Betty

As a lowly intern on the Broadway show Waiting in the Wings, my first assignment was to help Lauren Bacall get off book.  A producer was there before she arrived and said "who are you?"  I told him I was filling in for Ms. Bacall's assistant for a week and he said, "I hope you're wearing your steel jockstrap."

Indeed the manner, behavior, and aura of Ms. Bacall--or Betty, as everyone called her--were exceedingly toxic.  I am convinced she suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  At 16, she was the Queen of Hollywood--Royalty!  Wouldn't it be a letdown to be downgraded to a normal life after that?  She's the type of person who walks into Cartier and asks them to loan her their jewelry--permanently.  As though she's helping their marketing by letting them use her as a necklace board!

The thing is... as much of a bitch as she was...you couldn't help loving her husky voice and her black pantsuits and her jaunty sense of humor.  Even as she was making everyone else around her miserable, telling you you got her the wrong sandwich (even though you ordered exactly what she asked for) or yelling for her coat--it made her happy.