Paisley author’s new book reveals the earning secrets of Hollywood’s leading ladies
A prolific writer on all things cinema has lifted the lid on gender equality in Hollywood.
Surprisingly, Paisley author Brian Hannan has revealed that big- earning women in Tinsel Town were more common than has previously been thought.
In his new book, When Women Ruled Hollywood, Brian shows that in the 1940s Bette Davis earned more than Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford made more money than John Wayne and singer Deanna
Durbin was paid more than Errol Flynn.
In the 1930s Greta Garbo outearned Clark Gable and in one single year and Mae West earned more than every man in America bar one.
Gloria Swanson’s financial compensation in the 1920s was higher than that of Douglas Fairbanks.
Brian further reveals that in the 1910s Mary Pickford took home more than Charlie Chaplin and in one year in particular she earned more, taking inflation into account, than any star – male or female – would receive for another 70 years.
In addition, at various times a woman was also the highest-paid screenwriter and the highest- paid director in Hollywood.
Brian said: “I started writing the book because while researching two others on the business history of Hollywood, I came across two reports that did not seem to support the standard view of women as second-class citizens in Hollywood, so I just started digging.”
He added: “Given that some of my previous books have been on such male- oriented movies as The Magnificent Seven and The Guns of Navarone, it is quite unusual for me to end up writing this kind of material, but it has proved easily the most satisfying of the dozen movie books I have written.”
Brian, who studied film at Glasgow University, says his book has drawn on new sources, including those supplied by the US Government.
Not only were women top earners in movies, according to Brian, they also topped male salaries in vaudeville and publishing.
He adds that at a time when women in ordinary jobs earned far less than men, threequarters were receiving less than what was considered a living wage.
The study covers the period from 1910 to 1948, and Brian read his way through more than 250,000 pages of industry trade magazines and other sources searching for information.
When Women Ruled Hollywood is published on Kindle at £ 4.99 on June 18, and in print in August.
Reports did not seem to support the standard view of women as second-class citizens in Hollywood