Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 17 OcTOber 2017
Hollywood’s long ugly history with sexual harassment
By The Associated Press Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle at- Actor Errol Flynn had a
For anyone thinking the tended a wild party in San
days of the so-called cast- Francisco in 1921 that end- Aadland, starting when she
ing couch were long gone, ed in the death of actress
this past week has been Virginia Rappe. Rappe,
eye-opening. The growing writhing in pain from a rup- been accused — and
list of women directing al- tured bladder, accused Ar- found not guilty — of the
legations at Harvey Wein- buckle of raping her. When
stein suggests they never she died days later, he
left Hollywood. Here’s a was charged with murder,
look at some cases from which was downgraded
the past and present. to manslaughter. Arbuckle
FIRST MAJOR SEX SCANDAL was acquitted after three
In the first scandal to shake trials.
Hollywood, the comedian A TORN DRESS
two-year affair with Beverly
was 15. At the time of the
affair Flynn had already
statutory rape of two un-
derage girls in 1942. “I was
scared,” Aadland wrote in
People. “He was just too
strong for me. I cried. At
one point he tore my dress.
Then he carried me off to
another room, and I was
still carrying on. What was
going through my head In this combination photo, Samantha Geimer arrives at the
was, what was I going to premiere of the HBO Documentary “Roman Polanski: Wanted
tell my mother?” and Desired” in New York on May 6, 2008, left, and director
Roman Polanski appears at the 70th international film festival,
‘BE NICE TO ME’ in Cannes, France on June 9, 2017. Polanski pleaded guilty
Joan Collins says she lost to unlawful sexual intercourse with Samantha Geimer, then a
out on the lead role in 13-year-old aspiring actress during a photo shoot in Los Angeles
“Cleopatra” because she in 1977.
wouldn’t sleep with the stu- Associated Press
dio head. “I had tested for GROPED FOR YEARS including 13 women whom
‘Cleopatra’ twice and was Judy Garland was pawed prosecutors want to call as
the front-runner. He took and propositioned for sex witnesses to show that they
me into his office and said, by studio bigwigs at MGM were drugged and violat-
‘You really want this part?’ between the ages of 16 ed in similar fashion.
And I said, ‘Yes. I really do.’ and 20, according to au- ‘GOT THE WRONG GIRL’
‘Well,’ he said, ‘then all thor Gerald Clarke, who Charlize Theron was new
you have to do is be nice wrote “Get Happy: The Life in Hollywood but knew
to me.’ It was a wonder- of Judy Garland.” One of the warning signs when
ful euphemism in the Six- the most notorious harass- she went to an audition. “I
ties for you know what. But ers was allegedly Louis B. thought it was a little odd
I couldn’t do that. In fact, Mayer, the head of the stu- that the audition was on a
I was rather wimpish, burst dio. “Mayer would tell her Saturday night at his house
into tears and rushed out of what a wonderful singer in Los Angeles, but I thought
his office.” The role went to she was, and he would say maybe that was normal,”
Elizabeth Taylor. ‘you sing from the heart’ she told Marie Claire in
AMERICA’S LITTLE DARLING and then he would place 2005. “I go inside and he’s
In her memoir “Child Star,” his hand on her left breast,” offering me a drink, and I’m
actress Shirley Temple Clarke wrote. thinking, ‘My god, this act-
claimed that an MGM pro- STILL AT LARGE ing stuff is very relaxed.’ But
ducer known to have an Filmmaker Roman Polanski it soon becomes very clear
“adventuresome casting pleaded guilty to unlaw- what the situation was. I
couch” unzipped his trou- ful sexual intercourse with was like, ‘Not going to hap-
sers and exposed himself to Samantha Geimer, then pen! Got the wrong girl,
her during their first meet- a 13-year-old aspiring ac- buddy!’”
ing in 1940. She was 12. Be- tress, during a photo shoot OSCAR WINNER
ing innocent of male anat- in Los Angeles in 1977. He Two women who worked
omy, she responded with gave her champagne and on Casey Affleck’s film “I’m
nervous laughter and he Quaaludes. Polanski fled Still Here” filed sexual ha-
threw her out of his office. the United States before rassment lawsuits against
‘OVERCROWDED BROTHEL’ final sentencing and is still him in 2010. One woman
Marilyn Monroe was no wanted by judicial authori- accused him of crawl-
stranger to lecherous studio ties. He has since faced ing into her bed without
chiefs and filmmakers, and more rape allegations. her consent while she was
in her memoir, “My Story,” AMERICA’S DAD asleep, while the other
she didn’t hold back: “I met Bill Cosby, the “Cosby woman said Affleck pres-
them all. Phoniness and Show” star once known sured her to stay in his ho-
failure were all over them. as America’s Dad, is fac- tel room and “violently”
Some were vicious and ing a retrial on charges he grabbed her arm when
crooked. But they were as drugged and molested a she refused. Both claims
near to the movies as you former Temple University were settled out of court
could get. So you sat with employee at his home in for an undisclosed amount
them, listening to their lies 2004. He could get 10 years in 2010.
and schemes. And you in prison. Cosby has said the Affleck has repeatedly de-
saw Hollywood with their encounter was consensual. nied the allegations. He
eyes — an overcrowded He is free on $1 million bail. went on to win the best ac-
brothel, a merry-go-round Dozens of additional ac- tor Oscar for “Manchester
with beds for horses.” cusers have come forward, by the Sea.”q