A collection of my favorite Hollywood stars from a bygone era ☄
*Correction, Aug. 13, 2014: This gallery originally misstated that a photograph of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in Portofino, Italy, was taken in...
There are many beautiful and accomplished old Hollywood actresses. This list features some of the most glamorous women in classic films.
These Golden Age of Hollywood photos make us wistful for the past.
There are many beautiful and accomplished old Hollywood actresses. This list features some of the most glamorous women in classic films.
Ah, old Hollywood. Where the men were manlier, the women were womanlier, and it’s all probably because of the offensively high amount of meat consumption and milk chugging that occurred at the time.
See 46 candid photos of the iconic Elizabeth Taylor
Movies filmed during the Golden Age of Hollywood have their own special magic and charm. Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth and other stars of that epoch look at us from black-and-white film frames, their hair curled in sleek continuous lines, their eyelashes covered with thick layers of mascara, and their eyebrows super thin. Times have changed, and the stars of modern movie hits look completely different.
The most beautiful girl in the world Hedy Lamarr: movie star, glamour queen, patented inventor. That the outrageously beauteous Lamarr should add that last, unexpected laurel to her wreath shouldn't come as a shock, as from the beginning, she was far from the average movie actress. Unlike many of her celluloid sisters at MGM, she came neither from grinding poverty, nor with a determined stage mother in the wings: instead, the well-bred and highly intelligent Lamarr came from a wealthy Austrian family. She began her theatrical career in Europe, first appearing on stage, and then, cataclysmically, in the Czechoslovakian film Ecstasy (1933), which featured the young beauty simulating (or was she?) orgasm and appearing in full frontal nude scenes. Lobby card for the 1940 American release of Ecstasy Lamarr then married her first husband, an Austrian arms manufacturer with Nazi ties. To escape, Lamarr reportedly disguised herself as one of her maids, and fled her husband's castle to Paris, where she obtained a divorce. Her next stop was London, where a chance meeting with Louis B. Mayer led to a contract with MGM in Hollywood. Mayer made it his personal mission to turn Lamarr into the star of stars; ironically, her first American film, Algiers (1938), was made on loan-out to United Artists, and its fame (based chiefly on co-star Charles Boyer's seductive suggestion to "Come away with me to the casbah") ultimately overshadowed nearly anything MGM featured Lamarr in. Indeed, her first two MGM pictures -- Lady of the Tropics (1939) and I Take This Woman (1940) -- were bombs, despite the huge Lamarr publicity build up, and the star wattage of co-stars Robert Taylor and Spencer Tracy, respectively. Being made up for I Take This Woman (1940, MGM) -- snickeringly referred to as I Retake This Woman, so tedious and convoluted was its filming Lamarr's most successful films were the ensemble dramas Boom Town (1940) with Tracy, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, and Ziegfeld Girl (1941) with James Stewart, Judy Garland and Lana Turner; but her own starring vehicles were ultimately disappointing, with the exception of White Cargo (1942), in which the elegant "ice queen" played deliciously against type as the hot-blooded native girl, Tondelayo. White Cargo (1942, MGM) It was Tondelayo too late, though; the writing was on the wall for Lamarr at MGM, as Mayer grew increasingly frustrated with both his own attempts at molding her into a superstar, and Lamarr's refusal to bow to his every whim. Mayer was accustomed to screaming, crying and cajoling what he wanted out of his vulnerable stable of female stars, many of whom came from unfortunate childhoods and looked to him as a father figure. He was thoroughly unprepared to deal with the demands and caprices of an independent, well-educated European lady of pedigreed background. To be fair, Lamarr's stubborn and mercurial nature often worked against her. For instance, she refused the plum role that Ingrid Bergman