Old Hollywood was known for its glitz and glamour, for its brightly shining stars like Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. The Golden Age of Hollywood was a time between the '20s and '60s when the studio system ruled, meaning the Big Five studios controlled the film industry and the stars they made contacts with. Today, in times of individuality and independence, this would be hardly imaginable.
But Old Hollywood has made such a mark on our culture that its legacy is still very much present, thanks to the hundreds of classic movies, iconic photographs and music made during that time. And this Instagram account is your ultimate destination for vintage entertainment.
Curated by Caitlin, “Vintage Movie Stars” is an online gallery that posts incredible black and white shots of movie and music icons. Famous and infamous, lesser-known and truly iconic, the photographs remind us of the times that kept fascinating the generations to come.
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Carrie Fisher Watching Her Mother Debbie Reynolds Backstage At The Riviera Hotel In Las Vegas, 1963
Louis Armstrong Serenading His Wife Lucille At The Great Sphinx Of Giza, Egypt, 1961
Dolly Parton And Her Husband Carl Dean Circa 1966
The couple met outside of a laundromat the day Parton arrived in Nashville in 1964. She was 18 and he was 21. "My first thought was I'm gonna marry that girl," Dean later revealed. "My second thought was, 'Lord she's good lookin.' And that was the day my life began."
The old Hollywood era has made a mark on Western culture unlike anything else. Its origins date back to the first film completed in Hollywood, 1908’s The Count of Monte Cristo, although production of the film began in Chicago. The first film made entirely in Hollywood was a short film in 1910 titled In Old California.
By 1911, the first movie studio appeared on Sunset Boulevard. By 1915, many major motion-picture companies had relocated to Hollywood from the East Coast. Around this time, many iconic film stars rose to fame on the big screens, forever changing or rather shaping the concept of famous people, aka celebrities.
"I'll Never Forget The Day Marilyn And I Were Walking Around New York City, Just Having A Stroll On A Nice Day"
"She loved New York because no one bothered her there like they did in Hollywood, she could put on her plain-jane clothes and no one would notice her. She loved that. So as we we're walking down Broadway, she turns to me and says 'Do you want to see me become her?' I didn’t know what she meant but I just said 'Yes' - and then I saw it. I don't know how to explain what she did because it was so very subtle, but she turned something on within herself that was almost like magic. And suddenly cars were slowing and people were turning their heads and stopping to stare. They were recognizing that this was Marilyn Monroe as if she pulled off a mask or something, even though a second ago nobody noticed her. I had never seen anything like it before." - Amy Greene, wife of Marilyn's personal photographer Milton Greene
Marlon Brando Having A Typewriting Session With His Cat, 1954
Marilyn Monroe And Sammy Davis Jr. On The 20th Century Fox Lot, 1953
The actress was promoting her film, How to Marry a Millionaire. "Marilyn and I were rumored to be an item. We were friends. Nothing more. Marilyn was one of the sweetest creatures that ever lived," Sammy later said.
What an amazing beauty! That shape, those curves, those round headlights...that car is a CLASSIC. Marilyn is nice too... ;)
A lot of people don't realize that Marilyn Monroe was also an advocate for civil rights. She got the Mocambo in LA to allow Ella Fitzgerald to sing there by promising that if they let her sing, Marilyn would be there at the front table every night, and she was. And I seem to recall that she went to a hotel with another performer, only for the performer to say that they were supposed to use the back door, and Marilyn took them through the front door and complained to the manager that they either both use the front door, or neither of them would.
Considering the technology at the time, this picture is a masterpiece.
Sammy Davis Junior was the full package. An amazing dancer a beautiful singer and a really funny comedian as well as a brilliant actor. It's atrocious how badly he was treated by society because of the colour of his skin. Even if he was the star billing, which he so often was, he still had to enter the building via the tradesmen entrance and go through the kitchen. NOBODY deserved to be treated that way.
If we could just Photoshop a Kardashian somewhere else she don't fit....
No wonder that in the 1930s and ‘40s, a time ransacked by the Great Depression and World War II, Americans turned to Hollywood film for inspiration. Stars like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford were like the Chiara Ferragnis or Leandra Medines are today. The glamor and accessibility to live their lives through the movie screen was something that appealed to audiences around the world. Soon, movie stars became the era’s new gods and goddesses, not unlike the influencers we see on social media today.
