Old Hollywood, famed for its glitz and glamour, owes much of its allure to its iconic stars. However, achieving stardom during this era meant facing significant challenges. The Golden Age of Hollywood, from the 1920s to the 1960s, was ruled by the studio system, with the Big Five studios in control. These studios propelled stars like Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland to fame, yet they exercised tight control through strict contracts. Learn about the sacrifices actors and actresses made for wealth and fame.
They signed long-term contracts.
Today, actors and actresses have the flexibility to work on one movie with one studio and then move on to another for their next project. However, during the Golden Age, film studios frequently discovered talent and signed them to contracts lasting four to seven years.
They couldn’t work with other studios while on contract.
Depending on the projects a studio supported for an actor and the opportunities they provided, this stipulation could either make or break a career.
Source:
reddit
Though talent could be loaned to other studios.
Elizabeth Taylor was famous for arranging loans from her studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which enabled her to work on more complex films such as Giant, A Place in the Sun, and Suddenly, Last Summer.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Actors couldn’t refuse parts.
During the studio system, it was uncommon for an actor to refuse a part, as doing so often had severe consequences. In fact, Bette Davis was suspended by Warner Brothers for turning down roles.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Even if studios knew the movies were bombs.
Louis B. Mayer, co-founder of MGM, sought to terminate his contract with actor John Gilbert. To accomplish this, he allegedly planted rumors about the star and intentionally cast him in bad movies. As a result, Gilbert’s career suffered greatly.
Source:
reddit
They had to be willing to change names.
Many of the beloved Old Hollywood stars, such as Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland, and others, used stage names chosen by the studios. MGM even held a contest to select a name for their new star, Lucille LeSueur. The winner? Joan Crawford—and reportedly, she hated it.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Women often changed their appearances.
Apart from dyeing their hair (with some starlets even undergoing plastic surgery), studios went to great lengths to make their new starlets marketable, and actresses had to comply with their decisions.
Source:
reddit
They had to take acting classes.
At times, studios recognized potential in an actor or actress even before they had the chance to prove their acting skills. Consequently, it was common for up-and-coming stars who had already signed contracts with major studios to take acting classes.
Source:
reddit
Even voice lessons.
When Lauren Bacall first signed with film director Howard Hawks at Warner Bros, she underwent a series of voice lessons. It was during these sessions that the actress developed the sultry low voice she became known for, setting her apart from her peers.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Minor roles in movies often came first.
As Hollywood groomed its newest stars, studios tested young actors with small parts to assess their potential. This is how Sharon Tate landed a role in The Beverly Hillbillies and Ava Gardner appeared in Hitler’s Madman.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Actresses were given an image to uphold.
Women were predominantly confined to roles as the all-American girl next door or the sexy bombshell, with studios going to great lengths to market these images to their audience, occasionally fabricating backstories for their talent.
Source:
reddit
Appearance was everything.
Studios aimed to ensure their actresses were always ready to be photographed, as Hollywood prioritized looks over talent at the time. It was standard for weight maintenance to be included in contracts.
Source:
reddit
Women in pants were frowned upon.
Katharine Hepburn famously defied her studio’s dress code guidelines and reportedly walked around set in her underwear, refusing to get dressed, after someone in the costume department at RKO Radio Pictures took her pants away.
Source:
reddit
Men had to act like gentlemen.
Male actors weren’t exempt from the studio’s rules and regulations. They were expected to embody the ideals of a gentleman at all times. Consequently, messy divorces, womanizing behavior, or any illegal activities could seriously impact their careers.
Source:
reddit
They had to pander to the press.
One of the many responsibilities of Old Hollywood film stars was to cater to the press. Staged photo ops were inevitable, and movie stars were expected to shine whenever the occasion arose.
Source:
reddit
Their love lives were usually arranged.
Sham dates, as they were called back then, were a way for a studio to generate publicity for upcoming pictures featuring their stars. While promoting Babes in Arms, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland acted like a couple, but in reality, Rooney was a well-known playboy.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Even certain marriages were orchestrated.
Sadly, many LGBTQ actors were coerced into heterosexual marriages by studios. For instance, Rock Hudson was compelled to marry his agent’s secretary, Phyllis Gates. It wasn’t until he publicly announced his AIDS diagnosis that he revealed he was homosexual.
Source:
reddit
And sometimes unions were not allowed.