would eventually win an Oscar for in Gaslight (1944), objecting to taking second billing to Charles Boyer -- her argument being that he, not she, was the loaned-out star this time. Hedy Lamarr at her most glamorous, 1944 Lamarr's MGM contract was cancelled in 1945 (by "mutual agreement," as they euphemistically said in those days), and she immediately formed her own production company, which resulted in two interesting noir-ish dramas, The Strange Woman (1946) and Dishonored Lady (1947). Not bad films by any stretch, they also weren't earth-shattering; and, moreover, an exhausted Lamarr realized how much work went into being a self-contained artist without the benefit of a major studio for support. Wearied by her experience with self-production, Lamarr signed a short-term contract with Paramount, and was cast as one of the titular characters in Cecil B. DeMille's gloriously vulgar epic, Samson and Delilah (1949). The film was a smash hit, and briefly restored Lamarr to renewed stardom; but the excitement was short-lived. MGM requested her services for A Lady Without a Passport (1950), but the film was such a dog, Lamarr should have refused. Paramount did her no favors by tossing her into a dreary Western, Copper Canyon (1950), then had her playing second fiddle in a minor Bob Hope comedy, My Favorite Spy (1951). In barely a year, Lamarr's comeback was already over. Samson and Delilah (1949, Paramount) The ad copy and costumes for A Lady Without a Passport (1950, MGM) shamelessly cashed in on Hedy's success in Samson and Delilah Lamarr made one last attempt at reclaiming her movie stardom with the campy B melodrama The Female Animal (1957), in which she portrayed a fading screen queen, competing with daughter Jane Powell for the studly charms of George Nader. From there it was on to sporadic, sometimes bizarre TV appearances; botched plastic surgery which altered her exquisite looks; an embarrassing arrest for shoplifting which made worldwide headlines; a lurid "tell all" autobiography (ghost-) written for the money; and finally, quiet obscurity in Florida, far removed from her former fame. With George Nader in The Female Animal (1957, Universal) Guest hosting Shindig! with Jimmy O'Neill, 1965 At a press conference following her arrest for shoplifting, 1966 It's not to belittle Hedy Lamarr's abilities when we propose that she was the ultimate case of style winning out over substance. She was a tremendous star during the 1940's, whose very name was a byword for otherworldly glamour and beauty -- yet she never carried a classic film on her own, never was considered big box office. But even in her worst films, Lamarr's face was so compelling, audiences simply couldn't keep their eyes off of her. Unlike some starlets who had the looks but no talent and, worse, no charisma, Hedy Lamarr was a star who had the looks and charisma, and more talent than she was given credit for. As for that invention? With George Antheil, Lamarr co-invented a technique for spread spectrum communications and frequency hopping, initially intended for wartime use to make radio-guided torpedoes difficult for enemies to detect or jam -- and the basis for the technology used for such modern day essentials as Wi-Fi and wireless telephones. As we noted before: not your average movie star.
A Vintage Nerd, Classic Film Blog, Positive Quotes by Old Hollywood Stars, Inspirational Quotes from Old Hollywood, Old Hollywood Blog
Almost everyone from the lyrics of Madonna's "Vogue" is accounted for!
No crazy expensive surgeries, just their natural stunning beauty.
As summer movie season begins in earnest, we remember the woman who inadvertently created a new kind of fame.
A love letter to old Hollywood curated on the principles of modern femininity.
Old Hollywood fashion is the gold standard for the red carpet. See the best looks here.
Who could ever forget Bogie and Bacall?
These Golden Age of Hollywood photos make us wistful for the past.
Their perks came with plenty of strings attached.
In 2013, we have our Channing Tatums and our Zac Efrons, but nothing we will ever produce can hold a candle to Montgomery Clift and James Dean. They just don’t make sexy like they used to.
Flip through for all of the nostalgic moments in Oscars history.
