The Disgusting History Of The Casting Couch

By Evelyn Harbor

For my collage I chose to select a topic that I thought was a significant issue in regards to sexual harassment and violence against women. Although the topic I selected took place many decades ago against big names in Hollywood at the time such as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Shirley Temple, etc., sadly this issue did not go away when these women died. The casting couch in Hollywood was not something new when predators such as Harvey Weinstein were exposed with the #Metoo movement, this issue had been taking place for quite some time. Big studio executives such as Louis B. Mayer, who is highlighted in this collage, would offer young women roles in Hollywood in exchange for sexual favors. Many women got their big break and went on to become some of the biggest names in Hollywood, but at the cost of sexual harassment from much older men. Judy Garland was just sixteen years old when she landed the role of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and was subject to sexual harassment and violence at such a young age. In her unpublished memoir she revealed that she had been groped repeatedly by Louis B. Mayer, the famed producer for MGM studios at the time.

Sadly, the casting couch was no secret in Hollywood and many women were encouraged to "sacrifice everything" to get the big roles that they wanted. Marilyn Monroe was one of the first women to openly speak about the casting couch and admitted that she too had participated in order to get the castings she wanted. Today more women have openly talked about the horrors of the casting couch and condemned the use of it, but in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, the casting couch was normal and expected of women.

Sources

Braswell, S. (2018, December 21). Hollywood's first big silence breaker: Marilyn Monroe. OZY. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.ozy.com/true-and-stories/hollywoods-first-big-silence-breaker-marilyn-monroe/85465/

Dessem, M. (2017, October 13). A brief history of Hollywood being shocked to rediscover that "Casting couch" abuse still exists. Slate Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://slate.com/culture/2017/10/1956-casting-couch-expose-shows-little-has-changed.html

IMDb.com. (1995). The casting couch. IMDb. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0406632/mediaviewer/rm2709747968/

Mei, A. (1980, January 20). Hollywood's 'casting couch' works both ways (1/2). Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33659243/hollywoods-casting-couch-works-both/

Rosenwald, M. S. (2021, October 28). 'I'll ruin you': Judy Garland on being groped and harassed by powerful Hollywood men. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/11/14/ill-ruin-you-judy-garland-on-being-groped-and-harassed-by-powerful-hollywood-men/