>> Sreenivasan: HEDY LAMARR WAS
ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC ACTRESSES
OF HER DAY, KNOWN FOR HER GREAT
BEAUTY AND SAID TO BE THE
INSPIRATION FOR CATWOMAN AND
SNOW WHITE.
BUT THERE WAS A PART OF HER LIFE
THAT ALMOST NO ONE KNEW ABOUT.
IT TURNS OUT, HEDY LAMARR WAS
ALSO A BRILLIANT INVENTOR.
A NEW DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT HER
LIFE OPENED WIDELY IN THEATERS
ACROSS THE NATION THIS WEEK AND
WILL AIR MAY 18 ON "AMERICAN
MASTERS" ON PBS.
NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S MEGAN
THOMPSON SPOKE RECENTLY TO
ALEXANDRA DEAN, THE DIRECTOR OF
"BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR
STORY."
>> Reporter: TELL US, WHO WAS
HEDY LAMARR?
>> HEDY LAMARR WAS A JEWISH
CHILD WHO WAS BORN IN AUSTRIA IN
THE SHADOW OF THE FIRST WORLD
WAR.
AND THEN, SHE BECAME
EXTRAORDINARILY BEAUTIFUL WHEN
SHE WAS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, I'D SAY
TEN, 11 YEARS OLD.
AND THAT KIND OF SWEPT HER AWAY.
SHE BECAME AN ACTRESS, AND SHE
FLEES TO THE UNITED STATES AND
CONVINCES LOUIS B. MAYER TO MAKE
HER HIS NEXT GREAT STAR ON THE
SILVER SCREEN.
SO, SHE BECOMES, YOU KNOW, A
HUGE... THE ANGELINA JOLIE OF
HER DAY AND DOES ALL OF THESE
FILMS WITH SPENCER TRACY, CLARK
GABLE, JIMMY STEWART.
>> Reporter: THAT WAS THE PUBLIC
HEDY LAMARR.
BUT IT WAS THE PRIVATE,
UNEXPECTED LAMARR WHO DIRECTOR
ALEXANDRA DEAN FOUND FAR MORE
COMPELLING.
>> INVENTING WAS HER HOBBY.
SHE NOT ONLY HAD A COMPLETE
INVENTING TABLE SET UP IN HER
HOUSE, BUT HOWARD HUGHES GAVE
HER A SMALL VERSION OF THE SET
OF EQUIPMENT WHICH SHE HAD IN
THE TRAILER WHERE SHE STAYED IN
BETWEEN TAKES AND HER MOTION
PICTURES.
>> WE DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING THAT
HEDY INVENTED, BUT WE KNOW THAT
DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR SHE
TEAMED UP FIRST WITH HOWARD
HUGHES, WHO WAS A GREAT INVENTOR
HIMSELF.
HE WAS TRYING TO CREATE THE
FASTEST AIRPLANE IN THE WORLD AT
THAT TIME.
>> I THOUGHT THE AEROPLANES WERE
TOO SLOW.
I DECIDED THAT'S NOT RIGHT.
THEY SHOULDN'T BE SQUARE, THE
WINGS.
SO, I BOUGHT A BOOK OF FISH, AND
I BOUGHT A BOOK OF BIRDS.
AND THEN, I USED THE FASTEST
BIRD AND CONNECTED IT WITH THE
FASTED FISH AND THEN DREW IT
TOGETHER AND SHOWED IT TO HOWARD
HUGHES.
AND HE SAID, "YOU'RE A GENIUS."
>> YOU DID?
>> YEAH.
>> Reporter: SO, SHE HAD NO
FORMAL TRAINING IN ENGINEERING
OR CHEMISTRY OR ANYTHING LIKE
THAT?
SHE WAS JUST NATURALLY GIFTED?
>> THIS IS THE AMAZING THING
ABOUT HEDY LAMARR.
SHE LEFT SCHOOL WHEN SHE WAS 15
YEARS OLD TO BECOME AN ACTRESS.
SHE LOVED CHEMISTRY.
WE KNOW THAT.
>> SHE INVENTED DURING THAT
PERIOD A TABLET THAT WOULD FIZZ
UP AND MAKE A COLA.
>> I HAD TWO CHEMISTS THAT
HOWARD GAVE ME TO DO THAT.
