Hollywood's Dark History is a perfect down-to-earth read. It reminds us that no matter how successful, wealthy or beautiful a person is, no one is free from problems.
Well documented, concise and objective, this book reminds us of the stories of some icons from the golden years of Hollywood; some very sad, others almost unbelievable due to the evil of their protagonists who almost seem like the script of a horror movie.
A book that gives a lot to think about and that makes us see that evil and corruption have no age or a predetermined time, but are a constant presence in the history of humanity.
I thank the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The opinion I have expressed above is based solely on what I think and feel about this book.

I'm a sucker for a good Hollywood scandal (the darker the better). So, the title and synopsis for this book sounded intriguing. There's a rundown of 13 celebrities who lived during the heyday of Hollywood (mostly focusing on the early days of the 1920s-1940s) and either dealt with major scandals in their career or met with grisly or mysterious fates.

Unfortunately, because I've read a few books that have included these tales, there was pretty much no new information (especially on more well-known actors such as Errol Flynn and Lana Turner). The chapters were super short and although I appreciated the brevity, I found myself Wikipedia-ing most of the lesser known actors to get more of the sordid details. I also was a tad confused by the order in which the celebrities were featured - there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how they were inserted into the book, so this structure bugged me a bit.

Hat's off to the author for tackling this subject, but the writing felt a little pedantic to me. There was almost a juvenile feel, like this was a report written for a high-school essay or something. It's not that I won't check out other books on this topic in the future, but I might be more selective about who's doing the reporting.

Matt MacNabb has gathered a variety of silver screen origin stories, and scandals, and bound them together in "Hollywood's Dark History". McNabb also provides some insight into the transition from vaudeville to silent pictures, then the talkies. I found it an interesting read and learned about some people I'd never heard of until now. I also enjoyed the inclusion of photographs. In places, MacNabb highlights the immense pressure on women, and the abuse they had to endure in silence. For example, contracts often included a "potato clause", dictating a weight range that must be maintained by female stars. A fascinatingly scandalous read!

My thanks to NetGalley and Pen and Sword for a copy of “ Hollywood’s Dark History for an honest review.

An interesting , but brief insight into the dark side of Hollywood. I’ve read many books on this subject over the years so most of the stories I’d been aware of before.
It’s the sort of book that gives you a little information , that might make you want to find out further information from elsewhere..
A decent light read

I honestly could have found out more information on Wikipedia. The book doesn't read like it comes from a place of passion or genuine interest.

Thanks to Pen & Sword and Netgalley for an Advance Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is a good starting point if you are interested in Hollywood Scandals but you don't know much about them, For real movie enthusiasts who want something original and new, this book may fall a bit short.

This was an interesting collection following the lives of 13 Hollywood stars and the various scandals that plagued their careers and lives. It is definitely a jumping off point for those who want to go into more detail, given that the chapters are quite brief and provide only a general overview of each person. Overall, it was well constructed and easy to follow, but doesn't really give any new or original insight into these individuals. Rather, it is a great place to start if you are interested in the Studio System and old Hollywood.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a fun, light read focussing on 13 stars of the early days of Hollywood, from Jean Harlow to Charlie Chaplin, all of whom had some scandal or tragedy attached to their name. There’s no original research here, nothing new, but the book is well put together and written in an accessible and entertaining way, and I enjoyed it.

This was a book about scandals of the early days of Hollywood. I don't know why I was expecting more from this, but I was. I was hoping for in depth looks at issues from old Hollywood but it didn't dive into the topics as much as I wanted.

The author didn't unearth formerly unknown secrets in this book, all the scandals can also be found on the Wiki page of the respective actor. BUT the author did make the effort of putting all these together in a book and also adding some background information concerning the childhood and career development of the stars. The chapters to each of the 13 actors are not incredibly long, but it isn't supposed to be a biography! It's reads more like a gossip magazine of the early 20th century - which I actually found quite fascinating. Even though I only knew the names of about half of the VIPs mentioned here, I read every story and every scandal with great interest.

However, it took me quite some time to read this book because I constantly had to google the names, look at pictures, read their Wiki entries, click on other names that I came across which led to even more internet pages and pictures. I even watched short YouTube videos of some very old silent movies. (I actually still remember a time (late 80s) when they showed short funny clips by Laurel & Hardy on TV, or other short silent movies, and quite often I would watch them.)

There were two things I was a bit surprised about.
1) How common it was at that time to get married and also get a divorce. I always thought that Elizabeth Taylor with her 8 marriages was very outstanding, but there were quite a lot Hollywood stars married 5 times or more, often only for a very short time. Where in todays time you have a boyfriend or girlfriend for a couple of months or even years and then eventually break up and move on, you apparently tied the knot rather fast in the last century.
2) That even 100 years ago, actor and actresses were the highest paid professionals in the US (at least when it came to the top stars). I thought the exorbitant salaries are a sign of our current times. Apparently not!

