Hayworth by Hurrell … just because

Film · Visual arts
This stunning portrait of Rita Hayworth shot in 1942 by Hollywood glamour photographer George Hurrell  is featured in Mark Vieira’s massive coffeetable book, “George Hurrell’s Hollywood: Glamour Portraits 1925 – 1992.” photo courtesy mark vieira

Hooray for Hurrell 1

Film · Visual arts
We caught up recently with Mark Vieira, author of the newly published “George Hurrell’s Hollywood,” an image-filled tribute to the film industry’s lauded glamour photographer. When asked how Hurrell got his start in high-gloss movie-star portraiture, Mark explained,  “Hurrell was an unknown commercial photographer in the artsy Westlake District of Los Angeles when he made ...

Hello Harlow! 2

Film
In a nice movie-starrish start to the new year, we’re attending the opening of an exhibition dedicated to actress Loretta Young at the Hollywood Museum on Highland Avenue on January 8. Then the next night, we’re looking forward to attending a super fun “Evening at the Barn” presentation by the Hollywood Heritage group — a ...

Happy 100th Birthday, Jean Harlow 1

Film
Film historian Robert S. Birchard contributes this story to arts·meme: If you asked the average Joe on the street he probably wouldn’t know the name. The better-than-average fellow with a yen for trivia might conjure that she had platinum blonde hair; that there was a scandal related to one of her husbands; and that she ...

Jewish prince of Hollywood 1

Film
What can I, a mere mortal, possibly add to the legend of Irving Thalberg, Hollywood’s “boy wonder” producer who helped transform American movie making from a haphazard endeavor into a real industry; indeed a mass-market, fantasy production line. Starting as a secretary to “Uncle” Carl Laemmle at the tender age of 20, Thalberg earned stripes at Universal by bossing ...