Part 10/11:
Actors like Robert Taylor, Jane Mansfield, and Steve Reeves serve as reminders of how Hollywood prioritized looks, persona, and marketing over artistry. The ideal aesthetics often eclipsed the need for talent, allowing many to maintain longevity despite minimal skill sets. This illusion of stardom, buoyed by studio machinery and audience demand for escapism, painted a complex picture of what it meant to be a star during Hollywood’s Golden Age.