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January 22nd, 2008
These three words are what best describes 1960’s easy listening star Claudine Longet. You see, although she appeared to be nothing more then a harmless frail of a woman, with giant brown doe like eyes, a quite wispy voice and a gentle disposition, Claudine Longet may have been one of the most dangerous women ever to hit the pop charts. I’m serious! She may have looked like Snow White, but Claudine was tougher then Janis Joplin, Wendy O. Williams and Amy Wineheart all rolled up in one. In fact, if I was ever faced with having to take on Johnny Cash, or face the wrath of Claudine Longet I would surely face Johnny Cash. You see, Johnny Cash may have sung about shooting a man just to watch him die, but Claudine Longet actually did it! And she not only did it, but pretty much got away with it too, proving that a gentle voice and tears streaming from the biggest brown eyes that you’ve ever seen can get a pretty girl away from anything. There’s one thing to always keep in mind when it comes to Claudine Longet. Don’t EVER piss her off! Now,
I am sure that many of you are asking yourselves, just who was this Claudine
Longet? I find it
CONFESSIONS OF A POP CULTURE ADDICT PRESENTS: BANG BANG!: WHO’S AFRAID OF CLAUDINE LONGET?
When police questioned Claudine she admitted it. She had shot Spider Sabich. She even admitted that she pointed the gun at him and said “Bang bang.” However, the whole thing was a HUGE accident. She never meant to. She was just fooling around with the gun. She didn’t think it’d actually go off. A blood sample was taken from Claudine which showed that she was all hopped up on cocaine at the time of the shooting, and her diary and the murder weapon were confiscated at the scene of the crime. Claudine was charged with reckless manslaughter, which could see her spending up to ten years in prison! What
was Claudine to do? A call to Andy Williams had Andy in Aspen
within twenty four hours where he stayed by Claudine's side until the end of her
trial. Why wouldn't he? I mean, he was a nice guy and they were
still friends. That, or Andy may have wondered if he upset her and left
that he might be next. Whatever the reason, Andy h First, as a result of a blundering police investigation (isn’t it always the case at these kind of crime scenes), the evidence of Claudine’s journal, which was full of documentations of her suspicions of Spider’s affairs and of their failing love affair, as well as the blood test proving she was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the shooting, was thrown out of court due to the fact that the police had not had a warrant at the time that they took this evidence. Furthermore, the murder weapon, which a police officer had wrapped up in a towel, went missing for three days, where it was eventually found in the glove compartment of a patrol car, thus was also no longer deemed as reliable evidence. Thus, the prosecutor only had to rely on testimony about Claudine’s ruthlessly jealous nature and public temper tantrums over Spider’s lack of attention towards her. Then,
during her trial in 1977, with giant tear drops flowing out of her giant brown
eyes, the beautiful French waif took the stand and told her story of what
happened that fateful March evening. According to Claudine, she had foun Well the sight of a crying pretty girl in a mini dress touched the heart of the judge, who must have lost his sanity temporarily, and not only fined Claudine a mere $250 fine, which is the same penalty for parking in a handicapped parking space, for ending the life Spider Sabich, but also only thirty days in county jail, which she go to “at a time of her choosing.” He then went on to scold the city of Aspen for their suspicious nature and for treating Claudine Longet as a criminal, thus proving that the tears of a pretty girl CAN help her get away with murder.
Claudine decided
that she’d split up her jail sentancing on weekends when the kids were visiting
their father, but before attending her first weekend in the slammer, she and her
lawyer Ron Austin took a month vacation in Mexico together. Thing was, Austin
was married with three children, but decided to leave them for Claudine, des So, for the next four months, Claudine spent the weekends at the Pitkin County Jailhouse, but instead of staying in a cell, Claudine was permitted to stay in an office. However, the office was not of Claudine’s liking so her “hosts” had the office redocorated to Claudine’s specifications, where she could spend her weekends watching television, talking on the phone, ordering take out and reading a good book, as punishment for killing a man!