The book makes for an interesting read and is a must for fans of anything connected to Hollywood.

As an old Hollywood lover, I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book. However, I was disappointed as I found I could get more background and depth of story on each individual by looking on their personal Wikipedia pages. The writing was wooden and forced, and I'm not entirely sure that the editor who worked on this was the person that this project needed. It's a fantastic concept, but I would love a more in depth work next time with more research and information.

A book about the scandals from the early days of Hollywood that was full of all the little details that make reading books like this so much fun

The golden era of Hollywood when star had shiny, perfect reputations in the public but according to this book were some of the most tarnished individuals in private.

This book uncovers scandals that were kept secret at the time they occurred by studio executives, cops and the mob. While portraying people we dream about on-screen, some stars had larger than life personalities and felt invincible in reality.

Alcohol, sex, drugs and possibly even murder were swept under the rug for the sake of ratings by the stars and studios. At a time when entertainment was only what we were allowed to see by the famous people in Hollywood. They choose the image they wished the average person to believe and gave them only what they desired. This, during a time when our entertainment came only on the big or small screen from Hollywood. There were no computers or camera phones to catch a star behaving contrary to their gilded reputation. Even by today’s standards, behaviors common during this time are inexcusable.

We will never know if Fatty Arbuckle committed murder but at least this book explains why it is possible.


I received an ARC from Pen & Sword History through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Do you enjoy movies? Do you read People or Entertainment Weekly or similar stories on the web? Do you enjoy learning the stories of the "real" people who appear larger than life on the silver screen? And the most important question - do you want to know secrets Hollywood would rather not acknowledge? If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, then this book may be for you!

Matt MacNabb in thirteen short chapters and an introduction provides a flashlight on the dark history of thirteen actors and actresses. In each chapter, the reader gets a brief synopsis of the actor/actress's early life and then NacNabb dives into the various scandals that marks their career, and then finishes with another brief synopsis of the rest of their life and if they have a star. The book opens with Evelyn Nesbit and closes with Clara Bow. The chapters in between cover Jean Harlow, Charlie Chaplin, Errol Flynn, Thelma Todd, Mae West, Lana Turner, William Desmond Taylor, Barbara LaMarr, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and Mabel Normand.

Hollywood's Dark History is a scandal snack book. The book has a brief bibliography of sources and a few photos, but does not really dig into the scandals. So if you are looking for a quick read to bring you up to speed on some of the more famous scandals of early Hollywood history, this title would be a decent starting place.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a fan of these types of books and have read many. This is a book I have recommended to others. Quick read and holds your interest. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

I enjoyed this quick read into hollywoods forgotten past. I equate it almost to the old "E! mysteries and scandals" TV Show but I loved how the author updated the stories to tell what happened after the events that were so scandalous. It was a quick read and I highly recommend it for any old Hollywood fan or true crime junkie.

Princess Fuzzypants here: As a film buff there was really nothing new here, no startling revelations or hidden truths. However, for someone without a deeper knowledge of some of the scandals that plagued Hollywood in its nascent years, it gives a decent overview. The actors involved would be fairly well known to students of movie history as are the stories of hedonism.
What makes these stories so different from the stars of today is not only was there not an internet where any information is known almost immediately. The studio system also managed to hide some of the more salacious details back then even if some of the scandals could be torn right off the front pages today. Before the studio system, yellow journalism of the early 20th century in some cases tattered the reputations of stars who may or may not have deserved notoriety. There are some egregious cases where even when exonerated, there was no career left.
Many of them died young. Drugs, alcohol, sex and other perversions will take their toll. Most of them are likely not household names to the current generation. Clearly the celebrities of today have not learned history and are doomed to repeat it.
Overall, it is an entertaining read. Four purrs and one paw up.

The book takes the reader through some of Hollywood's big scandals involving some biggest names from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Among the names Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford and many others.

I enjoying reading stories from the Golden Age of Hollywood and this to be an interesting, enjoyable and well written book that kept interested till the end,

I would recommend this to anyone who has interest in the old scandals of Hollywood.

I love celebrity gossip, so this book was right up my ally! It was fun to read about old scandals and the stars who endured them. I highly recommend this to fellow celebrity gossip lovers!

I have recently been obsessed with Old Hollywood so this book was brain candy for me!

Matt MacNabb highlights various actors and actresses in the early days of Hollywood. Each chapter is a short biographical snippet about the lives and deaths of the glamorous and decadent performers specifically focusing on the early twentieth century.

It is interesting how so little has changed in terms of the types of Hollywood scandals. If I was not aware that this was a work of history, you could have fooled me into thinking that some of the antics these performers got themselves into were happening in the present day.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it did sometimes feel as through the author was guiding the reader through various Wikipedia entries. That being said, I am glad I read this book as it provided an accessible introduction before I delve deeper into this time in history.

I received a free copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.