From the very beginning sex has been the common currency in Hollywood, both on and off the screen. Early movie moguls packed their biblical epics with naked girls, while in private, the mythic casting couch became the place where Hollywood’s future "Greats" would guarantee their star status. The silver screen, with its femmes fatales, used sex to sell, but it could barely compete with the real life revelations of Hollywood’s most esteemed actresses.

          From the early sex scandals that brought down silent screen sirens such as Clara Bow and Louise Brooks, author Nigel Cawthorne reveals all the secrets – the wild parties, secret lovers, sordid pasts and tragic endings – in this most intimate guide to Hollywood’s women as they really were: Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow and many more.