Salina Art Center Salina, KS
NCK Geocaching Society
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story— Codes, Curves & Coordinates!
Program Description
The life and career of the hailed Hollywood movie star and underappreciated genius inventor... Hedy Lamarr wasn't just a glamorous actress—she co-invented frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology, the basis for secure wireless communications (think GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi). Geocaching depends on GPS, which is part of the tech evolution she helped spark. PLUS, help us launch our own downtown cache.
This event is part of the National Evening of Science on Screen. Learn more.
Presented At
Salina Art Center Salina, KS
Film Synopsis
This documentary reveals the Hedy Lamarr hidden behind the famously beautiful Hollywood star's glamorous image: a technological trailblazer whose inventions form the basis of modern WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth systems.
Startlet. Screen Siren. The Most Beautiful Woman in the World. All phrases used to describe 1940’s Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr. Alexandra Dean’s illuminating documentary adds Inventor to the list. Known for her matchless beauty and electric screen persona, Lamarr’s legion of fans never knew she possessed such a beautiful mind. An Austrian Jewish émigré who acted by day and drew mechanical and electronic inventions by night, Lamarr came up with a “secret communication system” to help the Allies to beat the Nazis. Weaving in Lamarr’s own voice from archival recordings, Dean reveals how Lamarr gave her patent to the Navy, received no credit for her contributions, and wound up impoverished in her latter years. Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story is a film for lovers of history, Hollywood, and science.
-Tribeca Film Festival