Top 10 Classic Hollywood Movies with Disturbing Back Stories

Behind the glamor, these classic Hollywood movies had disturbing backstories. For this list, we’ll be looking at the backstage scandals and disturbing events that went into making some of the classics of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Our countdown includes "The Viking," "The Birds," "Song of the South," and more! Which of these backstories shocked YOU the most? Let us know in the comments!
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MsMojo is a leading producer of reference online video content of Top 10 Lists, Origins, Biographies, Commentary and more on Pop Culture, Celebrity, Movies, Music, TV, Film, Video Games, Politics, News, Comics, Superheroes. Your trusted authority on ranking Pop Culture.
#Hollywood #Classic #Backstory #Origins #Disturbing

[@MsMojo]

Which of these backstories shocked YOU the most? Let us below, and be sure to also check out our video of the Top 10 Dark Truths About Old Hollywood - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqqVdJ2Ke9GroZo

[@trinaq]

Gene Kelly may have been a Hollywood Legend, but you can't deny that he was notoriously hard to work for. Poor Debbie Reynolds, she was such a trooper for not giving up, even after her feet bled due to the incessant dance rehearsal.

[@sheilaholmes996]

Fred Astaire even talked to her to help.

[@champslim]

​@Sheila Holmes found her crying under a piano. Smh

[@Omar-wq9dz]

I remember reading that story years ago, thinking how terrible Debbie Reynolds must have felt enduring that

[@marilyntaylor9577]

I heard that too!

[@rosemadder5547]

Reminds me of Astaire. Apparently he was the same way.

[@pat75suz]

Two more bits about "Singing in the Rain"...Gene Kelly was also the producer and totally stressed out during filming. (Not an excuse, just context.) At one point after rehearsing a dance scene, Debbie was left alone in the studio. She crawled under a piano and was crying. Who should discover her but...Fred Astaire, who ended up working with her and was her dance coach for certain bits!

[@coreytomison3292]

I love this "Old Hollywood" kick you've been on lately Msmojo! Keep it up!

[@MsMojo]

Thanks Corey! We'll be doing plenty more, and let us know if there is anything in particular you want to see :)

[@trinaq]

Poor Tippi Hedren, Hitchcock certainly wouldn't get away with his unorthodox methods on a contemporary set.

[@angelaholmes8888]

You are so right he wouldn't had gotten away with it

[@robertjames9096]

Kubrick has entered the chat.

[@Jeff98177]

My favorite story involving The Birds dealt with the seagulls used in the chase scene. The birds were trained to sit on peoples heads but only when they were standing still. So when the birds were flying behind the people, they were really waiting for them to stop running so they could sit on their heads. After filming was completed, the seagulls were taken to the ocean and released. And for a couple of weeks after that, there were reports of seagulls sitting on peoples heads. The producers kept quiet.

[@glenncordova4027]

😆

[@SarahRenz59]

There's a glaring omission from this list: Vic Morrow and child actors Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen were killed filming 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie. They were performing in a scene for the Vietnam sequence, in which their characters attempt to escape out of a deserted Vietnamese village from a pursuing U.S. Army helicopter. The heat from special effect pyrotechnic explosions reportedly delaminated the helicopter's rotor blades and caused the helicopter to plummet and crash on top of them, killing all three instantly. Morrow and Le were decapitated and mutilated by the helicopter rotor blades, while Chen was crushed by a helicopter skid. Maybe it wasn't included because the movie's not considered a "classic"? But I wouldn't put John Wayne's The Conqueror in that category, either.

[@Margann1987]

That is exactly why it was not featured. It is not from classic Hollywood. As for "The Conqueror," that is from the time period that is considered classic.

[@glenncordova4027]

That was so sad. I hope it is remembered for a long time. It changed the way safely is handled on movie sets and the way under age actors are treated. At least a lot of good came from that tragedy.

[@Lexie9311]

Thanks for doing more “Old Hollywood” videos. I’ve been really enjoying them lately

[@MsMojo]

Thanks Alexis! We've really enjoyed making them, and have many more in the works! Let us know if there is a particular video you want to see us do :)

[@peterfranc6370]

Don't forget about Wizard of Oz's asbestos snow

[@Famegonna9999]

Clark Gable (who many believe was a black man passing for White) wanted to boycott the premiere of gone with the wind Hattie, McDaniel, and the rest of the black cast convinced him to go telling him he would ruin his career if he did and let him know that that they were fine with him going.

