Classic Hollywood Beauties

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This is a tribute to classic actresses, silent beauties, and forgotten starlets. We have tons of rare pictures, old Hollywood gossip, and vintage memorabilia. You will see some sexy photos and read a lot of scandalous stories because these ladies were not saints - they were legends!

04/15/14--05:55: Happy Easter

Celebrate Easter with our classic beauties

Jeanette Loff

Lana Turner

Shirley Temple

Ann Miller

Susan Hayward

Barbara Bates

Sharon Tate

Norma Shearer

Mary Carlisle

Alice White

Myrna Loy

Debra Paget

Margaret O'Brien

Lilian Harvey

Doris Day

04/19/14--08:46: Jayne Mansfield

"No one wants to see or read about a dull subject. I don't consider myself a dull subject." ~ Jayne

Jayne Mansfield was born Vera Jane Palmer on April 19, 1933, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. After her father died her mother remarried and moved the family to Texas. At age seventeen Jayne married Paul Mansfield and had a daughter, Jayne Marie. She convinced her husband to move to Hollywood so she could pursue an acting career. Jayne won dozens of beauty titles including "Miss Photoflash" and "Miss Fire Prevention". In 1954 she made her film debut in the drama Female Jungle. She starred on Broadway in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and was offered a contract at Fox. Her flair for publicity made her one of the most talked about actresses in Hollywood. Although she often played dumb blondes Jayne's IQ was actually 163. She divorced Paul and married former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay in 1958. They had three children together (Miklos, Zoltan, and Mariska) and lived in a pink mansion in Beverly Hills called "The Pink Palace". Jayne was constantly being compared to Marilyn Monroe and her movie career quickly fizzled.

With her daughter Jayne Marie

She was offered the part of Ginger on the television series Gilligan's Island but turned it down. Jayne began performing in nightclubs and posed for Playboy magazine. She caused a controversy when she appeared naked in the low budget film Promises Promises. In 1964 she divorced Mickey and married Matt Cimber, a director. They had a son but the marriage didn't last. Jayne became involved in an abusive relationship with her manager Sam Brody. She also had a serious addiction to drugs and alcohol. On June 29, 1967 Jayne was on her way to a nightclub appearance when she was killed in a car accident (rumors that she was decapitated are not true). She was just thirty-four years old. Jayne is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Plainfield, Pennsylvania. Her fans paid for a cenotaph to be placed at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in California. Jayne's daughter, Mariska Hargitay, became a successful actress. In 2005 Mariska won a Golden Globe for her role in the TV series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2013

Posing nude for Playboy

With Mickey Hargitay

An autographed photo (from my collection)

Her cenotaph at Hollywood Forever

04/01/14--22:26: Happy Easter ~ Part 2

Celebrate Easter with more of our classic beauties

Joan Blondell and her son

Loretta Young

Pier Angeli

Raquel Torres

Mary Pickford

Colleen Moore

Debbie Reynolds

Patricia Ellis

Jean Arthur

Madge Evans

Bonita Granville

Vera-Ellen

04/23/14--22:13: Vivien Leigh

"People who are very beautiful make their own laws." ~ Vivien

Vivien Leigh was born Vivian Mary Hartley on November 5, 1913, in Darjeeling, India. When she was six years old her parents took her to England so she could get a better education. After seeing her first play Vivien decided she wanted to become an actress. She married Herbert Leigh Holman, a London barrister, in 1932, and had a daughter named Suzanne. Vivien started her career performing on the London stage. She got small parts in movies like Things Are Looking Up and A Yank At Oxford. While making Fire Over England in 1937 Vivien fell in love with her costar Laurence Olivier and she divorced her husband to be with him. Vivien was one of dozens of actresses who auditioned for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 epic Gone With The Wind. She got the part and won an Academy Award for her performance.

