Walter Wanger, who suspected his movie star wife of being unfaithful, had had enough.
On December 13, 1951, a once-popular movie producer, falling on hard times, decides to teach Joan Bennett and Hollywood agent Jennings Lang a lesson and takes up a gun. Mr. Wanger went to Mr. Lang's agency, MCA, where he saw his spouse's Cadillac convertible parked outside.
A few hours later, after the sun had set, the couple arrived in Lang's car. “In a fit of jealous rage,” Wangel said, jumping out of the car and confronting the two men. After a verbal battle, Wanger shot Lang twice. One bullet grazed the agent's thigh, and another struck him in the groin.
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Here, Jennings Lang is seen recovering from a gunshot wound sustained by film producer Walter Wanger. He received bedside visits from his wife and lawyer. (Getty Images)
A new book features a mass shooting that shook Hollywood during the Golden Age. “Beverly Hills Noir: Crimes, Sins, and Scandals of 90210.” By Scott Huber, author and longtime People magazine contributor. We investigate some of the most outrageous incidents that have occurred in this star-studded city.
“when [Wanger] “He made the decision to physically confront his wife and her agent, but he was in a dire financial and emotional situation,” Huber told FOX News Digital.
Scott Huber's book “Beverly Hills Noir'' is now on sale. (Post Hill Press)
“He was on top of the world in Hollywood,” Huber said. “He was a very influential and respected producer, and when things started going wrong, his whole self-image started to crumble.
Author Scott Huber claims that Walter Wanger has “lost his mind” after his career went downhill. (Harry Benson/Daily Express/Getty Images)
“He certainly hinted that he was going to take some action if he found out his wife was involved with that agent. But I think what really pushed him over the edge was hearing from a private investigator. I think it was the fact that I actually received the following report, which confirmed all of his suspicions. ”
Joan Bennett, seen here with Walter Wanger, became the breadwinner of the family. (Keystone/Getty Images)
“Once he found out, it just gnawed at him,” Huber continued. “It was a force. He had to get in their faces. Look how sloppy he was. He happened to be across the street from Beverly Hills City Hall and the police department. We did it in the parking lot outside the office.'' It wasn't a stealth operation. It was the act of a desperate man. ”
At the time, Mr. Wangel had declared bankruptcy, but his creditors did not believe him. hollywood reporter revealed. Mr. Huber noted that Mr. Wanger had become dependent on Mr. Bennett to pay his bills.
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Joan Bennett's femme fatale persona comes back to haunt her. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
During that time, he hired civilians to track her and later learned that she and Lang were spending time together in New Orleans, the Caribbean, and at the Beverly Hills apartment of Agent Jay Cantor, one of Wanger's friends. shared.
Jennings Lang was a popular agent in Hollywood. (Los Angeles Examiner/University of Southern California Library/Corbis via Getty Images)
“When Walter Wanger's fortunes turned upside down, Joan Bennett and Jennings Lang suddenly became closer,” Huber explained. “When they were in danger of losing their home, she became their breadwinner…Originally, her home was built with the money she earned from filmmaking. “Lang was a really great agent…and he was a great guy.
“They became so intertwined that while there was definitely some heat between them, I think she became quite dependent.” [Lang] It was emotional when her husband wasn't by her side as he dealt with his own struggles in business. ”
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Wanger and Bennett were married in 1940. Although Wanger was known as a womanizer, she longed for a traditional family life.
“He was a Hollywood powerhouse and expected everything to go his way,” Huber explained. “By the way, he was previously married, but it was reportedly an open marriage, and neither he nor his wife had any problems with outsiders.
“It wasn't a stealth operation. It was the act of a desperate man.”
Walter Wanger claimed temporary insanity. (Los Angeles Examiner/University of Southern California Library/Corbis via Getty Images)
“But Joan, even though she had been married several times, was very adamant about traditional marriages… She wanted a traditional family. She wanted stability. is.”
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Walter Wanger and his wife Joan Bennett in London; They seemed like the picture-perfect couple, but behind closed doors there was a different story to tell. (Fred Ramage/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Huber noted that Wanger and Bennett appeared to have had a “picture-perfect marriage” and were a Hollywood power couple. But when Wanger began to lose his star status and finances, it “brought him to the brink.”
During the scandal, Joan Bennett went head-to-head with investigators. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“They used a defense that was a bluish flash in his brain that got him to this point,” Huber said. “And…in a way, that’s what…happened. He finally snapped…and he couldn’t take it anymore, even if what was good for him wasn’t good for her on paper. That's what I decided.”