[@monkeykidd420]

Who the fuck thinks Clark Gable was black his grandson hosted cheaters

[@syria0110]

Judy Garland deserved better

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yeah she totally deserved better

[@manueltapia1859]

Yes she did, that explains why she became adicted

[@BroadwayGuy]

She definitely deserved better!!

[@voutsider190]

She had no one to lean on, her own mother was a nasty piece of work

[@SEGASister]

Not on this list: _Across the Border_ (1914), infamous for being the first film to have an accident occur during production. Grace McHugh was filming a scene on a boat (on location in Cañón, Colorado) when it capsized. Owen Carter, without hesitation, dove into the water to save her and brought her to a sandbar. Unfortunately, that sandbar happened to have quicksand, and both McHugh and Carter drowned. Both of their bodies were found days later, and miles away from the scene.

[@AviationTV]

There's sooooo many stories behind the Wizard Of Oz.... from the "snow" they walk through in the film supposedly being a product of asbestos to a Munchin hanging themselves in the trees in the background to the paint for the Tin Man including dangerous chemicals.... I watched a documentary about this movie a while back now in which the director claimed the movie was essentially an "experiment" as to which materials and techniques they could play with and use i.e. raining asbestos etc as no one at the time were really aware of the negative impacts of these materials and techniques.... The directly stated he released a side movie in which the Munchkins essentially take over a hotel or something (the movie was solely based on the munchkins, spin-off if you will).... however the director in this interview I watched said he felt, in this day and age, "shocked and ashamed" that they released something like this as it was kind of an insult to the people who portrayed the characters... I remember there was a great sense of guilt in his face from this.

[@melissawickersham9912]

The hanging munchkin is an urban legend.

[@Spiderman7Bob7]

@@melissawickersham9912 What does 'urban' mean ?

[@melodythemassagetherapist6957]

WOW!! Just WOW!! Makes me so sad how people were treated, killed and hurt from dangerous situations. :(

[@larry1824]

Hitchcock literally drove her out of the business but not before her supreme performance in Marnie

[@lucillebluth2616]

I just love the old Hollywood films! It reminds me of my childhood 😊 thank you 🥳

[@MichaelPop72]

I actually own a VCR copy of Song of the South. I have for years. I also own the Brer Rabbit series as well. It is very offensive today, and probably was back then as well, but I’ve just always owned it and keep it hidden away. At one time Disney would open their “vault” and release movies that were on the verge of extinction, that’s how I obtained it. I also own the very first copy of The Little Mermaid that has the vulgar cover. These are things you just obtain and hold onto.

[@Merylstreep1949]

I love when MOJO and Rebecca do classic Hollywood stuff like this please do more!

[@sheilaholmes996]

It’s actually not true that Judy was harassed by the actors playing the Munchkins. That lie has been disproven.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Lana turner did a brilliant job on imitation of life glad she was able to make a comeback

[@sheilaholmes996]

Yes, but the original was better.

[@julianaylor4351]

Like Debbie Reynolds's daughter Carrie Fisher, when she was in Star Wars : A New Hope, Judy Garland had her teenage chest, flatten by the costume department, during the film of The Wizard of Oz, on the orders of her bosses.

[@Poizenne]

Mainly because Dorothy was supposed to be around 12 years old and Judy was 15/16.

[@julianaylor4351]

@@Poizenne Carrie was seventeen and the production thought her chest would be a distraction, which is ironic when you consider what she wore in Return Of The Jedi. 😁

[@Poizenne]

@@julianaylor4351 Yes, Carrie also claimed that Lucas didn't want her in a bra because there was no underwear in space. What has that to do with Judy?

[@julianaylor4351]

@@Poizenne It's still interfering with a young woman's choices, the seventies were just as sexist as the thirties.

[@glenncordova4027]

"Girl put down that hamburger and take your methamphetamines!"

[@reluctantuser6971]

Those aren't "back stories." They're more in the category of "Off-screen stories." Back stories would be those that fill in an on-screen character's background (hence the name 'back stories') and explain some of their motivations.

[@kenmclemore523]

The incremental eradication of "Song of the South" is a classic example of historical revisionism as a tenet of "woke culture" and the mistaken notion that "offensive" history should be removed, invoking the classic point that: "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it..." KDM

[@caronstout354]

John Wayne's " The Conquerer"- shot on location downwind from a nuclear testing sight leaving a legacy of cancer diagnosis among the cast.

[@manueltapia1859]

Including mexican actor Pedro Armendáriz who years later ended with his own life due the pain of cancer but his son had the same problems and died too.

