Bombshell

the story of the invention – a collaborative effort between actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil

Much to my astonishment, I have become briefly (and marginally) famous for my role (miniscule) in a film about Hollywood beauty Hedy Lamarr. Not only was she the sexiest woman on screen in the 1940s and 50s, but she also was an inventor, and worked with my favorite composer, George Antheil, on a patent for a “secret communications device”. Although nothing came of their brilliant invention, it turned out to be a stunning preview of frequency hopping, a technique which is used in wifi and cell phones, and makes our current world possible. The film about Hedy, called “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” is now available on Netflix – enjoy it, and look out for my cameo, talking about…torpedoes!
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi4265654553/?playlistId=tt6752848&ref_=vp_nxt_btn

The latest development in this story is that choreographer Meryl Tankard has crafted a marvelous and high-energy dance for the Zurich Ballet (premiered January 20, 2024 at the Zurich Opera). The ballet is inspired by Hedy’s life, and is set to music by her co-inventor, George Antheil.

Sound designer Paul Lehrman and I arranged Antheil’s music for 64-channel sound and live grand piano for this performance. Here are some images from For Hedy: