Buzz
Hollywood has long been synonymous with scandal and notoriety. This was as evident in its early years as it is today. From the very beginning, the sparkle of Hollywood's allure was merely a facade, concealing the corruption and moral decay beneath.
Perhaps this dark side is what makes Hollywood so captivating. People are drawn to tales of scandal, and Tinseltown has an almost infinite stockpile of such stories. The sordid secrets of Hollywood’s underworld could easily fill pages upon pages.
10. Escaping Justice for Murder
Film studios were notorious for disliking scandals that tainted the reputations of their stars. To combat this, they employed individuals whose sole job was to keep these unsavory incidents from making headlines. These 'fixers,' like Eddie Mannix, were experts at hiding stories such as drunk driving accidents or unplanned pregnancies. However, in 1937, Mannix may have helped one of Hollywood’s top stars cover up something far worse—a possible murder.
At one point, Wallace Beery was the highest-paid actor at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, having made a name for himself in films like The Big House, Billy the Kid, and The Secret Six. He even won an Oscar for his role in The Champ. But on December 20, 1937, Beery may have been involved in an incident that led to the brutal death of a man.
The man in question was Ted Healy, a comedian and the mastermind behind the Three Stooges. It’s said that Healy and Beery had a heated argument at the Trocadero nightclub, which escalated into a violent altercation outside. On Beery's side were mobster Pasquale DiCicco and a third unidentified individual. The three reportedly beat Healy so badly that he succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Of course, this is all speculation and part of Hollywood's notorious lore. No charges were ever filed, and Beery swiftly left town for an extended European vacation, reportedly at the urging of Louis B. Mayer, who is said to have orchestrated a cover-up to protect his star.
9. A Deadly Diet
The appearance of Hollywood stars was a major concern for the studios, who took extreme measures to ensure their actors maintained a slender figure. One of the most infamous cases was that of Judy Garland, who, as a young teenager, was forced into an MGM-controlled regimen consisting of soup, coffee, and cigarettes, supplemented with a steady stream of amphetamines to keep her energy up.
Mario Lanza, a former tenor who became a successful actor in the late 1940s, was signed by MGM and enjoyed a series of hit musicals that produced chart-topping songs. However, his battle with overeating and alcoholism led to constant weight issues throughout his career. Lanza would undergo drastic crash diets whenever a film project was approaching, only to gain all the weight back after filming wrapped. This cycle of weight fluctuations contributed to his numerous health problems, which forced him to cancel several concerts and public appearances.
In the late 1950s, Lanza relocated to Rome to shoot a series of films and perform across Europe. As was often the case, he needed to lose weight before filming, so he checked into a clinic. Allegedly, he underwent a risky treatment known as twilight sleep, where he was kept under heavy sedation and fed through intravenous fluids.
Ultimately, Lanza's body couldn't withstand the strain. He passed away from a sudden heart attack in 1959. Shortly after his death, an unfounded rumor began circulating that the Mafia had murdered him for backing out of a concert they were sponsoring.
8. The Fall of Innocence
Between 1935 and 1938, Shirley Temple was Hollywood's most popular star. At just six years old, she was honored with an Academy Juvenile Award for her role in Bright Eyes. However, her childhood in the limelight was also marred by disturbing incidents of abuse.
The widespread exploitation of child actors in Hollywood is widely recognized today. Yet, Shirley Temple revealed these dark truths in her 1988 memoir, Child Star, and courageously named names. She accused several industry figures, including comedian George Jessel and producer David O. Selznick, of mistreating her during her career.
One of the most shocking incidents involved musical producer Arthur Freed, renowned for his work on classics like An American in Paris and Singin’ in the Rain. Temple met him when she transitioned from 20th Century Fox to MGM. After telling her she would be his new star, Freed exposed himself to her, despite her being only 11. In an attempt to cope, Temple nervously laughed, which only enraged Freed, leading him to throw her out of his office.
