For today's Throwback Thursday, I wanted to honor Pride Month with my favorite topic: the salacious lives of old Hollywood sirens. I'm always pleasantly surprised to hear about the affairs of old Hollywood actresses because they sound like they were bumpin' pretties with anything that moved. Some of these black-and-white starlets would make modern actresses clutch their pearls! While a lot of these feel like rumors, I'm getting my information from a combination of Axel Madsen's bookThe Sewing Circle: Female Stars Who Loved Other Women and Karina Longworth's work in You Must Remember This. Between the two sources, I have good faith that these babes made hanky panky with a lot of their co-stars.Today's #TBT is going to focus on a few of these old Hollywood hotties who specifically had lesbian affairs. I know, I know, it's really hot. So let's get this started:

Greta Garbo

When you think of old Hollywood temptress, Greta Garbo is usually the first one who comes to mind. She dated men, but never married, and was known in Hollywood for her taste in women. Since her entire persona was mysterious and aloof, she managed to get away with a lot of activity sans scrutiny. She is somehow connected to every rumored gay and bisexual actress in the black-and-white days. Her notable affairs include Louise Brooks, Billie Holiday, Mercedes de Acosta, Janet Gaynor, Marlene Dietrich, and Tallulah Bankhead who slept with nearly every possible old Hollywood actor but didn't go nude enough to make this list. Those are just Greta's lovers that we know about! I mean...damn, Greta. You had game! Not only that, but Greta played one of the earliest bisexual characters in Hollywood in the film Queen Christina which told the story of a gender-fluid queen who slept with men and woman. She even kissed her female lover on camera!

#TBT to These Old Hollywood Actresses Who Had Lesbian Affairs#TBT to These Old Hollywood Actresses Who Had Lesbian Affairs

Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford recalls being cast in a film with Greta early in her career where Greta Garbo complimented her beauty and how that moment made her think she might be a lesbian. Allegedly, MGM suppressed the release of a pornographic lesbian film that Joan made when she was 19 by paying $100,000 to her own brother who was trying to blackmail her. We're still waiting for this mysterious film to see the light of day! Joan was rumored to have some bisexual affairs that included Barbara Stanwyck, Denise Parker, and even the gorgeous comedienne Claudette Colbert. But back to Joan. Joan didn't have as many known affairs as Greta, but she did sleep with very well-known Hollywood queer icon Alla Nazimova who was responsible for the silent and sexy Salome. That's a really good pull, Joanie! She was also very loved by men and was known to hook up with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas.

#TBT to These Old Hollywood Actresses Who Had Lesbian Affairs#TBT to These Old Hollywood Actresses Who Had Lesbian Affairs

Claudette Colbert

Claudette wasn't known to have that many affairs and that could either be because she simply wasn't interested or - as evidence suggests - she was more a long-term relationship girl. She did deny being in "The Sewing Circle", but she also had two very long term female partnerships. She was known to have an exceptionally close relationship with her "neighbor" and "travel companion" Verna Hull. After years hanging out with artist Verna, she met Helen O'Hagen whom she asked friends to treat as her spouse. When she died, she left most of her estate to Helen.

#TBT to These Old Hollywood Actresses Who Had Lesbian Affairs

Barbara Stanwyck

I know I'm biased because Barbara is one of my personal favorite actresses her time. She was hilarious, hot, and known in her day as "the best actress who never won an Oscar". She was also a favorite lover of many men and women!Her Titanic co-star Clifton Webbcalled her "my favorite American lesbian". She was fairly quiet about her sexuality despite playing a lesbian character in Walk on the Wild Side in 1962. In an interview with journalist Boze Hadleigh, she was asked about bisexual actresses Greta Garbo and Marlene Deitrich. She said, "I heard that Dietrich, Garbo, most of the girls from Europe, swing either way. Then I found out it’s true." The journalist questioned her further asking, "You found out?" And Barbara just said: Next! That was Barbara. Playful and coy all the way til the end.

#TBT to These Old Hollywood Actresses Who Had Lesbian Affairs

Marlene Dietrich

Marlene didn't hide her fluid sexuality. She wore suits and men's clothing! As a result, she had affairs with so many prominent men and women in old Hollywood. The Sewing Circle euphemism that was used to refer to closeted lesbians and bisexuals in Hollywood was started from Marlene. The members of her sewing circle were vast as this proudly bisexual babe took in sexual conquests left and right. She allegedly slept with everyone from Gary Cooper and James Stewart to Mercedes de Acosta and Dolores del Rio whom she considered the most beautiful woman she had ever met. She and Garbo were also known to be rivals, but I wonder if that's because they saw one another as romantic competition? All we can do is speculate!

#TBT to These Old Hollywood Actresses Who Had Lesbian Affairs

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn?!! But she loved men! It turns out she may have loved every one. She allegedly told her psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Greenson in taped transcripts that she and Joan Crawford hooked up when she was a younger actress.“Oh yes, Crawford. We went to Joan’s bedroom. She had a gigantic orgasm and shrieked like a maniac…next time I saw Crawford, she wanted another round…after I turned her down, she became spiteful.” Who wouldn't be heartbroken to be let down by Marilyn? She was the sex symbol of the century!

#TBT to These Old Hollywood Actresses Who Had Lesbian Affairs

Did this article inspire you to get into more black and white nude scenes? Then check out this video of the top five hottest nude scenes shot in black and white: