Stateside Stories

Hollywood has never been short of scandals. In the last decade alone, Hollywood has repeatedly been in the press, often for bad reasons. The revelation that Harvey Weinstein was a serial sex offender and Alec Baldwin accidentally killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust are undoubtedly the two darkest scandals that have emerged in recent years. However, many lighter, comical scandals have also come to light. Will Smith slapping Chris Rock and Harry Styles allegedly spitting on Chris Pine are both examples of scandals that have become the subject of jokes on the internet and parody on late-night television.

However, scandals in Hollywood are nothing new. They have been emerging since its infancy. To prove that Scandal and Hollywood have always been intertwined, I will be looking at 4 scandals that took place during Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’. This period has no clear start or end dates, but I will be upholding the common belief that the ‘Golden Age’ took place between the 1930’s and the 1960’s (although some believe that the ‘Golden Age’ started as early as 1915). These scandals are quite sinister in nature and prove that there has always been a dark underbelly beneath Hollywood’s glitz and glamour.

Judy Garland’s enforced drug addiction

Judy Garland was one of the most prolific young actors of the 1930’s and 1940’s. She is best known for playing Dorothy in 1939’s Wizard of Oz, a performance which made her a household name at the age of 16. However, Judy Garland’s life was far from perfect. As the star of the moment, Garland had a very demanding and strict work schedule which meant that she did not have time for any personal life. She was also given drugs by her management from MGM. All of this was done with her mother’s approval. She was given amphetamines to help her stay awake during the day; often operating on little sleep. Coffee and soup constituted her meals during this time. At night, Garland was given sleeping pills that would take affect almost immediately.

Garland was the victim of fat-shaming throughout her Hollywood career. She was often referred to as a “pig”, and was told that she needed to lose weight. She was given diet pills to keep her weight under control. She was also encouraged to smoke up to 80 cigarettes a day, as they were believed to be good for weight loss. Garland suffered immensely as a result of the drugs she was forced to take. As she entered adulthood, she suffered from addictions to alcohol and drugs. These caused her premature death in 1969 at the age of 47. Even towards the end of her life, Garland had a successful career in Hollywood. She hosted the the Judy Garland Show in the 1960’s, which was a variety show. However, her success came at a very high personal cost.

Suicide at the ‘Hollywood’ sign

Whilst some people do enjoy successful careers in Hollywood, many do not. People from all over the United States flock to Los Angeles so they can achieve fame and fortune; but it is rare for those dreams to become a reality, especially if aspiring actors do not have any famous connections. One woman who fell victim to this disappointment was Peg Entwistle. She desperately wanted to become an actress, but did not have any luck obtaining major roles. This caused her to become depressed as her career prospects looked bleak.

On the 16th September 1932, 24-year-old Entwistle climbed on top of the ‘H’ on the Hollywood sign and jumped to her death. She left behind her coat, shoes and purse. She also left a suicide note which explained her feelings of hopelessness and despair. Her death was well-publicised and was one of the biggest scandals that Hollywood had experienced to date. It made people painfully aware of what could happen if things did not pan out. Ironically, Entwistle’s suicide made her more famous in death than it did in life.

The McCarthy witch-hunts

During the 1950’s, increased tension with the Soviet Union led to strong fear of communism in the United States. This fear reached Hollywood, with many actors being suspected of working as communist spies. The House of Un-American activities was established, and was led by senator Joseph McCarthy. He was a staunch anti-Communist who became obsessed with weeding out celebrities who had alleged ties with the Soviet Union. Major public figures such as Walt Disney and Charlie Chaplain were among the accused.

The fight against Communism led to increased instances of blackmail and false accusations. In the 1950’s, homosexuality was tied with communism, and male actors who had engaged in sexual encounters with other men feared having their lives ruined. The Second Red Scare created a lot of fear within American society, but it did not last. By the late 1950’s, people grew tired of McCarthy and his witch-hunt. Many of his accusations had little evidence behind them, and Hollywood executives became worried that soon they would be no actors left. McCarthy’s influence diminished overnight, and he soon faded from the spotlight.

George Reeves’s unexplained death

On the 16th June 1959, Superman actor George Reeves died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Or did he? It turned out that Reeves had many dangerous enemies, the most notable being gangster Eddie Mannix. Reeves had been having an affair with his wife Toni since 1951. This affair was no secret. The couple were often seen in public together and had no issue with making their affair public knowledge. It has been rumoured that Eddie Mannix had Reeves killed for this discretion. However, the police never launched a full investigation into Reeves’s death, so the suicide ruling has stuck. Toni Mannix allegedly confessed on her deathbed that Eddie killed Reeves, but this has never been confirmed. 65 years later, Reeves’s exact cause of death remains a mystery.