Glossy red lips, Max Factor "Pan-Cake" foundation, powder puffs, glistening gold compacts and jeweled lipstick bullets... Old Hollywood practically glittered with glamour. And the starlets that lit up the silver screen became beauty experts in their own right, learning first-hand from film industry professionals - from makeup and hair artists to lighting technicians. I want to share beauty tips, tricks, and stories from some of the most iconic Old Hollywood leading ladies in the technicolor and sun-soaked 1950s! Audrey Hepburn In Audrey Hepburn’s first starring role in Roman Holiday (1953), her makeup artist Alberto De Rossi spotlighted Audrey's beautiful doe eyes by painstakingly separating each eyelash with a safety pin after using mascara to correct clumps. Audrey was so impressed, she specifically requested him as her lead makeup artist for future films, and his wife as her hairdresser. Audrey Hepburn and designer Hubert de Givenchy's relationship has become the stuff of legend. In 1957, he released L'Interdit *, a delicate floral fragrance that boasted Audrey as its muse with notes of iris and violet. But according to Audrey's publicist Henry Rogers, her husband Mel Ferrer wasn’t pleased, citing the fact Audrey wasn't getting any royalties for Givenchy's use of her image. Audrey herself was not alarmed, saying "I don't want anything from Hubert […] Yes, I even want to walk into a drugstore and buy the perfume at the retail price." Other fragrances worn by Audrey: Joy by Jean Patou, Femme by Marcel Rochas, English Promenade 19 by Krigler (thank you Smell You Later's Sable Yong for the tip). * Sadly, the current L'Interdit by Givenchy is a brand new fragrance In addition to her eyes, Audrey is associated with a now legendary lipstick in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). Sitting in a cab, Hepburn's Holly Golightly re-applies a peach pink lip while she receives bad news, a moment that swells to the climax of the film. It's been hotly debated which brand the lipstick was, and a select few in the know choose to remain tight-lipped - it seems for now we can’t conclusively know the secret to Audrey's perfect peach lips. Until then, Revlon's Pink in the Afternoon will have to do. A lovely mid-toned pink that was actually made for Audrey herself in the 1980s when she signed on as a Revlon spokesperson, Pink in the Afternoon is still available at most drugstores. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. Dorothy Dandridge Dorothy Dandridge made history as the first Black woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress as Carmen Jones in 1954, but she almost wasn’t cast for the iconic role. When Dorothy met with director and producer Otto Preminger for an audition, he said Dorothy was "a beautiful butterfly... but not Carmen." Dorothy asked for a second chance, and decided to prove him wrong. "I hurried to Max Factor’s studios and looked around for the right garb [...] I put on heavy lipstick, worked spit curls around my face." When Dorothy, dressed in character complete with the makeup transformation, slinked into her second audition, Otto gasped and this time declared "My God, it’s Carmen!" As for Dorothy's signature fragrance, Town and Country Mag reports Dandridge favored Tabu by Dana, a fragrance described as a warm spicy perfume with notes of orange, coriander, cloves, and jasmine. Dorothy was a true professional, learning tricks of the trade and "the importance of lighting, camera angles, and makeup for both dramatic effect and star power" (Dorothy Dandridge by Donald Bogle). For the films Bright Road (1953) and Remains to be Seen (1953), Dorothy and celebrity hairdresser Sydney Guilaroff would work together to create her on-screen look: "Then we took pictures. And then Dorothy would take it to the new studio and tell them this was just how she wanted to look." Off screen, Dandridge admitted she preferred going fresh faced, with just "a little thickening of my eyebrows, and colorful bandanas for my hair." JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. Marilyn Monroe One of the most iconic 1950s beauty icons is Marilyn Monroe with her honeyed blonde hair and glossed lips. Lucky for us, Marilyn's beauty regime has been extensively reported on. My favorite beauty antidote about Marilyn is via her sister, Berniece Baker Miracle. In her book, My Sister Marilyn, Berniece shares makeup advice Marilyn herself would pass onto her from Monroe's experiences as a model and actress. In a letter to Berniece, Marilyn explained the magic of a lip brush and how to use different shades to create depth on the lips: "You can’t control the line if you apply lipstick with a tube […] With the brush you can apply two or three colors for shading. The first step is to outline your lips in a darker color, then shade with a lighter color for contour." Marilyn's lips were usually topped with Vaseline for a hyper-glossy finish. Marilyn used lipsticks from brands like Coty, Max Factor, and Revlon. A modern day equivalent of Marilyn's favorite Revlon lip, Bachelor's Carnation, is Love That Red, a gorgeous cool toned red! Marilyn Monroe gets ready for a night out in New York City. By Ed Feingersh, 1955. When Marilyn