Hollywood Horrors: Murders, Scandals, and Cover-Ups from Tinseltown

by Andrea Van Landingham

The name “Hollywood” conjures up fantastical images of bright lights, glamorous dreams, and impossible riches. From its humble beginnings as a ranch sprawling northwest of Los Angeles in the late 1800s, Hollywood has spanned lifetimes as a factory of dreams, a dazzling place where all things are possible. This collection of stories takes you on a journey into the golden age, illuminating the space between the airy fantasy and the gritty reality of life in Hollywood. In a transient city where nothing lasts, thousands of stories have taken place in their time here. From the offscreen debauchery of the silent era, to countless dramatic and mysterious deaths, to the sinister past lives of world-famous LA landmarks, vestiges of Hollywood’s checkered past can still be found all over the city. With generations of Tinseltown’s luminaries living and working under the sunny guise of paradisal prosperity, their real stories reveal the sordid underbelly lurking directly beneath the surface. A dangerous collusion between the studios, the press, the mob, and the LAPD forms an impenetrable behind-the-scenes network of corruption, power and control, where the truth is always up for sale. A network in which the most glamorous and well-known figures are merely players in this elaborate charade. It’s magical and gritty, it’s ugly and dirty, it’s the land of dreams...it’s Hollywood.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, Film, Audiobook, Media Tie In

312 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2021

Reviews

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 big stars!
This is a serious and well-researched look at the history of Hollywood. It chronicles the growth of the town from the 1880s, its film studios and the development of the star system, the growth and involvement of organized crime, and major scandals and murders featuring some of its major players. It describes the development of the Hays Code in the 1930s in the attempt to make movie content more wholesome and behind the scenes work of the studios to cover up any news of scandals that would bring the glamour of Holywood into public disrepute.

Despite the grim subject matter, author Andrea Van Landingham writes in a clear, interesting, entertaining, and well-organized manner. The book contains photos, some of early silent screen movie stars and directors, and I was wishing for more. I read this volume with my Kindle in one hand and iPad in the other googling for extra pictures.

Forget the numerous tabloid-style books out there that contain almost identical stories and text. This thoughtfully written and researched book is the one to read if you are interested in this type of subject matter. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for the ARC. Reviewed on Goodreads and will be reviewed on Amazon on publication date in November.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hollywood Horrors sets out in an extremely readable and enjoyable format the scandals that rocked glamorous old Hollywood. The chapters start with the silent film stars and take in everyone from the Dohenys to Loretta Young to Thelma Todd to Errol Flynn to Jean Harlow to Mickey Cohen to Lana Turner ending with Elizabeth Taylor herself. Each of these glamorous stars is brought to life by the crisp writing as the scandals unfold around them. Even if you don’t know anything about these characters other than their names, you won’t be disappointed.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hollywood Horrors: Murders, Scandals, and Cover-Ups from Tinseltown by Andrea Van Landingham is an informative book about the dark side of Old Hollywood. It would definitely be the most useful for those just getting started in looking into this topic. Nothing terribly new to me, but still interesting to see how this author tackles the subject.

[Cav · Rating 3 out of 5]

"People think of Hollywood and the movie business as a giant industry. In some ways it is, but in other ways it’s like working in a small-town department store. Everybody knows everything because everybody knows somebody. And there are no secrets for long..."
—STEVE STEVENS AND CRAIG LOCKWOOD, KING OF THE SUNSET STRIP

Hollywood Horrors was an interesting look at some of Hollywood's historical scandals. Well, at least the public ones... I was looking for something a bit different from the books I usually read, and this one fit the bill nicely. The book begins with the quote above.

A native of the sun-bleached Los Angeles area, author Andrea Van Landingham grew up surrounded by LA stories. Her love of Hollywood lore dates back to her teen years, when the discovery of classic cinema led to a small collection of films - a collection that continues to expand today.

Andrea Van Landingham:


The book opens with a decent intro. Van Landingham talks about the old debate of whether a running horse actually lifts all four limbs off the ground in its gait, or if some remain on the ground. (SPOILER: They all leave the ground at the same time.)

Van Landingham writes with a decent style here that shouldn't struggle to hold the picky reader's attention. The formatting of the book is also well done.