7. In the Garden of Allah
When actors sought to indulge in their most hedonistic desires, there were plenty of places in Hollywood that would cater to them. Yet, few were as infamous in their time as the Garden of Allah.
Originally a lavish mansion on Sunset Boulevard known as Hayvenhurst, it was sold to Russian actress Alla Nazimova. Though married, Nazimova had many relationships with women, and the newly renamed Garden of Allah became a known haven where lesbian and bisexual women could express their sexuality without fear. It is said that Nazimova even coined the term “sewing circle” to describe this secret group of actresses.
In 1926, Nazimova expanded the property by building 25 villas and converted it into a hotel. Already famous for its wild parties, the Garden of Allah became a place where Hollywood stars could indulge in their desires away from the prying eyes of the public and the press.
Marlene Dietrich, Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, Orson Welles, Laurence Olivier, John Barrymore, Greta Garbo, and countless others were regulars at the Garden. Publicist Bernie Woods shared a story about bandleader Tommy Dorsey, who ran into bandleader Kay Kyser at the hotel. To prove his greater popularity, Dorsey allegedly brought out two naked women, their pubic hair shaved to spell the initials 'T' and 'D.'
6. The Reign of Hedda's Hell
In Hollywood, there were many influential figures, but few had the power to instill dread like Hedda Hopper. After a failed acting career, she turned to writing a gossip column in 1938. Her column quickly gained popularity, and by the 1940s, she reached a readership of 35 million.
Hopper wasn’t afraid to use her influence. Proudly referring to herself as 'the b—ch of the world,' she relished in ruining careers and relationships with just a few well-chosen words. Louis B. Mayer famously called it 'Hedda Hell.' Her primary targets were communists and the LGBTQ+ community. As a founding member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals (MPAPAI), she was a key figure in the Hollywood Blacklist, which barred suspected communists from working in the film industry.
Among her most notorious victims was screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who remained blacklisted until 1960. Charlie Chaplin also faced frequent criticism in Hopper’s column, as she viewed his personal life as morally questionable. One surefire way to earn her wrath was to share a scoop with Louella Parsons, Hopper's fierce rival. Ingrid Bergman learned this the hard way when she lied about her pregnancy to Hopper but later confessed the truth to Parsons.
5. The Tragic Tale of Frances Farmer
Mental health remains a misunderstood issue even in modern times. In the 1940s, however, Hollywood's stars grappling with it were often exploited by the media. Frances Farmer's story stands as one of the most poignant examples of this unfortunate trend.
Farmer, a stage actress, made her cinematic debut in 1936 and enjoyed a series of successful films throughout the 1930s. However, as the 1940s progressed, the public's attention shifted from her acting career to sensational reports about her unstable behavior. In January 1943, she was sentenced to six months in prison after an incident in court where she attacked two officers and hurled an inkwell at the judge.
After her prison sentence, Farmer was sent to a sanitarium and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Following several stays in mental institutions, she made a brief return to the screen with a television appearance, though she passed away in 1970.
You might assume that would be the end of the story, but in 1978, William Arnold published a biography of Frances Farmer titled Shadowland, which claimed that during her time in an institution, she underwent a lobotomy. Brooksfilms adapted the book into a critically acclaimed film called Frances, which gave considerable weight to this narrative, one that continues to be widely believed today. However, less known is that Arnold later took legal action against Brooksfilms and admitted in court that much of his story, including the lobotomy, was fabricated.
4. The Tragic End of Lupe
Rumors tend to take on a life of their own, especially in Hollywood, where the gossip is often juicier than the reality. This was certainly the case for Lupe Velez.
Known for her vibrant personality and fiery temperament, Velez earned the nickname 'the Mexican Spitfire.' After a series of love affairs and a turbulent marriage to Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller, Lupe became pregnant with actor Harald Ramond's child. Following a heated argument between them, she tragically ended her own life at the age of 36 in 1944.
