# Weird showbiz conspiracies/theories **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, movies\ **Created:** [March 11, 2024, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699 "2024-03-11T11:12:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/181 "2024-03-23T01:02:55Z")
There’s also the fact while Top Gun was infamously just a Navy ad campaign, you also have stuff like Independence Day that requested Pentagon clearance, didn’t get it because of script changes they wanted but we’re denied, and the movie still wound up being a smash hit with excellent special effects replacing what would have been “real” aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/182 "2024-03-23T01:34:50Z")
I heard a lot of stories through my dad from my grandmother, who did extra work, bit parts on stage, nightclub, etc. One I remember was how Louis B. Mayer had everyone gather into a soundstage to sing “Happy Birthday” to him. And so they did, but as hundreds of people were singing “_…dear L. B.,_” one voice sang “_…and fuck you._” It was noticed nonetheless, and that’s why Perry Como’s movie career was extraordinary brief. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/183 "2024-03-23T02:55:37Z")
Yeah, I grew up watching Phil on Bilko. That movie made me cry. Fertilized my growing hatred of Steve Martin. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/184 "2024-03-23T06:19:43Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Yeah, I grew up watching Phil on Bilko. That movie made me cry. Same thing. My Dad, a top sgt also though Phil Silvers/Bilkp was hilarious. The film is 30% Rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. IMHO- they were being nice. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/185 "2024-03-23T08:23:47Z")
I think your hatred of Martin is unwarranted. That said, he was not the right actor to play Bilko. Michael Keaton would’ve been a much better fit. ---
**Author:** ![Eclipse\_Chaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Eclipse\_Chaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eclipse_Chaser)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/186 "2024-03-23T08:40:59Z")
Apparently they used to say back then that Wallis Simpson was male. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/187 "2024-03-23T10:27:00Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Greta Garbo is another star oft considered gay. > > [https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/09/greta-garbo-lois-banner](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/09/greta-garbo-lois-banner) supposedly garbo and Marlene Dietrich had a few months-long affair in the 1920s when they were in a movie together in Europe and it was broken off due to Marlene being emotionally abusive which led to a decades-long feud in Hollywood lesbian circles … ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/188 "2024-03-23T16:17:43Z")
noodling around on my phone, I read thru one of those chatbot stories about her. It said she was ‘born intersexed’, unable to copulate, and learned ‘exotic oral sex techniques’ to make up for it. Rather absurd but I guess it’s possible. I had a married friend who was intersexed (brought up as a female) …(never thought to ask her such an intrusive question though.) ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/189 "2024-03-23T18:17:45Z")
There was a similar story about why comedian Jackie Mason disappeared. According to him, he was playing around and accidentally gave Ed Sullivan the Finger. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/190 "2024-03-23T19:17:16Z")
Some weirdos have speculated the same thing about Michelle Obama. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/191 "2024-03-23T20:54:57Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I think your hatred of Martin is unwarranted. That said, he was not the right actor to play Bilko. Michael Keaton would’ve been a much better fit. In some roles he was fine. Not this for and some others - he wasn’t the best choice. Martin’s “King Tut” on SNL was sheer brilliance. ---
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/192 "2024-03-23T21:52:05Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > In 1959 George Reeves (TV’s Superman) was killed by a gunshot to the head in his bedroom while a party was going on in the house. It was ruled a suicide, but there’s a persistent theory that he was murdered. The story I heard was that Reeves had gone crazy and become convinced he actually _was_ Superman. He shot himself to show others how the bullet would just bounce off him. (Actually, come to think of it, I think in the story I heard he fell from a great height because he was convinced he could fly.) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/193 "2024-03-23T22:08:27Z")