Today, the same icons, think of James Dean and Brigitte Bardot, remain as relevant as ever. Their portraits now cover t-shirts and coffee mugs, and it only takes one scroll through Instagram to see how much of an inspiration these figures are to users on the platform.
Joanne Woodward And Paul Newman At Their Hollywood Home, 1965
Woodward famously said: "Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat." Photos by David Sutton.
Meryl Streep Photographed By Duane Michals, 1975
"The picture was taken before she was famous," Michals remembers. "I had simply been told she was super talented and big things were in the wings. We went up town and ran around the Marquis theatre and had a lot of fun. I asked her to dance and she was as joyful as she seems in the photograph, just radiant."
A Dapper Muhammad Ali (Then Known As Cassius Clay) Going For A Stroll In New York, 1963
These days, when celebrity culture is omnipresent, you can’t help but wonder what kind of effect both current celebrities and old icons have on our self-worth and mental wellbeing. Is it possible to become too invested in the lives of famous people, you wonder? So Bored Panda reached out to Claire Sisco King, the Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Vanderbilt University, who shared some very interesting insights.
John Travolta With His Sisters Ellen And Ann During The Stage Production Of Bus Stop, 1976
Audrey Hepburn And Julie Andrews At The Academy Awards, 1964
Andrews was passed over in favor of Hepburn for the role of Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady, which she had originated on stage. This freed her to play the title role in Mary Poppins, which earned her an Oscar for Best Actress. That night, Audrey reportedly told Julie: "You should have done it, but I didn’t have the guts to turn it down." "We were friends from then on,” remembers Julie.
"When You Look At Marilyn On The Screen, You Don't Want Anything Bad To Happen To Her. You Really Care That She Should Be All Right... Happy" - Natalie Wood
“There is the possibility of over-investment in any kind of relationship, whether it’s an interpersonal relationship with a friend or romantic partner or a parasocial relationship with a celebrity. We can even point to examples of overinvestment in sports teams,” the professor said.
“There are certainly negative implications associated with the idealization of celebrities. For example, idealization of the American Dream obscures the fact that some people experience privileges (such as race or socioeconomic status) that make it easier for them to achieve success,” Sisco King stated. She added: “As another example, celebrity culture has contributed to the hegemony of white Eurocentric beauty norms and the idealization of thinness in the U.S.”
Jane Fonda Shopping At Mayfair, 1967
Hugh Grant Photographed By Gregory Heisler, 1984
"He was alone in a booth sipping coffee, killing time, distractedly tapping his teaspoon," recalled Heisler. "It was an authentic moment sandwiched between many not-so-authentic moments."
In February Of 1954, Marilyn Monroe Interrupted Her Honeymoon With Second Husband, Joe Dimaggio, To Entertain The Troops In Korea. The Actress Performed Ten Shows For More Than 100,000 Troops
The actress performed ten shows for more than 100,000 troops. She later described the experience as "the best thing that ever happened to me. I never felt like a star before in my heart. It was so wonderful to look down and see a fellow smiling at me."
Moreover, “The emergence of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok has corresponded with increased cases of body dysmorphia among young people whose ideas about what they should look like are often shaped by inaccessible ideals. Images of celebrities are often manipulated, and celebrities have access to resources (trainers, nutritionists, cosmetic surgeons, etc.) that most people cannot afford; but still many people desire and even attempt to imitate these beauty standards,” the professor explained.
James Dean And Eartha Kitt At Katharine Dunham’s Dance Studio, New York, 1955
"He (James Dean) said to me, 'I want to move like you, can you teach me how to move my body like you do on stage?' And I told him where to meet me, here in New York and that’s where we met for dance classes."
Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, And Rob Lowe In A Publicity Still For The Outsiders, 1983
Robert Redford And Paul Newman On The Set Of Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, 1969
Newman fought to have Redford, the Hollywood newcomer, to play his sidekick in the film. "He was considered a star at the time and I wasn't," remembers Redford. "From that point on I had a great deal of affection for him, for what he did for me. He didn't have to do that."
Having said that, Sisco King said that there are also benefits to celebrity culture. “We can point to examples of stars whose presence and activism have countered oppressive discourses in the U.S., countering racism or homophobia, for example. For example, in the 1980s and 1990s, celebrities played a major role in promoting AIDS awareness. More recently, many Black celebrities have used social media to support the Black Lives Matter movement, and many famous women have challenged misogyny and sexual violence through the #MeToo movement.”
