# Patricia Douglas

Patricia Dorothy Douglas (March 5, 1917 – November 11, 2003) was a dancer and movie extra. Douglas was the subject of the documentary Girl 27 documenting her 1937 rape by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) salesman David Ross and the aftermath. Douglas was one of the first people to come forward after experiencing sexual assault in the film industry, leading to a massive scandal that MGM buried by initiating a smear campaign against Douglas, and by buying-off potential prosecution witnesses.
Douglas left the industry after her rape, but appeared on camera 65 years later, having been contacted by biographer David Stenn, who discovered that she was still alive while investigating the story of the 1937 rape and cover-up.

## Early life and career

Patricia Douglas was born on March 5, 1917. At some point, the mother and daughter moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue work in the film industry. Douglas dropped out of school at the age of 14 and focused on pursuing a film career, working as a dancer and extra, appearing in Gold Diggers of 1933 and So This Is Africa.

## 1937 sexual assault

On the evening of May 5, 1937, the 20-year-old Douglas, with more than 120 other young women, most of them dancers, was taken to work at an MGM party, which was part of a convention held to reward MGM sales executives for a new sales formula which had proved very lucrative. The young women hired that night were led to believe that they would be working on a film. At the party, Douglas was targeted by Ross and was forced to drink. When she ran outside to vomit, Ross followed her, dragged her into a car in a nearby field, and raped her.
After the rape, a parking attendant heard Douglas screaming and saw her staggering as Ross ran away. Douglas was brought to Culver City Community Hospital, where she was douched, thus destroying evidence of the rape, before being examined by Dr. Edward Lindquist, who co-owned the hospital. His practice was largely dependent on MGM, and he testified later that he believed there had been no intercourse.
Douglas filed a criminal complaint with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. The district attorney at the time was Buron Fitts, a personal friend of MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer. When Douglas' case was ignored, she went to attorney William J. F. Brown, who delivered an ultimatum to Fitts' office, insisting that it either investigate the complaint or Douglas would go to the media.
The resulting scandal was one of the largest Hollywood had ever faced. MGM responded by running a smear campaign against Douglas, tarnishing her reputation and framing her as immoral and promiscuous. An article in the Los Angeles Examiner on June 4, 1937, published Douglas's name, photo and home address, but did not name the studio.
The grand jury hearing dominated the news cycle, despite other significant stories such as the marriage of the abdicated Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, and the death of actress Jean Harlow.
When the grand jury refused to indict Ross, Douglas filed a civil suit against studio personnel and the other party attendees. For unknown reasons, Brown failed to appear in court and the case was dismissed for want of prosecution. David Stenn, in a 2003 article about the case in Vanity Fair, theorized that, because Brown was running against Fitts for the office of district attorney, he may have feared that litigating the case would undermine his campaign.

## Later life

Douglas left the industry after her assault and struggled with her relationships in life as a result of the mental and emotional trauma she experienced from the rape and subsequent smear campaign by MGM. She was married three times and gave birth to one daughter, Patricia (Patti) Minter. Douglas died in November 2003.

## Legacy

More than 60 years after Douglas' assault, it was documented by David Stenn in his film Girl 27. Her speaking out against her rapist was re-evaluated following the emergence of the Me Too movement. Actresses such as Jessica Chastain and Rose McGowan have praised the film and the telling of Douglas's story.