Old Hollywood. A time full of glamor, class,
great cinema…and murders that occurred under mysterious circumstances…
Dorothy Stratten. Bob Crane. Natalie Wood. Carl Switzer. Jean Harlow’s husband. Barbara
Thomason. They had more in common than just their talent. They were murdered
under mysterious circumstances and even to this day…there are questions that are unanswered.
Behind the glamor and the majesty of Hollywood, there’s a darker side that
often comes up but which many try to hide time and time again. The Hollywood of Old was no
different and there are a lot of mysteries that many of us would rather forget about…
These are some of the darkest and most chilling tales we’ve ever told. Perhaps you’ll hesitate
to watch it. But the stories leave too many questions that still need to be answered…
Join FactsVerse to learn about some old Hollywood celebrities who were murdered under mysterious
circumstances…
DOROTHY STRATTEN
Dorothy Stratten was born on February 28, 1960, in Vancouver, Canada. While still in her teens,
she was working a part-time job at a Dairy Queen when she wasn’t in school. Around this time,
she came into contact with Paul Snider – who took interest in her and the two started dating.
He was not only smitten by her himself but also realized that she
was incredibly beautiful and could make a career solely from her looks.
He convinced her to pose for him including for several nude photoshoots. He took high-quality
photographs of her and sold them to various magazines – including
Playboy Magazine. Eventually, Playboy took notice and after graduating high school she
became a Playboy Model. It literally only took a few months for her to become a star.
She became the Playboy Playmate of 1979 – when she was only 19 years old. Around the same time,
she met filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and the two of them fell in love and got married.
All seemed to be well.
Except that it wasn’t.
Paul Snider was enraged at Dorothy’s success. He felt that he was solely responsible for her
fame and glory and that he wasn’t getting his cut. He also wanted fame and he was
perhaps angry that she had left him and was now married to Peter Bogdanovich.
While she was working on her husband’s film They All Laughed she decided to meet Paul
Snider to end their relationship and resolve any issues. What happened next remains a mystery.
Eventually, Dorothy’s body was found – covered in blood. Next to her was
Snider’s body. He had apparently shot himself. It was also discovered that there
was a strange apparatus in the room – which apparently Dorothy was tied to.
This apparatus was a “sex bench” invited by Snider
and it's believed that perhaps he wanted to sleep with her after he murdered her.
Dorothy Stratten was only 20 years old when she was murdered. Peter Bogdanovich
was naturally traumatized by the murder. But, he moved on – eventually, he married Dorothy’s
sister Louise and they stayed married until their divorce in 2001. Only in Hollywood, eh?
BOB CRANE
Bob Crane began his career as a radio broadcaster in 1950 when he was 22 years old.
He was so successful as a broadcaster that different radio stations would
fight for him and he’d move to different stations as the offers came in. He was
even asked to host one radio show in order to boost the failing ratings.
But his real passion was in acting and television would be the medium
that would give him the best opportunities. His big break
came when he had a small role in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show.
This led to a regular role as Dr. David Kelsey on The Donna Reed Show. This role made him a TV
star and it's what led him to be cast on Hogan’s Heroes – which was the show that made his career.
While working on Hogan’s Heroes he had an affair with actress Cynthia Lynn and
later Sigrid Valis. He was a womanizer and this would sadly come back to haunt him.
Bob Crane loved to film and photograph his sexual acts with women and he got in
touch with a one John Henry Carpenter who sold video equipment and eventually became
good friends with Bob. The two of them worked together to film Bob Crane’s sexual encounters.
On June 29, 1978, the actress Victoria Ann Berry visited Bob Crane after he failed to
show up for an important meeting. She found his dead body covered in
blood. He had been bludgeoned to death with what seemed like a camera tripod.
No one knows why Bob Crane was murdered but it was believed that he had become
sick of John Carpenter and no longer wanted to be friends with him. The
court case went on for several months until John Carpenter was acquitted – as there was
no strong evidence pointing to his possible guilt. He maintained that he was innocent
until he died in 1998 but the stigma of the accusation hung over his head till his death.
Even after John Carpenter’s death, Bob Crane’s murder was still widely discussed
and the 2002 film Auto Focus was a portrayal of what may have happened.
