10. “Fixers” abounded to protect Hollywood stars and silence victims of sexual abuse
Louis B. Mayer ran MGM with the same authority and lack of accountability enjoyed by the fictional tinpot dictators sometimes presented in the films his studio sold to the public. In addition to providing scenarios such as stag parties in which young starlets were exploited, Mayer and the executives of the other major studios provided “fixers” in order to ensure their valuable male stars escaped public exposure of their indiscretions, as well as potential legal liabilities. It was common for young women hoping for an acting contract to be ordered to date leading men having spotted them, and rape was not an unusual result. Some well-known female performers were raped as well. Loretta Young was raped by Clark Gable (according to her daughter-in-law), and impregnated. When the child was born Young left it with an orphanage, only to “adopt” the child later. Gable was never charged, and the story was kept under wraps by MGM, which employed both stars.
Abortions were for the most part illegal, as well as condemned by society at large, but MGM kept abortionists on their payroll, in privately run hospitals and clinics. In addition to abortions, the doctors were expected to discreetly provide treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, and perform any other medical procedures which the stars of the silver screen wanted to be kept from their adoring public. Female stars who complained of sexual importunities from male stars were sent to such clinics for examinations, often under the guise of concern for their emotional well-being. Examinations could and did remove physical evidence of rape. Loretta Young, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and scores of less well-known starlets were treated by studio doctors and clinics, which were presented to the public as compassionate medical care for studio employees when they were revealed to the public all.