Hollywood is filled with scandals and secrets that eventually come out and shock the world. Famous Hollywood scandals: Olive Thomas's suicide or accidental death. The actors were only four years apart in age, and both came to Hollywood from Europe around the same time (Garbo from Sweden, Dietrich from Germany). The murder of William Desmond Taylor, which was never solved. Charles Chaplin’s second divorce was Hollywood’s greatest scandal at the time. 15 Scarily Sordid Old Hollywood Scandals That Everyone Forgot About. When Crawford left MGM in 1943, she paid the studio $50,000, an unusual move. #MeToo Hollywood Babylon: The most salacious Old Hollywood scandals. Spade Cooley. Mary established a very long career which, due to the restricted nature of the press, was not terribly tarnished by her scandal. His body was found naked in their home with a gun in his hand, romantically involved with struggling actor Dorothy Millette. The fantasy musical starring Judy Garland alongside Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, and Jack Haley (and let’s not forget Toto the dog) won … The Fixers Who Buried Old Hollywood’s Biggest Scandals When stars needed something to be swept under the rug, they summoned these guys. Hollywood Scandal #9: Mary Astor’s 50 Shades of Grey… Mary Astor began her movie career in the silent era as a teenager. According to Lita, Chaplin had demanded an abortion prior to their marriage (which she couldn’t have because she wasn’t pregnant), and told her that their marriage would be short. But even the innuendo collected by Hoover for personal reasons often took a backseat to the scandals which emerged from the stars’ decadent lifestyles. Some scandals are timeless: The Fatty Arbuckle trial, the Black Dahlia, and the Sharon Tate murder are still well-known decades after they occurred. In fact, the stars from back then were so bad that the public started to turn away from Hollywood, afraid that the morality of the country would be ruined. https://www.thedelite.com/the-biggest-scandals-of-old-hollywood 1916. It’s been said, often and obviously, that sex sells. The divorce became a scandal which the newly-minted entertainment tabloids and the mainstream press couldn’t get enough of. She was recognized, even winning an Oscar for her 1947 performance in The Farmer’s Daughter. Here … 3. Here are a few old school Hollywood scandals that would probably still make headlines. We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their favorite facts about Old Hollywood. The Fixers Who Buried Old Hollywood’s Biggest Scandals When stars needed something to be swept under the rug, they summoned these guys. by Kristin Hunt March 17, 2017. Even stars all the way from the 1920s were much worse than our celebs. Beloved for his film character the Little Tramp, Charles Chaplin’s personal life was one of scandal and moral condemnation. After he was found not guilty, one accuser was quoted as saying: "[The jury] just sat and looked adoringly at him as if he was their son or something.". 10 Loretta Young Adopted Her Own Child. It’s a modern twist on old time radio that delves into the mystery of true cold cases and unsolved murders. It’s a modern twist on old time radio that delves into the mystery of true cold cases and unsolved murders. Updated October 8, 2020 1.1m views16 items. She wasn’t, though she later bore him two sons. Historic Hollywood scandals were mired in filth, debauchery, and depravity. She succeeded in trashing Chaplin’s reputation while relieving him of $800,000 (about $11 million today). He liked them young, both his first and second wives were sixteen when he married them, and the second, Lita Grey, convinced Chaplin that she was pregnant with his child, leading to a hasty marriage (he could otherwise have been imprisoned for having sex with a minor). Even without social media, news of the stars' salacious lives and indiscretions still made the news. Some scandals are timeless: The Fatty Arbuckle trial, the Black Dahlia, and the Sharon Tate murder are still well-known decades after they occurred. Errol Flynn and the Two Underage Girls. During the golden age of Hollywood, secret stories happening behind the scenes were often more intriguing, and certainly darker, than anything on the silver screen. Nine days after Bern passed, Millette's body was found in the Sacramento River, leading researchers to believe she took his life. Let's take a look at old Hollywood scandals that stars made their best effort to hide. The scandals we see today do not even compare to those from early Hollywood times. Let's state the obvious: Being a gay celebrity during the days of Old Hollywood was no walk in the park. Loretta Young had it all. Others, however, have faded into obscurity, even though the public indulged in their salaciousness during their heyday. 