Hollywood & Crime - Introducing: Murder in Hollywoodland

Episode Date: August 14, 2024

On February 1, 1922, William Desmond Taylor, one of Hollywood’s most successful directors was found dead in his home with a bullet in his back. The list of suspects was as long as the line outside one of his premieres, and the search for the killer would take investigators across the country and into the underbelly of downtown Los Angeles tracking down clues. As the case unfolded, famous names like Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand, and Mack Sennett would be dragged through the mud. The press published torrid love letters, exposed scandalous affairs, and filed incendiary reports on the drug problem on Hollywood sets. But the bigger questions remained — how much did the studios know about the murder, and why were they covering up evidence? And more importantly, who would have reason to murder one of Hollywood’s most promising directors? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's Thursday, February 2nd, 1922, shortly after 7 a.m. An unusually cold morning in Los Angeles, California. But the town will heat up soon enough. Because a body is about to be found over at the Alvarado Court Apartments, home to some of the biggest names in Hollywood. You've probably seen some of them in the moving pictures. There's someone else who lives in this exclusive hamlet. The guy in 404B. He's a director with several Hollywood hits under his belt. Normally, he would be waiting for his valet to unlock the front door and draw his bath while his driver fired up the custom-built McFarland to deliver him to the studio.

But not today. Today, everything is going to be different at Alvarado Court because that director is bleeding out on his very expensive carpet, stone-cold dead. On February 1st, 1922, one of Hollywood's most successful directors was found dead in his living room. A bullet in his back. His name was William Desmond Taylor. And within hours, news of his murder spread throughout Hollywood. It was clear from the start, it wasn't a simple Hollywood whodunit.

The list of suspects stretched as long as the line outside a movie premiere, and it was just as star-studded. From Wondery, the makers of The Wonderland Murders and The Dating Game Killer, comes a new six-part series by Hollywood and Crime. I'm Tracy Patton. Join me and my co-host James Remar as we explore one of Hollywood's most fascinating murder mysteries. I promise it will be one hell of a ride. That's Hollywood. To listen to Hollywood in Crime, Murder in Hollywoodland, subscribe to Wondery Plus. Start your free trial at wonderyplus.com today.