Judy Garland Was Seriously Mistreated by the Execs
17-year old Judy Garland became a classic star as soon as The Wizard of Oz premiered. She appeared to have a bright future, by all accounts. But behind the scenes, Judy was surrounded by cynical adults who had their own agenda. First, there was the issue of body image, as a minor. Judy recalled: “From the time I was thirteen, there was a constant struggle between MGM and me — whether or not to eat, how much to eat, what to eat. I remember this more vividly than anything else about my childhood.”
Later, Hollywood executives made her have an abortion. Movie staff made her take different substances so she could work long, inhuman hours. By the time she was 16, she was already addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates! Later in life, that's exactly how she overdosed and passed away. So sad!
Rock Hudson Had to Fake His Marriage
Rock Hudson was the definition of a marketable Hollywood hunk, in his day. The studios found incredible success selling his image as a sex symbol. Men wanted to be him, and ladies wanted to be with him. But the truth was a bit different than audiences knew. Rock was a gay man, and that didn't make any sense for the business. As a result, executives made him marry a woman for appearance's sake. Yes, really!
In the end, this sham marriage lasted for three years. Decades later, the world was surprised when Rock died of AIDS, and the secret was out: Fans finally understood who he was, all along.
Lauren Bacall Didn't Mean to Look Sultry
Of all the classic Hollywood beauties, Lauren Bacall is a frequent favorite. There was just something about her, beyond her physical form. She had a low, sultry voice. And she started every scene with body language that hypnotized audiences. Lauren's signature look was pressing her chin to her chest and looking up. Why did she really do that? As it turns out, she had tremendous problems with anxiety. She would shake, and this position helped her steady her face!
Lauren was honest: “Childhood anxieties, childhood fears, never disappear entirely. They fade, but not away.” On set, she had her own special way to cope. Incredibly, people found it visually appealing!
The Makeup They Used Was Poisonous
In The Wizard of Oz, the vividly green wicked witch of the west stood out in technicolor. We all loved the look, and most of us assumed the facepaint was safe. But it wasn't! To get that hue of evil, makeup artists were using a weird formula on actress Margaret Hamilton. The makeup artist recalled: "Every night when I was taking off the Witch's makeup, I would make sure that her face was thoroughly clean. Spotlessly clean. Because you don't take chances with green."
Why not? Well, the paint had toxic levels of copper. For some reason, professionals on set put Margaret on a liquid diet to deal with the daily poison. We're glad dyes have come a long way!
The Director Threatened This Poor Child Actor
Child actor Jackie Cooper had trouble crying on command in the film Skippy. Incredibly, director Norman Taurog threatened to kill the boy's dog. That seemed to work like magic! Jackie later wrote: "I could visualize my dog, bloody from that one awful shot. I began sobbing so hysterically that it was almost too much for the scene. [Taurog] had to quiet me down by saying perhaps my dog had survived the shot, that if I hurried and calmed down a little and did the scene the way he wanted, we would go see if my dog was still alive.”
Jackie Cooper actually got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor at age 9 for this performance. But was the cost of this honor too high? Many adults today would think so!
Charlie Chaplin Really Liked the Ladies
Charlie Chaplin remains one of the most celebrated names in Hollywood history. He was the king of the silent era, and film students still read about him today. But besides his techniques, we wonder if they learn about his personal life. It was pretty exciting, too! Charlie had a lot of attention from women and claimed to have been with over 2,000 of them in his prime. But did he have a type?
According to Charlie, he liked one-way streets. Reciprocation wasn't part of the equation. He explained his ideal situation as: “I am not exactly in love with her, but she is entirely in love with me.”
The Wizard of Oz Munchkins Were Ripped off
By now, we've all seen The Wizard of Oz. We're not alone: Hundreds of millions have seen it, too! We might assume that the talent that made this film a classic did pretty well, given its popularity. But the truth is, the money wasn't all that good for some cast members. The iconic munchkins were paid a mere $50 per week to help the yellow brick road come to life. Guess who got more?
It's shocking, but Toto the Dog actually got $125 per week. We're not sure if they knew it at the time. But it seems a little insulting!
Alfred Hitchcock Had an Even Darker Side
Alfred Hitchcock was the king of creepy, and that's exactly how audiences liked him. But behind the scenes, his behavior was strange in a different way with one of his employees. On the set of the cult classic film The Birds, actress Tippi Hedren discovered this truth firsthand. Al became obsessed with his beautiful star, and he stalked her during filming. He had her handwriting analyzed. He even had someone follow her outside work!