Some of the scandals, murders, and cover-ups talked about in the book include:
• The death of Olive Thomas
• Roscoe Arbuckle; accused of raping a young partygoer, actress, and designer Virginia Rappe
• The death of William Desmond Taylor
• William Randolph Hearst and his mistress; the death of Thomas Ince
• Jean Harlow and Paul Bern; his death
• Loretta Young and Clark Gable; their secret love child Judy Lewis
• Nightclubbing; The Battle for Sunset Strip
• Mickey Cohen and the shooting at Sherry's
• Errol Flynn’s Statutory Rape Trial
• Elizabeth Short’s Hollywood (the Black Dahlia)
• Brenda Allen and Her Girls
• Robert Mitchum’s Laurel Canyon Raid
• Lana Turner, Cheryl Crane, and Johnny Stompanato
• Elizabeth Taylor; Love, Loss, and Lust for Life

Many of the above stories are pretty wild, and you can't help but note the extreme irony of modern-day Hollywood trying to dictate morality to the average person, while its elites are among some of the most morally-depraved people there are. This is an industry rife with hard drug use, sexual abuse, rape, and even pedophilia; that sanctimoniously tries to tell you how to live your life... (I'll refrain from commenting more, because it is not really germane to this book's review.)

Finally, I was a bit disappointed that this book didn't cover any events in recent memory. All of what is covered here happened in or before the 1960s. Even still, notably absent from the above list are the death of Marilyn Monroe, and the Manson family murders at the Tate household. Events that were arguably more intriguing than the ones covered here.

***********************

Hollywood Horrors was still a well-done book.
3 stars.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting if you like Hollywood history. The book covers all the way back to Fatty Arbuckle up to Elizabeth Taylor. Recommend reading if you like reading Hollywood dirt.

[F.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of these stories I of course knew already, but this whistle-stop tour of classic Hollywood scandal is both well researched and well written.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a group of stories about the other side of Hollywood, telling the genuine story of those who worked and played there. It goes back to the earliest days of Tinseltown and covers many famous scandals and mysterious deaths that are still questioned by current readers. Many were handled by Hollywood fixers who would sanitize the scene of the crime before police were called, removing anything scandal worthy. Bribes were routinely given to officials to make stories and legal problems disappear. Most are well known stories but there are some that are less common. Those I liked the most, as I’ve read the others multiple times through the years. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Andrea Van Landingham, and the publisher.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book very relevant to my interests...however, because it was such a me read, I was already familiar with the stories featured. Fatty Arbuckle, Errol Flynn, the Dohenys, even the Lana Turner chapter (which I was admittedly less versed in than the earlier time periods) were all rehashing tales I've previously read about, some (looking at you, Roscoe!) MANY times before. One thing that did stick out to me was that Elizabeth Short - the Black Dahlia - used candle wax to plug her cavities: who knew!

Someone without prior knowledge of these stories and people will get much more out of this book than I did.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Fuzzypants here: Long before Me Too or the internet, some stars lived lives very different from their screen images. Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll was not something invented in the latter half of the 20th Century. In fact, the same behaviour, with the absence of Rock and Roll was fairly common from the earliest days of the silver screen. But unlike today, where everything is known right away, whether it is true or not, the stars of yesteryear were protected by squads of fixers who would spin the stories and hide the smut… that is if the local cops who were on the payroll were not able to make the scandals disappear entirely. It was a different time when celebrities were held to a much higher standard.

None of the stories in the book are new. I have read many accounts of them. They are told in a straight forward manner that is both interesting and refreshing. There is no soapbox nor attempt to persuade the reader one way or another. It just tells the story. I actually found the ones with the police cover-ups the most enlightening. The Wild West had nothing on early Hollywood.

Well researched, it would be perfect for someone new to the topic. Four purrs and two paws up.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was I pleasantly surprised by this book! I used to gobble up everything on silent movies and Hollywood in general. I really wasn't expecting to read anything more than I've read in the past but thought it would be a fun read.

Was I mistaken. Hugely. There was all kinds of information I did not know about in just about every case in this book. I read this in just a few hours. Couldn't read fast enough. I will be purchasing a copy of this book


I highly recommend.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy from Netgalley for an honest review. I thought I had heard/read all the big Hollywood stories but this book had lots of details that I was not aware of. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book on my kindle. At the beginning I wished there were photo's and the book delivered. The story on Thelma Todd really stayed with me. I thought that case could have been solved.