[@julianaylor4351]

People in Las Vegas actually used to watch nuclear tests from a distance.

[@chelseacanales8763]

Poor Hattie Daniel; no one, and I mean no one deserves that kind of cruelty. Also, Song of the South has been my favourite Disney movie; yet with harsh times during the making is heartbreaking. I might get make fun of for what I am about to say, but Song of the South made me had hope that people of different races could get along well.

[@sheilaholmes996]

Song of the South is an embarrassment and painful to watch for a person of color.

[@markdaly1648]

​@Sheila Holmes song of the South remains the only Disney film which sits in the Disney vaults. With a note. Never to be released under any circumstances.

[@nathanhill4052]

@@sheilaholmes996 As a black person myself, I don't have a single problem with Song of the South at all. I don't know why Disney is trying to erase it from history. It's a movie about a WISE black man giving INSIGHTFUL advice and singing songs about how great life is (i.e Zip A Dee Doo Da). What is the problem exactly? Is it automatically wrong because they're slaves? Is it that slaves are supposed to be shown as depressed, opressed, dark figures in television and movies? I don't understand the conflict here.

[@sheilaholmes996]

Hattie McDaniel

[@sheilaholmes996]

@@markdaly1648 and that’s where it needs to be.

[@music18021]

Loving these old hollywood top 10s keep it up Msmojo ☺️☺️ would love to see an update on top 10 classic hollywood actresses per decade that would be fun ☺️☺️

[@declancarlisle]

How is "The Birth of Nation (1915) not on this list. There was said to be behind the scenes issues and the bigoted views. Not to mention it's been said to be the most racist film of all time. It is also said that it sparked decades of racial violence.

[@marilyntaylor9577]

Didn’t they show the KKK in that movie?

[@declancarlisle]

@@marilyntaylor9577 yes, and whites in blackface.

[@waheedabdullah6371]

I know this is off topic but I hope MsMojo will do something Owl House related like "Top 10 Darkest The Owl House Moments", "Top 10 Epic Fight Scenes in The Owl House", "Top 10 Emotional The Owl House Moments" or "Top 10 Best Luz Noceda Moments"

[@MsMojo]

We'll be doing a video in honor of the series finale! Stay tuned :)

[@lorrieaustin4997]

I seen most of these movies and I liked the Song of the South and The wizard of oz

[@rixx46]

In the excellent Michael Curtiz bio, Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film, author Alan K Rode goes into a lot of detail about "NOAH'S ARK". It was one of his earliest Hollywood movies after arriving from Hungary. The set was constructed so that only some of it would break away, Curtiz DELIBERATELY flooded the ENTIRE set without warning the extras or the stunt people. He was infamous among stunt people for forcing them to take life-threatening risks and for injuring horses in stunt scenes.

[@TheVinchi69]

I guessed The Wizard of Oz before completing this video....and my guess was RIGHT!!

[@serenhafwilliams-davies5915]

Happy Easter 2023, MsMojo 🤩

[@adriangarcia543]

Happy Easter msmojo

[@brittanireeves8831]

Love these old Hollywood videos!

[@NuclearLemonade]

When are we gonna get a list of top 10 or 20 lost films? That’d be very interesting.

[@deborahkogan8742]

Thank you!

[@rontrecker8822]

You missed ‘An affair to remember’ with Cary Grant and. Deborah Kerr, and also ‘To catch a thief’. with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.

[@freddiemolinajr.8397]

Good video

[@eminemsgirl]

The way the Judy Garland was treated on the set of Wizard of Pz shocked me the most. She really deserved better

[@orangespider802]

I agree with the choices just not the order. You had productions were people literally died or got cancer and then died in the middle. How were they not at the top.

[@Tristanshere]

Casting John Wayne as Genghis Khan was just cringe worthy.

[@vincentsaia6545]

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE resulted in numerous horses having to be put down

[@angelinacamacho8575]

The snow scene in the poppy field in the wizard of oz disturbs me because I found out the snow was asbestos

[@maytalacedo2942]

Learning about this is new.

[@jxcordell1]

Shouldn't "The Viking" be number 1 in the Back Stories since several people were directly killed over 20 people? I think that trumpets hurt feelings that ranked higher?

[@izzatsufian2796]

Fame and rich has always harsh realities

[@kevaunmitchell1316]

Fun fact tippi hedren suffered an injury while filming the birds

[@mielissa100ify]

Yeah that’s so fun…

[@Tomboyy9818]

@@mielissa100ify something’s wrong with you 🤨

[@megalon73]

You hear the story of Alfred Hitchcock. In The Birds (1963). That dude is a real Jerk for what he did to her.

