7. Judy Garland Was An Emotional Wreck

It’s sad but true. Much of early Hollywood was built on exploitation and abuse.

Many of our happiest classic Hollywood memories only occurred because of executive meddling and drugged up actresses hoping for a break.

Prime, pure Judy Garland was perhaps the most tragic behind the scenes story. The “Wizard Of Oz” star found fame as a teenager and was molded by greedy producers into a family-friendly icon of wholesome taste.

This was accomplished by abusing and insulting her, destroying her self-worth, and ignoring her drug and alcohol abuse and repeated cries for help.

Garland spoke in her later years about being constantly tormented by her studio-mandated handlers. They insisted she wasn’t pretty enough, that she should eat more or less, that her singing was subpar and her acting skills were weak. All of this was an attempt to mold her into a completely dependent human being.

Though she quickly became dissatisfied with the Hollywood lifestyle, she became trapped by several unfair contracts by MGM and forced to continue working for years. She suffered a nervous breakdown in the late 40s and was placed in a sanitarium.

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Shortly after that she attempted suicide for the first time. She sought refuge in binge drinking and pill popping, a habit which would eventually lead to her death in 1969, serving as a stark warning to future generations about the dark side of Hollywood meddling.