[tortoise dreams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hollywood Horrors has rounded up the usual suspects: Fatty Arbuckle, Thelma Todd, Erroll Flynn, the Black Dahlia (Elizabeth Short), Robert Mitchum, Lana Turner, and more. It gives a good short summary of the various cases without going much into their deeper implications. Were they really guilty? Who really did it? What was really going on? Nothing that's new or shocking, but for readers that haven't devoured any Hollywood Babylon-type books this one will do. For those who get hooked on the gossip and the salacious, sordid, and sinful, there are deeper dives out there. The book tries to maintain a factual tone, avoiding slander, libel, and defamation in all its guises, though there were some odd choices. I'd hardly call Elizabeth Taylor's love life a "Hollywood horror." She was in the midst of a few scandals in her time, but it was mostly tabloid fodder and she managed to get through it all okay. She always married her men after all. [3★]

[Alison Crissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a hard time getting into nonfiction, but I love this subject—old movies and Hollywood PLUS crime! I bought the book, thinking I’d read a chapter at a time, but really be reading my usual fiction. But the writing set the tone of a seedy, atmospheric noir, so it hooked me and I could not put it down. I also didn’t know about many of the stories told, which is what I loved. Most old Hollywood stories focus on Marilyn or Judy. But there are (apparently) lots more interesting legends, like organized crime’s connection to celeb nightclubs, Loretta Young and Clark Gabel’s secret love child, and Lana Turner’s mob boyfriend birder by her own teenage daughter. A long chapter on the Black Dahlia, too.

[Bettye McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply amazing what you can learn from reading Hollywood gossip! I have read about most of these stories, but I didn't realize how much I didn't know.

This book is full of interesting information about Hollywood scandals, murders and cover-ups. If you're interested in that kind of thing, I recommend this book. It's written in a style that's easy to read and understand. And there are a few photos -- not enough; there are never enough photos.

5

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s nothing new here if you already know about any of these events, but still a well-written account of Hollywood from its earliest days.

[ManOfLaBook.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

For more reviews and bookish posts visit https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Hollywood Horrors: Murders, Scandals, and Cover-Ups from Tinseltown by Andrea Van Landingham covers some of the most newsworthy (at the time) and strange cases of Hollywood crimes. This is Ms. Van Landingham first book.

Despite the catching title, this is a well-researched, serious true crime book. Hollywood Horrors: Murders, Scandals, and Cover-Ups from Tinseltown by Andrea Van Landingham tells of dark past of Tinseltown, where movies stars, studios, as well as criminals are almost indistinguishable.

Some of the cases are famous to this day, for instance Black Dahlia, and Fatty Arbuckle instance (which author Ace Atkins wrote a fantastic book about), others not as much. The book’s secondary topic is an actual history of Hollywood, chiefly looking through a true-crime lens.

Even though I was always fascinated by the entertainment industry, the more I learned about it, generally the less enticing it seems. Behind all the glamour there’s literal and figurative blood shedding. A friend who is a professional TV cameraman even told me without a doubt, that in TV the saying is “if it bleeds, it dies”.

The lives of the stars, produces, and others were full of heartbreak, stress, leaving it up to others to manager their lives. Heartbreaking stories, such as screen siren Lana Turner caught up in a bad marriages to criminals, as well as pedophiles, never stopping to love her first husband, Artie Shaw.

The writing is clear, as well as entertaining (despite the subject matter), and organized. The author includes photos of many of the book’s subject, and an impressive list of sources. She writes in a respectful, thoughtful manner and certainly avoids tabloid journalism as much as possible.

[MB KARAPCIK · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a whim, I requested Hollywood Horrors by Andrea Van Landingham because I enjoy reading about old Hollywood. The stories of the past really give you a sense of the history of Los Angeles and the people and celebrities, both famous and infamous, who populate it.

At first, though, I wondered if this was merely a tabloid book with seedy stories quickly rendered. So not accurate. This beautifully written book engages the reader with vivid descriptions of days gone by and the tawdry tales hiding behind the silver screen. Even if you already knew some of the stories, it draws you in and keeps you reading.

Of course, you'll hear about famous cases like the Black Dahlia and the Fatty Arbuckle story but other less known stories come to light. It's exciting to wonder what will come up next and fathom how these stories would turn out in today's world. With rampant social media, you know these unseemly crimes may result in very different outcomes.

