When it comes to the Golden Age of Hollywood, nothing fuelled the media more than rumours and gossip. This was especially true when it came to the sensational murders of the time.
When up and coming actor David Bacon was murdered in, seemingly, broad daylight, rumours, gossip, and speculation ran rampant, and quite possibly impeded the investigation.
So, who was the real David Bacon? And who murdered him?
David Bacon was born Gaspar Griswold Bacon Jr. on March 24th, 1914. He was born into a very prominent family in Massachusetts. The Bacons were extremely affluent, and politically invested. They were known as being part of the Boston Brahmin families, essentially meaning they were the elite of the elite.
Gaspar indulged in many of the offerings of his wealthy family. He attended Deerfield Academy, and in 1937, he graduated from Harvard University. He enjoyed vacations, and rubbing elbows with the sons of celebrities and politicians.
In the summers, his family would spend time at their home in Cape Cod, named Woods Hole. During this time, Gaspar developed a love for the theatre, and acting. He became a well-known member of the “University Players” group while at Harvard, and was determined to finely tune his craft. While part of the group, he became friends with the then unknown James Stewart and Henry Fonda. They later shared accommodations as they tried to get their acting careers off the ground.
For a few years, Gaspar was a struggling actor. Rumours about him began to circulate – especially in regards to his sex life. Many of these rumours appear to be completely unfounded, while many maintain that he was a closeted queer man, possibly gay or bisexual. These rumours have never been officially substantiated, and are honestly no one’s business but David’s.
After struggling in New York, Gaspar moved to Los Angeles. There, he met Austrian singer and actress Greta Keller, who was eleven years older than him. They married in 1942, and Greta was soon pregnant with their child. It was a difficult pregnancy, and both Greta and Gaspar were thrilled at the prospect of growing their family.
In moving to Los Angeles, Gaspar was told that his name would not lend him to many roles in the industry. His name was changed to David, but he kept his family name intact.
It was rumoured that David met famous producer Howard Hughes in 1942. Hughes was so enamoured with Bacon, he signed him to an exclusive contract, with every intention of casting him in well-renowned roles. David was cast in smaller roles through his contract, though usually as a college student.
The connection between David Bacon and Howard Hughes is tenuous at best. Darwin Porter, a ‘biographer’ more known for scandal and gossip than fact, waxed poetic about their meeting, and their relationship. However, the timelines don’t add up, nor do most of the actual facts written in Porter’s supposed biography of Howard Hughes’ life. At best, Porter grasped at straws and inferred fact out of fiction. At worst, he outright lied to create more sensationalism and press for his book release.
Whatever the case may be, it is highly unlikely that David Bacon had ever met Howard Hughes at all. The supposed meeting just adds salacious lore to the life of actor David Bacon.
Despite these likely fabrications, David did manage to land the role of a lifetime – the titular character in the 1943 serial The Masked Marvel. The role was set to make a star of David. The only problem was that he was the 5th choice for the role.
Four previous actors had accepted the role, and then left the production after being injured during the production process. David one stated that he felt he was not immune to the supposed curse of the role.
In the end, David Bacon’s final role would become his most memorable.
One Saturday afternoon in 1943, David asked Greta if she wanted to go to the beach with him, as he had the urge to go swimming. Greta declined. The pregnancy was hard on her, and her doctor had suggested she remain close to home for her health.
Greta then decided to take a nap. When she woke up, she noticed that David was gone. He had left a note stating that he had gone to the beach, and would be back before dark. However, he hadn’t taken his beloved do, who always joined him on a swim.
That afternoon, David was seen driving his car erratically before he ran off the road, hit the curb, and then came to a stop in a bean field. Witnesses saw him climb out of the car, staggering. He then collapsed, asking a nearby witness who ran to the car for help.
Those were the last words spoken by the actor David Bacon. He died on September 12th, 1943, at the age of 29.
Police were called to the scene, and began their investigation. It was clear early on in the investigation that there would be more questions than answers in the death of David Bacon.
