We all know and love Angela Lansbury from Murder She Wrote, plus she was the voice of Mrs. Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. However she didn’t start out in life as a middle-aged crime-solving widow (or a singing teapot). Back in the 40s and 50s she looked rather different and played a huge(…)
So you think Cara Delevingne invented the bold brow? Think again! As with most fashion trends, it’s all been done before. And as with most things Audrey Hepburn did it better. Here are five Hollywood stars from the 1940s and 50s who rocked the statement brow trend the first time around! Of course, the 1940s(…)
We all know that the Studio System of 30s, 40s and 50s Hollywood remade and remoulded their actors and actresses, but what did they look like before they were styled by the star factory? Here are some of my favourite Classic Hollywood actresses before they were famous. Who do you think had the biggest transformation?(…)
Vintage high school photos taken in 1942 at McGuffey High School in Miami. Aren’t these great? I love the different hairstyles, some are so fancy. I wonder whether they wore their hair like this every day or whether it was a special effort on photo day? Can you tell from the photos who the different(…)
I came across this amazing collection of photographs on Flickr yesterday and was totally captivated by them. The photographer was Costică Acsinte, a Polish Romanian war photographer during WW1 and afterwards. These photos all seem to have been taken around 1940 and are a real mixture: some are of military personnel, some are posed photo(…)
Choreographer Lee Sherman photographed rehearsing dancers at Radio City Music Hall, New York in June 1947. I love the fabulous costumes, and also the way the photos give a real impression of his energy. He’s working at least as hard as all the dancers! You can read more about the production he was rehearsing for(…)
These photos of children living through the Blitz in London kind of speak for themselves. I just wanted to share.
Katharine Hepburn was something of a trailblazer in the Classic Hollywood era. One of the first leading ladies to reject Hollywood glamour and wear trousers, she pioneered the casual look and loved wearing menswear-inspired tailoring and collared shirts. She wore mens suits and casual sportswear at a time when it was practically unheard of, and(…)
Something fabulous for a Friday afternoon. I adore this smooth jazz version of Meghan Trainor’s ‘All About That Bass’ by Kate Davis – isn’t it gorgeous? And just in case you don’t know the original here you go: It’s equally fabulous but in a totally different way! Enjoy! And Happy Halloween everyone!
Boy have there been some strange beauty contests over the years! These photos include the contestants for ‘Miss Psywar’ (doesn’t that stand for Phsychological Warfare…?), ‘Miss War Worker’ and ‘Miss Bobbed Hair 1925’…
I actually watched this movie last week but haven’t had time to write it up until now. It was shown in the rush of nostalgia following the sad news of Lauren Bacall‘s death and I have to say I’m delighted this fiim was shown on TV. Lauren Bacall called it a “good little movie… with(…)
Following on from talking about Toni Frissell’s photos of children during WW2 I wanted to share some of her breathtaking fashion photos with you. She started photographing for Vogue in 1931 and was best known for her fashion photos showing active and independent women in outdoor settings, which contrasted starkly with other male photographers of(…)
Both of these photos were taken by American photographer Toni Frissell who was best known for her fashion photography for Harpers Bazaar and Vogue. During WW2 she travelled with the American Red Cross where she photographed nurses, front-line soldiers, American airmen and civilians. Her photos are very evocative and powerful, especially those of children caught(…)
As strange as this photo might seem I couldn’t resist sharing it. Not only does it prove my theory that all dummies are creepy (whether ventriloquist’s dummys or otherwise), it also would appear to show that people in 1940s America believed women gave birth through a convenient doorway in their abdomen*. Thankfully medicine has advanced(…)
Greer Garson (or Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson Fogelson as she was christened) was a huge 1940s movie star who has rather faded from public memory. She was one of MGM’s biggest stars and also one of the biggest box-office draws during the mid 1940s. She also received an impressive 7 Oscar nominations! She was born(…)
If you haven’t got your outfit organized for Goodwood Revival yet, it’s time to start looking! The dress code for Goodwood Revival is anything from the 1940s, 50s and 60s. People go to great lengths (as you can see here) to dress the part, and although it isn’t obligatory to dress up, most people do(…)
A movie called The Gay Falcon today would be a very different movie from this! Far from being what you might expect, this is the first in a series of detective movies starring the debonair and rather rakish investigator Gay Lawrence “The Falcon” played by George Sanders*. *George Sanders voiced the deep enthralling tiger Shere Khan(…)
Am I the first person to ask what all the fuss is about Citizen Kane? It has been heralded as one of the greatest movies of the 1940s. I only watched it for the first time this week and I have to say I don’t really get it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a perfectly(…)