Vivien finally married Laurence in 1940 but they had a tumultuous marriage and she had several miscarriages. She also suffered from manic depression. Vivien worked with Claude Rains in Caesar And Cleopatra and with Robert Taylor in Waterloo Bridge (which was her favorite film). She won a second Oscar in 1952 for her performance in A Streetcar Named Desire. During the production of Elephant Walk in 1954 she had a nervous breakdown and was replaced by Elizabeth Taylor. As she got older Vivien's behavior became erratic and she was hospitalized numerous times. Laurence divorced her in 1960 after he fell in love another woman. In 1963 Vivien starred on Broadway in the musical Tovarich and won a Tony Award. Her final film was the 1965 drama Ship Of Fools. Vivien died on July 7, 1967 from tuberculosis. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered at her London home.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2013

With Laurence Olivier

With Olivia de Havilland

A signed letter (from my collection)

04/24/14--01:16: Thelma Parr

Thelma Parr was born Betty Selby on October 19, 1906 in Oregon. She claimed to be a descendant of Thomas Paine, one of the founding fathers of the United States. When she was fourteen Thelma moved to California with her parents. Soon after the pretty brunette was discovered by producer Mack Sennett and became one of his bathing beauties. Thelma married banjo player William E. Goman in 1925. That same year she made her film debut in the comedy short Her Marriage Vow. Over the next three years she appeared in more than thirty short films. She starred opposite Ralph Graves in several movies including Hooked At The Alter and The Funny Mooners.

Thelma was gifted comedic actress and was considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. One newspaper said she was "the perfect type of American beauty". Her film career came to a sudden end in 1928 after she was seriously injured in a car accident. She suffered facial injuries and her mouth was permanently scarred. Two years after the accident she attempted a comeback with a small role in the comedy My Harem. In 1930 Thelma divorced her husband and retired from acting. She spent the rest of her life out of the spotlight. During her later years she lived in San Clemente, California. Thelma died on February 13, 2000 at the age of ninety-three.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014

With Ralph Graves

04/27/14--15:45: Yola d'Avril

"Everyone said to me 'you should go to Hollywood and try the movies' so I came and
started as an extra." ~ Yola

Yola d'Avril was born on April 8, 1907 in Lille, France. She grew up in with her parents and brother in Paris. After her father's death in 1923 she moved to Canada and became a dancer. Yola went to Hollywood and started getting small roles in films like Vamping Venus and She Goes To War. She became close friends with Gloria Swanson who guided her career. Yola signed a contract with First National but they dropped her due to her French accent.

In 1931 she costarred with Joan Blondell in God's Gift To Women. The following year she worked with Spencer Tracy in Sky Devils. Yola was briefly married to music producer Eddie Ward. Although she appeared in more than seventy films she never became a major star. Her final role was in the 1953 drama Little Boy Lost. Yola retired and lived quietly in Port Hueneme, California with her second husband. She died on March 2, 1984 at the age of seventy-six.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014

Alice White, Loretta Young, and Yola

Yola's autograph (from my collection)

04/30/14--00:35: Lupe Velez

"I do not care what is printed about me, as long as it's the truth." ~ Lupe

Lupe Velez was born Maria Guadalupe Velez on July 18, 1908 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. She was such a toublesome child that at the age of thirteen her parents sent her to a convent. When her father went missing during the Mexican revolution she returned home to help support her family. In 1925 Lupe began dancing professionally and quickly became a popular stage star. After appearing in several Hal Roach comedy shorts she got her big break when she was cast opposite Douglas Fairbanks in The Gaucho. She was offered a contract at United Atists and was named one of the Wampas Baby Stars of 1928. Lupe's performances in The Wolf Song and Tiger Rose helped make her Hollywood's most successful Latin actress. She became known for playing fiery, exotic characters and was nicknamed "The Hot Tamale". Her high profile romances with John Gilbert, Clark Gable, and Gary Cooper kept her name in the gossip columns. In 1933 she married Olympic athlete and actor Johnny Weissmuller. They had a stormy relationship and divorced after five years together. Lupe became frustrated with the roles she was being offered and spent several years working on Broadway.

She returned to the screen in the 1939 low budget comedy The Girl From Mexico. The movie was a surprise hit and she appeared in a series of films playing the "Mexican Spitfire" character. In 1944 Lupe began dating aspiring actor named Harald Maresch. She became pregnant and was devastated when Harald refused to marry her. Lupe was a devout Catholic and she did not want to have an abortion or raise her baby alone. On December 13, 1944 she took her own life by overdosing on secanol pills. Lupe was only thirty-six years old. In her suicide note she wrote "May God forgive you and forgive me too but I prefer to take my life away and our baby's before I bring him with shame or killing him." More than four thousand friends and fans attended her funeral. She was buried at the Panteon Civil de Dolores in Mexico City. In the years following Lupe's death there were many bizarre rumors about what really happened to her. The book Hollywood Babylon claimed that she had been found dead with her head in the toilet. The truth is that Lupe's body was discovered in her bed.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014

