7. Director William Taylor’s murder was never solved
William Taylor was a highly prolific director between 1915 and 1921, and as such, he was one of the first directors to rely on what would later become known euphemistically as the casting couch. Young female wannabe stars were frequent guests to his office so that he may evaluate their skills. Nonetheless, Taylor maintained a relationship with actress Mabel Normand, and on February 1, 1921, he entertained her at his home, where he was found dead the following morning. The Los Angeles police responded to the call, and according to reporters and those who have studied the case since, thoughtfully removed evidence of Taylor’s liaisons with other women, including several young actresses not yet of legal age. As a result of the dearth of physical evidence innuendo and gossip soon provided theories as to who killed the director.
The list of suspects was long and colorful, including an allegedly gay Englishman who turned out to be neither gay nor English following police inquiries; fellow director and creator of the Keystone Kops Mack Sennett, another paramour of Normand’s; and Mary Minter’s mother. Mary was an underage actress whose letters to Taylor were allegedly removed by the helpful LAPD. Normand’s cocaine use and resulting connections to organized crime figures were also considered, but no firm evidence could be found. In the end, the murder of William Taylor was never solved, other than by Hollywood gossips who were sure they knew who the killer was and what their motive had been. The scandal remained at the tip of Hollywood’s wagging tongues for months, and is still considered from time to time in various media today, though the probability of solving the crime was destroyed by the LAPD nearly a century ago.