[@lifewithlee6298]

Everyone complaining about song of the south but they keep playing that zip a doo due song 🎵

[@cynstein]

i hated the thought of segregation but that concept is not dead completely

[@BroadwayGuy]

No doubt Judy Garland was abused at MGM. The slapped by her director story is a bit overblown. Judy couldn't stop laughing at Bert Lahr, and director Victor Fleming (also director of "GWTW") took her behind the set and slapped her to get her to stop laughing and complete the scene. Fleming said he felt terrible for doing that, and Judy kissed him on the nose. In a 1962 interview with Jack Parr, Judy remembered Fleming as "a darling man." Still, it does beg the question , should a director slap any actor for any reason? MGM got Judy hooked on pills (shame on Mickey Rooney for siding with MGM and publicly denying the truth) and forced her to have abortions. Absolutely terrible!!

[@amandachilds5290]

Well she may have been laughing due to drugs and sleep deprivation and literally couldn't stop. Fleming was not kind to females.on set and not patient.

[@HansBezemer]

@@amandachilds5290 Well, you can walk out, you know. Several actors just did that. Unless you crave being a star of course..

[@amandachilds5290]

@@HansBezemer what on earth are you saying? Are you saying Fleming could've just walked out and let her laugh it off? Yes, that would've been mature thing to do. Judy was a child they drugged up and over worked. She doesn't deserve to be slapped. Children aren't miniature adults or tools to be used by adults either.

[@HansBezemer]

@@amandachilds5290 No, she could have walked off. There are child stars who just did, you know. Sure, most lived pretty ordinary lives after that, but like everything, it's a choice you make.

[@amandachilds5290]

@@HansBezemer she could've walked off set while giggling and high, as a child, back in the 1930"s? That's ridiculous. Why hold her to a higher standard than a grown man? Do you have any kids? Have you seen them just in candy or caffeine? Abuse is never ok. Slapping a kid for being a kid who was probably on substances they didn't even understand is still abuse and a total lack of self control too. He was hypocritical or raised to think someone seeming hysterical deserved physical punishment? Both victims to a system is possible but to say it's ok or say they should act like people who have agency 90 years later who live in a totally different time where laws exist and social media is unreasonable too. Bad mom's exist in all places but Hollywood was cutthroat and Drew Barrymore and her family can attest to all that as well as Brooke Shields and that was just the 70s and 80s not the 30s. I feel bad for kids who are breadwinners for their families and the pressure they are under. She loved performing and was talented and shouldn't have to endure all that alone. A real man would've gotten her a governess who would've made sure she was healthy and not needed drugs. Kids can't work those hours they did back then and the reason is it's inhumane. I say again, Kids aren't miniature adults and don't think like them nor have their hormones, etc...

[@meganthompson6676]

Does that mean that they're going to destroy the song Zip A Dee Doo Da forever?

[@mtinta2000]

They should put it in a new movie. It's a great song. I learned it in first grade.

[@Poizenne]

@@mtinta2000 My thoughts exactly. Give it positive connotations.

[@dadofducks]

Yep. One of the actor's biggest moments in his acting career and Disney decided to erase it from Hollywood memory because of this woke culture.

[@haroldlewis2369]

Even Gene Kelly admitted he was to hard on Debbie Reynolds. He said he was shocked she even continued talking to him.

[@garycarpenter2980]

I can't understand why they put GWTW on video but not Song of the South and both were from the Civil War era

[@manuelyambao1252]

❤love old movies ❤ A'TIN PHILIPPINES 💕

[@lonellfletcher]

Why are Gone With The Wind and Hattie McDaniel always included on these lists? Is racism in the 1930s a surprise now?

[@melodi2036]

Where in the title does it say surprising? Literally no one said these were supposed to be surprising. This is a video about how badly actors were treated by their costars and/or creative team

[@Islandgirl873]

What a dumb comment. This video is bringing awareness to the dark side of movie production.

[@deliciabooker-nickles5526]

Probably because it's still relevant 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@TrulyMademoizelle]

This video is practically a reiteration of the last upload

[@lifewithlee6298]

I remember the Oscar 😢 sining mammy mentioned in another show where she was played by ( Queen Latifah)

[@HartKent]

Seriously? Where is Birth of a Nation? Has to be the most controversial movie ever

[@ceciliaSF-TX]

You highlight that women had it extra tough in Hollywood, then & still today. And, the urgency to get it done, whether to save time / money, was more important than safety or the well-being of humans, including kids. (Alec Baldwin’s current issue! He is guilty).