Yeah, when I was a kid I also heard the story that he jumped off a building because he thought he could fly. That theory does a poor job of explaining why he was found in his bedroom with a bullet wound in his head. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/194 "2024-03-23T22:30:14Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > learned ‘exotic oral sex techniques’ Forgive me for this, but there’s apparently a rumor that Nancy Regan, when she was a young actress, was renowned around Hollywood for her fellatio skills. > **[Why Are People Tweeting That Nancy Reagan Was the 'Throat Goat?'](https://www.vice.com/en/article/epxzwe/nancy-reagan-throat-goat-mgm-lot-hollywood-blowjobs-twitter)** > > Rumors about former first lady Nancy Reagan having the best blowjob game in Hollywood's MGM backlot have resurfaced. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/195 "2024-03-23T23:15:14Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > There was a similar story about why comedian Jackie Mason disappeared. According to him, he was playing around and accidentally gave Ed Sullivan the Finger. _Time_ or _Newsweek_ did a story on Mason in the mid-1980s when he came back with his one man show. He claimed that the Sullivan show had been running late, and Ed was gesturing off-camera at Mason to wrap up his act. Mason ad-libbed something about “I’m getting the finger”, and gestured to underscore it. Sullivan (not known for overooking perceived slights) interpreted this as giving Sullivan the Finger. And got Mason blackballed for years. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/196 "2024-03-24T00:33:52Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Yeah, when I was a kid I also heard the story that he jumped off a building because he thought he could fly. That theory does a poor job of explaining why he was found in his bedroom with a bullet wound in his head. - He crashed through the roof and landed on a bullet? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/197 "2024-03-24T03:10:14Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > noodling around on my phone, I read thru one of those chatbot stories about her. It said she was ‘born intersexed’, unable to copulate, and learned ‘exotic oral sex techniques’ to make up for it. Rather absurd but I guess it’s possible. I had heard the story about Mrs. Simpson’s unique talents, but not the part about her anatomy. OTOH there are also rumors that she had an abortion while she was living in China which may have left her unable to conceive. Either A or B may be true, or neither is true, but both can not be true. > [@markn\_1](#): > > Yeah, when I was a kid I also heard the story that he jumped off a building because he thought he could fly. The rumor behind the rumor was that the grownups came up with that story to scare us kids into not attempting to fly. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/198 "2024-03-24T20:27:18Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > > [@markn\_1](#): > > > > Yeah, when I was a kid I also heard the story that he jumped off a building because he thought he could fly. > > The rumor behind the rumor was that the grownups came up with that story to scare us kids into not attempting to fly. When I was a kid there was a story going around the neighborhood that one of the boys who lived in the house behind us, who was about 10 or so, had tried to jump out his second story bedroom window with a bath towel tied around his neck like a cape, pretending he was Superman. His older brother saw what he was doing and grabbed him before he could jump. Now I’m wondering if the whole story was B.S. Was it ever a real problem that kids were jumping out of windows thinking they could fly like Superman? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/199 "2024-03-24T20:41:16Z")
Why do you think there are warnings about capes, [Warning: this costume does not enable flight or super strength](https://www.forbes.com/2010/01/29/safety-caution-product-liability-entrepreneurs-law-warning-labels_slide.html?sh=79d004c2fa18). (Scroll down to tenth item.) Somebody, somewhere tried it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699/200 "2024-03-24T20:50:39Z")
> [@anny\_m](#): > > > [@markn\_1](#): > > > > In 1959 George Reeves (TV’s Superman) was killed by a gunshot to the head in his bedroom while a party was going on in the house. It was ruled a suicide, but there’s a persistent theory that he was murdered. > > The story I heard was that Reeves had gone crazy and become convinced he actually _was_ Superman. He shot himself to show others how the bullet would just bounce off him. (Actually, come to think of it, I think in the story I heard he fell from a great height because he was convinced he could fly.) A while back the actor Jim Beaver posted here. He is an expert on old Hollywood and has done a bunch of research on the subject. Here is a thread that he talked about the suicide. > [@Hollywoodland](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoodland/365486/8): > > There will always be speculation regarding the true circumstances of George Reeves’s death, and there are very interesting questions supporting the various theories. I have been researching a full-scale biography of Reeves for many, many years (while simultaneously starring in the odd TV series here and there), and while I began my research with a presumption of foul play, I long ago came to a thus far unshaken conviction that Reeves did in fact commit suicide. A few pertinent facts: 2002 st… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-showbiz-conspiracies-theories/998699.md?page=11)