Facts We Just Learned About Old Hollywood That Made Us Say 'Really?'
Modern Hollywood is still America's dream factory, an industry dedicated to committing beautiful fictions to the silver screen - but there's no longer a curtain hiding the wizard or his secret levers and knobs. In other words, the mystery is gone.
For the most part, this is actually a good thing. The Golden Age of Hollywood was a spectacular era of glitz and glamour, but it hid a lot of ugly truths, misogny, racism, and outright illegality. Several Redditors have shared what they've learned about this bygone era in film history, and their finds range from the disturbing to the delightful. Check out these Old Hollywood facts, and vote up the ones you never knew before.
- 11,086 VOTES
The Hollywood Sign Used To Be Lit By Thousands Of Light Bulbs, And Was Maintained By One Man
From Redditor u/superkissel:
TIL that in 1920s the Hollywood sign was lit by thousands of light bulbs - and the guy who changed the burnt ones lived in a little cabin near the sign.
- 2910 VOTES
Billy Haines Was The First Openly Gay Star, And Refused To Participate In A Lavender Marriage
From a former Redditor:
TIL the first openly gay celebrity was actor Billy Haines. In the 1920s, Haines was a silent film star with films like The Midnight Express, Little Annie Rooney, and Navy Blues. Haines, who was under contract with MGM, was told to marry a woman by MGM. He refused and never acted again.
[Editor's Note: A "lavender marriage" refers to a marriage orchestrated by old Hollywood studios to cover up actors' true sexuality and avoid speculation. As an upbeat postscript to this story, though Haines' acting career was over, he went on to become a well-regarded interior designer whose clients included Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, Carole Lombard, Rosalind Russell, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, and many others.]
- 3665 VOTES
One Of The First Hollywood Sex Symbols Was Japanese-Born Sessue Hayakawa
From Redditor u/DrScientist812:
TIL about Sessue Hayakawa, a Japanese-born actor who became a major Hollywood star in the early silent film period of the 1910s. He was noted for his status as a sex symbol, with "his most rabid fan base [being] white women."
- 4662 VOTES
An African-American Film Industry Operated Parallel To Hollywood Through The Early 20th Century
From Redditor u/TheAfternoonStandard:
TIL as early as 1915, an African-American film industry ran parallel to the Hollywood mainstream, catering to the community's segregated filmgoers. "Race movies" had their own Black-owned studios, directors, and popular stars - though the majority of these early film reels are lost or damaged today.
- 5663 VOTES
Pre-Code Hollywood Films Were More Risqué Than Anything Produced After 1934
From Redditor u/MpMerv:
TIL that before 1934, films in Hollywood used to be extraordinarily liberal during a period called "Pre-Code." Before laws about decency were passed, films in that era would give today's rated-R movies a run for their money, featuring nudity, homosexuality, drug use, intense violence, and more.
- 6671 VOTES
The First Words Spoken In A Film Were 'Wait A Minute, You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet'
From Redditor u/NewZillund:
TIL the first words spoken in a film were, “Wait a minute, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet,” in the 1927 film The Jazz Singer.