But that's not all: On set, he locked Tippi in a room with live birds until she had to be hospitalized with a breakdown. The film's screams turn out to be pretty real, sadly!
Louis B. Mayer Ruined People's Lives
We always think about studio executives as shadowy figures somewhere on the lot. But they definitely have names and faces. Sometimes, ugly, mean ones! Louis B. Mayer co-founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. In his time at MGM, he made the studio one of the biggest. He was ruthless in business, and he was happy to play dirty. One day, Louis decided that actor John Gilbert was too expensive and annoying to work with, but he didn't want competitors to have him. How did he deal with it?
First, Louis planted stories in the press that colleagues were distressed by John's high-pitched voice. Then, he put the actor in terrible movies, on purpose. In the end, he destroyed the man's career. Problem solved!
Ava Gardner Was Forced to Make an Impossible Decision
When starlet Ava Gardner got pregnant, she was told to get rid of the baby. Her contract would actually fine her if she became a mom! She was married to Frank Sinatra, and that made no difference. Ava explained: "If I had one, my salary would be cut off. So how could I make a living? Frank was broke and my future movies were going to take me all over the world. I couldn’t have a baby with that sort of thing going on. MGM made all the arrangements for me to fly to London. Someone from the studio was with me all the time. The abortion was hush hush...very discreet."
Old blue eyes himself actually didn't know this was going on. MGM's penalty clause was a scary thing, and you can see it made secrets between husband and wife. Pretty scary to think about!
They Wouldn't Let Jean Harlow Do This
Actress Jean Harlow signed a morality clause when she became an actress with MGM. That was common, in her day. The studio had control over her behavior and image outside work, as a way to sell the product. According to Jean: “Men like me because I don't wear a brassiere. Women like me because I don't look like a girl who would steal a husband. At least not for long.”
To keep this ruse going, the blond bombshell couldn't get married. Executives forbid her, even when she was in love: She would be more desirable as a single woman fantasy, still on the market. Where was her Hollywood ending?
There Was Something Seriously Wrong With the Snow
Back before current science, asbestos was used all over the place in construction. It was also used as a movie prop ingredient. The material was cheap and widely available, and it could never catch on fire. We get why the studio used it! Sadly, we now know that it causes deadly cancer. This still from The Wizard of Oz shows exactly how close actors got with the stuff. It's the fake snow, and it's all over their faces. What are the odds they didn't breathe it in?
It has not been confirmed that any cast members from the movie died from the exposure. But now, we know it was a real risk.
Margaret O'Brien's Mom Was Nuts
Child actress Margaret O'Brien had a stage mom with a plan. The little girl would cry on command and become a star. How did she achieve this? Margaret explained: "The way they got me to cry is that June Allyson and I were in competition as the best criers on the MGM lot. So when I was having trouble crying, my mother would come over to me and say, 'I'll have the makeup man put the false tears down your face, but June is such a great, great actress — she always cries real tears.' And then I started crying because I couldn't let June win the competition."
That's right: Mama O'Brien claimed that the other girls were better criers than Margaret. Authentic tears happened as a result. We can't see her scenes the same way ever again!
The Old Hollywood Accent Was Fiction
We’ve all seen the classics and wondered why all the Americans were talking so funny. We can’t figure out where that old accent came from, or what class it might represent. As it turns out, it was all bunk to begin with. This was not how anyone spoke at the time, and it must have sounded unusual to viewers, too. Today, it's termed the Transatlantic Accent. Did anyone speak like that, anywhere?
Maybe a small number of people tried to use it. A combo of upper-class American and British tones, this accent was only taught at boarding schools. Hollywood cleverly used it to make money!
Beauty Could Be Brutal
Today, we see a lot of plastic surgery, even in young people. It's also incredibly easy to get an injectable on our lunch breaks. Science has come a long way! But long ago in Hollywood, actresses had to get creative with the tech available. Actress Joan Crawford, for example, had a number of her back teeth removed. The idea was to create a more hollow look in her face and emphasize her cheekbones.
They really showed up on camera! Allegedly, Marlene Dietrich had her upper molars removed for the same reason. It all sounds pretty gruesome today. Isn't there a reason nature gave us 32 healthy teeth?
Montgomery Clift Lost It All
Few of us have heard of actor Montgomery Clift. But looking at him now, why is that? His face had to be one of the most handsome around, back then and even now. And in fact, he was cast alongside stars like Marilyn Monroe and was nominated for a few Oscars. That all changed on May 12, 1956. Montgomery fell asleep behind the wheel one night and got into a car crash. The coming years involved physical and emotional pain, which meant painkillers and alcohol.
