Top 10 Old Hollywood Scandals You've Never Heard Of

You'd think these Old Hollywood scandals would've gone down in history. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most shocking forgotten scandals of the classic Hollywood era. Our countdown includes Alfalfa’s death, Errol Flynn trial, the Spade Cooley murder, and more! If we missed any of YOUR favorite revelations, let us know in the comments below!
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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 #Scandals #Controversy #OldHollywood #History

[@MsMojo]

Which of these scandals shocked you the most? Let us know below, and be sure to also check out our video of the Top 10 Biggest Old Hollywood Scandals - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoamqH6lbsqlg80

[@DanceToTheGrave]

Cooley killing his soon to be divorced wife was pretty shocking.

[@isaacmartinez6904]

Without Jackie Coogan, child actors would never have their own money for their future.

[@tammywebb1289]

Amen!! Those child actors work hard for their own money!! It seems like Jackie Coogan's parents took advantage of him for his own fame and fortune

[@bennymora3086]

I felt SOOO bad for him.😔

[@DRCEQ]

@@tammywebb1289 That was exactly it. This video covered the basics, but his mother and her new husband argued in court that because he was not of legal age to earn money for himself, his money was legally hers to spend as she wished. Court sided with Jackie, and Coogan's Law went into effect to make sure that no less than 30% of all earnings of child actors goes into a trust fund which they can withdraw for themselves when they turn 18.

[@thetoshiapoundstoneshow373]

I can see with sciencetoly still does the same thing to this day

[@christinesentman5437]

Or the laws to protect their assets

[@DanGamingFan2846]

It sucks what Jackie Coogan had to go through, but it's thank's to him and his struggles that child actors can get what is rightfully their's.

[@janbadinski7126]

Tell that to Mcaully(sp)Culkin his parents lived off him for years.

[@mlynettepinky595]

Gary Coleman, Shirley Temple and Macaulay parents stole their money.

[@trinaq]

God, between hearing about the Jackie Coogan scandal, and the various horrific backstories of former Disney Channel and Nickelodeon child stars, it makes me even more determined not to force my children into toxic show business careers, and give them proper childhoods.

[@kamsismith]

I knew about a lot of stage parents spending their children’s money and wondered how illegal all of that sounded until I found out that Jackie Coogan was the one who created the law. I always think of Gary Coleman as the 80s version of Jackie as his parents and business manager spent much of his money and while his lawsuit was successful, he ended up in debt due to him spending his money on medical bills as a result of a kidney condition he had.

[@trinaq]

@@kamsismith That's true, it should be illegal to force an acting career on your children that they never wanted nor asked for.

[@kamsismith]

@@trinaqI know that not all child actors’ experiences are bad, but children shouldn't be forced to work, especially in the age of family vlogging. Jeanette McCurdy’s story and other child stars who dealt with similar experiences like hers never fail to break my heart.

[@stevenf1953]

Is this worse than forcing your children to play lots of sports?

[@fanaticat1]

some parents resent the fact that their kids make more money than they do!

[@digidv85]

I know it’s not an old scandal like the examples listed here. But I heard Macaulay Culkin only got cast in The Good Son because his tyrannical controlling father demanded he play the main character Henry in that movie on the threat of forbidding him from reprising Kevin in Home Alone 2. Culkin nailed the role of a child sociopath great, that’s not my issue here. Children being used as bargaining tools for their parent’s selfish desires is what grinds my gears here.

[@roxy5588]

It makes my blood boil that Jackie Coogan's parents stole his money. Even if he was a child he had every right to have access to his hard earned money that he worked for. I hope his parents gave him the rest of his money when he was able to claim it. And I hope they payed the money that they squandered back to him.

[@Madwickedawesome1415]

Did you know that Jackie Coogan is also Uncle Fester in the 1964 Addams Family?

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yes I already knew that love him as uncle fester

[@tammywebb1289]

I had NO idea he was in The Addams Family!! 🤯 I love that show!!

[@ShunsuiHitsugaya]

Didn't realize he was even connected to the Addams Family franchise.

[@Madwickedawesome1415]

@@ShunsuiHitsugaya haha

[@Madwickedawesome1415]

@@tammywebb1289 sameee

[@ProfessorTakatoPalm]

I did know about the Jackie Coogan scandal. It’s because of him young actors have the Coogan account. What horrible parents that poor boy had. That was his money and they took every dime from him.

