annulment.

And just a week later:

July 28, 1948:

Kay Williams Drops Spreckels Divorce

Santa Monica–Actress Kay Williams has dismissed her divorce suit against sugar heir, Adolph Spreckels Jr., their attorneys announced today.

The statement said “a satisfactory settlement” had been reached but did not reveal terms. Isaac Pacht, the actress’ lawyer, said the couple has not reconciled.

Miss Williams, former wife of Argentine Millionaire Martin De Alzaga (Macoco) unzue, filed suit against Spreckels last week.

Not reconciled, but then just a few days later…

September 7, 1948:

Spreckels, Actress Again Reconciled

Reno–“Everything is fine; we’re both very happy–” is today’s report on the marital life of Actress Kay Williams and Adolph Spreckels Jr.

with only a few days of Nevada residence to put in before she would be eligible for a divorce, she said she and Spreckels have reconciled and will return to Los Angeles today or tomorrow.

She has been living at Crystal Bay, Lake Tahoe, since late in July, when she dropped a California divorce suit and prepared to start a speedier Nevada action.

Ah, the typical residency in Reno. But now back together again. It’s like some bad soap opera plot, isn’t it.

Well, they really did reconcile, as a few months later:

January 24, 1949:

New Sugar Heir Expected

Hollywood–Adolph Spreckels, one of the heirs to the Spreckels sugar fortune, and his wife, Kay Williams, once voted “The Most Beautiful Model of All Times,” are expecting a  baby in July, they said Sunday.

January 25, 1949:

Spreckels Expecting

Hollywood–Actress Kay Williams, who almost divorced Adolph Spreckels, sugar heir, last year but was persuaded to change her mind, said today she will become a mother in July.

Here comes baby “Bunker”!

March 9, 1949:

Kay Williams Spreckles has been down with a very bad cold, but when her brother, Vince, telephoned her that he had named his new baby daughter Kay Williams, she got right out of bed and went over to see her namesake.

Kay seems to get sick often. First I had heard that her niece was named after her, that’s sweet. Was it Kay though, or Kathleen, her given name?

July 16, 1949:

Kay Spreckels got enough loot at the baby shower tossed for her baby by Ann Sothern, Andrea Leeds and Gloria Romanoff to take care of quintuplets. Ninety-five gals showed up at Romanoff’s.

August 16, 1949:

Heir Born to Sugar Heir

Hollywood-Kay Williams, blonde actress wife of sugar heir Adolph Spreckels Jr., Monday gave birth to a 7-pound 12-ounce son.

The actress was once the wife of Martin de Alzaga, wealthy Argentine known as Macoco. She and Spreckels were married at Wickenburg, Ariz., in Sept. 1945.

August 29, 1949:

New Spreckels Heir Out of Hospital

Hollywood–Marital turbulence that has marked the marriage of actress Kay Williams and sugar heir Adolph Spreckels changed to domestic bliss today with arrival home from the hospital of the couple’s first child.

The baby, Adolph Jr., was born at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital August 15. His blonde mother, once voted the “most beautiful model of all time,” said, “We are thrilled and very, very happy.”

The couple was within 24 hours of a divorce decree last summer when Spreckels persuaded his wife to drop the proceedings.

He was actually named Adolph Spreckels III, but was called “Bunker” from birth. I’m not sure how anyone could have named a baby Adolph so soon after World War II, even if it was a family name! At least he went by “Bunker.”

And, less than a year later:

July 4, 1950:

Baby for Kay

Hollywood–Next January has been announced as the date for the birth of a second child to blonde Actress Kay Williams and her husband, Sugar Heir Adolph Spreckels. The couple have one son, Adolph Jr., born last August 16.

Here comes baby Joan, named after Kay’s mother.

Here is a picture from Kay’s baby shower. Apparently Dorothy Lamour was Joan’s godmother.

Oddly enough, Kay randomly found time to appear in a film that year. I have no idea how it came about, while she’s married to Spreckels and having two babies, but she appeared as a stage actress named Hazel Dawn in the beginning scene of the Spencer Tracy film The Actress, her final film credit.

January 30, 1951:

Talked with Kay Spreckels, on the mend now after a seriously complicated Cesarean and “a few thousand” blood transfusions. Her baby girl also doing fine.

Two babies and a wealthy husband…Kay’s got it all, right? Divorce looms, coming up next.