Pretty Boy Facts About Robert Taylor, The Star Who Squealed
If Robert Taylor was one of the most popular leading men of Hollywood, why doesn’t his name ring a bell? Well, just as his career was soaring, the impossibly handsome Taylor made one fatal, career destroying mistake.
1. He Was Under Their Control
As a hot young actor, the Hollywood studios liked to keep Robert Taylor snuggly under their arm. MGM liked to pair their pretty boy in films with powerful older women—and then they shockingly made him marry one.
Sadly, Taylor now had two puppet masters to answer to: MGM and his wife.
When Taylor started to feel a little claustrophobic, he finally did something on his own and the consequences were disastrous.
2. They Were On The Run
Robert Taylor was born Spangler Arlington Brugh on August 5, 1911, in Nebraska. Dad was a farmer, who seemed intent on keeping his family moving as if they were running from the law. When mom got gravely sick, dad did something remarkable. He quit farming, studied medicine, and personally worked on bringing his wife back to health.
Mom now had a new lease on life, but it would become a nightmare for young Taylor.
3. He Escaped
Since mom had almost lost her life, she became extra protective of her son. Even when Taylor escaped her clutches and went to college in California, her shadow followed him. The other students picked up on this and started calling Taylor a momma’s boy.
But these nasty students were about to start eating their words, because this momma’s boy was about to meet up with a real Hollywood agent.
4. He Was Perfect
Taylor soon switched his major from the cello to acting. A talent scout from MGM, who attended one of his school plays, thought that Taylor had something rare: the perfect profile.
The scout offered Taylor a contract, and he signed it on the dotted line. The pay was $35 per week, but don’t laugh—that’s about $800 in today’s money. Not bad for a guy who’d never made a film before.
Taylor must have felt like he had it all. He was, however, about to get a humiliating reality check.