At work, he sometimes failed to show. The studio got mad and sued. His career went downhill, and he found further work hard to get. Some said his life became “the longest suicide in Hollywood history. But in the end, he actually died of a heart attack at age 45. Gone too soon!
Actors Weren't Allowed to Say No
In old Hollywood, the contracts were pretty intense. We're not sure a lot of it would even be legal today. But one big feature of old agreements was that if a studio took you on, you were not allowed to say no to any role they wanted. If they thought you fit a part, you danced the dance. Even if you thought the movie was going to bomb and hurt your image, you had to show up. Some actors tried to rebel, though!
Bette Davis tried this once, and she was suspended by Warner Brothers. Controlling your own career with a savvy agent seems to be the norm now. Rightfully so, we say!
Debbie Reynolds Was Harassed at 19
Debbie Reynolds was just 19 when she signed up for Singin' in the Rain with Gene Kelly. He didn't only make dance moves. He made moves on her! She recalls: "The camera closed in. Gene took me tightly in his arms...and shoved his tongue down my throat. 'Eeew! What was that?' I screeched, breaking free of his grasp and spitting. I ran around frantic, yelling for some Coca-Cola to cleanse my mouth. It was the early 1950s, and I was an innocent kid who had never been French-kissed. It felt like an assault. I was stunned that this thirty-nine-year-old man would do this to me."
Today, there seems to be more awareness about professional conduct on Hollywood sets. But as we have all heard, it used to be a bit of a wild west. Debbie learned that quick!
Fay Wray Was Tricked Into Taking This Role
1933's King Kong is an iconic old film today, by all measures. Hollywood even did a remake, recently. But before we all knew this was a smashing success, the script was shopped around by director Merian C. Cooper. He knew he wanted the beautiful Fay Wray to play the damsel kidnapped by an ape. Incredibly, he let her believe the leading man was Cary Grant, to get her to sign on.
How did Merian phrase it? He explained: "You're going to have the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood." As we all now know, her costar was incredibly tall and dark, as seen here!
Katharine Hepburn Insisted on This
Katharine Hepburn had a feisty personality, and that's what made her a star. She just wasn't someone who could be easily ordered around. When the studio demanded she only wear skirts and dresses, she ignored them. The woman liked a good pair of pants! One day on set, the staff took them away. She responded by walking around in her underwear, and refused to get dressed at all. What guts!
Truthfully, none of the men really wanted her to get dressed again. But she was there to make a point. It was a modern era, and she could wear modern pants!
Loretta Young Outsmarted the Studio
To get around the pregnancy ban, actress Loretta Young came up with a great plan. When she found herself with child from lover Clark Gable, she claimed she had a mysterious illness. This allowed her some space while she was pregnant. SHe even had a sick-in-bed interview with a reporter to keep up the fraud. Then, she secretly had the baby. But this was only half the scheme. What was next?
Obviously, she needed to find a way to bring the baby home. Loretta suddenly staged the adoption of an orphan. Truthfully, it was her own baby. But it probably seemed confusing for the studio!
Audrey Hepburn Had a Scary Eyelash Trick
Audrey Hepburn is just one of those faces we can't forget. After her performance in Breakfast at Tiffany's, the actress became a style and beauty icon. Many girls have tried to recreate her look in the years since. But it turns out that at least her eyes were the product of a very careful, tedious process. Makeup artist Alberto de Rossi was the genius behind them. What was his technique?
According to Audrey's son: "Alberto is really the one who created the legendary 'Audrey Hepburn eyes,' in a slow process of applying mascara and then separating each eyelash with a safety pin." Sounds dangerous!
Billy Haines Refused to Lie About This
Ever heard of Billy Haines? He was Hollywood's first openly gay star. Although he started out in silent films, he soon became a star in modern productions where he used his talent for wisecracking. Truthfully, everyone in the biz knew this about Billy, and it wasn't a problem for them. But one day, a Hollywood executive called and demanded that the actor marry a woman for appearance's sake, to ensure his popularity with America at large. Billy explained he already lived with a man he loved and refused. He never acted again!
But Billy was also a man of exceptional taste. He developed a second career in interior design for Hollywood clients. Hey, he already knew them! From Joan Crawford to Lucille Ball, everyone wanted a bit of Billy's style.
Bette Davis Was Given a Crazy Choice
It seemed to be a policy across the board: Movie studios really, really didn't want their beautiful young talent to go away and be mothers. They also didn't want audiences to lose their perception of these women as goddesses. That's what sold tickets, more than anything! As a result, many names you know were pressured to terminate pregnancies by executives. Bette Davis was no exception when she became pregnant in 1934. She knew it would damage her career, and she took action.
