8 Times Movie Studios Went Too Far

Sadly, the story of Jean Harlow is something that happened a worrying amount in those 'glory' days of old Hollywood. Harlow was just one of many young women worked to the bone by a system that had them completely and utterly trapped in so many ways - and another such example of this is that of Judy Garland.

Another who found herself bound by the pressures of MGM, the story of Garland is even more jarring due to the extremely early age she was pushed, pulled and prodded by the studio.

MGM signed Garland to an exclusive contract when she was just 13 years of age. By the time of The Wizard of Oz in 1939, she was still only 17 - but the pressures of the studio had long been on display.

To hone in on The Wizard of Oz, the loose child labour laws meant that Garland would work six-day weeks made up of 18-hour days during the filming of that movie. That's just the tip of the iceberg, for the studio fed Garland a diet of amphetamines and sleeping pills. Calling them 'pep pills', the amphetamines were to keep the young actress awake and energetic, and then she'd be given sleeping tablets to bring her down for four-hour sleep breaks.

In later life, Judy Garland had several nervous breakdowns and made numerous attempts to take her own life before passing away in 1969 at the age of 47.