handle success and turns to drink. You may do the same after watching Richman's performance – though he does introduce the title song by Irving Berlin." Richman largely retired in the 1940s, although he made sporadic appearances, including on television, into the 1950s. In 1966, Richman released his memoirs, A Hell of a Life. Personal life Marriages Richman was married three times and had no children. His first marriage was to Melvina Stephenson, whom he married in 1917. After divorcing Stephenson, Richard married showgirl Hazel Forbes in March 1938, in Palm Springs, California. He and Forbes shared a sumptuous home in Beechhurst, Long Island before divorcing in 1942. Richman married for the third and final time in 1943 to Yvonne Day. That marriage also ended in divorce. Political views Richman was a Democrat, he sang "God Bless America" at the 1940 Democratic National Convention, held at Chicago. Hobbies and adventures He enjoyed sailing; however, his yacht Chevalier II exploded in July 1931, killing one. Richman was also an amateur aviator of some accomplishment, being the co-pilot in 1936, with famed flyer Henry Tindall "Dick" Merrill, of the first round-trip transatlantic flight in his own single-engine Vultee V-1AD transport, named "The Lady Peace." Richman had filled much of the empty space of the aircraft with ping pong balls as a flotation aid in case they were forced down in the Atlantic. They were forced to land in Wales in 18 hours and 38 minutes. The publicity enabled him to sell autographed ping pong balls until his death, and specimens of these continue to show up for sale on celebrity memorabilia websites. The only surviving Vultee V-1, of which only 25 were built, similar to Richman's, is in the Shannon Air Museum in Fredericksburg, Va. Later years and death Richman spent most of his fortune lavishly, and his final years were mostly impoverished. He suffered from a long string of illnesses over several years before his death. On November 3, 1972, Richman died in Hollywood, California, at the age of 77. He is buried at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. References Further reading Oderman, Stuart, Talking to the Piano Player 2. BearManor Media, 2009. . Richman, Harry, A Hell of a Life, New York, 1966 External links Harry Richman recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. 1895 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American conductors (music)