5 dark facts about the scandalous world of Old Hollywood
We all look back at Old Hollywood movies with a sense of fondness. What seemed like simpler times and glitz and glamour, Old Hollywood sparked a dream in all of us, an ideal lifestyle that we hoped to obtain.
But behind the flashing lights and the black and white cameras, Old Hollywood was embroiled in scandal and controversy.
Here are the top 5 darkest facts about tinsel town:
1. Judy Garland’s twisted past
Judy Garland was a household name. After starring in the classic musical, The Wizard of Oz, the star shot to fame. But unfortunately, her downfall came as quickly as her success. Garland was surrounded by people who used her for their monetary benefit. Whether it was greedy film producers or her own mother, who was known to be a notorious stage mum, Garland had an upsetting life to say the least.
One incident in particular was the most twisted of all, and it was the moment her mother and Hollywood executives forced Garland to get an abortion. A concept that was illegal at the time with those involved keeping the entire process hush.
2. The rise and fall of Montgomery Clift
Montgomery Clift was one of Hollywood’s biggest names during his time – that is until May 12, 1956.
A method actor who gave multiple Oscar-nominated performances, Clift starred in movies From Here to Eternity, A Place in The Sun and The Search. But it all came crashing down when Clift was involved in a car accident after falling asleep behind the wheel.
Clift was forced to live a life of constant physical and mental pain, and soon became addicted to alcohol and painkillers. Many dubbed his life as “the longest suicide in Hollywood history”.
3. The curse of The Misfits
One of Clift’s final films was The Misfits, a movie considered to carry a dark curse on anyone who associated with it. While it failed at the box office at the time, Rotten Tomatoes has
since given the movie a 100 per cent rating.
The film starred plenty of big names such as Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. But soon after the movie began production, people’s lives were thrown into a discourse.
Monroe overdosed on set after her relationship with Miller ended. She died a year after the movie wrapped up. Gable died of a heart attack only a few short days after filming, and Clift was involved in the accident that destroyed his career.
Five years after the movie finished filming, Clift was informed by a friend that it was airing on television, to which he refused to watch. It was that night that Clift was found dead due to a heart attack.
4. Frank Sinatra and his temperament
It’s no secret that Frank Sinatra was not particularly pleasant. Jazz wasn’t the only reason he was famous, as many knew him as the man who would spew obscenities at valets, reporters, wives and friends.
But in one satisfying occasion involving Marlon Brando, Sinatra told the actor that his method acting was “crap” and gave him the nickname “Mumbles” for the way he spoke. But Brando didn’t take any of it, as during a filming of a musical Sinatra was starring in, Brando intentionally ruined scenes of Sinatra eating a cheesecake multiple times, forcing him to eat so much cake that he threw his plate on the ground and broke down screaming.
5. The master of misogyny
Alfred Hitchcock was known to be one of the greatest directors of his time. Directing multiple films that garnered high praise from critics and viewers alike. But his movie The Birds, starring Tippi Hedren, turned out to be a decision the actress would later regret.
Hitchcock became so obsessed with Hedren that he would stalk her throughout the filming of the movie, keeping her isolated from the rest of the cast. When she spoke up against the mistreatment, Hitchcock sabotaged her career, and being Old Hollywood, there was nothing she could do about it.
Scroll through the gallery above to be transported back in time.
Are you a fan of Old Hollywood movies? Which one is your favourite? Tell us in the comments below.