Red-Flags That Signaled These Old Hollywood Romances Were Doomed

Old Hollywood is famous for its larger-than-life stars, and often the public was just as excited to hear details of their real-life whirlwind romances as they were to see them on the big screen. The sometimes lurid details of these relationships fueled an entire industry of Hollywood gossip columnists, who went to extreme lengths to find out the details of the personal lives of Golden Age film stars. In reality, not all of these Old Hollywood romances were as romantic as they seemed – but their fans were just as fascinated by the fighting and infidelity as they were by lavish weddings. The public delighted over Grace Kelly's fairytale transformation into a real-life princess and obsessed over Marilyn Monroe's wedding to Joe DiMaggio, but they were equally enthralled by the stories of violent fights between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Whether they were torn apart by circumstances, tainted by jealousy, or doomed from the start, these were the first signs that these classic Old Hollywood couples wouldn't last.

Famed baseball player Joe DiMaggio and acting icon Marilyn Monroe were married in 1954, and the public could not get enough of their relationship. As soon as the honeymoon, cracks were beginning to form in the perfect, all-American love story. Monroe entertained the U.S. troops stationed in Korea before joining DiMaggio in Japan. She told her new husband all about the performance, concluding, "You never heard such cheering!" DiMaggio, a former star player for the New York Yankees, shot back: "Yes I have."

DiMaggio urged Monroe to retire and devote all of her time to their relationship. As quoted in Donald Spoto's biography, Monroe stated, "I didn't want to give up my career and that's what Joe wanted me to do most of all. He wanted me to be the beautiful ex-actress, just like he was the great former ballplayer."

Soon, Monroe was complaining to her friends that DiMaggio was possessive and resented her career. This undercurrent of resentment would come to a head during Monroe's most famous moment: the scene in "The Seven Year Itch" when she stands on a subway grate and her skirt billows up into the air. The image would become iconic, but DiMaggio, who was there to watch his wife act, was enraged. He stormed off the set, making his disapproval very obvious to Monroe and all of her coworkers. That night, the two argued in their hotel room. It is believed that the fight turned violent. Soon after, Monroe filed for divorce.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's whirlwind romance was famously riddled with ignored red flags. In Taylor's 1965 memoir (as quoted in Vanity Fair) she recalled being put off by first advances, when on the set of "Antony and Cleopatra" he reportedly asked her, "Has anyone ever told you that you're a very pretty girl?" For a beauty icon like Elizabeth Taylor, this was a clear backhanded compliment, intended to rankle her. Soon, however, Taylor was charmed by Burton's apparent vulnerable side when, due to a painful hangover, he got tripped up on his lines. When the two had their first onscreen kiss, they were unwilling to stop, even long after the director called "cut."

Their affair became a notorious thing, fueled by a mutual habit of risky drinking, wild spending, and increasingly brutal fights. The two both admitted to relishing their arguments, even as they became increasingly destructive and violent. On one occasion, Taylor hid in Burton's dressing room, and when she spotted one of his female co-stars coming in, leaped out and chased her away with a broken bottle. The two divorced in 1974, remarried in 1975, and swiftly divorced again. As quoted in Nancy Schoenberger and Sam Kasher's "Furious Love," Taylor would later say of the tumultuous relationship, "I don't want to be that much in love ever again."

In 1943, "Citizen Kane" auteur Orson Welles and glamorous leading lady Rita Hayworth might have been expected to have an enormous wedding befitting Hollywood royalty, but instead, the two met during Hayworth's lunch break for a courthouse wedding. Immediately afterward, the happy couple returned to work. This spontaneous and romantic event surprised the press and their fans alike, but the marriage wouldn't last. The two divorced in 1947.

As described in Barbara Leaming's biography of Orson Welles, the director was committed to their marriage, but Hayworth still suspected him of being unfaithful. Often, he would return home to find her sobbing and furious with him for imagined infidelities. Her insecurity and jealousy had come from previous relationships, and she was unable to trust him, which took a toll on the marriage and drove a wedge between them.

Overwhelmed, Welles pulled away – and then genuinely did begin having an affair with Judy Garland. On one occasion, he had purchased a massive amount of flowers for Garland but then had forgotten to give them to her, so when he returned home to Hayworth, his car was full of flowers intended for another woman. A crisis was only avoided because Welles' secretary had the foresight to throw away the card that had come with the flowers, and Hayworth was delighted with the gesture.

Pin-up girl turned beloved 1940s film star Betty Grable had a secret relationship with jazz icon Harry James – until it became suddenly public when he got into a physical fight with her ex-boyfriend, who had been using his mob ties to attempt to intimidate them. Once the two were married, Grable was ready to transform from the most beautiful woman in Hollywood into a perfect housewife. As it turned out, that wasn't a transformation James wanted his wife to make.

As described in Peter Levinson's "Trumpet Blues," when Grable had her first child, she planned on quitting her lucrative career in Hollywood. She adored being a mother and was beginning to feel that family, not her career should be her priority. James was unwilling to give up their Hollywood lifestyle. He told Grable, "If you quit the movies, you can say goodbye to all this. I don't make nearly enough to keep us in this style."

Their marriage, which would go on to be characterized by risky drinking and affairs, would not last. The two divorced in 1965.

Heiress Barbara Hutton, who famously had her lavish 18th birthday party at the height of the Great Depression, was one of the most despised figures in the media. Leading man Cary Grant was one of the most beloved stars in Hollywood. In 1942, the two were married.

As described in "Million Dollar Baby" by Philip Rensselaer, Hutton had an idealized vision of Hollywood's favorite leading man, and she hoped that being with Grant would solve all of her problems. At the beginning of their marriage, Hutton worked hard to overcome previous destructive patterns in her life, win back the American public through charity, and leave her controversial past behind her. After a year, however, Hutton began throwing wild parties and kept the house alive with guests at all hours. Grant was a famous homebody who preferred a quiet night in. Their differences put a tremendous amount of pressure on the relationship. They separated several times, but their friends knew how much they cared for each other and always tried to get them back together. On one occasion, their friends had invited them to stay at their home to relax and reconcile – only to come into their room early one morning and find Hutton asleep in the bed and Grant sleeping in the bathtub. Their marriage was over. 

Despite the way things ended, Hutton would always consider Grant the best of her seven husbands and the great love of her life.

Lupe Vélez was known for playing sexy, wild, chaotic characters in Hollywood throughout the late 1920s and 30s. In real life, she could be even more unpredictable. Surprisingly, her most famous romantic relationship in Hollywood was with calm, quiet leading man Gary Cooper. For three years, Cooper found her irresistible, but her violent temper became dangerous.

The fact that he tried to stay calm when she lost control only made her more furious. As described in Conner Floyd's book "Lupe Vélez and her Lovers," on one occasion, Cooper arrived at the studio bruised and with deep scratches on his face. He confessed to a friend that it was Vélez who had attacked him, and that he had slapped her back – something he felt tremendously guilty about. As time went on, the violence escalated. Vélez carried a knife with her for protection, and on several occasions would unexpectedly attack Cooper with it. Once, while he was cooking, she attacked him suddenly, stabbing him in the arm – a feat she seemed to be proud of. After their breakup in 1931, Vélez shot at Cooper as he tried to get onto a train.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.