Golden Era of Hollywood 1937-1940
© Lea Frydman
Diva Jeanette MacDonald married Gene Raymond. Pin-up girl, Betty Grable married the former child star Jackie Coogan. Alan Ladd's mother committed suicide. A loss that would later leave its legacy. Later Ladd "accidentally" shot himself in the chest while stalking an intruder it was really a botched suicide attempt. Six months later, on 29 January 1964 he succeeded with a combination of alcohol and sleeping pills.
Blonde bombshell, Jean Harlow died at the age of 26 of uraemic poisoning. A condition she sustained after her husband Paul Bern beat her with a cane on their wedding night and bruised her kidneys. When Harlow's condition worsened her devout Scientologist mother refused any medical treatment until it was too late.
Gary Cooper sought Goldwyn's advice on what to name his first child. "Does William sound like a good name?" he asked. Goldwyn replied, "Why would you want to name him Bill? Every Tom, Dick and Harry is called Bill." Coop had a daughter and named her Maria.
Newcomer John Wayne finally made the grade as a cowboy called Ringo Kid under director John Ford's tutelage in "Stagecoach." And Henry Fonda's first child was born, a daughter he named Jane.
1938
"You Can't Take It With You" won Best Picture. Best Actor went to Spence Tracy for "Boys Town" and Best Actress was Bette Davis.
The US State Department informed the FBI they suspected Errol Flynn was on a secret mission for the Nazis in Spain.
New York gangster Bugsy Siegel sought the dazzle of Hollywood after his friend George Raft scored a hit in the movies.
Within a year of his arrival Siegel made a million shaking down the studio moguls. Bugsy a handsome, blue-eyed stud easily attracted starlets to his mansion in Beverly Hills. He became so distracted by this extra-curriculuar activity he wasn’t aware the Mafia had a contract out on Gray Cooper.
It seems a starlet who was having it on with one of Siegel's partners-in-crime found refuge in Cooper's arms after a tiff. When Siegel's heavy took the affair to heart he enlisted his mates to wipe-out the tall dude. Raft got wind of the situation and intervened.
1939
While Hilter's army invaded Poland Humphrey Bogart and his wife Mary Mayo were fighting a battle with the bottle and each other. Their public brawling had the press christen them the Battling Bogarts.
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