So as it seemed,
Claudine got away with murder. However, her life wouldn’t go on unaffected by
the ordeal. In 1977 Saturday Night Live aired a now classic sketch titled
The Claudine Longet Invitational where Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin played
sportscasters that showed images of skiiers falling on a course after the sound
of a gun going off and the catchphrase “Uh oh! It seems that he’s been
accidently shot by Claudine Longet.” The sketch pretty mu “Chevy
Chase: Now, here
comes the man to beat - we're going to be seeing him in a second. Of course,
Jean-Paul Baptiste. A 28-year-old civil engineer from Verne, Switzerland. And he's
strong, he's agile, he's got a great deal of power, Jessica.
Chevy Chase: Look
at the way his legs absorb those shocks, as he maneuvers his way down this bumpy
terrain. There's a very nice move there, a lot of spring, he's really playing
this hill.
Claudines back in jail again
Yet the
biggest scar that Claudine received was the end of her career. With the public
eyeing her suspiciously as a murderess Claudine never did a recording,
television appearance, film or stage appearance again. She did allow herself to
be interviewed by A&E for the Biography episode on Andy Williams, but
would only speak about Andy and would not allow herself to be photographed or
filmed. She still lives in Aspen, Colorado
with Ron Austin, but
lives as a recluse. The price she's had to pay for killing her lover. As a result, her notoriety has faded, and the su However, the time is right for a rediscovery of Claudine Longet’s music. With an acceptance of retro-lounge in today’s hipster culture, as well as a new fascination with the yé-yé sound, Claudine’s music is awaiting a new audience. Furthermore, her noterioity as a potential murderess makes her even more glamerous as a cult figure for the lovers of beautiful oddities. However, there is one song that she recorded that you won’t be able to find in any rereleases of Claudine’s albums. As a result of a deal with the Sabich family, Claudine’s cover of Cher’s 1966 hit Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) has been taken out of circulation. You gotta love the irony!
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that Claudine’s legend and career has seemed to have faded away into a near
obscurity in recent decades for the exception of the fans of the 1960’s soft pop
industry, where artists such as Richard Harris, Herb Alpert and Jack Jones were
music legends, and a string section was favored over a loud guitar. Claudine
Longet had a unique sound, and a sense of style which was unlike most of the
female singers in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, collecting a small, but devoted,
fan following. However, even more alluring is the night in 1976 when Claudine
Longet killed her lover, Olympic skier Spider Sabich, making her one of the most
notorious easy listening singers of all time. Yet, decades before O.J, Phil
Spector, and Robert Blake, with the evidence stacked up against her, and even
with Claudine innocently admitting she pulled the trigger but it was all just a
huge misunderstanding, Claudine Longet got away with murder. Many stand beside
Claudine Longet’s story that Spider’s death was accidental. Others believe that
she was a jealous and desperate woman who believed that if she couldn’t have
Spider Sabich, then nobody could. Truth is, we’ll never really know what
happened that fateful night in Spider’s Aspen Colorado chalet, but we know three
things for sure. A gun went off, Spider Sabich lay dead on his bathroom floor
and Claudine Longet pulled the trigger. So why don’t you come with me, friends
and readers, as we take a look at the career of the lovely Claudine Longet, the
death of her lover, and the unbelievable trial that followed as we learn just
the meaning of the phrase “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” as
Now
I want to make this clear right here. I love Claudine Longet. I think she is
absolutely irresistible. She was possibly one of the 1960’s greatest imports
from France. Claudine is charming, stylish and beautiful. However, while much
of her music is ultra cheesy and campy fun, some of her tracks are
simply fantastic. Yet, to this day, Claudine Longet’s music has, unfortunately,
gone virtually unnoticed, underappreciated and nearly forgotten. You see,
Claudine Longet never found her rightful place in the North American music
scene. Hindered by the fact that when she made her first album in 1966, she was
the very very young wife of crooner Andy Williams. Known primarily for her
appearances on The Andy Williams Show, she was pretty much established as
the kind of music that the record buying public’s parents listen too.