[@Championchip2214]

until he got it back through civil lawsuit.

[@trinaq]

Agreed, poor Jackie, I can't even imagine how horrible his upbringing and parents must have been.

[@AngelaDawn623]

I have heard about all of these scandals. I truly enjoy learning about old Hollywood.

[@MrStGeorgeIllawarra]

Now I get that Simpsons joke about Alfalfa's death. Thanks Wathmojo!

[@freya8133]

A very sad death. Even that guy's son said that his dad killed him in cold blood and it was not self-defense.

[@jamalvargas6146]

RIP Bobby Driscol The Walt Disney Company killed you taken from this world too soon

[@Erni3K]

Thanks for mentioning Paul Bern's death; the idea that the studio story put about by Eddie Mannix, that Bern committed suicide because he was an inadequate lover would be MORE acceptable than Bern being killed by his undivorced common law first wife (bigamy was that bad) is still fascinating. Also still taken as truth in a lot of books and online articles. It won't go away.

[@TheTonyahawk]

Joan Crawford alleged adult film career is harder to verify hence the time but other sexual proclivities (lesbianism) have rumors abound. But for me it's her everlasting feud with Bette Davis that is most interesting to me.

[@maryloufarnsworth8461]

Let's not forget about her adopted children and how she paraded them out to further her career.

[@josephadiaz8343]

Ms Mae West was awesome ♥️🙏✝️

[@freya8133]

She was insanely jealous of any actress who was younger and prettier than she was. Not a good look for her.

[@lolariver]

Love all the old Hollywood lists!!

[@julianaylor4351]

It shows that no matter how old Hollywood tried to glamourise their stars, they were only human. Getting to the same situations anyone else, who was unlucky could.

[@s.p.8803]

Everybody knows about Jackie Coogan, since it resulted into a law. I'm not even from here and I know.

[@angelaholmes8888]

I remember hearing about lana Turner daughter I really feel bad for cheryl glad she was able to move on with her life

[@lolariver]

A lot of people believe that it was really Lana that killed him and she let her daughter take the fall.

[@freya8133]

​@@lolariverWhich I don't understand. It was clearly self-defense if Lana killed him.

[@DanceToTheGrave]

@@lolariver That doesn't make any sense at all. People love to scandalize everything. ESPECIALLY back then.

[@bamabarrelracer]

The De Havilland Law, formally De Havilland v. Warner Bros. Pictures

[@darcyjorgensen5808]

I learned about the Coogan Law within a few months of working in securities litigation. It is a sad story.

[@bridgette6055]

Great job, Jackie Coogan was the only one I heard of.

[@TRANGNGUYEN-vd8rb]

It’s crazy to think that a law had to be put into place so parents don’t exploit their children. These influencers need to be put in their place also exploiting their kids for views

[@raptorfromthe6ix833]

alfalfas death was sad robert blake even talked about how alfalfas dad used to beat him in the middle of the set

[@williamcrowe2576]

Sometimes a lot of well known actors would star in a porno out of desperation. For instance, there was Sylvester Stallone's role in "The Italian Stallion".

[@TheVinchi69]

I've heard all of these scandals

[@Beth_Alice_Kaplan]

At least half of these stories were new to me, but Lana Turner's daughter killing that psychopath to save her mother, _and_ Jackie Coogan's mother and stepfather betraying him by stealing his money, actually *are* well-known , so I'm surprised they're on this list. I'm equally surprised the fake scandal surrounding silent film actor Fatty Arbuckle and the death of a young actress in his company did *not* make the list. Then again, all of the these incidents occurred so long ago, at this point, the majority of folks probably know very little about life in the first 50 years of Hollywood.