According to Bette: "The out-of-work actor wears out more than shoe leather. The very sensibilities that make him an artist are shattered by the disregard he is shown as a human being."
On-Screen Kisses Had Strict Rules
A lot of people complain about the messages in Hollywood today. Do they cross the line, sometimes? What are they trying to teach our children? These debates will probably always be around. But in the old days, there were serious rules to ensure viewers wouldn't boycott the product. Studio heads didn't want the kissing on screen to be too lustful. But the good-looking, young actors and actresses could easily get carried away. What was their solution?
The red line was three seconds. Kissing could not last longer than that! Today, that might be considered boring by audiences. But in vintage America, it was exactly what folks desired. Times have truly changed!
Child Actors Were Punished a Lot
Child actors suffered in old Hollywood, as they sometimes do today. But back then, there really seemed to be no regulations at all. How do you get a little kid to do what you want? Well, you can punish them by making them sit on a block of cold ice until they do what they are told. This time-out was called the black box. Even actress Shirley Temple was subjected to this technique!
The ice idea sounds pretty cruel, to us. But as an adult, Shirley shared: "So far as I can tell, the black box did no lasting damage to my psyche."
They Were Forced to Change Their Names
We've all heard that actors take on a stage name when they try to get famous. Many of the old Hollywood stars that are household names did exactly that. Name changers include Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, who were once Norma Jeane Mortenson, Frances Ethel Gumm, and Margarita Carmen Cansino, respectively. But often, these artistic decisions were not personal. The studios picked the name they wanted for marketing purposes. And then, that was the new you!
Once MGM had a contest to rename its upcoming talent, a young woman named Lucille LeSueur. The winning name was Joan Crawford — yes, that Joan Crawford! Reportedly, she hated it.
Dorothy Dandridge Faced Dark Demands
Dorothy Dandridge was a mixed-race beauty icon in an era where her existence was controversial. The studio wanted her to be "the Black Marilyn Monroe." Looking at her now, she is just as flawless! But her story is sad, like many actresses harassed by studios at the time. When Dor got pregnant by a white director, she was expected to get rid of the evidence. What did she choose to do?
The director did not want to leave his wife to marry his mistress. Of course, he was married! The studio told her to terminate, and she did. If she lost her job, dad wasn't interested in a family. What a mess!
One Movie Seemed Cursed
Sometimes, bad luck strikes twice or three times in the same place. The movie set of the film The Misfits seems to be one such example, as sad as it is to say. For reasons we will never know, tall the stars on set had chaos in their lives soon after. Clark Gable died of a heart attack right after filming. Marilyn Monroe died of an overdose soon after, too. And Montgomery Clift got into a car accident and got hooked on painkillers and alcohol in the coming years. Yikes!
Years later, the still-living Montgomery refused to watch the film on TV with a friend. The same night he refused, he was found dead of a heart attack. What are the odds?
Actresses Had to Do This to Stay in Business
Hollywood legend Mae West once said: "I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond." Although that was a funny quip at the time, the reality was that Hollywood had a huge fixation on being tiny. Studios would place actresses on very strict diets as soon as they gained weight. Weight management was explicitly written into their contracts, in case there was any mystery about what they expected.
Actress Marlene Dietrich, for example, followed a regimen of broth, toast, and cottage cheese. It wasn't assigned to her by a doctor or nutritionist. It was decided by the studio!
They Cruelly Fired Clara Bow
Clara Bow was considered the very first "It Girl," way back in silent cinema. But sadly, her personal life started getting in the way of her career. Stories got around about her affairs with all kinds of partners. True or not, her bad reputation started to get to her, and she suffered a nervous breakdown. Was Paramount Pictures a compassionate employer, who understood? No, of course not. They fired her!
Truthfully, Clara had a tough childhood to begin with. The cruelty of Hollywood put her over the edge! In 1944, she attempted suicide and ended up in a hospital. She later relfected: "A sex symbol is a heavy load to carry when one is tired, hurt, and bewildered."
They Weren't Always so Flamboyant
Before Marilyn Monroe was a household name, she was an acting student. LA was full of them! It just so happens that another famous actress practiced alongside her, not knowing she would soon be a superstar. It was none other than Jane Fonda! She recalls: "There were maybe 40, 50 people in a class in a small theater on Broadway. Marilyn was always too scared to get up and do anything."
It's hard to believe that Marilyn was ever too shy to perform. But everyone has their own path to their potential. Now, we can't imagine Marilyn Monroe any other way!
