Beware the Wolves of Hollywood by Victoria McDermott

In 1954, at a party at the home of legendary actor Gene Kelly, Joan Collins struck up a conversation with a non-descript blonde woman sitting alone on a sofa near a bar. The ladies exchanged pleasantries and then began talking about their acting careers. Having just arrived in the United States from England and working on the film The Virgin Queen, Joan hesitantly said, “I need some advice. I’m a bit scared about what’s happening to me. Fox seems to be taking over my life.”

In a tiny voice, the blonde replied, “Don’t let the studio guys dictate to you. They want to take you over completely – mold you – make you everything they want. Don’t buy into it.” The blonde with the tiny voice was none other than Marilyn Monroe. As the conversation continued, Marilyn began to paint a very unflattering picture of the film industry and the moguls who run it. “Hollywood is all crap. You’re just a piece of meat to the studio – we all are. They’re always looking for new girls. They’re never satisfied and their appetite is huge.”

About a half hour later, Marilyn decided to leave the party, but not before sharing one more important tidbit with Joan, who had just signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox. “Fox are a heartless bunch, and they’ll drop you in a second if you don’t do things their way. Honey, you better look out for yourself with the top guns. The Fox hierarchy is more dangerous than at any other studio. There’s a whole bunch of big bad wolves at Fox. They’re the power bosses, and they just love to push us girls around. There’s only three categories of female in this town. Bitches, broads – and by that I mean whores – and virgins, whether they’re the real thing or just faking it. It’s a man’s town, honey, and you’ll be finding that out soon enough. Beware the wolves of Hollywood.”

​Beware the Wolves of Hollywood will explore more than a century of sexual abuse at the hands of the heads of studios, producers, directors, actors, and more. It will be an in-depth look at some of the men and women who have been subjected to the infamous casting couch throughout history and the outcomes of their experiences. There are literally thousands of people who have been assaulted in the entertainment industry, and while we may not ever know exactly how many victims there have been, we may be able to determine some of the traits that make Hollywood’s power brokers incorrectly believe they’re invincible. 

Coming soon to Black Pawn Press.
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