ROCKING THE COUCH: An Exposé On Hollywood’s History Of Sexual Assault

Rocking the Couch is an essential documentary that really dives deep behind the scenes of what the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements brought to light in recent years. This powerful film was produced by Andrea Evans and Jerry Somer and was written and directed by Minh Collins.

Now and Then

A flash of recent news headlines about Hollywood heavyweights like Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Matt Lauer open the film, followed by a definition of the term “casting couch”, before launching into the history of sexual assault in Hollywood. The brief history lesson given at the start of the documentary is interesting and isn’t mainstream information that everyone just happens to be aware of, but thanks to the internet the information is readily available to those willing to do the research.

These filmmakers have done that research for us. It is horrifying to learn that the first recorded case of sexual assault in the industry was so brutal that the actress turned rape victim, Virginia Rappe, died a few days following the assault. It shows us that Hollywood’s history with sex scandals goes way back to the early 1920s and isn’t anything new at all. Not only have these behaviors been going on for almost one hundred years but the perpetrators of these acts are often protected, serve little to no time and often set free and given another chance to work in some capacity within the industry.

Who was Virgina Rappe’s assaulter? Well known comedian of the time, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. What happened to him? Although he was originally charged with murder which was downgraded to manslaughter, he was acquitted after three trials. Although his professional reputation was damaged, his life went on. Rappe’s life didn’t and no one did time for her death, which speaks volumes about the value of the lives of women vs men in Hollywood in the 1920s and begs the question: how far have we really come since then? This was a great foundation to build the film upon and it set the tone for what else was to come.

The mysterious death of Natalie Wood in 1981 was the next story mentioned, from a more recent past and a story that a lot more people are familiar with. Wood was allegedly raped in the 1950s but she refused to name her rapist for fear it would ruin her career. Rumor has it that it was a popular A-list actor of the time who threatened her life, telling Wood that if she told anyone, it would be the last thing she ever did. Natalie Wood is another example of a Hollywood starlet who was raped and murdered with no justice for the crimes committed upon her.

Survivors Speak Out

Actress and producer Tonja Walker describes her early experience with being discovered and starting her career. She goes on to tell the story about how a very well known and handsome actor, whom she does not name, took her out for one of the worst dates of her life which ended in rape. We live in a society that tends to have starry eyes for the beautiful, rich and famous. Walker has a warning: just because someone is famous does not mean that they are a good person, a nice person, that they’re trustworthy or have any good inside them.

Rocking the Couch details several more accounts of women and famous Hollywood moguls, some you may have heard of, others maybe not. Actress Tippi Hedren came out with her 2017 autobiography in which she accused famed horror director Alfred Hitchc*ck of sexual harassment which included threatening her career while shooting the film The Birds. Actress Alana Crow shares her nightmare tale of being raped by disgraced stage manager Jerry Blumenthal right before she had to go into hair and makeup and go perform as if nothing had happened. When she called the union and asked what to do they told her not to do anything or she would end up being blacklisted. The union failed to protect its members several times as the film outlines, which is disheartening. 

Former actress turned chef Carrie Mitchum escaped sexual misconduct because of her relatives in the industry, citing she was spared that kind of treatment because people were scared to mess with her family. However, she grew up in the industry, seeing what goes on with her own two eyes and she brings up another relevant point that detractors of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements focus on and use to discredit genuine victims. Some women are perfectly happy to exchange sex for career advancements or parts in films. And it’s true. Some women are and they have no shame in it, they enjoy living the high life and doing whatever it takes to get there. For some women, a blowjob in exchange for a leading role is no big deal. Does that discredit legitimate unwarranted and unwanted sexual harassment and assault upon other women? The film is answering this question with a strong no.

Not every woman in the film has been victimized. Some women in the industry feel called to speak up for the good men in Hollywood. Kim Johnston Ulrich is married to a casting director and wanted to passionately emphasize that casting directors have nothing to do with the coined term “casting couch”. She explains that her husband and other casting directors are now afraid to be in a situation where they might be accused of something they didn’t do. That’s another issue that detractors of the movements, some of the accused and the innocent like to bring up: false accusations sometimes happen too.

Sexual Assault and The Law

LA Criminal Defense Attorney Stephen G. Rodriguez explains sexual harassment and sexual assault in legal terms with examples that grade school children can understand. He’s animated and talks with his hands which only further emphasizes the words he’s speaking as he discusses the difference between sexual harassment and sexual assault. He pops up a couple times throughout the documentary to offer legal insight.

Rocking the Couch then goes into the case of former talent agent Wallace Kaye and the twelve (12) actresses who accused him of sexual assault in the 1990s – and won. Crow was one of the actresses Kaye assaulted but it took a non SAG member filing a report against Kaye with the Burbank police department to get things in motion. This is really the meat of the documentary; Wallace Kaye and the women who brought him down. Detectives got involved, an undercover sting was underway and Kaye took the bait.

The storyline takes us into the legal case, detailing the events and key statements. Kaye maintained his innocence and his wife was his biggest supporter. She believed the actresses were lying, out to get him and she stuck by her husband’s side the whole time. Ultimately the jury found him guilty and the twelve women won their case against him. The film does a good job explaining how this whole case and proceeding trial unfolded.

Rocking the Couch: Conclusion

The filmmakers did a great job putting this film together. All the elements are in place to create a compelling film for contemporary audiences, not just for those in the industry or those affected by sexual abuse. This documentary speaks to a major issue that affects women in various industries – it’s just more pronounced and perhaps expected in entertainment. And women aren’t the only people subjected to sexual harassment either.

After watching this important documentary and as an independent filmmaker in Hollywood, who happens to be a woman, I’m left with a lot of questions: How far has Hollywood really come in the last one hundred years? How complicit are we as a society that we can hear about these stories, act shocked and appalled for a few weeks and then shrug it off like it’s just part of the world we should accept, especially if we want to work in entertainment? Should talented women in entertainment have to continue to be abused and stay silent just to pursue dreams or pay the bills? Why did SAG/AFTRA and the Hollywood Industry as a whole allow known predators to keep working?

Do we care enough as a society to really make the changes necessary to put a stop to this? Or is it only a handful of women and our allies who care about this treatment of women in the industry?  And not just in Hollywood, but in every industry. Is this really the direction we, collectively as a society, are comfortable going forward with? Or can a film like this shed some more light and create an even bigger and better on-going movement for true gender equality?

Rocking the Couch is available on Amazon Prime.