The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty

by Taraborrelli, J. Randy

  Of additional interest, in Francesca’s deposition she testified, “I had discussions with other family members who had indicated to me that during the last years of his life, my father was unable to understand what, if any, position he held with the Hilton Hotels organization, and had to be reminded or directed as to what his position or function was at a given point of time.” However, Barron Hilton in his deposition disagreed: “[Conrad Hilton] was active even in the year 1978. I discussed with him or business on a day-to-day basis. He was particularly interested in what our earnings reports were indicating. He constantly was on the phone with the stockbrokers determining the value of Hilton stock.”

  Also, Francesca testified that she had “just recently” learned that Conrad had done an investigation into her paternity (presumably speaking about the one he did back in 1947 when the investigator telephoned Barron mistakenly, instead of Conrad). She said, “I was informed by the lawyers.” Also, the first time she ever saw the letters and telegrams between her mother and Conrad suggesting that Zsa Zsa had some sort of secret was when she filed her legal action against the estate. She also said that she had no idea that Conrad had ever expressly disowned her in any of his wills, nor had she ever heard that Conrad had given her his last name “only to protect her,” as he wrote in his letter to Olive Wakeman and Bentley Ryan (see the chapter “ ‘Just in Case’ ”). According to attorney Myron Harpole, she had never even seen the letter until it came to her attorneys during the discovery process. It was new—and surprising—information to her. Of course, it was precisely this letter that the judge specifically noted in his ruling, saying that it demonstrated that Conrad knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote it. It does beg the question: Would Francesca have filed her lawsuit against the estate if she had been aware of all of this information?

  Additionally, regarding Francesca’s paternity:

  In the document “In the Court of Appeal—Second Appellate District, State of California: Estate of Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Constance Francesca Hilton (Appellant) vs. William Barron Hilton, et. al (Respondents),” authored by Myron Harpole and James E. Bates, the lawyers noted, “Whatever may have been Conrad N. Hilton’s doubts about Contestant’s parentage, from 1955 he acknowledged her as his daughter in every one if his wills. As a matter of law, this designation, which was consistent over 18 years, should be the end of the matter. Unfortunately, Contestant’s religious delusion theory that Conrad N. Hilton acknowledged her as a daughter in an attempt to conceal his true belief that she was not, compels us to examine whether there was any reason for doubt about Contestant’s parentage. In fact, Zsa Zsa Gabor by her actions and admissions contributed to possible beliefs and doubts about the paternity of Contestant.”

  The attorneys then pointed out a passage in Zsa Zsa’s book How to Catch a Man, How to Keep a Man, How to Get Rid of a Man, pp. 63–64. They wrote, “She related that she had a ‘before-marriage-honeymoon’ with actor George Sanders while she was still married to Hilton: ‘It worked out beautifully. We drove his car all across the United States from Los Angeles to New York via Florida. The best laugh we had was in Palm Beach. We stayed at the Biltmore Hotel, which belonged to Connie Hilton, who was still my husband, but we were separated. After our stay there in a lovely suite, when George went to the front desk to pay the bill they told him, ‘There is no charge. Mrs. Hilton goes with the compliments of the house.’ ”

  However, when Zsa Zsa was asked about the passage during her deposition, she responded by saying, “That was a joke book, written for me by two other women. It did not pretend to be and was not factual or accurate in relating events of my life.”

  In “Order Determining Heirship” (April 13, 1983), Estate of Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Judge Ronald B. Swearinger concluded, “It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that: 1. Constance Francesca Hilton is not entitled to any distribution from the estate of Conrad Nicholson Hilton, the decedent and 2. The residue of the estate of Conrad Nicholson Hilton is now distributable solely to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.”