As they arrived, the found the inside of the car soaked in blood. But none was found on the outside of the car itself, which was surprising. Investigators theorized that David had been stabbed, likely without warning, while he had been inside the car. A stab wound was found in his back, making investigators think he’d been stabbed while he was leaning forward.
A blood-soaked bathrobe was also found inside the car. Not knife marks or holes were found in the bathrobe. David’s wallet and a camera were also found in the car, along with a small, blue sweater with strands of blond hair attached to it.
Investigators searched for the murder weapon, but none was ever found. They suspected that David had beens tabbed by a stiletto, roughly 6-inches long.
Witnesses told police conflicting stories of what – or whom – they saw in the car that afternoon. Some said they saw a dark-haired man in the passenger seat, while others stated that they saw both a man and a woman in the car. This claim was debunked by police, but they could never fully clear the claim of a dark-haired man.
David’s car was dusted for prints, but the only ones found belonged to David himself.
Greta Keller was intensely distraught when she was informed of her husband’s death. A week following his murder, Greta gave birth to a stillborn baby. Grief stricken, Greta kept out of the media, and eventually returned to Austria for the remainder of her life.
The deeper the investigation went, the more police realized that David Bacon had secrets.
Shortly following his death, David’s cousin uncovered a secret will that had been unknown to everyone in his life, including Greta. The will left everything to Greta, which made sense. David’s cousin filed the will with the courts with no issues, other than questioning why David never had a lawyer file it away in the first place.
Rumours began circulating that David also kept a secret diary, which was found by police written in code. Allegedly, Greta was able to assist in deciphering part of the code, which led police to various names and addresses of David and Greta’s friends and family. However, the rest of the diary was never cracked – if it ever existed at all.
The diary was never officially taken into evidence, as no found record or photographs of it exist. If it was taken into evidence, it has since disappeared. Most likely, the diary was developed out of rumour and gossip.
What was not rumour was the fact that David kept an apartment. When the apartment was searched, police found expired food, dirty dishes, towels, and cigarette holders inside.
When inquiries were made, the landlord told police that the apartment was empty a great majority of the time. However, he had seen David coming in and out of the apartment with a shorter man. The identity of the man was never discovered.
The landlord also stated that when he spoke to David on September 10th, 1943, he saw David there with another man who appeared flushed, and angry.
The man was identified as 20-year-old Glenn Erwin Shaum. He explained to police that he had answered an ad for a gardener, where he would gain lodgings in exchange for gardening work. Greta confirmed with police that David had rented the apartment for that purpose, though they never ended up hiring a gardener.
Glenn was able to provide police with an airtight alibi for the afternoon of David’s murder, clearing him of any suspicion.
Further investigation uncovered a potential renter named Harry Frazee.
Harry described himself as a “New York radio producer”. When he was questioned, he told police that he had stayed in the apartment for four days before moving onto another job in another city. He said that he struck a deal with David which entailed him working as a gardener for David a few hours a day in return for lodgings.
When he moved in, he was helped by Phyllis Parker, Franz Rosenwald, and Wilfred Buckland Jr. The cigarette holders belonged to Phyllis, who told police she’d accidentally left them there. The towel also belonged to one of the men.
The clues police believed they had suddenly vanished, much like any of the leads they were uncovering.
While police were running low on leads, the newspapers were running rampant with rumours, gossip, and theories.
The most popular theory stated that David had been murdered by a hitchhiker he had picked up, which had been his habit. Another popular theory posited that David had potentially been embroiled in a blackmail attempt gone wrong, which cost him is life.
The murder of David Bacon, The Masked Marvel, became another chapter in the lore of the lurid and salacious tales of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
The case remains unsolved, and the LAPD have stated that it is open, and that they are open to receiving tips and leads from anyone who can provide any information in regards to the murder of Gaspar “David” Bacon.
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Sources:
The Mysterious Death of Cape Cod’s David Bacon – The New England Historical Society
The Bizarre Unsolved 1943 Murder of Actor David Bacon – Andrew Amelinckx – Grunge
The Masked Marvel Murder serial – Larry Harnisch – The LA Daily Mirror
Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories podcast – Episode 119: The Masked Marvel Murder