Theresa Russell has publicly accused Sam Spiegel of sexual predation during the casting for his 1976 production of The Last Tycoon. Russell, who says she was 16 at the time and still living at home, recounted that during her first casting session Spiegel took her to the Bistro and attempted an aggressive sexual advance — she famously said he “tried to stick his tongue down my throat.” After she refused to sign a contract, Russell alleges Spiegel retaliated by excluding her from the film’s publicity and threatening to prevent her from working in Hollywood. The allegation sits within a larger, damning portrait painted by biographer Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni and noted in a Variety review by Wendy Smith, which cites Spiegel’s “sleazy financial maneuvers and creepy taste for underage girls,” and even recalls Billy Wilder’s nickname for him, the “velvet octopus.” These claims have never resulted in criminal charges or a court finding; they exist in published interviews and biographies and have been influential in reshaping Spiegel’s posthumous reputation. Given the public nature of Russell’s statements but the absence of legal adjudication, the episode remains an unproven but widely cited scandal that illustrates how power, youth and studio influence could be weaponized in mid‑20th‑century Hollywood.
Preparing the daily feature…
AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1970s
Theresa Russell’s 1970s Accusation: A Teenager’s Casting Session That Allegedly Ended with a Sexual Proposition and a Threat to Blackball Her
The Last Tycoon / Sam Spiegel / 1970s
Theresa Russell has publicly accused Sam Spiegel of sexual predation during the casting for his 1976 production of The Last Tycoon. Russell, who says she was 16 at the time and still living at home, recounted that during her first casting session Spiegel took her to the Bistro and attempted an aggressive sexual advance — she famously said he “tried to stick his tongue down my throat.” After she refused to sign a contract, Russell alleges Spiegel retaliated by excluding her from the film’s publicity and threatening to prevent her from working in Hollywood. The allegation sits within a larger, damning portrait painted by biographer Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni and noted in a Variety review by Wendy Smith, which cites Spiegel’s “sleazy financial maneuvers and creepy taste for underage girls,” and even recalls Billy Wilder’s nickname for him, the “velvet octopus.” These claims have never resulted in criminal charges or a court finding; they exist in published interviews and biographies and have been influential in reshaping Spiegel’s posthumous reputation. Given the public nature of Russell’s statements but the absence of legal adjudication, the episode remains an unproven but widely cited scandal that illustrates how power, youth and studio influence could be weaponized in mid‑20th‑century Hollywood.
The daily feature is taking an intermission. There’s still an entire archive to explore.