In our modern world we are suckers for scandals. Sex scandals and political ones all rule our news when they break. The golden age of Hollywood wasn’t much different, though many of the scandals have been lost to the times. This is a list of some of the biggest scandals that you may not have known happened.
Kissing Underage Cousins. Jerry Lee Lewis is best known for the music he created in the 1950s. He was a pioneer in rock and roll, playing the piano in ways that not many had heard before. And when he was 22 he married his 13-year-old cousin--though he and his publicist swore she had been 15.
Upside Down. Technically, Myra Gale Brown was his first cousin once removed, but that’s still a bit too familial for many. And she was his 3rd wife, which is pretty outstanding for a 22-year-old. The musician’s life was turned upside down when the news of the marriage broke in 1958 while he was on tour in Britain.
Over. Upon returning to the states, Lewis was blacklisted from the radio and TV spots. His career had been ruined overnight. He went from making $10,000 a night for a show
Manslaughter. Fatty Arbuckle was a famous comedian back in the early 20th century. He was Charlie Chaplin’s mentor and discovered Buster Keaton. In 1921 he found himself on trial for manslaughter.
Rowdy Party. In September 1921, Arbuckle hosted a party in hotel room at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. It was a pretty rowdy affair. Virginia Rappe, an actress and model, had been in attendance when she fell ill. She died 4 days after the party from a ruptured bladder and inflammation of the inner abdomen.
Three Trials. Police arrested Arbuckle for raping and accidentally killing Virginia. The first trial ended in a hung jury, as did the second. People had already turned on him by the time the third trial took place. He had been blacklisted and his films had been banned. The third trial ended in an acquittal, but his career was done. He died in 1933.
Ingenue. Lana Turner is often remembered as a classic sex symbol and was a very well-renowned actress in throughout the 1940s. She began her career as a model when she was just 16 and soon after she colored her auburn hair blonde her career seemed to boom. Everything changed in 1958 when her daughter stabbed her lover to death.
Jealous Rages. Johnny Stompanato was a bodyguard and enforcer for the Cohen Crime Family. He and Lana began dating in 1957, but the relationship was incredibly unhealthy. Stompanato was abusive, controlling, and jealous, even flying to threaten her co-star Sean Connery with a gun while she was filming with him. Connery in response, allegedly took “the gun from him, beat him and force him from the movie set.”
Unsuccessful. Peg Entwistle could not catch a break. Her acting career refused to take off, she appeared in only one film, Thirteen Women, that only saw a release after her death.
Tragic Death. It’s because of her death that anyone even learned her name. She committed suicide in 1932 by jumping off the H on the Hollywoodland sign. She was only 24 years old. A woman had been walking in the area when she found Peg’s shoe, purse, and then suicide note.
Springboard. Olive Thomas got her start as a Ziegfeld girl in 1914. It helped springboard her into acting and small film career. She soon married Jack Pickford, the younger brother of actress Mary Pickford, in 1916. By 1920 she was dead.
Second Honeymoon. She and her husband were visiting France in 1920, taking a second honeymoon because all of their work had been taking a toll on their marriage. While there she mistakenly drank a bottle of mercury bichloride, which was meant to be a topical solution to treat her husband’s syphilis sores.
Tragic Loss. She was rushed to the hospital, but did not survive. Allegedly the non-English writing on the bottle had confused her and she thought she was drinking water. Her last words were, “Oh my god!” upon realizing her mistake.
The Other Woman. Eddie Fisher was the father of Carrie Fisher and ex husband of Debbie Reynolds. He was a pop idol who was friends with Elizabeth Taylor as well. After years of marriage Eddie suddenly announced that he was leaving Debbie. He quickly divorced her and married Elizabeth as soon as he could.
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