[@daziasantos615]

Michael Franzese (a former capo for the Colombo crime family) has a KZbin channel and he talked about Lana turner and other golden age actresses that dated mobsters and talked about the murder and what the story on the street was at the time

[@angelaholmes8888]

Wow I had know idea that joan Crawford was in adult films

[@crystalsmith5330]

Jean Harlow died when she was 26 of kidney failure. She was entombed the great mausoleum at forest lawn memorial park. william powell, Her partner at the time got a plot next to her foe when he died. William was devastated by her death and was at her side when she died. William would be laid to rest next to his 3rd wife at a different cemetery, so the space next to Jean remains empty

[@charliejoson9145]

I thought Jean Harlow's mom was buried next to her. I read it on Wikipedia

[@tiffprendergast]

@@charliejoson9145wiki is lies

[@cazia9]

For anyone curious, a lot of these plus more are covered in depth on the fabulous podcast You Must Remember This … Check it out to expand your Hollywood history knowledge !!

[@sheilaholmes996]

I knew about all of these.

[@scottbakanumba1heathen313]

Alfalfa's days were numbered.

[@No1Important_]

Never heard off, cogan is well no it changed law❤😂

[@raybearoz]

What about the murder accusations of Fatty Arbuckle? One of the stars of the silent era, their career destroyed after a house party

[@freya8133]

Everybody knows that one.

[@hannahdelvecchio7521]

Speaking a Joan Crawford there’s a movie about her call mommy dearest

[@fromthehaven94]

I AM NOT ONE OF YOUR FANS!

[@susanmolnar9606]

No Wire Hangers!

[@freya8133]

We know.

[@user-rg2ds9tc5v]

When if ever, will you do Johnny Mathis?

[@ceciliacalvin263]

Alfalfa died the same day my great grandfather did.

[@freya8133]

And Cecil B. DeMille

[@ceciliacalvin263]

@@freya8133 DeMille is my great grandfather.

[@freya8133]

@@ceciliacalvin263 Oh 👍

[@tommccallan8802]

Ahhhh Mr. BURNSTINE

[@haywardgarner4850]

Spade Cooley…television in the 1930s and 1940s…?

[@katherineknapp4370]

😮

[@chelseacanales8763]

Whether these are real facts or not, it’s a good reminder that Hollywood isn’t a good place to be

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yep

[@caronstout354]

It was worse during the old days of the"Studio System", when the studio owned you-and your image-and would and could do anything to maintain a wholesome public persona...

[@sessionshannah]

🤔

[@hannahdelvecchio7521]

Is one of the best deal that Sandra do do dude Mahna Mahna than that one X movie that’s a deal with the Muppets

[@nevenjokic7114]

what about bobby fuller's murder?

[@freya8133]

That's music.

[@charleshall9488]

Lana Turner did the killing her daughter took the blame

[@hannahdelvecchio7521]

Do do do do

[@DanceToTheGrave]

Why does the narrator change in this?

[@TuanBe-ni2ud]

Garbo and Dietrich didnt have any romantic relationship really. They respect each other but the studio want people to think they are rival to boost revenue. They did meet on the set of thr joyless street but still nobody really sure that they are a couple at that time 😅

[@freya8133]

Both of these women had affairs with other women. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to think that they were involved and then had a fallout.

[@TuanBe-ni2ud]

@@freya8133 i don't know, they don't have much interact with each other very much. They just accidentally a mega star at the same time and Dietrich was a bisexual so people speculated. I still don't think much of them as a couple, just 2 actresses who respect each other

[@Michaela1942]

Just shows how young you nice folks at MsMojo are when you think that no one knows about these scandals. Funny.

[@charliejoson9145]

I'm not American hence I don't know some of these scandals except partly about Jackie Coogan (also from an old MsMojo video)

[@fromthehaven94]

I'd never of the one involving the creator of The Three Stooges. Or the specific allegation of Errol Flynn by the Hubbard's.

[@squarebear619]

Imagine thinking that you're the only person who exists. At your vast age you haven't learned couth nor how to not be pompous.😂

[@Michaela1942]

@@squarebear619 :D

[@cristianflores8913]

ううの

[@Meryartist]

“Ms”Mojo bc women like this shit?

[@christyleduc6132]

Aw are you jealous

[@squarebear619]

​@@christyleduc6132yeah, they are because not a single woman likes them. Or men, pets, animals, etc.😂

[@SmartFabian007]

oh dear, i heard of these things long time ago, what a load crap from ms mojo, shame on you

[@squarebear619]

Oh, gee! You're the only person that exists and they should care that you know these things. Delusional 😂