YOU KNOW, DURING THE WAR, NOBODY
HAD COCA-COLA, AND I WANTED TO
COMPRESS IT INTO A CUBE SO THAT
SERVICEMEN AND FACTORY PEOPLE,
ALL THEY HAD TO HAVE WAS WATER
AND PUT IT IN.
>> DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR,
THERE WAS THIS CHOKEHOLD AROUND
ENGLAND OF NAZI U-BOATS, AND IT
FELT LIKE IT WAS THE END OF THE
WAR.
IT FELT LIKE IT WAS THE TURNING
POINT AND THE NAZIS WERE GOING
TO WIN BECAUSE WE COULDN'T GET
ANY SUPPLIES TO ENGLAND.
>> Reporter: NAZI SUBMARINES
KEPT ELUDING THE ALLIES' ATTACKS
BECAUSE THE GERMANS WERE VERY
GOOD AT HACKING-- OR JAMMING--
THE RADIO SIGNALS THAT GUIDED
THE ALLIES' TORPEDOES.
>> WHAT HEDY LAMARR CAME UP WITH
WAS A RADIO SIGNAL BETWEEN A
SHIP AND A TORPEDO THAT COULDN'T
BE HACKED, THAT COULDN'T BE
JAMMED.
>> Reporter: RATHER THAN SENDING
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS ON JUST ONE
FREQUENCY AS WAS NORMALLY DONE,
LAMARR CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF
MAKING THE SIGNAL LEAP FROM
FREQUENCY TO FREQUENCY.
>> FREQUENCY HOPPING.
YOU COULDN'T JAM IT BECAUSE
YOU'D ONLY JAM A SPLIT SECOND OF
IT IN A SINGLE FREQUENCY.
SO, FREQUENCY CHANGE, FREQUENCY
HOP, FREQUENCY HOP, FREQUENCY
HOP.
THAT CONCEPT, SECURE RADIO
COMMUNICATIONS, WAS BRILLIANT.
>> AND THAT BASIC IDEA OF
FREQUENCY-HOPPING BECAME PART OF
WHAT'S KNOWN AS SPREAD SPECTRUM.
SPREAD SPECTRUM IS WHAT'S IN ALL
OF OUR TECHNOLOGY TODAY.
I MEAN, BLUETOOTH IS PROBABLY
THE MOST PURELY SIMILAR TO WHAT
HEDY LAMARR INVENTED.
AND WI-FI, TOO.
BUT SPREAD SPECTRUM IS IN A HUGE
AMOUNT OF INVENTIONS THAT WE USE
ON A DAILY BASIS.
>> Reporter: LAMARR HAD A PATENT
ON THE TECHNOLOGY, BUT IT WAS
CONFISCATED BECAUSE SHE WAS AN
AUSTRIAN IMMIGRANT AND
CONSIDERED AN "ENEMY ALIEN."
SHE WAS NEVER COMPENSATED FOR
HER INVENTION, WHICH THE FILM
ESTIMATES TO BE WORTH AROUND 
$30 BILLION TODAY.
>> WHEN WE BEGAN MAKING THIS
FILM, YOU KNOW, SOME SCIENTISTS
SAID TO ME, "SHE WAS PROBABLY A
SPY.
YOU KNOW, SHE PROBABLY STOLE
THIS INVENTION FROM THE NAZIS
AND BROUGHT IT TO THE ALLIES AS
A SPY.
AND WE JUST DON'T REALIZE IT
NOW, BUT DOESN'T THAT MAKE A LOT
MORE SENSE TO YOU THAN THIS
MOVIE STAR COMING UP WITH THIS
INCREDIBLE INVENTION?"
I MEAN, SERIOUS SCIENTISTS SAID
THAT TO ME AT THE BEGINNING OF
MY RESEARCH, AND I REALLY HAD TO
CONFRONT THAT ASSUMPTION IN THE
FILM.
>> Reporter: PART OF WHAT FUELED
THOSE ASSUMPTIONS WAS THAT
LAMARR HAD ALMOST NEVER SPOKEN
PUBLICLY ABOUT HER INVENTION.
SHE'D NEVER REALLY TAKEN CREDIT
FOR HER OWN WORK.
>> AND SO, I REALIZED I HAD
NOTHING REALLY OF HER OWN
RECORD.
