Blank on Blank — Season 1, Episode 72: Marlene Dietrich on Sex Symbols

Episode synopsis

"I have never used my body. I have played roles where the legs were used and the body was used but in life, I have never done that" - Marlene Dietrich. Interview by Jay Kent Hackleman recorded in 1969 for Houston radio station, KHRH. Dietrich was in midst of one of her many cabaret tours. “Ms. Dietrich agreed to our interview on the condition that it could be done in a dressing room at the theater,” Hackleman recalled. “I certainly had no problem with that and she gave the entire interview reclining on a chaise longue and somehow that seemed absolutely appropriate.” Hackleman’s granddaughter, Liss LaFleur, graciously allowed us to bring this lost tape to life.

About Blank on Blank

Vintage interview tapes. New animations. The mission is simple: curate and transform journalists' unheard interviews with American icons. The future of journalism is remixing the past.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Bono on His Dad's Final Days
• E2Surfer Kelly Slater on Problems in his Perfect Life
• E3Muhammad Ali On Going To Mars
• E4Dave Brubeck on Fighting Communism with Jazz
• E5Larry King on Getting Seduced
• E6Jim Morrison on Why Fat is Beautiful
• E7David Foster Wallace on Ambition
• E8Beastie Boys on Being Stupid
• E9Wilt Chamberlain on Tall Tales
• E10James Brown on Conviction, Respect & Reagan
• E11Maurice Sendak on Being a Kid
• E12Louis Armstrong on His Chops