Top 10 Rules Old Hollywood Stars Had to Follow

Even when they weren’t on set, many actors found themselves playing characters. Studios manufactured backgrounds for their stars, sometimes to add pizzazz, other times to cover taboo truths. While some refused to play the game, others put on a show. Cary Grant sought to conceal his working-class upbringing by allying himself with high society, perpetuating a sophisticated image on film and in public. Merle Oberon was the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for an Oscar, although this wasn’t widely known until after her death. Oberon hid her mixed heritage due to fear of prejudice, claiming to be a native Australian. 1937’s “A Star Is Born” provided a peak behind the Hollywood curtain as farm girl Esther Blodgett is molded into Vicki Lester.

Speaking of stage names, you’re probably at least familiar with Norma Jeane Mortenson, assuming you’ve seen a Marilyn Monroe biopic. However, have you ever heard of Lucille Fay LeSueur, Roy Harold Scherer Jr., or Margarita Carmen Cansino? Well, you might know them better as Joan Crawford, Rock Hudson, and Rita Hayworth. Stars frequently had their names changed along with their backstories. MGM held a “Name the Star” contest that resulted in Joan Arden. Since that name was taken, they instead settled on “Crawford.” Agent Henry Willson conceived Rock Hudson, a name that the actor hated. After being credited as Rita Cansino several times, the actress took her mother’s maiden name, Hayworth. Columbia head Harry Cohn advocated for this name change, believing Cansino sounded too “exotic.”

Hollywood royalty wasn’t too far from actual royalty. Just as members of the royal family have been told who they can and can’t be with, the studios could control a star’s love life. Jean Harlow and William Powell fell in love while with MGM. Although MGM allowed them to date in public, the studio was against marriage, arguing that becoming a wife would destroy Harlow’s “sex symbol” status. MGM went as far as to work a clause into Harlow’s contract forbidding such a union. Nevertheless, they were engaged until Harlow’s sudden death at 26. It’s also been reported that Harry Cohn hired organized crime figures to threaten Sammy Davis Jr. when he was romantically linked to a white actress under contract at Columbia, Kim Novak.

Aside from driving couples apart, Hollywood played matchmaker, albeit not in a fun rom-com way. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland shared such natural chemistry that MGM played up the notion of them being a real-life item. In reality, the two weren’t romantically involved, although it’s been said that Garland had feelings for Rooney with the latter seeing her as a good friend. Rooney wanted to marry Ava Gardner, a union that Louis B. Mayer forbade. Gardner and Rooney were nonetheless married for barely a year. Hollywood also orchestrated lavender marriages, in which opposite-sex couples were united to hide the true sexuality of a star or stars. Perceived famous examples include Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck, Rock Hudson and Phyllis Gates, and Janet Gaynor and Adrian.

Actors could place a lot of trust in their assistants. While some honored that trust, others served a higher power. To Judy Garland, Betty Asher was much more than a publicist. She was a source of emotional support. It’s even been rumored that the two were more than friends, although that remains unproven. What we can say with certainty is that Asher was secretly spying on Garland, keeping her in line and reporting back to the higher-ups at MGM on a weekly basis. Garland was devastated upon learning the truth years later, but she wasn’t the only star subjected to such deceit. It was common practice for the studio executives to keep tabs on actors, as well as filmmakers, with spies hidden in plain sight.

For actresses, the birth of a child would mark the death of their careers. Ava Gardner claimed shortly before her death, “MGM had all sorts of penalty clauses about their stars having babies.” Gardner reportedly terminated two pregnancies while married to Frank Sinatra. Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and Dorothy Dandridge are just some of the others who weren’t given much choice in the matter when they became pregnant. It’s been speculated that Lupe Vélez took her own life because she couldn’t bear the thought of terminating her pregnancy. Loretta Young worked around the studio rules when she became pregnant with Clark Gable’s baby. Hiding her pregnancy, she gave birth to daughter Judith, who was placed in various orphanages until Young formally adopted her own daughter.

Today, kids in entertainment are barred from working more than 40 hours per week. Although certain child labor laws existed back in Old Hollywood, they weren’t taken as seriously as they are now. During their child star days, Elizabeth Taylor and Shirley Temple recalled being stuck on set for hours. Judy Garland is an especially tragic case, at one point working six days a week. Garland was given pep pills to get her through the 18-hour days and reduce her weight. The long hours didn’t always pay off either. While Jackie Coogan was handsomely paid during his youth, his mother and stepfather squandered much of his fortune. This amounted to the California Child Actor’s Bill, requiring 15% of earnings to be put into a trust.

With scandals surrounding stars like Fatty Arbuckle and William Desmond Taylor, Hollywood’s sense of morality was put under a magnifying glass. As the demand for censorship increased, the big studios were required to follow the newly-implemented Motion Picture Production Code, or the Hays Code. Deriving its nickname from MPPDA president Will H. Hays, the code instituted restrictions on profanity, sex, and nudity in film. Even animated stars like Betty Boop were deemed too risque for the code. Sadly, any potential to openly depict gay characters went out the window with the code. The code also prevented the portrayal of “sex relationships between the white and black races.” Around this time, morality clauses became more commonplace in studio contracts as well.

Nowadays, actors turn down roles for a variety of reasons. Options were far more limited back in Old Hollywood with studios signing stars to multi-year contracts. One couldn’t simply refuse a role, no matter how much they detested the project. Contract players also couldn’t accept a gig at another studio unless their bosses agreed to loan them out. Bette Davis desired to star in “It Happened One Night” at Columbia, but Warner Bros. wouldn’t lend her. The Oscar-winning part thus went to Claudette Colbert. Davis later brought legal action against WB, seeking to be released from her contract. Davis lost that case, although this thankfully led to some of her most beloved screen roles at Warners. Other contract players weren’t always as lucky.

Hollywood stars still often adhere to unrealistic beauty standards. This practice only becomes more troublesome the further you go back. How impossible were Old Hollywood’s standards? Louis B. Mayer called Judy Garland a “little hunchback.” Judy, you’re gorgeous, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Nevertheless, actresses were expected to transform themselves to appease the studio. At minimum, this would entail dying your hair like Marilyn Monroe. Some went a step further like Rita Hayworth, who had hairline electrolysis. In more extreme cases, actresses subjected themselves to plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures. Actresses also had rigorous diets to achieve the desired figures. At least a few managed to challenge the studios like Katharine Hepburn, who literally showed everyone who wears the pants in Hollywood.