[@nathanhill4052]

I'm a bit confused. I don't think Alec Baldwin's situation is related to that at all. The point of that specific situation was the prop wasn't checked properly. It's not that they were rushing to get the film done or anything like that, if that's what you mean. That really shows an ignorance to the true facts. If you actually dug into the case instead of paying attention to what the media is saying, I think your perception would be different. I also don't think you can compare the women experience in Hollywood then to the women experience in the Hollywood now. Women in Hollywood now have it wayyyyyyyy better than they did then. In the golden age of Hollywood, actors in general, not just women, we under contract at studios and were only permitted to act in the roles they were given. Nowadays, women are given the freedom to do whatever they want and play whatever they want. I don't think it's fair to say that women have it extra tough now. I don't even think it's valid to say that they had it extra tough then as well, because men and women had similar experiences in the past, but not all of them are highlighted in history or the media.

[@freya8133]

That was an accident.

[@freya8133]

@@nathanhill4052 True, but women are rarely given the lead now.

[@nathanhill4052]

@@freya8133 I see where you're coming from for sure. But that is a very broad statement I believe. Look at the movies released in 2022 alone: Turning Red Everything Everywhere All at Once Women Talking The Menu Pearl X Barbarian Prey The Woman King Black Panther: Wakanda Forever The Luckiest Girl Alive The White Lotus Euphoria Raya and the Last Dragon Emily the Criminal Tar Smile She Said Till So, repectfully, I don't think it's fair to say that women are RARELY given leads now either.

[@Palidor19]

i managed to see SotS when they released back in 87-88. Wasn’t aware of the racial overtones at the time: just wanted to see the animations. Movie was OK. About 10+ years ago I found a bootleg working video on KZbin. I am going to miss splash mountain at WDW

[@deboralee1623]

like you, Palidor19, i saw it for the animation. okay, 94% for the animation, 6% to see what all the fuss was about.

[@The_momur]

Can we talk about the all white cast of The Good Earth? This classic should be remade with an all Chinese cast and crew.

[@spookerredmenace3950]

feels like the vo lady is whispering in to the mic

[@conradsieber7883]

Is that John wayne film a comedy?

[@freya8133]

No

[@Riza1890]

Believe it or not, it's a drama. I have seen it. The movie is bad and unintentionally funny.

[@tiffanye9403]

Or he got cancer from smoking 32 cigarettes 🚬 in a day(john wayne

[@quester09]

Genghis John

[@caronstout354]

I saw it once...so, so inappropriate.

[@georgeacun3619]

Whoa, take 'er easy there, Pilgrim I gonna conquer the world.

[@leviathan8215]

The actress who played the lion, tin man, and scarecrow, also sexually harassed Judy Garland and systematically bullied her

[@GamerFunOriginallyAarush]

Oof!

[@thankthelord4536]

Most of these stories are not new to the public.

[@yadielenielbellecolon982]

🙊🤯😍💗💛🌟🥇🏆

[@melissastruxness512]

Song of the South and GWTW are great movies. People are far too woke nowadays. How will people know the way things were to not let it happen again. Give me a break

[@julianaylor4351]

The only use for Song Of The South would be for sociology and history studies, broken up into clips, because no one would seriously, want to watch it otherwise.

[@deboralee1623]

?"lam-BAY-sted", not "lam-BAY-sted"? okayyy... (8:51)

[@ellnats]

alfred hitchcock may have made some of the best movies ever, but he was pretty much a POS

[@michaelhurley3171]

I still love Song of the South it's a classic! It's anti racist not racist. Bring it back now Disney you woke bastards!

[@jeromesullivan4015]

If you shock me one time..I’ll subscribe..shit, I was subscribed..if no shock, I’ll unsubscribe..

[@waittillfamewtf2385]

🛳️ "Titanic" (1953) Abundant historical inaccuracies!

[@mattep74]

Tbf all titanic movies pre james Cameron had one big fault, the shipnot breaking.

[@waittillfamewtf2385]

@@mattep74 research matters!

[@freya8133]

@@mattep74 The Cameron Titanic movie had problems too. It was Cameron's Titanic.

[@melissawickersham9912]

@@mattep74 Before the wreckage of the Titanic was discovered in 1985, only the survivors of the sinking who saw the ship break in two knew for certain that the ship broke in two. The problem was that nobody believed the testimony of those survivors.