Lupe's autograph (from my collection)

05/03/14--00:39: Marie Prevost

Marie Prevost was born Marie Bickford Dunn on November 8, 1898, in Sarnia, Ontario. When she was a baby her father was killed in a tragic accident. Her mother remarried and the family eventually settled in California. In 1915 Marie got a job working as a secretary. While running an errand at Keystone studios she was asked to do a bit part in the movie Those Bitter Sweets. Mack Sennett was impressed and hired her to be one of his bathing beauties. She secretly married socialite Henry Gerke in 1918 but they split up a few months later. After appearing in numerous comedies she was offered a contract at Warner Brothers for $1,500 a week. She earned rave reviews for her performances in The Beautiful and Damned and The Marriage Circle. Howard Hughes gave her the lead in The Racket and they enjoyed a passionate affair. Marie began a highly publicized romance with actor Kenneth Harlan and they announced their engagement.

This caused a scandal when her estranged husband filed for divorce. The press claimed Marie was going to be a bigamist and the negative publicity tarnished her image. She and Kenny were finally able to get married after she obtained a divorce. In 1926 Warner Brothers decided not to renew her contract and Marie was devastated when her mother was killed in a car accident. She began binge eating and drinking to deal with her depression. After several separations she and Kenny divorced in 1929. Marie continued to act but could only get minor roles in films like Party Girl and Paid. On January 21, 1937 she died from acute alcoholism and malnutrition. Her body was not discovered for two days and false rumors spread that her dog began eating her body. Marie was only thirty-eight years old. Her close friend Joan Crawford paid for the funeral. She was cremated and her ashes were given to her sister.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2013

With Phyllis Haver

Marie's autograph (from my collection)

05/04/14--00:05: Maria Montez

"When I look at myself, I am so beautiful I scream with joy!" ~ Maria

Maria Montez was born Maria Africa Antonia Gracia Vidal de Santo Silas on June 6, 1912, in the Domican Republic. She grew up with nine siblings. When her father was appointed to the Spanish consulship the entire family moved to Northern Island. In 1932 Maria married William G. McFeeters, a wealthy banker, but the they divorced a few years later. She began modeling and her dark, exotic looks helped her get a screen test at Universal. Maria made her film debut in the 1940 drama The Invisible Woman. Two years later she got rave reviews for her performance in Arabian Nights. She went on to appear in a series of big budget adventure movies and was nicknamed "The Queen of Technicolor". Maria became a very popular star even though critics complained that she could not act or sing.

She married French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont in 1943. The couple had a daughter named Maria Christina. By the end of the 1940s Maria was no longer in demand as an actress so she and Jean-Pierre decided to move to France. She continued to make movies in Europe and published three books. In 1951 Maria and Jean-Pierre costarred together in Revenge of the Pirates. Sadly this would be her final film. On September 7, 1951 Maria was found dead in her bathtub. She had suffered a heart attack and drowned at age thirty-nine. Maria is buried in the Cimetiere du Montparnasse in Paris, France. Her daughter Tina Aumont became a successful actress appearing in more than fifty films.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014

With her husband Jean-Pierre Aumont

An autographed photo (from my collection)

05/04/14--02:36: Happy New Year ~ Part 2

Celebrate the new year with more of our classic beauties

Judy Garland

Mae West

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

Lois January

Clara Bow

Diana Dors

Alice White

Marilyn Monroe

Alice Day

Jean Harlow

Myrna Loy

Joan Crawford

Donna Reed

05/04/14--02:37: Happy Mother's Day ~ Part 2

Celebrate Mother's Day with more of our classic beauties and their moms

Lucille Ball and her mother Desiree

Ann Miller and her mom

Betty Compson and her mom

Janet Gaynor and her mother Laura

Marie Prevost and her mom

Mary Pickford and her mom

Olive Borden and her mother Sibbie

Judy Garland and her mom

Joan Crawford and her mom

Grace Kelly and her mom

Joan Fontaine and her mother Lillian

Claudette Colbert and her mom

Rita Hayworth and her mom

05/06/14--03:50: Nina Quartero

"They have always said I was too young to be a real actress. They've said it for three years and I
don't look or feel on bit older." ~ Nina

