His First Cover-Up
One of Mannix’s earliest cover-ups had to do with old Hollywood’s version of an adult film. By the time actress Lucille LeSueur (aka Joan Crawford) signed with MGM studios in 1925, she had allegedly starred in at least one adult film.
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Biographer David Bret claims that the film was called Velvet Lips. Crawford’s FBI file later revealed that she had been filmed in compromising positions. Fast forward to the late 1920s, and rumors began swirling about the actress’s involvement in the scandalous film. When the whispers became too loud for MGM to handle, they send Mannix to take care of it.