AND WE REALLY STARTED SHOE
LEATHER REPORTING AND FIGURING
OUT THAT THERE WERE ABOUT 75
PEOPLE ALIVE TODAY THAT COULD
POSSIBLY HAVE SOMETHING ON HEDY
LAMARR, AND JUST SYSTEMATICALLY
GOING DOWN THAT LIST.
AND WHEN WE GOT TO THIS GUY,
FLEMING MEEKS, WHO HAD WRITTEN
THIS ARTICLE ABOUT HER IN 1990,
HE PICKED UP THE PHONE, AND HE
SAID TO ME, "I HAVE BEEN WAITING
25 YEARS FOR YOU TO CALL ME!"
>> IT'S EMBARRASSING.
BEHIND THAT BLUE TRASH CAN.
I'VE HAD STUFF STOWED THERE, AND
I MOVED IT OUT OF THE WAY, AND 
THERE IT WAS.
>> IT TURNED OUT HE HAD TAPES
THAT BASICALLY TOLD THE WHOLE OF
HEDY LAMARR'S STORY, AND THEY
HAD NEVER SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY.
>> YES, THIS IS FLEMING MEEKS
AT "FORBES."
>> OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE
ROSES!
>> OH, YOU'RE VERY WELCOME.
>> I LOVE THEM!
THE BRAINS OF THE PEOPLE ARE
MORE INTERESTING THAN THE LOOKS,
I THINK.
THEN, PEOPLE HAVE THE IDEA THAT
I'M SORT OF A STUPID THING.
>> Reporter: WHAT WAS THAT
MOMENT LIKE FOR YOU AS A
FILMMAKER?
>> I THINK I CRIED WHEN I FIRST
HEARD HEDY'S VOICE.
>> I WAS DIFFERENT, I GUESS.
MAYBE I CAME FROM A DIFFERENT
PLANET.
WHO KNOWS?
( LAUGHTER )
BUT WHATEVER IT IS, INVENTIONS
ARE EASY FOR ME TO DO.
>> Reporter: HOW DID HEDY
LAMARR'S LIFE END?
>> HEDY WITHDREW FROM THE WORLD
AT THE END OF HER LIFE.
SHE REALLY FELT MISUNDERSTOOD.
PART OF IT WAS A SHOPLIFTING
ARREST, WHICH SHE MAY OR MAY NOT
HAVE BEEN GUILTY OF.
AND PART OF IT WAS THE SHE HAD
THIS REALLY UNFORTUNATE PLASTIC
SURGERY AT THE END OF HER LIFE
TO TRY AND SHORE UP THAT BEAUTY.
SHE WAS SO WITHDRAWN BY THE TIME
SHE STARTED TO GET RECOGNIZED
FOR INVENTION THAT SHE NEVER
CAME OUT PUBLICLY AND ACCEPTED
ANY CLAIM FOR IT.
PEOPLE ASK ME ALL THE TIME IF
HEDY LAMARR'S LIFE WAS A TRAGIC
LIFE TO ME, AND I DON'T THINK IT
WAS, FUNNILY ENOUGH.
EVEN THOUGH SHE DID HAVE THIS
REALLY DARK PERIOD, AT THE END
OF HER LIFE, SHE REALLY EXAMINED
WHAT SHE'D BEEN THROUGH, AND SHE
CAME OUT WITH SOME WISDOM.
AND THE REASON WE KNOW THAT IS
SHE WOULD CALL HER CHILDREN AND
LEAVE THEM THESE LONG MESSAGES
ON THEIR ANSWER PHONES, WHICH
THEY WOULD RECORD.
AND ON ONE OF HER ANSWER PHONE
MESSAGES, WE FOUND HER REALLY
TRYING TO TELL HER SON THE
MESSAGE OF HER LIFE THROUGH THIS
POEM.
>> GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU
HAVE, AND YOU'LL BE KICKED INTO
THE TEETH.
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE
GOT, ANYWAY.
>> AND IN THE POEM, SHE'S SAYING
TO HIM, "YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT
FEEL KICKED IN THE TEETH.
YOU MIGHT FEEL THAT THE WORLD
NEVER UNDERSTANDS YOU OR
APPLAUDS YOU FOR YOUR GREATEST
ACHIEVEMENTS.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
DO IT ANYWAY.
DO IT ANYWAY BECAUSE IT'S IN THE
DOING THIS GREAT THING THAT WILL
CHANGE THE WORLD THAT YOU WILL
FIND THE MEANING OF YOUR LIFE."