25 Hollywood Secrets and Scandals. It's easy to idealize old Hollywood when looking back on all the classic movies and their iconic stars. Old Hollywood Scandals That History Forgot. Hollywood Scandal #9: Mary Astor’s 50 Shades of Grey… Mary Astor began her movie career in the silent era as a teenager. ... and that, in turn, led to Hollywood's first high-profile scandal. See more ideas about hollywood, old hollywood, movie stars. One of the biggest scandals in Hollywood history occurred in 1921 when actor Virginia Rappe died a few days ... and some played up to the old system. In 1921 Comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was at a party with actress Virginia Rappe, and they ended up in a hotel bedroom together. During the process, and using several old photos as a means of verification, McLellan is near-certain Dietrich appears in several key scenes in The Joyless Street. The scandals we see today do not even compare to those from early Hollywood times. The Turmoil In … Did you know it’s been 80 years since Dorothy followed the yellow brick road? Photo: REX/Shutterstock. There are secret family members, murder, blackmail, extortion, and a studio system that controlled the lives of these people with a celluloid fist. Hollywood scandal is an interesting subject. Photo credit: The Independent. Johnny Stompanato, known gangster and infamous boyfriend of renowned actress Lana Turner, was found stabbed to death in Turner’s home. Before Hollywood became synonymous with sex tapes, rehab and public meltdowns, there was still plenty of gossip and scandal to go around in Tinseltown. His body was found naked in their home with a gun in his hand, along with a note. Movies • Entertainment. Did you know it’s been 80 years since Dorothy followed the yellow brick road? One day, Bern found her in a coma. Walk down with us on a memory lane to discover the dark secrets of Old Hollywood history. However, in the Golden Age of Hollywood, dramas were more intriguing and morbid that they were secretly swept out of the screen. In 1943, Errol Flynn, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the late 1930s and early '40s, best known for roles in swashbuckling pictures like Robin Hood and Captain Blood, stood trial for statutory rape. 15 Scarily Sordid Old Hollywood Scandals That Everyone Forgot About. 5 Horrifying Ways Old Hollywood Was A Living Hell. 1. 2. Before Hollywood became synonymous with sex tapes, rehab and public meltdowns, there was still plenty of gossip and scandal to go around in Tinseltown. Juicy Old Hollywood Scandals. By WomanlyLive_Team. He denied the charges, and his lawyers worked hard to turn the jury against the accusers. Advertisement. Wikimedia 1. I'm familiar with most of these stars and have heard tidbits about some of their exploits, but you've done a thorough job of telling their spellbinding stories. Rock Hudson Was Forced To Marry To Show How Straight He Was . J. Edgar Hoover, with his penchant for keeping records damaging to the reputations of anyone he deemed too powerful and influential, ensured the FBI was active in Hollywood for decades, collecting what should have been private information in order to protect the nation’s morals. Mannix, along with MGM’s head of publicity Howard Strickling, dedicated their careers to keeping Hollywood’s biggest stars out of the tabloids — which meant covering up some very dirty deeds. May 31, 2016 - Explore Samantha Fisette's board "old hollywood scandal" on Pinterest. NYPost . Some of the nation’s greatest film heroes were subject to damaging tales, some true, some speculative, and some criminal. She suffered from mental and emotional problems. So what gives? Here are some of the greatest scandals to emerge from Hollywood during its Golden Age. While there's always something to talk about when it comes to the Hollywood scene, some of these dramas are definitely bigger than others. Even stars in the early days of film had dirty laundry that was eventually aired out in public. ThaneEconomou. Filled with glitz and glamour, it can cover up pretty much everything. In William J. Mann's Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, an 80-year-old man talks with Mann about the 1950s when it seemed everyone in Hollywood … Turner’s 14-year-old daughter, Cheryl Crane, confessed to stabbing Stompanato to death after he became violent with her mother during a vicious argument. Drawing on media reports, book excerpts and online resources, 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of 24 scandals that shocked Hollywood throughout history. Clara Bow's unbridled promiscuity . written by Arielle Tschinkel. Advertisement. Entertainment. Crawford was one of MGM's biggest stars, so when studio brass found out she starred in pornographic short Velvet Lips as a teenager, probably while