Girl 27
Encyclopedia
Girl 27 is a 2007 documentary film about the 1937 rape
of MGM movie extra Patricia Douglas, the front-page news stories that followed, and the subsequent cover-up of the entire event. Also covered are a similar assault on singer Eloise Spann and her subsequent suicide, as well as the better known scandal involving actress Loretta Young
and her "adopted" daughter Judy Lewis
. The filmmaker uses first-person interviews and vintage film footage and music to explore the political power of movie studios in 1930's Hollywood as well as public attitudes toward sexual assault that discouraged victims from coming forward. The filmmaker's dogged pursuit of Douglas and their subsequent friendship is a consistent theme throughout. Variety
reviewed: "In tabloid-TV-host fashion, (Stenn) stays onscreen as much as possible while exploiting the painful memories of a woman raped at a 1937 MGM party. Her story compels, but pic's self-serving approach is contemptible."
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
of MGM movie extra Patricia Douglas, the front-page news stories that followed, and the subsequent cover-up of the entire event. Also covered are a similar assault on singer Eloise Spann and her subsequent suicide, as well as the better known scandal involving actress Loretta Young
Loretta Young
Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953...
and her "adopted" daughter Judy Lewis
Judy Lewis
Judy Lewis was an American actress, writer, producer, and therapist, and the secret biological daughter of actor Clark Gable and actress Loretta Young.-History:...
. The filmmaker uses first-person interviews and vintage film footage and music to explore the political power of movie studios in 1930's Hollywood as well as public attitudes toward sexual assault that discouraged victims from coming forward. The filmmaker's dogged pursuit of Douglas and their subsequent friendship is a consistent theme throughout. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reviewed: "In tabloid-TV-host fashion, (Stenn) stays onscreen as much as possible while exploiting the painful memories of a woman raped at a 1937 MGM party. Her story compels, but pic's self-serving approach is contemptible."