  PART FOURTEEN. HEIR APPARENT

  Barron’s Option/A Windfall for Barron?/The Francesca Factor/Each Other/Eric and Pat Divorce/Barron Is Denied

  Interviews conducted: Timothy Barrows (October 4, 2012); Patricia Skipworth Hilton (April 5, 2012); Donald Trump (July 31, 2012); Myron Harpole (August 15, 2012; August 17, 2012; August 20, 2012).

  Volumes referenced: The Man Who Bought the Waldorf by Thomas Ewing Dabney; Conrad N. Hilton, Hotelier by Mildred Houghton Comfort; The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump.

  Articles referenced: “Hilton: The Stuff of a Hotel Man,” Newsweek cover story on Conrad Hilton, September 27, 1954; Christopher P. Anderson, “The Barron of Las Vegas Is a Buttoned-Down Hilton,” People, September 8, 1975; “Biographical Sketch of Conrad Nicholson Hilton,” prepared by Public Relations Department, Hilton Hotels Corporation, December 1977; Peter Lester, “When This Hotel Barron Says He’s Staying at the Hilton, That Means He’ll Be at Home,” People, September 28, 1981; David Johnston and Al Delugach, “Fight over the Estate of Conrad N. Hilton Gets Increasingly Bitter,” Los Angeles Times, March 4, 1986; Bill Johnson, “Golden Nugget Offers to Buy Stake in Hilton,” Wall Street Journal, April 1, 1986; Al Delugach, “Hilton’s Lawyer, Son, Clash over Hotelier’s Intent,” Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1986; “Appeal Is Planned on Hilton Ruling,” Associated Press, April 22, 1986; Marcia Chambers, “The Hilton Will in Court: Heirs Fight Foundation,” New York Times, June 16, 1986; Alice Garrard, “Q & A with Steven M. Hilton, President and CEO of Conrad N. Hilton Foundation,” Philanthropy News Digest, July 3, 2007.

  Legal documents referenced: “Last Will and Testament of Conrad N. Hilton” (October 31, 1973); “Contestant Constance Francesca Hilton’s Responses to Defendants William Barron Hilton and James E. Bates Interrogatories” (May 29, 1979); “Deposition of Zsa Zsa Gabor O’Hara” (June 14, 1979; July 9, 1979; July 10, 1979); “Deposition of James E. Bates” (September 20, 1979); “Deposition of William Barron Hilton” (September 24, 1979); “Deposition of Frances Kelly Hilton” (October 19, 1979); “Sworn Declaration of Robert D. Walker” (February 13, 1980); “Declaration of Robert D. Walker in Response to Opposition to Motion for Leave to Amend Will Contest” (March 27, 1980); “Summary of Argument (a trial brief which sets forth Barron Hilton’s summarization of evidence in his contesting of Conrad Hilton’s will),” by Myron Harpole (no date).

  The following depositions were incomplete, with pages having gone missing over the years, including the first page with the date of the deposition. For my purposes, I utilized the pages that were available to me:

  Deposition of Dr. W. L. Marxer (Hilton’s physician for twenty-eight years, cosigned final will).

  Deposition of Dale Parris Corsiglia (employee of the Hilton organization for fifty years, cosigned final will).

  Deposition of Dorothy Laverne Sloback (Hilton Hotels employee for twenty years, cosigned final will).

  Television programs referenced: Larry King Live, interview with Zsa Zsa Gabor, November 26, 1991; Conrad Hilton: Innkeeper to the World, Arts & Entertainment, 2005; Biography: Conrad Hilton, CNBC, 2010.

  NOTES

  The business associate who witnessed the meeting in “The Francesca Factor” wishes not to be identified.

  The conversation between Zsa Zsa Gabor and Francesca Hilton in “Each Other” was witnessed by Timothy Barrows, and was reconstructed based on his first-person account.

  Donald Trump Makes an Overture/Hostile Takeover?/Trump Meets Hilton/Trump to the Rescue/Resolution

  Interviews conducted: Mark Young (July 20, 2012); Donald Trump (July 31, 2012); Myron Harpole (August 15, 2012; August 17, 2012; August 20, 2012); Virginia “Gini” Tangalakis (September 24, 2012).