Nina Quartero was born Gladys Quartararo on March 17, 1908 in New York Ciy. She came from a close family and was the youngest of seven children. Nina was signed by D.W. Griffith when she was a teenager. She appeared in a number of silent films billed as "Gladys Quartero" and in April 1924 she was on the cover of Movie Weekly. Unhappy with the way her career was going she left D.W. Griffith and moved to California. She landed a role in the 1928 western Driftin' Sands. When she auditioned for the Ramon Navarro film Romance the studio said she looked too young. Director James Cruz saw Nina's screen test and gave her the lead in his film The Red Mark. Her performance earned rave reviews and her future in Hollywood seemed bright. Nina's olive skin and Spanish-Italian ancestry allowed her to play many different types of characters.

She worked with Olive Borden in The Eternal Woman and with John Wayne in Arizona. In 1933 she appeared in the horror classic The Monkey's Paw. As a publicity stunt she told the press she was engaged to a football quarterback named Frank Carideo. Unfortunately Frank denied the engagement and demanded an apology from Nina. She married John C. Outhet in 1934. They divorced three years later and she married Joseph C. Shea. Sadly this marriage also ended in divorce. Although Nina never became an A-list star she continued to get small parts in movies like Wife Vs. Secretary and Torchy Blane in Panama. Her final film was the 1943 comedy A Lady Takes A Chance. She retired from making movies and lived a quiet life in Woodland Hills, California. Nina died on November 23, 1985 at the age of seventy-seven.
~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014

Olive Borden and Nina

05/09/14--23:39: Happy Mother's Day

Celebrate Mother's Day with our classic beauties and their moms

Jean Harlow and Mama Jean

Carole Landis and her mother Clara

Linda Darnell and her mom

Ginger Rogers and her mother Lela

Bette Davis and her mom

Jayne Mansfield and her mother Vera

Paulette Goddard and her mom

Joan Blondell with her sister and mother

Jeanette MacDonald and her mom

Jane Withers and her mom

Carole Lombard and her mom

Norma Shearer with her mother and sister

Elizabeth Taylor and her mom

05/11/14--18:02: Barbara Nichols

"Homely men make the best dates. And handsome men make the worst date." ~ Barbara

Barbara Nichols was born Barbara Marie Nickerauer on December 10, 1928 in Queens, New York. When she was a teenager she danced at the Latin Quarter and was crowned "Miss Long Island". She began modeling and posed for dozens of cheescake magazines. Her career really took off after she dyed her hair platinum blonde and had plastic surgery on her nose. With her voluptuous figure she became one of the most popular pin-up girls of the 1950s. Barbara eventually moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. She made her film debut in the 1954 western River Of No Return. Over the next five years she appeared in more than a dozen films including The Pajama Game and Pal Joey. She was often compared to Marilyn Monroe but Barbara never became a major movie star.

Her romances with Steve Cochran, Jack Carter, and producer Bert Friedlob kept her name in the gossip columns. In 1960 she was seriously injured in a car crash. The accident caused liver damage which affected her health for the rest of her life. During her career she guest starred on many television shows. She got rave reviews for her performance in the Twilight Zone episode titled "Twenty-Two". Barbara continued to work steadily throughout the 1960s. She guest starred on Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hawaii Five-O. Her last role was in the 1976 movie Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood. On October 5, 1976 she died from liver failure. Barabra was only forty-seven years old. She is buried at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale, New York.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014

An Autographed photo (from my collection)

05/26/14--22:28: Betty Hutton

"Some kind of fun lasts longer than others." ~ Betty

Betty Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg on February 26, 1921, in Battle Creek, Michigan. She was the youngest of two daughters. Betty's father abandoned them and her mother struggled with alcoholism. To help support the family Betty began singing professionally when she was thirteen. She moved to New York and appeared in several Broadway plays. After signing with Paramount in 1942 she made her film debut in the musical The Fleet's In. It was a hit and Betty became one of Hollywood's most sought-after actresses. Her success continued with starring roles The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The Perils of Pauline, and Let's Face It. Meanwhile her older sister, Marion Hutton, became a popular big band singer. In 1945 Betty married Ted Briskin, a camera manufacturer. They had two daughters - Candy and Lindsay. Betty divorced him and married choreographer Charles O'Curran in 1952. That same year she played a circus performer in The Greatest Show on Earth. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Betty was now earning five thousand dollars a week. She wanted her husband to direct her next film but when Paramount refused she walked out on her contract. Betty was labeled a temperamental diva and her marriage to Charles ended.

