Be yourself. The world worships the original. – Ingrid Bergman
Ben-Hur (1959)
Genre: Historical drama Description: In Ben-Hur it is the time of Christ and Jewish prince Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is betrayed by his Roman friend Messala (Stephen Boyd). He is sent into slavery, but when he regains his freedom he decides to take on the Roman Empire.
Julie Harris dies at the age of 87
Actress Julie Harris has passed away of congestive heart failure at the age of 87 last weekend. Classic Hollywood fans will remember the actress as the girl who caught James Dean’s eye in East of Eden.
Facts: Judy Garland
Read facts you never knew about Judy Garland: Judy was less than 5ft. tall She was put on a constant diet by her mother and MGM as a teenager. She later stated that that was what she remembered most about those days. She felt that her biggest hit, Over The Rainbow, was symbolic of her …
Facts: Clark Gable
Read facts you never knew about Clark Gable: Clark was accidentally listed as female on his birth certificate. Clark changed his appearance to succeed in Hollywood. He did not just buy a new wardrobe, but he also underwent cosmetic surgery on his ears and teeth. His father was never happy with his decision to become …
Quote of the week
Every age can be enchanting, provided you live within it. – Brigitte Bardot
Facts: Humphrey Bogart
Read facts you never knew about Humphrey Bogart: Humphrey Bogart’s mother Maud was a militant woman suffragist. She was also a very successful commercial illustrator. Some years she made more money than her husband, a cardiopulmonary surgeon. Bogie is distantly related to the late Princess Diana, through her American relations. Although he took his enlistment …
Wuthering Heights (1939)
Genre: Drama Description: It’s the early nineteenth century and the owner of the Wuthering Heights estate brings home an orphan named Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier). His son despises the boy, but his daughter Catharine (Merle Oberon) forms a close bond with Heathcliff.
Quote of the week
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway – John Wayne
James Stewart
Birth: May 20, 1908 Pennsylvania, United States Death: July 2, 1997 California, United States Childhood James Stewart, who was called Jimmy, was born on May 20th, 1908 in Indiana as the oldest child to Elizabeth and Alexander Stewart. His father was a hard-working, stern man who was very involved in Jimmy’s life. His mother was …
Ava Gardner’s tell-all book is published
Although icon Ava Gardner told her story to journalist Peter Evans in 1988, it is being released this month. She may have been legendary, but in the late eighties Ava found herself broke and told Evans: ‘I either write the book or sell the jewels. And I’m kinda sentimental about the jewels’.
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Genre: Crime/film noir Description: In The Maltese Falcon Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart), a private investigator, and his partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) are approached by a Miss Wonderly (Mary Astor) who asks them to find her missing sister.
Quote of the Week
Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring – Marilyn Monroe
Interview: Astrid Franse, the owner of the Marilyn Monroe modeling archive
As you may recall, a year ago Classic Hollywood Central reported that a unique Marilyn Monroe archive was discovered in Holland. The archive used to belong to Emmeline Snively, the deceased owner of the Blue Book Modeling Agency and Marilyn’s former boss/confidante. Astrid en Ben Franse, who own a store called Bennies Fifties, found out …
Esther Williams dies at the age of 91
Esther Williams, the swim champion turned actress, died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 91 last thursday.
Facts: Grace Kelly
Read facts you never knew about Grace Kelly: When Grace was a child her favorite actors were Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotton. In her senior yearbook, her classmates predicted that she was certain ‘to become a great stage and screen star’. Grace’s uncle was George Kelly, a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright. He and Grace were …
Quote of the week
Publicity can be terrible. But only if you don’t have any – Jane Russell
Facts: James Dean
Read facts you never knew about James Dean: In high school, James was a star basketball player. When James had to write a case study about himself as a High School assignment, he wrote that ‘Mom became ill and passed out of my life at the age of nine. I never knew the reason for …
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Genre: Drama Description: In A Streetcar Named Desire a faded Southern beauty named Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) comes to visit her sister Stella (Kim Hunter) in New Orleans after a nervous breakdown.