underage, the gloves were off. While there's always something to talk about when it comes to the Hollywood scene, some of these dramas are definitely bigger than others. The police assumed this to be a suicide note, but they couldn't make heads or tails of what it actually meant, given Harlow's refusal to talk about it other than to say she was at her mother's house the night of the suicide. Wed, 04/04/2018 - 08:31 - Nina Concepcion. Part of her research focused on the scandals of the past. Updated October 8, 2020 1.1m views16 items. From the ’40s to 1960, Cooley was regarded as the King of Western Swing but, on April 3, 1961, the singer viciously murdered his wife Ella Mae Evans right in front of their 14-year-old daughter. Photo: REX/Shutterstock. Hollywood, America’s longtime seat of wealth and conspicuous consumption, has long been a fount of sordid stories which held the attention of an enraptured public, happily tsking and tutting over the amoral activities of the spoiled denizens of America’s Babylon. The young, impressionable Garbo fell head-over-heels for Dietrich, who had no intent of creating a lasting relationship with the younger woman. Share Share Tweet Email Comment. More from Movies. Mary established a very long career which, due to the restricted nature of the press, was not terribly tarnished by her scandal. Secret Files on Old Hollywood Scandals Revealed by PI's Daughter by Laura Heffner. After guests heard screaming from the room, they rushed in and found Rappe writhing in agony. written by Arielle Tschinkel. It may take a while for these secrets to come to light, but they always do at some point. Cue wedding bells. These are the Old Hollywood stars you didn't know were gay. During the golden age of Hollywood, secret stories happening behind the scenes were often more intriguing, and certainly darker, than anything on the silver screen. For more Hollywood scandals, particularly the deadly kind, check out the Parcast podcast drama series Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories at parcast.com. The extortionists were given a choice: accept $25,000 for all negatives or the mob would take them out and take the negatives. The stars of Old Hollywood truly knew how to party and create a scandal. Too many people knew that Rock Hudson, star of 1950s melodramas and 1960s rom-coms, was in the closet. But even sex takes a back seat to scandal when it comes to attracting the attention of an often lascivious public, and when the scandal is about sex, especially illicit sex, the morally upright can’t help but line up to buy. Hollywood is a place rife with gossip, but several historical scandals have recently come to light after years of cover-ups by MGM general manager and president, Eddie Mannix. Even stars in the early days of film had dirty laundry that was eventually aired out in public. This meant that drastic steps had to be taken to reassure the public. The two sons she bore later in the marriage brought into question her accusations that Charles ignored her completely, but the press and the public were easily persuaded that Chaplin was an abusive monster, a profligate womanizer, with a taste for young girls (an image he could not escape). In 1932, Jean Harlow's husband, producer Paul Bern, died of an apparent suicide. ThaneEconomou. ... and that, in turn, led to Hollywood's first high-profile scandal. Rock Hudson Was Forced To Marry To Show How Straight He Was . Bern supposedly died the same night he arranged to meet Millette. Hollywood Scandals: Charlie Chaplin’s Obsession With Young Girls. Sexually abusing and exploiting young women is nothing new in Hollywood scandals, and the biggest star of the silent era proves that. 5 Horrifying Ways Old Hollywood Was A Living Hell. Old Hollywood Scandals That History Forgot. Hollywood History (@hollywoodhistory) has created a short video on TikTok with music I'll Be Seeing You. This meant that drastic steps had to be taken to reassure the public. Movies. She was beautiful. But when it came to relationships with the opposite sex he was less gifted. On August 25, 1939, The Wizard of Oz was released, thus changing the face of cinema forever. Walk of fame: The craziest scandals to rock old Hollywood. See more ideas about hollywood, scandal, old hollywood. Looking closer at the fascinating early days in old Hollywood and ranking the top films of the golden age of cinema. Many historians believe she paid the studio back for acquiring and destroying the negatives to Velvet Lips. Ten years later, Bern was with Harlow, and Millette woke up and contacted him. More from Movies. Before then, Fatty Arbuckle was a massive Hollywood star. Charles Chaplin was a genius as a comedian, actor, writer, composer, director, and filmmaker, the creator of one of the most iconic characters of all time, his immortal