Did 1920s Hollywood Really Look as Debauched in ‘Babylon’?

Mann says that at the first sign of any type of misbehavior or any wild party that got out of control, they are there to sell off the media or the cops and that becomes an integral part of the studio system.” There were definitely wild parties. But by the end, the studios contained them.

Anderson points out that Anderson is surprised that the inclusion of a morality clause in such a contract was not applicable to industry executives. It only applies to visible talent, corporate assets, and stars.

CLARA BOW – VICTIM OR VAMP?

Robbie portrays Nellie LeRoy in “Babylon”, a young actress who is partly inspired by Clara Bow. LeRoy, like Bow, comes from a poor background and rockets to fame.

Bow, who was nicknamed “The It Girl” in St. Johns’s, was a star but her career was almost over by the age of 25. Bow, like Robbie, enjoyed gambling and hanging with the USC football team (which also included John Wayne at that time). Her party-girl reputation was further damaged when she accused Daisy DeVoe, her secretary of theft. The trial that followed uncovered her false allegations of being a promiscuous druggie only exacerbated the situation.

Variety reported that Clara is getting a tough break, says Par., and that Miss Bow’s latest problems with Daisy DeVoe, Daisy’s ex-secretary, had the daily papers once again shooting the harpoon at her “because she’s a good copywriter.” ‘”

The article states that Miss Bow was “hysterical and upset about the trial, bad publicity given to her, and last weeks’ strenuous rehearsals for ‘City Streets’, plus a recent operation removing cartilage from her jaw, she voluntarily asked Par. “For a six-week vacation.” Although Bow was able to make the transition to talkies much easier than other actors, the starmaking machinery ate her up in just a few years.

Mann explains that moral clauses were written into contracts by the end of the 1920s and that if you do anything to offend the studio’s image, you could be fired. The language was vague and Clara Bow was the poster child for it.

ANNA MAY WONG-PIONEERING ACTRESS

Li Jun Li portrays Lady Fay Zhu, dressed in a top hat and tails similar to Marlene Dietrich in “Babylon.” Anna May Wong, a pioneering Chinese American actress who starred alongside Dietrich in the movie “Shanghai Express”, inspired her character.

Robbie says about Li that she thinks she swings both ways. Dietrich claimed that she had a relationship with Wong and that there was some speculation about her relationships with other women, including Leni Rienstahl. However, it is not certain that Wong was bisexual, as many of the events took place nearly 100 years ago.

Li claims in the film that she is going to Europe to find better roles. This is similar to Wong’s decision to leave Hollywood because of racism. After she lost the lead role in “The Good Earth”, to a white actress reported in 1937, that Wong intended to “make her permanent home in China” and “to work in native pictures there.” Wong also made a short film about her experiences in China.

WAS THERE A PARTY TUNNEL WITH ORGIES RATS AND ALLIGATORS REALLY?

No. However, there were underground booze tunnels that ran to downtown L.A. — which could have been the backdrop for an illicit encounter.

“Babylon” captures the massive changes in the business with an admittedly exaggerated view, but there’s no question it was an exciting time.

Many people think back to the silent era, seeing it as some strange place or planet. But it is important to look at the silent period as a continuum that stretches into the 1930s and 1940s. Mann concludes that the entire studio system, including distribution, marketing, self-censorship, and fixers, began in 1920.