The Sins of Hollywood
Ed Roberts
Read by Chuck Williamson
Exacerbated by several high-profile Hollywood scandals, a wave of anti-Hollywood rhetoric tried to paint the movie capital as a veritable hotbed of crime, licentiousness, and moral transgression. THE SINS OF HOLLYWOOD, published in May 1922, is perhaps the most prominent anti-Hollywood polemic published during this turbulent time in film history. This anonymously-written booklet recounts in sensational, lurid detail the various high-profile scandals that precipitated the firestorm surrounding Hollywood's supposed moral turpitude. The author (later identified as former PHOTOPLAY editor Ed Roberts) pulls no punches in his condemnation of "movie vice." He even takes aim at some of Hollywood's biggest stars, directors, and producers: Rudolph Valentino, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Wallace Reid, Thomas Ince, Mabel Normand, Mae Busch, and more. Although real names are only sparingly used, most subjects are easily identified.
In a nutshell, the author takes us on a guided tour through the seedy, disreputable, thoroughly indecent underworld that lurks beneath Hollywood's glistening, glamorous facade. It is a sensational work of moral alarmism that gives us a wild, untamed, unapologetically lurid account of Hollywood's dark side.
NOTE: This book is an entertaining, propulsively readable book regardless of one's prior knowledge of early Hollywood history. However, some listeners may want to know the identities of these scandalized stars. Their identities can be found in the annotations provided by TAYLOROLOGY: http://www.taylorology.com/issues/Taylor30.txt (Summary by ChuckW) (2 hr 47 min)
Chapters
| 00 - The Reasons for the 'Sins of Hollywood' | 7:33 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 01 - Dope! | 18:01 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 02 - Duck Blinds! | 15:58 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 03 - Strip Poker and Paddle Parties | 21:10 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 04 - How the Great Letty Played Her Cards | 18:26 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 05 - The 'Gold Digger' and the Wife | 16:06 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 06 - The Battle Royal That Led to Stardom | 15:44 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 07 - A Wonderful Lover! | 14:37 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 08 - Whiskey Fumes and Orange Blossoms | 9:44 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 09 - A Movie Queen and a Broken Home | 12:45 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 10 - Making Sodom Look Sick | 6:14 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
| 11 - The Girl Who Wanted Work | 10:55 | Read by Chuck Williamson |
Reviews
Fun dirt- sad tales- histrionic voice!
kerriganm
To begin: I'm a well-steeped fan of silent movies, not an aficionado. I looked up the cast of characters and was none the wiser, except for the name Mack Bennett (a huge producer of comedies). Some last names were familiar- maybe relatives of names with which I'm familiar? Anyway, the tales are suitably sordid in themselves, and are presented in both the text and to some degree the reader in a Reefer Madness breathlessness, torn between moralizing and reveling in the morass of sin. The reader does well, and keeps up his scandalized tone throughout, but I feel the rushes and pauses weren't very well tied to the material he was reading at the time. Still, he struck the overall tone well. Thanks for volunteering!
Nudging the Scales of Justice.....a Tad
pizzaboss
I found the review by kristinmak to be completely out of order. Chuck's reading was full of life and character. Perhaps the previous reviewer prefers their readers lifeless and flat......I DO NOT! Thanks for the splendid reading Chuck and don't be discouraged by Grinches....they're out there. Keep up your reading and realize it IS appreciated by most listeners. Cheers from North Canada
Hollywood is gr8
Bill Cosby
How could anyone question Hollywood, which is founded on social justice and the empowerment of womxn. Seems to me author must be an antisemitic raycyst.
scandalous!
moss
the reader is a perfect campy minx. the stories are lurid. it's like old school celebrity blind items. enjoy!
st
Chuck is fantastic!!! Fun and pleasant reader, and interesting topics. We want more chuck!
A LibriVox Listener
a hilarious look into what America was like a hundred years ago.
pulp fodder. not too bad, old Hollywood must've been great.
American Greg
Librivox reader: BOOOOOoo!
kristinmak
ONE star for clarity and pronunciation. The rest of the stars deleted on account of the readers extremely fruity voice. I literally squirmed having to hear this fair fellow speak and could not take it any more.