Audrey Hepburn Photographed By William Klein For Vogue, 1966. The Actress Would Have Been 92 Today
Family Portrait Of A Two-Year-Old Elvis Presley And His Parents Gladys And Vernon, 1937
"My love for my son began even before he was born," Vernon later said. "At that time there was almost nobody poorer than my wife Gladys and me. But we were thrilled and excited when we learned that we were going to be parents..." On January 8, 1935, Gladys gave birth to twins. Sadly, Elvis’s brother Jesse was delivered stillborn. "...God spoke to my heart and told me that Elvis was the only child we’d ever have and the only child we’d ever need," Vernon continued. "Elvis was a special gift who would fill our lives completely...As soon as I realized that Elvis was meant to be an only child, I felt as though a burden was lifted. I never again wondered why we didn’t have additional sons and daughters. It’s hard to describe the feelings Elvis, his mother and I had for each other."
Cary Grant Leaving His London Hotel In Style, 1946. "My Father Used To Say, 'Let Them See You And Not The Suit'. That Should Be Secondary," Quoted The Actor
According to the professor, celebrity culture is complex as it brings people both pleasure and pain. “It can reaffirm exclusionary norms at the same time that it can challenge them. Celebrity culture should neither be wholly celebrated nor summarily dismissed, but rather deserves careful and balanced consideration for its values and limitations.”
Audrey Hepburn Nervously Awaiting The Announcement For Best Actress At The 26th Academy Awards Ceremony, 1954
The actress won her first and only Oscar that night for her performance in Roman Holiday (1953). The film helped establish her as a star and style icon. Despite this, she was very insecure, later saying: "I'm terribly self-conscious and clothes give me a great deal of confidence. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I see the problems when I get up in the morning and do my best to look well. I'd have liked to have been not so tall, liked to have smaller feet, a larger figure, a smaller nose, to have been blonde. I'd have liked to have changed everything."
Grace Kelly Shopping For Dresses With Her Mother Margaret In New York, 1955
Diane Keaton And Al Pacino Behind The Scenes Of The Godfather, 1972
Frank Sinatra Sharing A Sweet Moment With A Little Girl During His Visit To The Royal National College For The Blind School At Northwood, Middlesex, 1962
Olivia Newton-John And John Travolta At The Grease Premiere Party At Paramount Studios In Los Angeles, 1978
Ingrid Bergman With Her Daughter Isabella In Rome, 1962
Marilyn Monroe And Jane Russell During A Break In Filming Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953
Meryl Streep And Robert De Niro In The Deer Hunter, 1978
Judy Garland In An Early Costume Test For The Wizard Of Oz, 1939
The actress was originally outfitted with a blonde wig and babydoll makeup at the start of filming, but George Cukor ditched the "glam" look in favor of a more natural appearance.
Poor little girl. Still, she wouldn't have had it any better today. Perhaps worse.
Harrison Ford Photographed By Nancy Moran At His Los Angeles Home, 1981
Sophia Loren Sitting Back To Back With Her Little Sister Maria, 1955
Marlon Brando Photographed By Philippe Halsman, 1949
James Dean Visiting Elizabeth Taylor In Her Trailer During The Filming Of Giant, 1955
Looks like he's going through the till receipt to see how much she owes him for the wafers....
Paul Newman And Joanne Woodward Book Shopping In New York, 1959
"I Always Ribbed Frank About His Strange Effect On The Female Sex. Then One Night My Infant Daughter Started To Bawl Blue Murder. As A Last Resort Frank Took Her In His Arms And Started To Sing To Her. At The End Of A Chorus And A Half, She Was Blissfully Asleep. I Never Kidded Him Again!" - Gene Kelly
Nancy Sinatra Pictured With Her Father Frank And Family Friend Yul Brynner At The Sands Hotel In Las Vegas, 1965
Al Pacino Photographed By Steve Wood, 1974
Audrey Hepburn And George Peppard On The Set Of Breakfast At Tiffany’s, 1961
Elizabeth Taylor And Husband Eddie Fisher At A Boxing Match, 1960
Meryl Streep At Bernards High School, 1966. She Was A Member Of The Varsity Cheerleading Squad, And Was Named Homecoming Queen During Her Senior Year
Sharon Tate At Her Home In Summitridge Drive, 1968
Cary Grant And Audrey Hepburn Photographed By Philippe Halsman For Charade, 1964
reportedly said: "All I want for Christmas is to make another movie with Audrey Hepburn." Sadly, the two never reunited on screen, but they did remain life-long friends. Swipe to read a thank you note that Cary sent to Audrey in 1982.