When I finished the book, I wanted more, but the last chapter's story ends in the mid-1960s. I feel there could be more to uncover, maybe in a future edition. Also, maybe a continuation leading up to more contemporary cases like the O.J. Simpson case, for example, or the Phil Spector case.

My only issue with this book was that it abruptly ends without any type of epilogue or summary of Hollywood and the crime stories that seeped through its sunny exterior. Anyway, this was an enjoyable read for anyone who loves old Hollywood. It was well-worth the time I spent on it.

Thank you NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield, Lions Press for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! It was a pleasure!

[AnnieM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so thoroughly enjoyed this book I could hardly put it down! I love all things related to Hollywood history and this book did not disappoint. At first I was concerned that I probably read all of these stories before in other books such as "Hollywood Babylon" etc. But I was pleasantly surprised that even though I was familiar with some of the stories, Van Landingham provided additional information and detail that enhanced my enjoyment. There was only one point in the book that I had to take a pause (because I was reading before bed) -- the infamous case of the murder of the Black Dahlia. I loved learning more about Ciro's and the Trocadero night clubs. We learn about Thelma Todd, Errol Flynn, Robert Mitchum, gangsters, and corruption. Even if you have read other books about hollywood's scandals, this book is still worth a read.

I highly recommend this book for all movie lovers!

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, readable collection of Hollywood scandals, most of which I wasn't familiar with before reading. My main issue is that a few chapters felt incomplete and overlooked relevant questions

I was surprised by how abruptly the Lana Turner chapter ended. Was her career affected, did the public/media believe it to be a cover-up? And with several chapters dealing with mysterious/unsolved deaths, I expected more of an exploration of suspects/theories (especially wrt Ned Doheny and Hugh Plunkett's deaths, and William Desmond Taylor's death). Did Paul Bern's suicide note match his handwriting??? (I understand the author may or may not know this, but I wish the book at least acknowledged if police had checked this detail. It really bugged me, I'll maybe google it later) .

[Kristin F · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, thank you to Rowman & Littlefield, Lyons Press, and NetGalley for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who has consumed a lot of true crime media, this book instantly caught my attention. Being well versed in true crime and a lot of the cases centered in/around Hollywood/celebrity, I was initially worried that I would be bored by the book. While I did know several of the cases involved, it was nice to have an insight into old Hollywood and to read about cases that aren't more recent than the Fisher/Taylor/Burton/Reynolds scandal and Burton's subsequent death. I enjoyed the glimpse into old Hollywood life! A few bits did feel slow - particularly the bits involving the mob in the 1920s-1940s - but that did not take away from my enjoyment.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

What an interesting book. To be honest, I was thinking the book was more about the actors of Hollywood and their death or murder. But it really isn’t. It is more about the corruption surrounding these well known actors.

Everyone hears about the scandal around Marilyn Monroe but little is known about corruption surrounding Elizabeth Taylor or Errol Flynn.

I really found this interesting and had to Google some of the information to get a better picture of what happened.

I really think anyone who enjoys real-life drama will enjoy this book.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Polly Krize · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unexpectedly entertaining and dark, these scandals show the seamy underside of Hollywood and the extent the studios would go to cover up crimes to keep their money-making stars out of jail. From Errol Flynn to Thelma Todd to Elizabeth Taylor, this a well written, well researched book. Recommended reading!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great collection of classic Hollywood true stories.
The golden era of Hollywood and the studio system.
I highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of, Hollywood Horrors, by Andrea Van Landingham. This was a really good informative book on horrors in Hollywood. You think of Hollywood as all glitz and glamour, but it does have its dark side. This book tells you all about them.

[Tammy Buchli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, dishy read. I was familiar with most of the stories, but a couple were new to me. Even those I’ve read about before were fun to revisit here.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read.

[Ron Baumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great true crime novel. The stories are interesting and will hold your attention. This is a great read!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard about most of these scandals but there were a few new to me. Also you get a history of Hollywood and how it all started.

[Karen Jaeckels · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love old Hollywood and the scandals behind the glitz and glamour, this book is for you. Well researched with true crime from the silent film era to sixtes.

[Heather G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved It!

A few of these I already knew but the in depth stories were fascinating and they were informative without being dry.