  Volumes referenced: The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump; When the Mob Ran Vegas: Stories of Money, Mayhem and Murder by Steve Fischer; The Las Vegas Chronicles: The Inside Story of Sin City, Celebrities, Special Players and Fascinating Casino Owners by Andrew
James McLean; Sharks in the Desert by John L. Smith; Super Casino: Inside the New Las Vegas by Pete Earley; Double or Nothing: How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas’ Legendary Casinos by Tom Breitling and Cal Fussman; Boardwalk Empire by Nelson Johnson and Terence Winter; Sun, Sin, Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas, revised and expanded, by Geoff Schumacher; Running Scared: The Life and Treacherous Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn by John L. Smith; The War at the Shore: Donald Trump, Steve Wynn and the Epic Battle to Save Atlantic City by Richard D. Bronson; Hilton Hotels Corporation: A Strategic Analysis by Bethany Su-Lan Liou.

  Articles referenced: Thomas Moore, “Barron Hilton Fights for Hilton Hotels,” Fortune, May 27, 1985; David Johnston and Al Delugach, “Fight over Conrad Hilton Estate Gets Increasingly Bitter,” Los Angeles Times, March 4, 1986; Al Delugach, “Hilton’s Lawyer, Son, Clash over Hotelier’s Intent,” Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1986; “Appeal Is Planned on Hilton Ruling,” Associated Press, April 22, 1986; Marcia Chambers, “The Hilton Will in Court: Heirs Fight Foundation,” New York Times, June 16, 1986; Andrea Adelson, “Hilton Hotel Chairman Wins Ruling on Stock,” New York Times, March 31, 1988; Robert Wrubel, “Rumors at the Inn: The Wall Street Sharks Are Circling Hilton Hotels, Eager to Break Up the Family Dynasty,” Financial World, April 4, 1989; Seth Lubove, “Hilton’s Head,” Forbes, March 8, 1993; Melanie F. Gibbs, “Hilton Hotels Corp: The Sleeping Giant Awakes,” National Real Estate Investor, February 1997; “Honeymoon Hotelier: Hilton’s Stock Quickly Doubled,” Financial World, January 21, 1997; Ida Picker, “Saying Goodbye to ITT,” Institutional Investor, January 1998; Mary Whitford and Robert Selwitz, “A Deal in the Cards,” Hotel and Motel Management, October 4, 1999; Jeff Higley “Hilton’s Portfolio Set for Long Haul,” Hotel and Motel Management, February 19, 2001.

  Legal documents referenced: Constance Francesca Hilton v. Frances Kelly Hilton [original filing] (March 13, 1979); “Deposition of William Barron Hilton” (September 24, 1979); “Deposition of Frances Kelly Hilton” (October 19, 1979); Francesca Hilton v. Frances Kelly Hilton [First Amended Contest of Purported Will] (March 13, 1980); “Ruling of Judge Robert Weil in Favor of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation” (Spring 1986); “Ruling of Judge Thomas J. Whelan in favor of Barron Hilton” (March 1988).

  NOTES

  Steve Wynn’s comments in “Hostile Takeover?” were culled from Thomas Moore, “Barron Hilton Fights for Hilton Hotels,” Fortune, May 27, 1985.

  Myron Harpole’s conversation with Barron Hilton in “Trump to the Rescue” was reconstructed based on Mr. Harpole’s first-person account.

  PART FIFTEEN. FINI

  Zsa Zsa’s Lapse in Judgment/Francesca: “The Original Hilton Heiress”

  Interviews conducted: Patricia McClintock Hilton (April 2, 2012; April 8, 2012; April 16, 2012; April 20, 12); Ed Lozzi (March 2, 2012)

  Volumes referenced: One Lifetime Is Not Enough by Zsa Zsa Gabor.

