Old Hollywood gossip & stories

[Jelly Bean]

I like joan collins and granted I haven't watched her much but in the things I have she was a terrible actress. Maybe that's why she didn't become a Hollywood star.

Agree. She is one of those people that has been around long enough and is a bit sassy, so that you forget she couldn't act at all.
It almosts seems a bit rude to point it out now But she made a wonderfully lucrative career out of being abysmal. Very wooden.

 

[thegirlscout]

Glynis Johns who starred as Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins dies aged 100

Glynis Johns, a Tony Award-winning stage and screen star who played the mother opposite Julie Andrews in the classic movie 'Mary Poppins' has died.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Oh gosh, this is sad. I know she was 100 but it feels like an era is quickly ending.

 

[Anasnake]

A scandal from a century ago

The Skinny on the Fatty Arbuckle Trial

When the million-dollar movie comedian faced a manslaughter charge, the jury was indeed scandalized—at how his reputation had been trashed

www.smithsonianmag.com

 

[BravoBrava]

I'm sure I read the sister Lana wood claimed she would reveal all once the rapist died. But poor Natalie wood had suffered at the hands of pushy mother and had affairs with older men including slimy Sinatra


Jean Spangler

Just came across this site:

The Life & Times of Hollywood

STORIES FROM CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com

He's a nasty piece, and he looked it too

The latest I read was Lana Wood is leaving a letter to reveal the rapist. And I do believe Robert Blake thinking something was not right/off about Mama Wood and Natalie. I would not put it past Mama Wood to allow people access to her.

And as for Jean Spangler my gut says Kirk Douglas certainly knew her much better than he claimed. Am torn if he was a big enough star to cover up a possible murder involvement like Hollywood Babylon I & II alleged for certain huge male icons.

I have a book with really lots of gossip,fabulous stories,I was given the book by a friend of my aunt in the States.

original book Kenneth Anger.Love it.

Hollywood Babylon! There’s the original and a sequel Hollywood Babylon II. Some people have claimed the books are full of lies but good golly they are a good juicy read!

Do you listen to “You Must Remember This” there’s an episode of CG focusing on him and Carole Lombard and one on Loretta Young.

If you can get past the host’s voice (sadly I find her cadence incredibly painful) it’s a great podcast. And if you love a murder mystery? Wondery’s Murder in Hollywoodland is based on William J Mann’s Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood about the murder of William Desmond Taylor.

 

[Reverend]

Surprised Marilyn Monroe hasn’t been brought up yet. Any thoughts on her mysterious death?

I think it was accidental death. She had taken possession of tablets from two doctors, without the other knowing. It was covered up by one of the doctors (who could have been struck off) and the housekeeper who was supposed to keep an eye on Marilyn. It's all BS about Bobby Kennedy, there is no evidence that he had an affair with her (unlike his brother).

 

[NineTails20]

Here's a tale that isn't well known, the tale of Olive Thomas and Jack Pickford. Officially ruled as an accidental suicide, Olive Thomas' death has thrown up more questions than answers.

The mysterious death of ‘the most beautiful woman on earth’

This starlet’s possible suicide rocked old Hollywood

timeline.com

 

[FenellaTheWitch]

a lovely watch for my fellow musical fans



he sings it beautifully; i wonder why they chose to dub him in the film (though i know he’s also not the first actor that happened to).

on a side note: captain von trapp

When I was younger, during school holidays when I was on my own, I would watch The Sound of Music on loop. Could watch it 2 or 3 times a day. Absolutely my favourite film. One day when I was about 18 I suddenly saw Captain Von Trapp in a totally different light What an awakening.


Gene Tierney was mentioned on this thread ... absolutely stunning picture of her came up on my timeline.

 

[LaBlonde]

Debbie Reynolds once said in an interview he was horrible to her during filming. As she said, she only had a few months to learn what Gene and Donald had been doing for years but he never gave her any allowances. He seemingly went to rehearsals and criticized everything she did, no matter how small and never once encouraged her. The dance for Good Morning took over fifteen hours to get right and by the end, she had to be helped back to her dressing room as her feet were bleeding and raw and needed a few days off to recuperate. What made it worse for her was he picked the very first take to put in the film so she felt she went through all that pain for nothing.

