| They move to Denver because he strikes it rich in gold. Johnny later has a one nighter with a married dance hall girl/hooker, and a reporter sets him up to make a good story making Johnny a co-respondent in a divorce action between the hooker and her husband. Maggie/Molly leaves him.Tortured to be sure. In real life Maggie (not Molly) and Jim (not Johnny) Brown separated in 1909. Maggie/Molly didnt go to Europe until 1912. JJ died of a heart attack, intestate, and Maggie/Molly fought with her children over the estate. She was an educated woman who spoke at last 6 languages, and while never let into the top strata of Denver Families (the 36), she was very active philanthropically, and her friendship and company was accepted. When traveling in Europe from Paris to the Titanic, she was with the John Jacob Astor party. None of this, apparently, makes a good musical. The original musical and much of this one, were based on 1930's newspaper articles inventing a fiction life and name for 'Molly' Brown - with a few nods to facts. |