Meanwhile, the parents thought that Claudine was too young and pretty to be with
a straight up guy like Andy and they didn’t really dig her either. Thus, the
squares thought that Claudine was to hip and the hipsters thought that Claudine
was to square. Making it further complicated was the fact that Claudine’s
choice of arrangements on her albums only had a certain niche market. Coming to
America at the age of 19 from France, Claudine Longet was a part of France’s
Claudine
Longet started her showbusiness career in Paris as a singer and dancer at a
tourist friendly stage revue at the age of 18. However, through a number of
connections, she learnt that there was a demand for French dancers in Las Vegas
where French inspired “girlie shows” were becoming a trend. Thus, Claudine left
Paris behind and set her sights on Vegas. By the age of 19, Claudine found
herself as the head dancer in the Tropicana’s now famous “
as
a result of criticism by the prudes and the housewives that bought Andy’s
records over the fourteen year age difference between the couple, Andy’s people
put together a romantic, yet unrealistic story about the pair meeting in Paris
when Andy was a younger man and Claudine was a child, and then remeeting when
Andy helped Claudine out with car troubles in Vegas. Their eyes met. They
recognized each other from that day at the Louvre. They fell in love. Yeah,
right. Pretty unlikely story, but Andy had a nice guy image to protect and his
fans couldn’t bear to hear that he was shopping for a wife at a French girlie
show in Vegas. Anyhow, Claudine put her career temporarily on hold while she
and Andy raised a family. By 1964
Claudine
was being featured regularly on Andy’s weekly TV show where audiences saw her
for the first time plucking her miniature guitar and singing in her hypnotic
wispy French accent. Let it Be Me, a duet by Andy and Claudine hit the
Billboard charts that same yet. Soon Claudine found herself appearing in other
television series including Rat Patrol, Hogan’s Heroes and
Combat typically type cast as playing French girls in war time Europe.
Then, in 1966, Herb Alpert signed Claudine to A&M Records where she released her
first single, Meditations, which became a minor hit. In 1967 Claudine’s
self titled album was released. However, Claudine’s brand of music just wasn’t
in sync with what the rest of America was listening too.
That summer the Monterey Pop Festival became the showcase for the current music
scene featuring Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Who, the Animals, the
Mamas
and the Papas, Simon and Garfunkle and far too many others to name. Claudine,
however, was not invited. Still, Claudine trudged on, releasing another six
albums between 1967 and 1972, which saw a few more minor hits on the Billboard
charts, but mainly went collecting dust amongst the counter culture’s parent’s
James Last albums. During her recording career Claudine had a number of other
victories and failures. Her most notable victory as playing Peter Seller’s love
interest in the critically acclaimed comedy The Party, with her biggest
failure being the end of her marriage to Andy Williams in 1969, the same year as
the birth of her and Andy’s third child. Yet, Claudine and Andy remained close
friends and confidents. Mind you, Andy was such a nice guy, and he probably
never pissed Claudine off…or was at least scared too. Claudine and the children
would go on to appear on Andy’s Christmas specials until 1972. Then Claudine
met Spider Sabich.
Born
Vladimir Sabich Jr., Spider Sabich was one of the leading stars of the United
States 1968 Olympic ski team in France. Although he was a member of a cracker
jack squad, the team returned home without any medals. Spider continued
professionally skiing, and eventually became one of the leading stars of the US
Ski Racing Tour. Now Spider Sabich was a remarkable skier and athlete, but he
wasn’t the greatest in the world. He never won any medals, and he never broke
any records. His successes were only moderate. However, as a playboy, and a
poster boy for the sport, Spider Sabich had all the right qualities. He was
good looking, charismatic, smart and loved to live life in the fast lane. As a
result of his moderate success as a skier, and through product endorsements,
Spider became part of the celebrity sportsman set. Making his home in his own
chalet in Aspen, Colorado, Spider lived amongst celebrities, mountains, ski
hills, a party that never ended and a diet of good liquor, expensive drugs and
fast women. 
It
was at a celebrity ski exhibition in 1972 that Claudine and Spider first met and
immediately fell in love. It was said that Claudine was the first woman that
Spider had actually ever taken seriously and not thought of as a temporary
thing, or a one night stand. A splendid courtship occurred between the handsome
skier and his exotic French girlfriend over the year, and by the end of 1973
Spider had asked Claudine to move in with him. However, the party was about to
end because there was three little
things that Spider didn’t take into account. Claudine’s three children; aged
four, nine and ten. Now Spider had to adjust to being a “family man.” To say
the least, Spider wasn’t quite ready for that. By all accounts, Spider was very
fond and good to Claudine’s children, but he still wanted to be the party guy.