  Articles referenced: “Francesa Hilton Contests Will,” Associated Press, March 14, 1979; “Zsa Zsa’s Daughter Rips Hiltons,” New York Post, August 14, 2000; George Rush and Joanna Rush Malloy, “The Fresh Prince of Hot Air,” New York Daily News, January 28, 2008; Robert Welkos, “Francesca Hilton Turns Her Topsy-Turvy Life into Stand-up,” by Los Angeles Times, August 3, 2008.

  Television programs referenced: The Geraldo Rivera Show, interview with Zsa Zsa Gabor, September 13, 1990; Late Show David Letterman, interview with Zsa Zsa Gabor, November 27, 1991; The People vs. Zsa Zsa Gabor, 1991; The Howard Stern Summer Show, interview with Zsa Zsa Gabor, May 2, 1992; Vicki, interview with Zsa Zsa Gabor, September 10, 1992; Late Show with David Letterman, interview with Zsa Zsa Gabor, December 22, 1993; Intimate Portrait: Eva Gabor, February 1, 1998; Entertainment Tonight, interview with Francesa Hilton, August 19, 2008.

  Paris/“Rather Silly”?/How Did Conrad Do It?

  Interviews conducted: Paris Hilton (Spring 2006); Carole Wells Doheny (March 8, 2012; March 12, 2012; June 15, 2012); Noreen Nash Siegel (April 3, 2012); Mark Young (July 20, 2012); Donald Trump (July 31, 2012).

  Volumes referenced: House of Hilton by Jerry Oppenheimer; Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose by Paris Hilton; Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me by Paris Hilton; Paris Hilton: Life on the Edge by Chas Newkey-Burden; Paris Hilton: The Naked Truth by George Mair; Paris Hilton: A Biography by Sandra Gurvis; Six Degrees of Paris Hilton: Inside the Sex Tapes, Scandals and Shakedowns of the New Hollywood by Mark Ebner; Paris Hilton: The Shocking Starlet by Jean-Pierre Hombach; Overexposed: The Price of Fame by Eliot Tiegel.

  Articles referenced: “Hilton-Richards Rite Is Solemnized,” Los Angeles Times, November 27, 1979; “Barron Hilton Contributes $1.2 Billion from Sale of Hilton Hotels,” Business Wire, December 26, 2007; Charles Storch, “Hotel Heir Pledges $1 Billion,” Chicago Tribune, December 27, 2007; Susannah Rosenblatt, “Barron Hilton to Leave Most of Fortune to Charity,” Los Angeles Times, December 27, 2007; Tracy Connor, “How Will Paris Hilton Survive?,” New York Daily News, December 27, 2007; Alan Peppard, “Nicky Hilton’s Dallas Visit Offers Chance to Trace Her Ancestor’s Steps,” Dallas Morning News, May 12, 2010.

  Legal documents referenced: “Deposition of Frances Kelly Hilton” (October 19, 1979); “Deposition of Constance Francesca Hilton” (September 12, 1979).

  Television programs referenced: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, interview with Paris Hilton, August 14, 2004; The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, interview with Paris Hilton, September 6, 2004; The Tony Danza Show, interview with Paris Hilton, September 16, 2004; The Ellen DeGeneres Show, interview with Paris Hilton, January 26, 2005; Extra!, interview with Paris Hilton, April 27, 2005; The View, interview with Paris Hilton, May 5, 2005; The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, interview with Paris Hilton, June 15, 2005; Good Morning America, interview with Paris Hilton, May 31, 2005; The Hiltons, Arts & Entertainment, 2005; I Want to Be a Hilton, all episodes, June/July 2005; Larry King Live, interview with Paris Hilton, June 27, 2007; Entertainment Tonight, interview with Paris Hilton, July 30, 2007; The Late Show with Craig Ferguson, interview with Paris Hilton, July 17, 2009; The Ellen DeGeneres Show, interview with Paris Hilton, November 3, 2008; Piers Morgan, interview with Paris and Kathy Hilton, May 31, 2011.