One time she had enough and escaped into a rehearsal room on the MGM set where they were filming and broke down. Fred Astaire who happened to be passing found her and after she told him what was wrong, he comforted her and said from what she told him, she was doing fine and offered to help her practice the routines.

Later in life, she seemed to relent and say that what he did made her a better performer. He himself also admitted he wasn't nice to her at the time and was surprised she still spoke to him.

gene k wanted to cast cyd (a much more accomplished dancer) in her part but the studio wanted debbie - as one of their young ingenues but not on the same dancing level as him or donald. the whole broadway ballet sequence was apparently a way to appease him on that. he long admitted that he took the frustration he should have directed at the studio out on her.

they did seem to both be able to see the other point of view as they got older though. it ultimately wasn’t her fault that the studio wanted her, but equally i get that he was annoyed by that and so refused to dance down or adapt any of the routines for her.

the story about him french kissing her in the shot at the end of the movie when she didn’t want to is very ick though and, as much as i love him, i side eye him for that.

 

[Sir Lancelot]

I had nowhere else for this thing I wrote ages ago (a short piece for narration) so may as well put it here!
Just a short fiction thing; please delete if not suitable.



Tinseltown Talk, with Louella Lewis

Hello there, my little glamour gang, and welcome to this week’s sizzling-hot Tinseltown Talk!

I’ve had a busy few days and, oh my, do I have some tales to tell. Let’s dive straight in!

The Swashbuckler And The Boat
Which long-limbed lothario has been caught once again with his pants down? This time, instead of his long-suffering wife catching him, he was caught in the act by a passing fishing crew who took great delight in letting the catcalls and wolf-whistles fly as they sailed past his little bare behind going up-and-down! With a new movie out this weekend, was this coincidence or stupidity on the part of our moustachioed hunk? Time will tell…

A Fast Car And An Unfortunate Pooch
I have been reliably informed that a leading male star has been caught-up in a dog-killing car crash way-up in the Hills. This young man, with legions of girls clambering for his attention, likes to get away by driving into the canyons with a male friend to let off some steam. Whizzing along just the other night, he didn’t have time to stop when a poor Beagle wandered out into the road. My source heard a squeal of breaks, a thud, a yelp, and an accelerating car driving off into the night. Unfortunately for this young actor, there were a dozen witnesses because there was a party going on in a house right by the accident at the time! Expect this one to hit the front pages soon, folks!

The Ice Maiden And The Seamstress
Oh, to be an actress! Getting all the frocks and jewellery you need given to you free every time you play a role! Well, in this instance, a popular brunette starlet has been known to take not only the dresses home but the dressmaker too! On more than one big budget feature, this ravenous older actress has been known to become ‘very good friends’ with the seamstress on set and the locked trailers and late-night dinners soon become prevalent. That is, until the next film rolls around and the actress moves on to the next costumer! This one is going to bite her in the behind, however, because word is spreading and soon she’ll not be able to get a well-fitting dress made anywhere in town!

Directing The Police?
Finally this week, which director of internationally acclaimed thrillers, and fan of the catering department, has been questioned by the Feds about his missing wife? Mrs Director has not been seen for several weeks and now her family have got the cops involved! Mr Director had better have some proof that his wife is ‘on holiday’ otherwise he may be facing some difficult questions! Fear not, though, for he has a new, young assistant helping him out on-and-off set…

Well, that’s all for this week. I’ve got to get my hair done before attending the launch of the next great epic picture coming out tomorrow.
Toodle-pip, my glamour gang!

-Louella xx

 

[Jelly Bean]

Ooh yes Monica Bellucci would be good as Maria Callas. Or maybe Penelope Cruz?

 

[FenellaTheWitch]

Some of you probably know about this already but today I learnt about an actress who worked with Elvis who later became a Nun - Dolores Hart. She wrote a book and there was also a short documentary made about her which was nominated for an Academy Award. She attended the ceremony in her habit.

She was engaged to be married but called it off. Her fiancé never married and visited her every Christmas and Easter.