Although Bennett sought solace in Lang, Huber said she wouldn't call the relationship a “full-fledged love affair.”
Jennings Lang and actress Joan Crawford at Coconut Grove in Los Angeles. (Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
“It was like we were both invested in something,” he explained. “It went on for quite a while. But as soon as the jig was up, they didn't try to pick it up again. They didn't spend any time together after that. [weren’t] All the love letters that everyone knows were exchanged. ”
Police were “a stone's throw” as a bleeding Ms Lang was rushed to hospital. “I was wide-eyed with fear,” Bennett said, quickly regaining his composure and getting to work.
“She made sure that Jennings… was taken care of, and then she showed up at the police station and… faced the music that she needed to face,” Huber said. “The Beverly Hills police chief had a very tough personality, but she stood up to him head on and stuck to her guns. She impressed him and earned his grudging respect.”
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Here Joan Bennett is seen approaching photographers and reporters. (Los Angeles Examiner/University of Southern California Library/Corbis via Getty Images)
“Then she stood in front of the press,” Huber said. “She knew that trying to hide and avoid from there was not going to be an effective strategy. She would be followed and stalked. So she went to the press to hold a press conference. She rejected the idea that Walter had any reason to act and also told the public not to make people in Hollywood look bad because of the incident.
“That's how the old Hollywood system worked, putting the best face forward, putting the best twist, and trying not to alienate the ticket-buying public,” Huber said. “It was…a master class. And she did it amazingly well.”
Lang survived. Wanger was on trial for assault with a deadly weapon, The Hollywood Reporter reported. According to the paper, Mr. Wanger was assisted by “super-lawyer Jerry Giesler and a group of fellow Hollywood stars” and claimed temporary insanity.
Beverly Hills Police Department Lt. Walter White (left) holds a gun, and District Attorney S. Ernest Rohr holds the knife that belonged to Walter Wanger. (Getty Images)
Wangel was sentenced to four months in prison. new york times Reported.
Huber said the relationship between Bennett and Lang ended in an instant. As Ms. Lang recovered, the two “worked to repair the damage they had done to their family.”
After Wanger was released, he experienced a brief Hollywood return.
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Walter Wanger served several months in prison. (Los Angeles Examiner/University of Southern California Library/Corbis via Getty Images)
“He was determined to make socially-minded prison films like “I Want to Live!,'' which brought Susan Hayward an Oscar. That put him back on top. We're back,'' Coach Huber said.
Susan Hayward won an Oscar for her role as Barbara Graham in the 1958 film “I Want to Live!” (Getty Images)
Wanger's career was ruined by his last film, 1963's Cleopatra, which was also his biggest yet. 20th Century Fox was on the verge of bankruptcy.
“The crux of that movie's failure was the behind-the-scenes affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton that was kept out of the public eye,” Huber said.
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor had a high-profile affair on the set of Walter Wanger's final film, Cleopatra. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
Lang also felt better after the shooting. Huber said his agency bought Universal Studios, where he became an executive.
Jennings Lang attends the 4th Annual Clint Eastwood Celebrity Tennis Tournament at the Beach and Tennis Club on July 7, 1973 in Pebble Beach, California. (Fairchild Archive/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images)
“He essentially saw the invention of the TV movie,” Huber said. “he [also] I worked on an apocalypse movie in the '70s…that was a huge sensation. ”
Bennett, once a sought-after siren, came under fire from Hollywood.
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Joan Bennett had a hard time finding work in Hollywood after the scandal. (Los Angeles Examiner/University of Southern California Library/Corbis via Getty Images)
“In a short period of time, it became painfully clear that I was a professional pariah in Hollywood and one of the 'untouchables,'” she wrote. vanity fair. “I was excommunicated. The proof is the fact that up until December 13, 1951, I had made 65 films in 23 years. Over the next 10 years, I made five.”
The newspaper said Bennett was forced to sell his home. The paper said that when she expressed a desire to divorce and move to New York to pursue a career in theater, Wanger threatened to launch a custody battle. Their divorce was finalized in 1965.
“She stayed in the marriage for a while, but it ended up being completely loveless,” Huber said. “She came back later in her career with some cool horror projects. She was on the TV soap opera 'Dark Shadows.' [still] A huge cult hit. ”
Joan Bennett starred in “Dark Shadows.” (ABC Photo Archive/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Wanger died in 1968, Bennett in 1990, followed by Lang in 1996.
“Given that this destroyed everything in their lives in 1951, they were able to keep things well enough to enjoy the rest of their lives,” Huber said.