The coroner determined her death to be a suicide. Authorities found a note from Lupe stating that she took her life because Harald had feigned his love. While this seemed like a clear case, rumors continued to circulate. One suggested that the child might have been Gary Cooper's, and that he had rejected it due to his marriage. Another rumor claimed Lupe's death was actually caused by her bipolar disorder.
The most salacious rumor came from Kenneth Anger, the author behind the notorious 1959 exposé Hollywood Babylon. The book uncovered numerous Hollywood scandals in lurid detail but was criticized for its many fabrications. One of the most persistent myths from the book involved Lupe’s death. Anger’s version claimed that Lupe had planned to overdose in her bed, but when she became ill and rushed to the bathroom, she slipped on a tile and tragically fell into the toilet, where she drowned.
3. A Mother’s Hidden Truth
In Hollywood, children born out of wedlock were seen as a scandal, and studios often pressured actresses to have abortions. However, one actress who chose to keep her child was Loretta Young. She gave birth to Judy Lewis in 1935, but to avoid the public eye, Young went on a 'vacation' to England to have the baby. Afterward, Judy was placed in an orphanage, only for Young to later adopt her as her own daughter.
Judy's biological father was Clark Gable, though she was unaware of this while he was still alive. It wasn't until she was in her thirties that she confronted her mother, who confirmed the truth. Afterward, Judy realized that her father's identity had been a widely known fact in Hollywood, even though she had been kept in the dark.
The most startling revelation came in 2015 from Linda Lewis, Loretta Young’s daughter-in-law. She claimed that in 1998, Young confided that Gable had date-raped her. Loretta only came to understand the concept after watching a segment on Larry King Live. Before that, her strict Catholic upbringing had led her to believe that it was her fault for letting a man take advantage of her. According to Linda, she never made this public while Loretta and Judy were alive.
2. A Dangerous Obsession
Celebrities have always had to face the danger of obsessed fans and stalkers. Many, like John Lennon, Selena, and Dimebag Darrell, tragically lost their lives to people who were infatuated with them. Others faced physical threats. It turns out, this was a concern even during Hollywood's Golden Age.
Let's rewind to 1939, when Shirley Temple had a frightening encounter at just ten years old. During a live radio show, she was performing Silent Night when a woman attempted to assassinate her. Luckily, the would-be assassin was apprehended before she could act.
The woman had a tragic connection to Shirley Temple: her daughter had died on the exact same day, and some say the same hour, that Temple was born. The mother became fixated on the belief that her daughter’s soul was trapped inside Temple’s body, and she thought that by killing the child star, she would release it.
Temple, however, expressed empathy for her would-be assailant. In her autobiography, she wrote, “the tale seemed understandable to me.”
1. A Youthful Indiscretion
Joan Crawford may have built a storied career in Old Hollywood, but her offscreen life was just as sensational. She shared a notorious feud with fellow actress Bette Davis, held a prominent position as Chairman of the Board for Pepsi-Cola until her forced retirement, faced accusations from her daughter Christina of being a neglectful parent, and was rumored to have starred in an adult film before her rise to fame.
The adult films of that era, known as stag films, are part of Hollywood's secretive past. One such film reportedly starring Crawford was called The Casting Couch, though it went by other names too. While there are no official records or surviving copies to verify its existence, a handful of photographs supposedly featuring Crawford in stag films can be found online. Regardless, The Casting Couch is likely to remain an elusive piece of Hollywood legend.
According to the myth, not only did such a film exist, but it was allegedly used to blackmail Crawford. MGM supposedly became involved, sending their team to retrieve and destroy every copy of the film. However, one version of the story suggests that the studio kept a copy in order to keep Crawford under control.
The most compelling evidence for the film's existence comes from Crawford’s first husband, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. In a conversation with Crawford biographer Charlotte Chandler, Fairbanks revealed that Joan had confessed to him about the movie before their marriage. Despite this, Fairbanks never saw the film, and Joan was always tight-lipped about its details.
