"E! Mysteries & Scandals" (1998) TV series

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Joel K. Rodgers

Writers:

Dan Abrams (writer)
Liz Flynn (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | unknown

Release Date:

9 March 1998 (USA)

Plot:

Hollywood's most notorious scandals exposed through interviews and re-enactments.

Plot Keywords:

Scandal | Hollywood | Sex | Death | Showbiz

Cast

A.J. Benza

...

Himself - Host / ... (36 episodes, 1998-2002)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:PG

Company:

E! Entertainment Television

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003)

The Grimmer Version of the True Hollywood Story on E!.

This show, like the E! True Hollywood Story (both shows appear on E!) is a biography, but what sets this show apart from the THS is that it is much shorter (usually is 30 minutes long) and focuses mainly on celebrities that were alive during Hollywood's golden era. Some are well-known (such as Marilyn Monroe, Howard Hughes, and I Love Lucy's Desi Arnaz) others were alive during the early part of the 20th century (Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand and silent movie director William Desmond Taylor--all part of the silent movie era). Also, this show is much darker and focuses on what events lead to tragedy for whoever is the main focus of the show. A.J. Benza, the show's host, does a fantastic job. He gives a brief bio of the star that is being discussed, and introduces the segments that involve people that once knew or wrote about whoever is being talked about.

Another thing that sets this show apart from the THS is that there is never a happy ending (if it did ever have one, I don't think it would be called Mysteries and Scandals). It only has death, tragedy and misfortune.

What makes the show interesting is the fact that it doesn't deal with just movie stars. Gossip columnists (Hedda Hopper), movie directors (William Desmond Taylor), and millionaires (Howard Hughes) have also been discussed. I think that this is one of the more entertaining shows that E! has to offer because of the subject. Also, it has some intense renenactments of some key moments in the show. I think that if this show wasn't on, those of us who watch it wouldn't know about the silent movie stars, directors, etc. that existed during that time. I think that there was a show similar to this on the same network in the early 90s, but it was so badly acted that I can't seem to remember what it was called. This show, I think, is one of the best shows that E! has to offer.