The bold way Carole Lombard dealt with Fredric March’s unwanted advances
Hollywood has historically been sold to those who aren’t ‘lucky enough’ to be part of the exclusive club as something glamorous and desirable. Many children dream of being film stars, imagining legions of adoring fans crowding for their autograph or giving a passionate speech after winning a prestigious award. This isn’t even something exclusive to just optimistic children, either – many adults find themselves wishing for the opulence and indulgence of being a famous actor, well-loved, highly praised, and given opportunities to rub shoulders with icons.
Yet, as movements like #MeToo suggest, the allure of Hollywood is partly a fabrication. While expensive parties and award ceremonies might certainly be as enjoyable as they look to a mere outsider, the industry is also rife with corruption, which takes many insidious forms. It’s no secret that Hollywood has long been run by men, pushing women out of high-earning or leading job roles in order to perpetuate a patriarchal status quo.
Unfortunately, powerful men are able to get away with a lot in the industry by taking advantage of those who aren’t as well-connected, well-paid, or well-established. Hush money and blackmail are often used to manipulate and abuse budding actors who become victims of casting couch abuse, as evidenced by the major Harvey Weinstein scandal, which uncovered countless incidents of rape and harassment, which he achieved by abusing his position as one of Hollywood’s most influential figures.
Sadly, this is nothing new. While the #MeToo movement didn’t gain considerable momentum until the 2010s, Hollywood has been riddled with abusive men for decades. You only have to do some quick research on some of the industry’s most celebrated stars, like Charlie Chaplin, to realise that many were actually terrible people in reality – in the silent actor’s case, he took an alleged interest in underage girls.
In some instances, though, women would find ways to combat sexual harassment, like Carole Lombard, the screwball star who appeared in movies like My Man Godfrey, To Be Or Not To Be, and Mr & Mrs Smith. The actor was paired with Fredric March in the 1937 film Nothing Sacred, which saw Lombard’s character, Hazel, fake a terminal illness while March’s journalist, Wally, investigates her story. Of course, the pair end up falling for each other, all while Hazel is forced to figure out how to avoid being caught out for her lies.
The movie was acclaimed, and while Lombard and March make a convincing pair on screen, when the camera stopped rolling, things were considerably more uncomfortable. According to Annette Tapert’s The Power of Glamour: The Women Who Defined the Magic of Stardom, Lombard’s patience with March was wearing thin after he repeatedly made unwanted advances towards her. Thus, she lured him into a very cunning trap to catch him in the act, inviting him up to her hotel room under the pretence of having drinks.
Yet, what he didn’t know was that under her skirt, she’d strapped a big dildo. When he started to touch her, he found himself in for a great shock; Lombard’s plan had worked terrifically. However, some other stars, like Claudette Colbert, were unable to avoid March’s advances, with the actor constantly touching her inappropriately during the production of The Sign of the Cross, much to Colbert’s disgust.
March was one of many insistent and gross men who worked in Hollywood during the Golden Era and one of many with whom Lombard came into contact. She even found a unique way to deal with leering and handsy casting agents, reportedly learning as much foul language as she could to put these men off, who were shocked that a woman could possibly know such vulgar words.
