Back to the silent movies we go, with actress (and later producer) Norma Talmadge:
You know, my problem with all the stars of this era is that the pics were so stylized that very little of the actresses’ character shone through (which is why so many of them look so alike). Here, for example, is a much later pic of Norma, taken when she was (I think) in her late fifties, and the difference is astonishing:
Gorgeous.
Let us ponder the mysteries of life, such as how someone like Claire Dodd could have lived at the same time as Eleanor Roosevelt without a rending of the time/space continuum.
Don’t know what I’m talking about? Here’s Claire, first as a youngin:
And then in her prime:
Now compare that with any photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt (no, I’m not going to do it, find your own pic), and get back to pondering.
I think Donna Reed was one of the most beautiful women ever to step in front of a camera. Feel free to argue with me, but you’d be wrong.
Still want to argue?
Didn’t think so.
“Aw Kim… another post about Sophia Loren?”
WHO SAID THAT?
Oh… nobody said that? Not surprising.
Let’s move away from the silent era to more modern times, e.g. Sophia Loren (who needs no introduction to Longtime Readers). This week, we’ll look at some B/W pics, and next week, color. Here we go:
A lot of the above can be right-clicked to embiggen… if you absolutely have to.
As the saying goes: “I would lick the beach sand off her feet, and die a happy man.” (I don’t know who said that; it might have been me.)
In a life cut tragically short at age 24, Martha Mansfield nevertheless stood out by virtue of her self-belief and ambition, resulting in a stage career, a Ziegfeld Girl, and appearances in several silent movies. Oh, and her beauty.
Incidentally, if you read her bio at the above link, does her death not strike you as… suspicious?