Vincente Minnelli Had Major Secrets
If director Vincente Minnelli sounds familiar, you would be right. It's Liza Minnelli's father! Her mother was Judy Garland, another star in the business. But little Liza's Hollywood home life was interrupted when her parents got divorced. Judy found her husband in bed with another man. That was a problem! Vincente was hiding the truth about his feelings, and it was all for professional success. Although he had been open about it in NYC, his movie studio had other ideas.
Interestingly, he kept marrying women, and he tried the experiment three more times. In the end, he died a widower and never publicly came out of the closet.
Plastic Surgery Was Surprisingly Common
Today, we are well aware that celebrities often buy their looks. Plastic surgery has become pretty normalized, even for normal folks. Back in the day, Hollywood was an early adopter of the most advanced methods in this new medicine. Even in the 1920s, there were nose jobs and chin adjustments. Do most people know that Marilyn Monroe used to have a different nose? The difference is subtle, but it's unmistakably there.
Studios often pressured stars to change their faces to be more marketable. Rita Hayworth, for example, endured painful electrolysis to change her hairline. By now, you've probably never seen her any other way.
It Wasn't Always Hollywood
Los Angeles is not a city known for skyscrapers. The most iconic sight there is the big Hollywood sign in the hills. Instagram is full of photos with the picture-perfect LA backdrop. But few people today know the current landmark is not the original. The current sign is actually a revised and shortened version. Once upon a time, it said the name Hollywoodland. Here's the evidence, in black and white!
After WWII, the sign had fallen into disrepair. It actually looked terrible until 1978. It was then that Playboy's Hugh Hefner held a fundraiser and had it all torn down and rebuilt. Now, it just says Hollywood. Thanks, Hugh!
Elizabeth Taylor Was Literally a Mutant
Actress Elizabeth Taylor once shared: “As a girl, my mother told me I'm nice looking and that I have pretty eyes, but it's not your eyes…it's the expression behind your eyes that will make you truly beautiful." We don't think that was her secret, though. First of all, she had natural purple irises. That was pretty unique. And beyond that, she had incredibly lush eyelashes. What was up with that?
The actress actually had two rows of eyelashes. Not many people can boast that! This was caused by a genetic mutation. Elizabeth Taylor was one-of-a-kind and a rarity, all around!
Sean Connery Was Faking All Along
James Bond has been played by many ambitious actors. But classic Sean Connery is probably the iconic version. Did he relate to the character, personally? According to Sean himself: "There's one major difference between James Bond and me. He is able to sort out problems." A funny quip, sure. But we've recently come across some information that says more. It's hard to believe, but Sean was wearing a toupe throughout all those actions scenes, all along.
Starting in the 1962 movie Dr. No, Sean was covering up his thinning hair. The costume department did such a good job that no one guessed for half a century!
Lana Turner Had a Painful Procedure
Actress Lana Turner got into Hollywood at the age of 17, and America quickly decided it loved her curvy figure. A lot of men did, too: Lana was married 8 times! It seems her personal life was a bit turbulent. One example of the ups and downs is the time she was doing a publicity tour in beautiful Hawaii. Sure, she was in paradise. But she was pregnant, and the studio wasn't interested in that at all. What did she end up doing?
The studio sent their own private doctor to perform an abortion in her hotel room. Her mother had the duty of covering her mouth as she screamed. No anesthesia was used! Then, the bill was deducted from her paycheck. How awful!
Why Married Couples Pretended
I Love Lucy was such a hit that it still has reruns today. Very few shows can boast that! The success was all due to the natural chemistry and comedy of the husband and wife duo, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Viewers knew that they were a couple in real life, but that didn't mean the TV rules changed. Ever wonder why they slept in separate beds? It wasn't a personal preference, we'll tell you that.
No, there was no argument about soft and hard mattresses. It was just considered proper at the time, in a more innocent era. We all know they spooned close at home!
Frank Sinatra Was Mean to His Costars
Frank Sinatra once said: “I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life, a man who had good friends, fine family — and I don't think I could ask for anything more than that, actually.” A lot of fans probably do remember him that way. But actor Marlon Brando may have remembered him as a total jerk. On the set of a musical, Frank told Marlon his acting was terrible and gave him the nickname "mumbles". He made fun of the man's voice!
In retaliation, Marlon intentionally ruined a scene where Frank had to eat cheesecake, over and over. This made him eat way too much cake. He threw the plate on the ground and started screaming. Revenge is sweet. In this case, maybe too sweet for Frank!