 

[thegirlscout]

Found a website that has a just of old Hollywood letters. This one from Marlene Dietrich about Joan Crawford’s daughter and Mommie Dearest is a bit cruel. You can read the whole letter here but it isn’t that interesting.

Celebrity Letters to Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford, letters

www.joancrawfordbest.com

 

[Jelly Bean]

I loved that film as well!Quite deep wasn’t it?

So handsome,I always thought as well Elizabeth Taylor was very,very beautiful.

Yes she and Montgomery Clift looked insanely beautiful together. Like stunning twins.
There is a film they are both in, Raintree County, where half is before his terrible car crash and half after. They had to film him from just one side after due to his facial injuries.

 

[LaBlonde]

I love Gene. I think he had far more charisma and pizazz than Astaire.

same! i enjoy them both but gene was always on another level for me. plus he had a kind of raw magnetism that fred just didn’t have. him in the pirate king?!!?!

(also, to lower the tone, one of the best backsides ever put on screen. and usually in a nice high waisted trouser too 🫠)

 

[CherryAcid]

Does anyone know of any films like Aviator and Babylon (I haven’t seen either but adding them to my list) which are about old Hollywood and film making etc?

Harlow(1965) about the life of Jean Harlow, lots of behind the scenes stuff. Ed Wood, Valley Of The Dolls(its 60s but still very much about behind the scenes) the tv series Hollywood on netflix, Chaplin,BArton Fink, Gods and Monsters, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood(60s era), Singing In The Rain, A Star Is Born(the Judy Garland one), Hollywoodland, Mulholland Dr(not golden age of hollywood but feels like it)LA Confidential(not the main focus but that era of movie making is part of it).

 

[LaBlonde]

I’ve noticed more and more people saying Fatty Arbuckle was set up and he didn’t kill that poor girl? I haven’t got time at the moment to read the book but does anyone have a gist of why people’s minds have changed?

i think it’s widely assumed now that he was. his evidence at his trials was always clear and consistent, and so many witnesses admitted being forced or paid to give evidence against him. not to mention helen hubbard allegedly getting planted on the jury in the first one.

paul merton did an amazing documentary on the case for the bbc which may be up online somewhere. it’s almost too detailed to give a basic gist of!
---

My mum loved Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn, until she read Flynns autobiography "My Wicked Wicked Ways". In into he told how he and Power would sail boats to Mexico to pick up young guys for sex. She was devastated! Ruined all her teenage films for her

i always remember a rockstar (can’t recall who) going to view errol flynn’s hollywood house and finding that it had peepholes and secret spying spots above all the guest bedrooms and bathrooms

 

[Raver_Bear]

Loving this thread. I adore the ‘golden age of Hollywood’ and there is so much scandal to read and learn about.
Judy Garland is one of my all time favourite actresses and I feel her story is so sad but also fascinating. Parking myself here so I can come back to this thread!

 

[thegirlscout]

I can't wait to watch Blonde later this year.I hope Ana De Armas does the role of Marilyn justice.

I always feel so iffy when they do films about a famous person like this. Ana De Armas as Marilyn? I personally can’t see it. They have Rooney Mara as Audrey Hepburn in a film coming out soon and I just don’t see Rooney conveying the warmth that Audrey had. Kristen Stewart did a biopic on Jean Seberg and I think KStew is one of the worst actresses out there so that’s another biopic ruined for me. I wish they picked unknowns for this sort of thing hahaha

 

[KatLit]

My mum loved Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn, until she read Flynns autobiography "My Wicked Wicked Ways". In into he told how he and Power would sail boats to Mexico to pick up young guys for sex. She was devastated! Ruined all her teenage films for her

 

[CherryAcid]

Watched whatever happened to Baby Jane (its on BBC iplayer atm) for the first time last night and I genuinely think Bette Davis gave the best acting performance I have ever seen, I really could not stand her at some points but felt such a deep sadness for what was basically a little girl in a grown woman's body. Joan Crawford was incredible as well, they bounce off each other so well

You would like Feud which is about the making of it with Susan Sarandon as Davis and Jessica Lange as Crawford.