Claudine, on the other hand, wanted Spider to settle down and be a father figure
to her children. Naturally, the next three years on the couple would be full of
turmoil. Despite Claudine’s attempts to keep Spider from partying, he still
remained a fixture in Aspen’s nightlife. This made Claudine a needy and
possessive woman, with a tendency to create public spectacles with her neediness
and demands towards Spider. Furthermore, rumors that could not be verified, but
were most likely true, about Spider having sexual encounters with local ski
bunnies made Claudine both suspicious of Spider’s whereabouts, and jealous of
any woman that even looked at him. By 1976, it was no secret in Aspen that
Spider and Claudine’s home was not a happy one, and there was trouble in
paradise. Spider had confided in friends that he wanted Claudine out of the
chalet, but harbored a great amount of guilt of forcing her children out of what
had been their home for three years. However, Spider wouldn’t have to kick
anybody out of his chalet because on March 21st, 1976 Spider Sabich
was dead.
The
story goes that Spider had spent the day skiing and had a meeting with his
manager, when he returned home and prepared to go to a party. Entering the
bathroom, Spider undressed to get in the shower when Claudine walked in. In her
hand was a gun. Within moments a shot rang out, which caught the attention of
Claudine’s children who ran to investigate to find Spider on the floor bleeding
to death in their mothers arms. Claudine called for an ambulance and then
stayed by Spider’s side while he died on the way to the hospital.
ired
LA defense attorney Charles Weedman,
who specialized in dealing with hired-gunmen, to defend his ex-wife. Claudine
also hired a local
Aspen lawyer, Ron Austin. The two put together a case and a testimony that
would make Lizzie Borden’s lawyer proud. 
d
the gun, which was purchased by Spider’s father in France during the 1968
Olympic Games, in the closet the afternoon of the shooting. As Spider was
undressing in the bathroom, thinking it’d be the perfect opportunity to ask
Spider how to use the gun (cause we all know there is no better place in the
world to discuss gun use then a bathroom), Claudine brought the gun to Spider,
who went on to show Claudine how it worked, and then he showed her how to put
the safety back on the gun. Taking the gun back from Spider, and then,
naturally, assuming the safety was on, Claudine pointed the gun at Spider and
said “Bang bang” as a joke. To her horror the safety slipped, a shot rang out
and she shot Spider in the stomach, where he bled to death in her arms. So she
never meant to kill him! She was innocent! It wasn’t what it looked like! It
wasn’t actually murder! However, without all the evidence put before the jury,
after three hours of jurisdiction they passed over the charge of reckless
manslaughter, to the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. Now
Claudine faced a sentence of two years in prison, and a fine of $50,000. Yet,
on the day of her sentencing, Claudine, again with giant tears in those doe like
eyes, broke down before the judge
and
pleaded not to be taken away from her children by saying “We love each other
very much. They respect me and they firmly believe in my innocence. They are
beautiful. They are happy. They are very gentle and open. With all my heart, I
would like them to stay that way.”
pite
the fact that she had just killed her last lover! They married shortly upon
arriving back in the US, and to this day are still married. Obviously Austin
has never pissed Claudine off.
ch
went on the opinon that Claudine was guilty, as shown in this excert:
Saturday
Night Live wasn’t the only ones that took a stance against Claudine either.
Mick Jagger, probably still annoyed after Claudine’s butcher job of Let’s
Spend the Night Together, wrote and recorded his own statement against
Claudine for the Rolling Stones album Emotional Rescue where he sang:
As
a result of the harsh nature of the song, it was cut from the album for fear of
a lawsuit against the Stones by Claudine. Either that…or the Rolling Stones
were also scared off pissing Claudine Longet off. Despite, the song, titled
Claudine, is easily available as a bootleg.
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has set on a woman whose career was out shadowed by her
involvement in the death of her lover.