NATALIE WOOD
Natalie Wood’s mysterious death is still being investigated today with the case being opened,
closed, and re-opened many times since her death on November 29, 1981.
In 2018, her former spouse actor Robert Wagner is
considered a person of interest in the investigation. In 2022,
he was cleared as a suspect yet the case still remains open and unsolved.
Natalie Wood was shooting for a film called Brainstorm and
was aboard a yacht called Splendour where part of the film was being shot.
Her body was found floating nearby and apparently, she had left on one of the inflatable boats. She
had close to 40 bruises and even abrasions on her body. Speculation over her murder continues
40 years later. She apparently had an argument with Robert Wagner on the boat the same night
she died. Christopher Walken, her co-star, was also a suspect and his wife Georgianne
wasn’t on the yacht and there’s still no explanation as to why this was the case.
It seems we will never have an answer as to why she was murdered and who did the
deed. As 40-plus years have passed, memories fade and the case remains open – but one fears that
it’ll eventually shut – without any questions begin answered…
CARL SWITZER
Actor Carl Switzer was best known for playing Alfalfa in the Our Gang TV series. At the age
of 31, the former child star was murdered at a home in California – apparently from a fight.
Sadly, his career – like so many former child stars faded away after the show ended. He was
clearly exploited as he never received any royalties from the show. He still
continued acting but his roles were small and rather insignificant for the most part.
He had to also take an odd job here and there just to make enough money. He even had a few
issues with the police as he struggled financially for much of his adult life.
On January 21, 1959, Carl Switzer went to the home of a Mr. Moses Stiltz in a
Mission Hills neighborhood. Carl Switzer, allegedly, went to collect some money
from Mr. Stiltz that he was owed. A fight ensued and Carl Switzer was murdered in it.
The full details and how the fight started still remain up for discussion but we do know that Moses
Stiltz ended up shooting Carl Switzer. The court and jury ruled that this was a justifiable murder.
JEAN HARLOW’S HUSBAND
MGM studio executive Paul Bern was found dead next to a suicide note – after confessing that he
was still married to someone else. Who this mysterious woman was raised a lot
of eyebrows – as Paul Bern was married to one of the biggest film stars of the time – Jean Harlow.
But it was believed that Dorothy Millette was actually Paul Bern’s first wife.
As Jean Harlow’s stardom rose, so did the attention she got from successful and powerful
men. One of them was the film producer Paul Bern who was almost 20 years older than her.
After only a short time dating each other, they got married in 1932 when Jean was 21 and Paul
was 42. But despite their marriage, he apparently was the common-law husband of Dorothy Millette.
Only 2 months after their marriage, Paul Bern apparently committed suicide by
gunshot due to the shame and the lie he had kept secret.
Jean Harlow claimed she had no idea about Dorothy
Millette and her husband’s secret. The case was shut.
Until it was reopened in 1960 after screenwriter Ben Hecht raised a few
questions about it. By this time, Jean Harlow had also died of kidney failure
and whether Paul Bern killed himself or was killed remains a mystery.
BARBARA THOMASON
Actress Barbara Thomason had a short-lived career – mostly in B-movies including some
made by Roger Corman. But she was perhaps best known as being the wife of star Mickey Rooney.
But though she must have loved Mickey Rooney – there was also another man in
her life – and he had a shady background. She had been in love with actor Milos Milos
who – in a previous life was also the bodyguard of French actor Alain Delon
and had been accused along with the actor and his compatriot Stevan Marković of being
involved in blackmailing the former French President Georges Pompidou.
On January 30, 1966, Milos Milos and Barbara Thomason were found dead at
Mickey Rooney’s Los Angeles home. It’s believed that she wanted to break off
their affair and Milos Milos killed her out of rage before turning the gun on himself.
It’s believed that Mickey Rooney knew nothing of the affair.
But that’s just one belief.
Another believes he knew everything. What the actual truth is, we will
perhaps never know as Mickey Rooney died in 2014.
Perhaps it should be laid to rest….though we still can’t help scratching our heads about it.
These are some of the most chilling tales we’ve ever told.
Now, let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of any of these old Hollywood celebrities? Did
you know the circumstances of their murders?
Here’s what we’d like to know from you:
Do you think that we will ever solve the mysteries of their deaths? Or are
these mysterious murders that way for a particular reason?