Hollywood stars of yesteryear were paid a huge fortune to endorse smoking, according to new research.
Hollywood icons such as John Wayne, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis were paid to help promote smoking. The University of California at San Francisco researchers obtained endorsement contracts which showed how much stars were paid to promote cigarettes.
Many of the biggest names from Golden Hollywood were paid up to $10,000 to endorse the brand Lucky Stripe (as well as earning a few free packets no doubt) This is equivalent to £150,000 today.
Researchers from the University claim the findings show that the millions poured into Hollywood can still be felt today. They wrote, "As in the 1930s, nothing today prevents the global tobacco industry from influencing the film industry in any number of ways."
Their warnings come despite a self-imposed ban on cigarette promotion in films. However, anti-smoking group ASH claim smoking imagery on the big screen would never be "outlawed completely", and are calling out for clearer warnings before films.
