num_pages: 289
description: Hollywood gossip meets history in this compulsively readable collection from Buzzfeed reporter Anne Helen Peterson.Believe it or not Americas fascination with celebrity culture was thriving well before the days of TMZ Cardi B Kanyes tweets and the #metoo allegations that have gripped Hollywood. And the stars of yesteryear? They werent always the saints that we make them out to be. BuzzFeeds Anne Helen Petersen author of Too Fat Too Slutty Too Loud is here to set the record straight. Pulling little-known gems from the archives of film history Petersen reveals eyebrow-raising information including:*The smear campaign against the original It Girl Clara Bow started by her best friend *The heartbreaking story of Montgomery Clifts rapid rise to fame the car accident that destroyed his face and the long suicide that followed *Fatty Arbuckles descent from Hollywood royalty fueled by allegations of a boozy orgy turned violent assault *Why Mae West was arrested and jailed for indecency charges *And much more Part biography part cultural history these stories cover the stuff that films are made of: love sex drugs illegitimate children illicit affairs and botched cover-ups. But its not all just tawdry gossip in the pages of this book. The stories are all contextualized within the boundaries of film cultural political and gender history making for a read that will inform as it entertains. Based on Petersens beloved column on the Hairpin but featuring 100% new content Scandals of Classic Hollywood is sensationalism made smart.
language: English
title: Scandals of Classic Hollywood: Sex, Deviance, and Drama from the Golden Age of American Cinema
publisher: Plume