Her last film was the 1957 drama Spring Reunion. She made occasional guest appearances on television shows like "What's My Line?" and "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show". Her 1959 television series "The Betty Hutton Show" was canceled after only one season. Betty's third marriage, to producer Alan Livingston, lasted five years. She married musician Peter Candoli in 1960 and had a daughter named Caroline. Betty found work singing in nightclubs and in Las Vegas. She and Peter divorced in 1967. By this time Betty had a serious addiction to prescription drugs. She suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide. Financial problems forced her to take a job cleaning at a church in Rhode Island. Eventually she was able get off drugs and turn her life around. During the 1970s she earned a bachelors degree from Salve Regina University and starting teaching theater. Betty spent her final years living in Palm Springs. In 2000 she made a rare television appearance on Turner Classic Movie's "Private Screenings". She passed away on January 25, 2007 after being diagnosed with colon cancer. She was buried at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California. None of her children attended her funeral.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2013

With her daughter Lindsay

05/30/14--00:28: Myrna Loy and William Powell

Myrna Loy and William Powell became one of Hollywood most successful on screen teams. They made fourteen films together including Libeled Lady, Love Crazy, the and the very popular Thin Man series. William and Myrna played husband and wife so well that many fans believed were really married.

Myrna and William met when they made the 1934 drama Manhattan Melodrama

MGM cast them to play a husband and wife detective duo in the comedy The Thin Man

They would reprise their roles as Nick and Nora Charles in six more Thin Man movies

Myrna said "I never enjoyed my work more than when I worked with William Powell. He was a brilliant actor, a delightful companion, a great friend and, above all, a true gentleman."

They played real life couple Florenz Ziegfeld and Billie Burke in the 1936 drama The Great Ziegfeld

When they filmed a movie in San Francisco their hotel put them in the same room because they
thought Myrna and William were married!

Off screen they became very close friends but were never romantically involved

Their final film together was Song Of The Thin Man in 1947

William's autograph (from my collection)

05/30/14--07:30: Kay Francis

“Beginning a new year - have a resolution to make - not to be a damn fool!" ~ Kay

Kay Francis was born Katharine Edwina Gibbs on January 13, 1905 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Shortly after she was born her father abandoned the family. Her mother was an actress and Kay wanted to follow in her footsteps. At age seventeen she married businessman James Dwight Francis. They divorced two years later. In 1925 she made her Broadway debut and married athlete William Gaston. She appeared in several successful plays and was offered a contract at Paramount. Her career took off quickly and she made twenty-one films between 1929 and 1931. Kay worked with William Powell in numerous films including Jewel Robbery and One Way Passage. After divorcing her husband she married writer John Meehan. She left him when she fell in love with actor Kenneth MacKenna. Kay married Kenneth in 1931 but it didn't last. During this time she had a wild love life that included many one night stands and affairs with women.

By 1936 she was one of Hollywood most popular leading ladies. She became known for playing long suffering heroines in movies like Secrets of an Actress and Comet Over Broadway. Her success ended in 1938 when she was named "box-office poison" by the Hollywood Reporter. The following year she married her fifth husband Eric Barnekow. Sadly this marriage would also end in divorce. Kay never wanted to have children and she had several abortions. In 1942 she joined actresses Carole Landis, Mitzi Mayfair, and Martha Raye on a USO tour to entertain the troops. She also played herself in the musical Four Jills In a Jeep. After appearing in a few low budget movies she decided to quit acting. She moved to New York City and rarely made public appearances. In 1966 she as diagnosed with breast cancer. Kay died on August 26, 1968 at the age of sixty-three. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014

Mitzi Mayfair, Martha Raye, Kay, and Carole Landis

06/06/14--17:59: Sexiest Catfights

Watch Hollywood's most beautiful actresses get into some wild catfights!

Clara Bow and Thelma Todd in Call Her Savage

Paulette Goddard in Hazard