Six degrees of separation from Tom Jones

Born Marion Robert Morrison in 1907, the American actor – Duke, to many – starred in a string of cowboy hits. He had some odd superstitions – he would never leave a hat on top of a bed and no one in his family was allowed to pass salt directly to him; it had to be placed on the table, and then he would reach for it. Smoking, though, he had no problem with, chuffing his way through five packets of cigarettes a day, a habit that brought him first a hacking cough and later lung cancer. It has been reported that Wayne dodged the military draft so he could continue a love affair with his The Spoilers co-star, Marlene Dietrich …

Marie Magdalene Dietrich was born in Berlin, in 1901, and went on to become one of the biggest stars of the silver screen. The actress had some quirky habits of her own; one involved sucking lemon wedges between takes to keep her mouth muscles tight. She also never worked without a mirror on set so she could constantly check her make-up and hair (according to her make-up man, she went in so hard that she needed a new coat of lipstick after every kiss). According to her daughter, Maria Riva, Dietrich never went anywhere without a satchel containing religious medallions, including one dedicated to the patron saint of travellers, St Christopher …