Debra Paget Photographed By Nina Leen For Life Magazine, 1950
Robert Redford Photographed By Ron Galella, 1974
On October 29th, 1956, Elizabeth Attended The Premiere Of The Battle Of The River Plate With Her Sister Margaret At Odeon Leicester Square. Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, And Brigitte Bardot Were Among The Notable Guests
Why is there no Queen infront of Elizabeth? She was crowned 3years earlier in 1953. Highly disrespectful.
Audrey Hepburn Touching Up Her Makeup On The Set Of Breakfast At Tiffany’s, 1961
The actress was initially hesitant to play the role of Holly Golightly, telling the New York Times: "I read the book and liked it very much. But I was terribly afraid I was not right for the part. I thought I lacked the right sense of comedy. This part called for an extroverted character. I am not an extrovert. I am an introvert. It called for the kind of sophistication that I find difficult. I did not think I had enough technique for the part. But everyone pressed me to do it. So I did."
Ava Gardner Getting In Costume On The Set Of The Barefoot Contessa, 1954
Robert De Niro, Liza Minnelli, And Al Pacino Hanging Out In New York, 1981
James Stewart And Ginger Rogers At The 13th Academy Awards Ceremony, 1941
Stewart won in the Best Actor category for The Philadelphia Story, and Rogers won in the Best Actress category for Kitty Foyle. The two dated briefly, and starred in the 1938 film Vivacious Lady together.
Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, And Robert Wagner Photographed For Life Magazine, 1954
The Bee Gees Weren’t Always The Kings Of Disco. This Is The Gibb Brothers Performing A Rendition Of "Alexander’s Ragtime Band" On The Australian Music Variety Show Bandstand In 1963
Truly great musicians and they made wonderful music way before the awesome Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.
Newlyweds, Janet Leigh And Tony Curtis, At Their Beverly Hills Home, 1953
Jane Russell Sketching Marilyn Monroe On The Set Of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953
Judy Garland And Daughter Liza, 1964
"My fondest memory of my mama was the conversations we had. As I became a teenager, I became her best friend and confidante. We would laugh and talk for hours. Sometimes in person, sometimes on the phone, depending where we were," remembers Liza.
This photo of Liza reminds me of Lady Gaga (on the rare occasions you see her without glam makeup).
Clint Eastwood And Jayne Mansfield Arriving In San Francisco For The Barbary Coast Fandango, An Old West Themed Festival, 1962
The Actor’s Studio In New York, 1955
"I have worked with hundreds and hundreds of actors and actresses, and there are only two that stand out way above the rest. Number one is Marlon Brando, and the second is Marilyn Monroe," remembered Lee Strasberg.
Not many actors who attended ever dared to go up on stage in front of Strasberg. He was evidently rather brutal in his assessments of performances, so they were scared shitless of 1) a really bad assessment, 2) that fact that it would also be done in front of colleagues, and 3) finding out from a famous acting coach that they have zero talent and should go home, get married, and be a housewife, or a secretary, or work in a hardware store, or sell insurance.
Grace Kelly‘S Last Day On The Hollywood Studio Lot Before Her Departure For Monaco, 1956
In 1943, Paul Newman Joined The Navy's V-12 Program At Yale University In The Hopes Of Becoming A Pilot
His hopes were dashed, however, when it was discovered that he was color blind. Instead of completing the program, Newman was shipped to basic training where he qualified to be a rear-seat radioman and gunner for torpedo bombers.
James Dean And Natalie Wood Behind The Scenes Of Rebel Without A Cause, 1955
"He had secrets," Natalie later said. "He was like the Little Prince, full of secrets. You always wanted to find out his secrets, and you always suspected there were secret tears, too."
Elizabeth Taylor At Her Beverly Hills Home, 1957
Audrey Hepburn With Her Mother Ella Van Heemstra In London, 1949
"My mother was not an affectionate person," Audrey later said. "She was a fabulous mother, but she had a Victorian upbringing of great discipline, of great ethics. She was strict, very demanding of her children. She had a lot of love within her, but she was not always able to show it."
Elvis Presley And Sophia Loren Photographed By Bob Willoughby At Paramount Studios, 1958
''I didn't know Elvis at all,'' said Loren. ''We were both making films at Paramount and eating in the cafeteria and we both thought, 'Oh, I want to meet you.' And so I sat in his lap and we laughed like two kids. I played with his hair and joked about all the women who were screaming for him. We were really just like two little kids.''
