Scandals of Classic Hollywood: Sex, Deviance, and Drama from the Golden Age of American Cinema

Gossip meets history—a compulsively readable collection of Hollywoods most notorious clashes and controversies in the spirit of Hollywood BabylonBelieve it or not, Americas fascination with celebrity culture was thriving well before the days of TMZ, Perez Hilton, Charlie Sheens breakdown and allegations against Woody Allen. And the stars of yesteryear? They werent always the saints that we make them out to be. BuzzFeed columnist Anne Helen Petersen is here to set the record straight with Scandals of Classic Hollywood. Pulling little-known gems from the archives of film history, Petersen reveals eyebrow-raising information, includingThe smear campaign against the original It Girl, Clara Bow, started by her best friendThe heartbreaking story of Montgomery Clifts rapid rise to fame, the car accident that destroyed his face, and the long suicide that followedFatty Arbuckles descent from Hollywood royalty, fueled by allegations of a boozy orgy turned violent assaultWhy Mae West was arrested and jailed for indecency chargesAnd much morePart 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.