  NOTES

  The conversation between Patricia Skipworth Hilton and Marilyn Hilton in “Paris” was reconstructed based on Patricia Skipworth Hilton’s first-person account.

  On April 5, 2011, Paris Hilton was the star guest at the Race to Erase MS Benefit in Century City, California. She explained that she was drawn to the cause after watching her grandmother, Marilyn, suffer from the disease. “I lost my grandmother to multiple sclerosis, so this cause is something close to my heart,” she said. “I believe that they will find a cure if everyone does their part.”

  End of an Era/Marilyn Hilton: Rest in Peace/On the Town with Paris

  Interviews conducted: Patricia McClintock Hilton (April 2, 2012; April 8, 2012; April 16, 2012; April 20, 12).

  Articles referenced: “How Dads Shaped Future Executives,” USA Today, June 16, 1995; “Vice Chairman Eric M. Hilton Retires After Nearly 50 Years of Service,” press release, Business Wire, March 31, 1997; “Barron Hilton Contributes $1.2 Billion from Sale of Hilton Hotels,” Business Wire, December 26, 2007; Susannah Rosenblatt, “Barron Hilton to Leave Most of Fortune to Charity,” Los Angeles Times, December 27, 2007; Alice Garrard, “Q & A with Steven M. Hilton, President and CEO of Conrad N. Hilton Foundation,” Philanthropy News Digest, July 3, 2007; Leslie Cauley, “Blackstone, Hilton Deal Is Marriage of Titans,” USA Today, July 5, 2007; Robert Welkos, “Francesca Hilton Turns Her Topsy-Turvy Life into Stand-up,” Los Angeles Times, August 3, 2008; Steven Kurutz, “Mad Men’s Conrad Hilton Character: The Real Story from a Hilton Family Member,” Los Angeles Times, October 25, 2009; Tom Taulli, “Blackstone Pays $800 Million to Reduce Hilton Debt,” Daily Finance, February 20, 2010.

  I also referenced “Ancestry of Paris Hilton,” compiled by William Ad
dams Reitsiesner.

  Television programs referenced: Larry King Live, interview with Paris Hilton, June 27, 2007; Entertainment Tonight, interview with Paris Hilton, July 30, 2007; Entertainment Tonight, interview with Paris Hilton, August 28, 2007; Entertainment Tonight, interview with Paris Hilton, April 15, 2010; Extra!, interview with Paris Hilton, April 15, 2010; Piers Morgan, interview with Paris and Kathy Hilton, May 31, 2011; Entertainment Tonight, interview with Paris Hilton, May 20, 2008; Entertainment Tonight, interview with Paris Hilton, August 11, 2010.

  NOTES

  The scenes of Barron Hilton and Paris Hilton fielding questions from the media in “On the Town with Paris” were based on footage shot that evening by paparazzi and then broadcast on many television news programs.

  In 2007, Steve Hilton detailed to Alice Garrard of Philanthropy News Digest programs funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation at that time, and what percentage of the foundations grant-making budget was devoted to each. It’s likely that the percentages have not changed much since that time: “In terms of the larger areas we now fund, the Catholic sisters receive 26 percent, which they manage and disburse; international water development, 18 percent; worldwide blindness prevention and treatment, 12 percent; homeless issues for families and the mentally ill, 6 percent; and hotel management and a project with Early Head Start, 4 percent each. The remainder of our grant-making budget covers a wide range of other programs, as well as projects of special interest to the board.”

  EPILOGUE: A FINAL TOAST

  Interviews conducted: Patricia McClintock Hilton (April 2, 2012; April 8, 2012; April 16, 2012; April 20, 2012); Patricia Skipworth Hilton (February 27, 2012; February 28, 2012; April 5, 2012).