Media outlets today may come across as ruthless, particularly in the UK, but the evolution from the tumultuous era of the 20th century has undoubtedly witnessed significant improvements.
During the glory days of Hollywood and beyond, scandals were rife, with the press reveling in uncovering wrongdoings without always ensuring accountability.
These tales have etched themselves into the annals of the film industry, shrouding the hills of Hollywood in an enigmatic aura where fame and sorrow intertwine.
From Judy Garland being coerced into starvation to maintain a slender appearance to the tragic end of Peg Entwistle, who met her demise by leaping off the iconic Hollywood sign, the glitzy facade of ‘Tinsel Town’ harbors a much darker reality than it portrays.
One of the most notorious publicized scandals involved actress Ingrid Bergman and her romantic entanglement with renowned director Roberto Rossellini.
Despite being wedded to physician Petter Lindström, Bergman’s revelation of expecting a child with the filmmaker led to their divorce in order to be together.
However, the public fixation on the Casablanca star’s infidelity and out-of-wedlock pregnancy proved insurmountable.
The scandal transcended mere tabloid fodder, reaching the United States Senate where Senator Edwin C. Johnson vehemently accused Bergman of undermining the sanctity of marriage, branding her as “a potent force of malevolence.”
This scathing attack was needlessly incendiary towards the three-time Oscar-winning actress.
Reports from Art Buchwald, who perused the fan mail received by Bergman during the controversy, revealed a disturbing trend of violent and threatening messages, chronicled in the book Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of Casablanca – Bogart, Bergman, and World War II.
Describing the contents, he recounted, “Oh, that mail was vile… ‘Dirty wretch.’
‘Female dog.’
‘Offspring of a female dog.’
And astonishingly, these correspondents all identified themselves as Christians.”
Collaborating on cinematic masterpieces like Europa ’51, Viaggio in Italia, and La Paura, Bergman and Rossellini crafted some of the most memorable films of the era before parting ways in 1957.
Subsequently, Bergman tied the knot with Swedish filmmaker Lars Schmidt in 1958, only to endure another divorce 17 years later due to the intense media scrutiny she faced.
Witness Bergman’s emotional reflections on Rossellini in the video below, as she delves into her affection for the director and laments the relentless criticism they encountered.
