Ingrid Bergman Faces Hate Mail Following 1950 Scandal

In the year 1950, Ingrid Bergman, a renowned movie star, found herself embroiled in a scandal that rocked the world.

Despite her successful career in films like “Casablanca” and “The Bells of St. Mary's,” Bergman left her husband and child to pursue a relationship with Italian filmmaker Roberto Rossellini, resulting in an out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

The public backlash against Bergman was immense, with her films being boycotted throughout the United States, her ban from “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and condemnation on the floor of the U.S. Congress.

However, what remained largely unknown was the extent of the hate mail she received in private.

Now, after 70 years, a collection of 47 telegrams sent during the early months of 1950 has shed light on the vitriol Bergman endured.

These telegrams were exclusively obtained by TheWrap.

Throughout 1950, Bergman, who was born in Stockholm, received telegrams and letters expressing betrayal from fans who believed she was an innocent and pure actress.

They expressed their disappointment, labeling her as ungodly, un-American, and worse.

Some even declared that she would never be welcome back in the United States or her homeland.

For years, Bergman remained relatively silent about the scandal and showed little remorse for her actions.

However, the communications she received reveal the extent of the anger and abuse she faced behind the scenes.

One telegram, signed by a former fan, berated Bergman in February 1950, just days after she gave birth to her son Renato Roberto Rossellini.

It accused her of being a common adulteress and brought shame upon her young daughter.

Another telegram called her a dirty prostitute, criticizing her for deserting her daughter and husband.

It went on to say that her actions disgraced herself and both of them, and expressed concern for the well-being of her new baby.

Yet another telegram suggested she take an overdose of sleeping pills.

Bergman and Rossellini shared these telegrams with writer Art Buchwald, who mentioned thousands of fan mail in an article he wrote for Look Magazine in February 1951.

According to Buchwald, Bergman had saved all the letters she received during her pregnancy and after the baby's birth.

Although she tried to answer the friendly ones, she retained a sense of humor about the others.

Threats on her life, prayers for her salvation, poems of praise, anti-Catholic and anti-Italian obscenities, as well as scrawls of disgust, were among the contents of the letters.

However, Look magazine chose not to publish the most offensive telegrams.

Now, more than 70 years later, seeing the telegrams in their full context suggests that Bergman endured even worse than previously realized.

Alicia Malone, a film critic and historian, noted that reading the telegrams made her realize that nothing has changed over the years.

Society tends to put women on a pedestal and expects them to be perfect, gleefully tearing them down when they fall from grace.

Ingrid Bergman first gained fame in America in 1939 when she starred in an English-language remake of the film “Intermezzo.”

She went on to become one of the biggest box office draws of the decade.

However, by the late 1940s, she grew tired of Hollywood movies and studio filmmaking.

She reached out to Roberto Rossellini, praising his films and expressing her interest in working with him if he needed a Swedish actress who spoke English fluently but struggled with other languages.

This note marked the beginning of a five-year professional and romantic relationship between Bergman and Rossellini.

Their scandalous affair kept Bergman away from Hollywood and hindered her success at the box office.

Religious groups across the country called for a ban on her film “Stromboli,” which depicted a character facing hostility and rejection due to her foreignness and perceived promiscuity.

Adding to the controversy, Bergman gave birth just days before the movie's intended release, leading to its commercial failure and significant financial loss for RKO.

In conclusion, Ingrid Bergman faced a barrage of hate mail in the aftermath of her 1950 scandal.

The recently discovered telegrams shed light on the extent of the vitriol she endured.

Despite the public backlash, Bergman remained resilient, and her story serves as a reminder of society's tendency to idolize and then tear down its icons.