Monroe was photographed spritzing on Chanel No. 5, it sealed the fragrance's fate: over 70 years later, the perfume is still synonymous with old Hollywood glamour and Marilyn's unique blend of vulnerability and sensuality. It was also reported that when asked what she wore to bed, Marilyn said "I only wear Chanel No. 5", a line that has been confirmed by this voice clip of Marilyn herself! JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. Elizabeth Taylor Elizabeth Taylor was enshrouded in studio glamour from a young age, growing up on the MGM lot working as a child star. "MGM was a very exciting place to be […] They were all there - Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr," says Elizabeth. "And there was the lovely, sweet smell of the pancake makeup the women wore." Elizabeth’s eyes were particularly dazzling, in certain lighting her blue eyes looked violet, and they were framed with a double row of eyelashes. Fellow child star and friend Roddy McDowall saying, "Who has double eyelashes except a girl who was absolutely born to be on the big screen?" Elizabeth favored Max Factor, wearing "Clear Red no3" in Father's Little Dividend (1951), and Elizabeth Arden lipsticks And in the iconic opening scene of Butterfield 8 (1960), Elizabeth Taylor as Gloria Wandrous scrawls "No Sale" with her pink lipstick in a mirror. Elizabeth herself hated the film, but the scene was electrifying - she even referenced the scene to show how unhappy she was with the rest of the film: "While I was viewing a rough cut, [...] I walked up to the screen, took out a lipstick, and wrote a four-letter word on the screen." It’s rumored she again referenced the scene later, writing "You are fantastic, Luv" on the dressing room mirror of on-again off-again flame Richard Burton (who kept the message on his mirror for his entire run in the play). JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. During my research I found so many more amazing Old Hollywood beauty tricks and antidotes - should I expand this into a series and cover the 1940s and 1930s as well? Sources and Further Reading: Audrey Hepburn: Audrey Hepburn by Barry Paris, L’Interdit then vs. L’Interdit Now by Elena Prokofeva, Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn by Donald Spoto Dorothy Dandridge: Everything and Nothing by Dorothy Dandridge, Dorothy Dandridge by Donald Bogle, 14 Famous Women and Their Favorite Perfumes by Town and Country Mag Marilyn Monroe: My Sister Marilyn by Berniece Baker Miracle, Marilyn and N°5 – Inside CHANEL Elizabeth Taylor: Elizabeth Taylor: An informal memoir & Elizabeth Takes Off by Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth by J. Randy Taraborrelli
It’s okay, I’ll just be over here in my baggy sweater. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Explore Sew Something Vintage's 2479 photos on Flickr!
To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Beverly Hills Hotel released a coffee table book full of vintage photos of Hollywood stars, including Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Faye Dunaway.
Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler (November 9, 1914 – January 19, 2000), was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor who was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. After a brief early film career in Czechoslovakia, including the controversial Ecstasy (1933), she fled from her husband, a wealthy Austrian ammunition manufacturer, and secretly moved to Paris. Traveling to London, she met Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio, who offered her a movie contract in Hollywood. She became a star with her performance in Algiers (1938), her first film made in the United States. Her MGM films include Lady of the Tropics (1939), Boom Town (1940), H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941), and White Cargo (1942). Her greatest success was as Delilah in Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949). She also acted on television before the release of her final film, The Female Animal (1958). She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. At the beginning of World War II, Lamarr and composer George Antheil developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes, intended to use frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology to defeat the threat of jamming by the Axis powers. Although the US Navy did not adopt the technology until the 1960s, various spread-spectrum techniques are incorporated into Bluetooth technology and are similar to methods used in legacy versions of Wi-Fi. Recognition of the value of this work resulted in the pair being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014. When framed, these monochrome prints make an attractive addition to any movie lovers decor. Lovingly printed to order on heavyweight gloss 210 g/m2 photo paper using high end printing techniques. All prints shipped securely in hard backed envelopes so as to avoid damage during transit.
Elizabeth Taylor Hollywood love affair, Natalie Wood,Robert Wagner, Eva Gardner,Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor,Eddie Fisher William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, & Robert Taylor.
