In 1942, the iconic Lena Horne signed with MGM and became the first Black person to have a long-term studio contract. Famously, the movie's main Black star, Hattie McDaniel, is believed not to have been invited to the premiere. According to Black actors on the set of 1939's 'Gone with the Wind,' there were signs segregating the on-set bathrooms (until star Clark Gable complained). While there was no official rule, multiple Black performers of the era noted that there were sections of the cafeteria where they weren't supposed to sit, where their white co-stars ate. As described by History, being LGBTQ+ was considered unacceptable under these terms, and dating back to the 1920s, it is believed that studios would encourage their gay stars to form heterosexual marriages to conceal their real sexualities.Īs recounted in Donald Bogle's biography of Dandridge, there was still significant segregation in Hollywood. Studio contracts could be notoriously ironclad, and like today, often included morality clauses that made failing to live up to the studio's moral standards a fireable offense. According to Garland, this happened to her and her co-star Mickey Rooney.Īlong with hiring fake friends to spy on them, there is reason to believe that the studios sometimes pushed their stars into fake marriages.

As described by Judy Garland (via Gerald Clarke's 'Get Happy') producers would also hire people to pretend to become friends with their stars, while secretly reporting everything they did to their bosses back at the studio. As noted by Turner Classic Movies, Columbia Pictures president Harry Cohn was believed to have bugged dressing rooms and sets in order to listen in on the cast and crew.

Many studio executives are believed to have spied on their stars in order to keep them in line.

Gerald clarke judy garland