Jean Harlow was informed that becoming a wife would alter her sex appeal, and due to the morality clause in her contract with MGM, the studio had the authority to deny her marriage to William Powell.
Source:
reddit
Studios also had rules against children.
Actresses knew that becoming pregnant was against most studios’ rules, and, as a result, some women, such as Ava Gardner, had abortions to avoid penalties. “MGM had all sorts of penalty clauses about their stars having babies,” Gardner revealed in her autobiography, Ava: My Story.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Though there were loopholes.
Joan Crawford and Elizabeth Taylor both adopted children, which allowed them to continue working, while Loretta Young kept her pregnancy and birth a secret from the public and later adopted her biological daughter, Judy Lewis.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Promoting films was everything.
Some stars, such as Elizabeth Taylor, took extra steps to promote their films. The MGM star’s first marriage to Conrad Hilton was a highly publicized event, conveniently coinciding with the release of her new movie, Father of the Bride, and fully funded by the studio.
Source:
reddit
Time off was subject to the studio.
When Judy Garland married composer David Rose in 1941, MGM didn’t approve. Consequently, they forced her to return to work just 24 hours after their wedding, denying the couple a honeymoon.
Source:
reddit
Women had to maintain slim figures.
Marlene Dietrich was among the earliest film stars instructed to lose weight, and the pressure for actresses to conform to certain standards hasn’t diminished. As a child star, Judy Garland was fed speed and encouraged to smoke cigarettes to suppress her appetite.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Diets were even restricted.
Studios enforced strict diets for actresses who gained weight. Marlene Dietrich adhered to a diet of broth, cottage cheese, and toast dictated by her studio.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Fitness routines were encouraged.
Starlets often exercised to keep their bodies in shape, although it wasn’t common to discuss it openly at that time. Katharine Hepburn enjoyed tennis and swimming, while Marilyn Monroe was among the first actresses to regularly lift weights.
Source:
reddit
Children would work long hours.
Minimal child labor laws allowed studios to demand the same workload from children as from adults. For Judy Garland, this translated to six days of work per week, often involving 18-hour shifts filled with singing and dancing. To cope, she relied on “pep pills” (amphetamine uppers) for energy and sleeping pills to help her rest at night.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Sick days were punishable.
After becoming addicted to the “pep pills” given to her by MGM, Judy Garland struggled with addiction. During the filming of Meet Me in St. Louis, she called in sick for 16 days, and production on The Pirate was delayed due to her absence. All filming delays came out of her paycheck, which at one point reached $100,000.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Even the children knew not to waste the studio’s time.
Shirley Temple learned early on that being unprofessional on set was never a good idea. In her book Child Star, she wrote, “Time is money. Wasted time means wasted money means trouble.”
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Actors used studio assistants.
Studios frequently assigned assistants to their actors, who would provide guidance and support. They also served as informants for the studio, essentially acting as spies. Judy Garland was reportedly devastated upon discovering that her nanny had been betraying her.
Source:
reddit
Tarnishing one’s reputation was inexcusable.
Studios aimed to present their actors and actresses in the best light possible, but rumors or scandals could jeopardize a career. Clara Bow, one of the most famous women of the 1920s, lost her contract with Paramount due to rumors of her promiscuity.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Actors would duke it out for the best roles.
Subpar roles could lead to labels that were hard to shake. In the mid-’30s, the Independent Theatre Owners Association of America branded Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, and Katharine Hepburn “box-office poison.” While Hepburn managed to overcome this label, not every actress could.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
They had to adhere to the production code.
Since 1934, there has been a strict production code censoring films. Actors and studios had to comply with the requirements set forth by the Hays Office, which prohibited curse words, sex, and more.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
On-screen kisses were regulated.
Some of the rules imposed by censorship pertained to on-screen kisses, which were not allowed to appear too “lustful,” meaning they couldn’t last longer than three seconds. This explains all the intense but brief lip-locks in old movies.
Source:
reddit
Lovers couldn’t get too comfortable.
The “one foot on the floor” rule was implemented to prevent actors from appearing too horizontal during intimate scenes.
Source:
reddit
Even married couples followed the rules.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who were married in real life, had to adhere to the code’s requirements, which mandated that actors portraying married couples had to sleep in separate beds.
Source:
reddit
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Article Sources:
To learn more read our Editorial Standards.