This podcast details true crime cases.

It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of violence.

It is not intended for children.

Listener discretion is advised.

Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime.

We're in the series Curse Hollywood,

where I tell you stories of Hollywood productions

that seemingly are cursed with bad luck for their creators and stars.

On the first episode of this series,

I told you the stories of a trio of actors

who experienced troubled lives after becoming child stars.

But in this week's episode,

a number of even younger child stars would seemingly fall under a collective curse.

These children were so young,

some became stars when they were still mere toddlers.

When they were first introduced to a Hollywood set,

the restrictions on age and number of hours a child could be asked to work

were not yet in place.

This was in the earliest days of Hollywood,

even before talking pictures.

From 1922 to the 1940s,

over 40 child actors would be cast in a popular series of short films,

...