Marilyn Monroe Getting Ready In Her Suite At The Ambassador Hotel, New York, 1955. The Actress Was On Her Way To See The Broadway Premiere Of Tennessee William‘S Cat On A Hot Tin Roof At The Morosco Theatre
Al Pacino (Center) With His Parents Salvatore And Rose, 1940
The two divorced when he was just two years old. Following the separation, Al and his mother moved to the Bronx to live with his maternal grandparents. "When my mother got home from work, she would take me to the movies," said Al. "It was her way of getting out, and she would take me with her. I'd go home and act all the parts. It had a tremendous influence on my becoming an actor."
Paul Newman Arriving In Style For The Venice Film Festival, 1963
Jane Fonda Getting A Visit From Her Father Henry And Brother Peter While Filming Sunday In New York, 1963
John Travolta And Sylvester Stallone Leaving Studio 54, 1983
Alfred Hitchcock On The Set Of Rear Window, 1954. The "Master Of Suspense" Was Born On This Day In 1899
John Wayne And Gary Cooper Vacationing In Acapulco, Mexico, 1953
Al Pacino And Simonetta Stefanelli In A Publicity Still For The Godfather, 1972. Stefanelli Later Summed Up Her Role As Apollonia With The Following Statement: "I Met Him, I Married Him, I Died"
Grace Kelly (Far Left) Posing With Her Siblings John, Margaret (Far Right), And Elizabeth At Their Summer Home In Ocean City, New Jersey, 1948
The actress came from an athletic and sociable family. Grace’s father, John, was a three-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing. Her mother, Margaret, was the first female to head the women’s physical education department at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. As a result, the Kelly children were driven to excel in sports. Unlike the rest of her family, Grace was shy and introspective, preferring to play with dolls and invent stories. Much to her father’s disapproval, Grace pursued the dramatic arts.
By god, what a beautiful bunch of children! Then again, their parents were gorgeous—-as well as Main Line wealthy—-so they pretty much won the DNA lottery.
Elizabeth Taylor Getting Into Costume On The Set Of Raintree County, 1957
Really historically accurate costuming, especially for the 1950s—-when we can clearly see bra lines on most “period” movies. Not to mention, later we’d see 1960s clothing and hairstyles in movies set in the 1920s. Cripes, Hollywood! Do your homework, will ya.
Rlvis Presley Stealing A Kiss In A Stairwell At The Mosque Theatre In Richmond, Virginia, 1956
The woman was later identified as a 20-year-old named Barbara Gray. In a 2011 interview, the late photographer Alfred Wertheimer described how he nearly missed documenting the now iconic moment: "I come down this staircase and find these two people down this narrow hallway and its Elvis and the girl. And I say to myself, 'Hmmm. I have got to get closer.'"
James Dean Refused To Undergo A Lengthy Make-Up Process For His Later Scenes In Giant (1956) Claiming "A Man Of Forty-Five Shows His Age In Thoughts And Actions, Not In Wrinkles."
Instead, he only allowed them to gray his temples and put a few lines on his forehead. Dean also shaved some of his hair off to give the appearance of a receding hairline.
Some 45 year olds don’t look anywhere near their age, so he’s not wrong.
Prince Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh, Greeting Frank Sinatra And Ava Gardner At London’s Empress Club, 1951. His Royal Highness Passed Away Today At The Age Of 99
David Bowie And Elizabeth Taylor Photographed By Terry O'neil, 1975
The iconic photoshoot was taken at director George Cukor's home in Beverly Hills, California. "Cukor was planning on working with Elizabeth on an upcoming film and I think she was interested in speaking to David about a possible role," O'Neil later wrote. "Elizabeth certainly had a reputation for keeping people waiting, but on this day she was well matched. After an hour went by, I could tell her patience was waning. After another few hours he finally arrived. Any anger was quickly dismissed and they laughed like old pals. Of course I had my camera—I wasn’t going to miss this meeting. And you can see in these poses, which Elizabeth overly directed, there was chemistry between them. He didn't get the role, if it was even on the table, but they did become lifelong friends."
James Dean Working On His Porsche 550 Spyder With Mechanic Rolf Wütherich
On this day in 1955, the 24-year-old actor was bound for a racing event in Salinas, California when his vehicle collided with a 1950 Ford Tudor driven by a Navy vet and Cal Poly student, Donald Turnupseed. Dean died almost instantly while his passenger, Wütherich, was badly injured but survived.