Little Tramp. Hollywood was no stranger to scandal and gossip. . Hello Lovelies, here is a list of shocking old Hollywood scandals ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle’s Manslaughter Charge. Fatty Arbuckle's wild party where a young woman died. Old Hollywood Scandals Shocking Forgotten Actors. Allegedly, MGM's notorious fixer, Eddie Mannix, partnered with the mob to track down extortionists asking $100,000 for the film. Errol Flynn and the statutory rape allegations in the 1930s. She was successful. Dietrich later confided in friend and writer Sam Taylor that Garbo was an unintelligent "Scandinavian child" who wore dirty underwear. One of the biggest scandals in Hollywood history occurred in 1921 when actor Virginia Rappe died a few days ... and some played up to the old system. Image: Getty. In 1921 Comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was at a party with actress Virginia Rappe, and they ended up in a hotel bedroom together. For more Hollywood scandals, particularly the deadly kind, check out the Parcast podcast drama series Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories at parcast.com. Let's take a look at old Hollywood scandals that stars made their best effort to hide. Sexually abusing and exploiting young women is nothing new in Hollywood scandals, and the biggest star of the silent era proves that. There is a tendency in all of us to look at the past through rose coloured spectacles so its easy to think of Hollywood scandal in terms of modern stars like Michael Jackson or Hugh Grant. In 1925, at the age of 19, Garbo appeared in the silent German film The Joyless Street, supposedly alongside Dietrich, who was 23 at the time. Find out the 9 biggest Hollywood scandals from back then. Scandal Week. Wikimedia . Married in 1924, by 1926 they were headed to divorce court, and Lita presented an image of Chaplin far removed from his popular public persona. Old Hollywood Scandals Shocking Forgotten Actors. However, for most of their careers, Garbo and Dietrich denied ever having met one another. The scandal did little to stop Flynn's appetite for younger women. Some scandals are timeless: The Fatty Arbuckle trial, the Black Dahlia, and the Sharon Tate murder are still well-known decades after they occurred. Scandals of Classic Hollywood: Sex, Deviance, and Drama from the Golden Age of American Cinema. During the golden age of Hollywood, secret stories happening behind the scenes were often more intriguing, and certainly darker, than anything on the silver screen. In other cases, the public got wind; then, not soon thereafter, simply forgot they'd happened in the first place. Paul Bern's suicide. The scandalous stories of Old Hollywood make today's scandalous celebrities look like amateurs. She was also involved with John Barrymore (who by the way, attempted to seduce Katharine Hepburn, who was repulsed by him). Drawing on media reports, book excerpts and online resources, 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of 24 scandals that shocked Hollywood throughout history. After guests heard screaming from the room, they rushed in and found Rappe writhing in agony. Others, however, have faded into obscurity, even though the public indulged in their salaciousness during their heyday. Before she died she recanted most of them. Oct 27, 2019 - Explore Sherry Knolla's board "Hollywood Scandals & Tragedies" on Pinterest. https://www.vanityfair.com/.../david-niven-memoir-scandals-old-hollywood Hollywood is filled with scandals and secrets that eventually come out and shock the world. Here are some of the wild, dark, and messed-up results. Wikimedia Commons Chaplin’s first high profile romance involved his 19 year old co-star Edna Purviance. Others, however, have faded into obscurity, even though the public indulged in their salaciousness during their heyday. Perhaps something nefarious was afoot; research conducted years after the case suggests Bern most likely did not take his life. From studios hooking impressionable kids on substances to women forced into abortions to maintain their image, scandals old Hollywood covered up will certainly change the way you look at tinsel town's rose-tinted past. ThaneEconomou. 14 Classic Hollywood Scandals You May Have Never Heard Of. William F Torpey from South Valley Stream, N.Y. on August 22, 2008: A truly magnificent hub, gunsock. Anne Helen Petersen penned the book “Scandals of Classic Hollywood: Sex, Deviance, and Drama From the Golden Age of American Cinema” that analyses the lives of old Hollywood’s most famous stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, and Mae West. Johnny Stompanato, known gangster and infamous boyfriend of renowned actress Lana Turner, was found stabbed to death in Turner’s home. 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