Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Underground Classic of Hollywood's Darkest and Best Kept Secrets

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The book details alleged scandals of Hollywood stars from the silent era through to the 1960s, including Charles Chaplin, Lupe Vélez, Mary Nolan, Rudolph Valentino, Marie Prevost, Mary Astor, Wallace Reid, Olive Thomas, Jeanne Eagels, Thelma Todd, Errol Flynn, Frances Farmer, Juanita Hansen, Mae Murray, Alma Rubens, John Gilbert, Barbara La Marr, Ramon Novarro, Jean Harlow, Carole Landis, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, and Marilyn Monroe. Jimmy Dean was reclusive, compulsively withdrawn, promiscuous, friendless, suspicious, boorish and rude.

Upon its second release, the New York Times said of it, "If a book such as this can be said to have charm, it lies in the fact that here is a book without one single redeeming merit. For here we have the infamous, tragicomic tale of Mexico born actress Lupe Vélez who, in a botched suicide attempt by drug overdose, ended up not peaceful in her bed like some ravishing Aztec queen as intended, but head down in a toilet bowl, covered in her own throw-up.On the eve of his death, he had attended a gay party in Malibu, and his gay friends accused him of dating women for publicity purposes. It's a case of sitting down with the nelliest queen in all Nellydom and listening to caviar quality dirt. This book about the earlier stars and studios was originally published, long ago, in French in Paris. What Hollywood Babylon has on offer above all else, is rollicking fun for the perverse voyeur that resides within each and every one of us. There's a difference: the 1965 version is packaged like that of a sleaze-gossip rag in 95 cent paperback form, versus the 1975 edition, which was published again after the ban was lifted, Anger having cleaned up some of his facts, embellished some of the fluidity and structure of the book, and laid out higher quality images into a "coffee table" hardcover format.

Hollywood Babylon also features chapters on the Fatty Arbuckle Virginia Rappe scandal, the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the Hollywood Blacklist, the murder of Sharon Tate, and the Confidential magazine lawsuits. Il lato oscuro del sogno americano, sesso, droga, alienazione, depravazione, tutto riprovevole ma dannatamente intrigante; al servizio del mito. Failed Hollywood starlets mounted the Hollywoodland sign in hopes that King Kong would either kill them or cast them as his next leading lady? I personally don’t know much about the stars from the 20-50s so I think the gossip wasn’t as interesting to me as it could’ve been.Many years ago I lived in the courtyard apartments Charlie Chaplin built for his crew across the street from his studio on La Brea Avenue. It was good honest sleazy fun when it was published and stuff like being gay and doing drugs was rather scandalous, but I think the powder has worn right off its puff now. In sum, the book is no longer the "luscious plum of sizzling scandal" it once was, and Anger's tabloid naughtiness has dated badly. Later on her deathbed, Eunice confessed that it was a frame set by Joe Kennedy, bootlegger to the film colony and head of FBO pictures who wanted to destroy Pantages theater circuit.