Tag Archives: News – Press Photo

Classic Hollywood #171 – Charlie Chaplin

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Official Portrait Of Charlie Chaplin 1919

Charlie Chaplin photo: United Artists

This 1919 portrait of Charlie Chaplin taken at the height of his success shows that behind the make-up and little mustache was a handsome man.

Chaplin, as one of the co-founders of United Artists in 1919 with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith, had many official publicity photographs taken like the one above and below to promote the founding of the company.

The historic moment taken when the papers of incorporation were signed creating United Artists Corporation on April 17, 1919. Left to right in the foreground are the founders. D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.. In the background are their attorneys, Albert Banzhaf and Dennis O’Brien. photo: United Artists

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The Winner Of The Male Bathing Beauty Contest 1929

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A Different Sort Of Swimsuit Contest – 1929

We tend to think of bathing beauty contests as being ogling-fests for men.

But not always.

Sometimes the ladies would be judging the men.

As the roaring twenties drew to a conclusion, this role reversal contest was held in Venice, California on May 20, 1929.

The news slug reads: Continue reading →

Lou Gehrig & Wife Eleanor After Retiring From Baseball

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Lou Gehrig Has Help From Eleanor Gehrig With His New Job

LOU GEHRIG’S WIFE MAY BECOME HIS SECRETARY
Larchmont, N.Y. – Wife and secretary is the double role Mrs. Lou Gehrig (above) might assume Jan. 1, 1940, assumes his position on the New York City Municipal Parole Board. Mrs. Gehrig is shown in their Larchmont N.Y., home, Oct. 11, after Mayor F.H. LaGuardia announced appointment of the New York Yankees former first baseman to the board for a ten-year term. Mrs. Gehrig handles all of Lou’s fan mail and other correspondence. Credit: Acme Oct. 11, 1939

After Lou Gehrig stepped down from playing baseball on May 2, 1939 he stayed with the team for the remainder of the year, never playing a major league game again. But once the season was over Gehrig pondered the future.

The parole board job La Guardia offered paid an annual salary of $5,750, quite a cut from Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #170 – Marilyn Monroe Prepares For Monkey Business

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Marilyn Monroe “Neighborhood Champion” Laces Up Roller Skates For Monkey Business

Hollywood press hoopla at work here.

This is the improbable news slug originally accompanying this publicity photograph: Continue reading →

1967 World Series Game 6 Lou Brock Homers, But Red Sox Win

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Lou Brock’s Home Run For The Cardinals Can’t Stop The Red Sox From Forcing A World Series Game 7

 

Lou Brock Hits Home Run in Game 6 1967 World Series October 11, 1967 photo: Marvin Newman

Cardinals star Lou Brock did not just excel in regular season play but would shine in World Series action.

Brock, appearing in the 1964, 1967 and 1968 World Series hit .391, scored 16 runs and had a 1.079 OPS. Each of those World Series would go the distance – seven games – with the Cardinals winning in 1964 against the Yankees and in 1967 against the Red Sox, but losing in 1968 to the Tigers.

In 21 World Series games Brock would steal 14 bases, and hit 4 home runs with 13 RBIs. Continue reading →

1944 World Series Browns Vs. Cardinals – No Travel Involved

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St. Louis Starting Pitchers Jack Kramer and Ted Wilks Meet Before Game 3 Of The 1944 World Series

HURLERS IN THIRD WORLD SERIES
Jack Kramer (left) of the St. Louis Browns and Ted Wilks of the Cardinals, pitchers in third World Series game in St. Louis October 6, shake hands before game time. photo: Associated Press October 6, 1944

The other day during the baseball playoffs, announcer Bob Costas noted that three out of the four playoff series did not involve air travel.

The Philadelphia Phillies versus the New York Mets, the San Diego Padres against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers playing Cleveland, would all use ground transportation to travel between their respective cities.

Only the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals will be flying to each others cities.

In 1944 the United States was deep into World War II and with gasoline rationing and travel restrictions in place the phrase “Is this trip necessary?” really did mean something. Continue reading →

When Coffee Jumped From 10 Cents To 15 Cents A Cup

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Americans Perplexed By A 15 Cent Cup Of Coffee – 1954

Go into the supermarket and examine just about any product. You will notice shrinking packaging and products. You are getting less and paying more.

Tropicana orange juice just shrunk again – from 64 ounces to 59 ounces to 52 ounces and now 46 ounces. Coffee is sold in a pound can, but contains about 11.3 ounces of product.

In 1954 the price of coffee was rising, and the answer was not shrink the cup, but raise the price. A 50% price hike to be exact, from ten cents to fifteen cents.

Even after World War II many places still sold a nickel cup of coffee.

The original news slug reads: Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #167 – Betty Grable

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Betty Grable & Poodle – 1944

Pin-Up Queen Gets On The Ball
Hollywood, Calif. – Vivacious Betty Grable, a “Mamma” of five months, romps with this frisky poodle as she gets back in the groove on her return to the kleig lights. The famous Grable gams will dance their way through 20th Century-Fox’s Technicolor musical, “Diamond Horseshoe” now in production. photo: Acme 8/19/1944

Gams. Talk about 1940s jargon. I don’t think I’ve recently heard anyone refer to a woman’s legs as gams except in the movies.

Supposedly Grable’s legs were insured for $250,000 dollars by Lloyds of London. It was a publicity stunt, but an effective one at drawing attention. Continue reading →

Classic Hollywood #166 – Christie Comedy Starlets

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Christie Chorus “Sports Girls” Prepare For A Scene – 1925

What is about to happen in this 1925 film is anybody’s guess. But these 16 chorus girls are ready to do some sort of athletic routine in their spiffy hats. As the news slug says:

The athletic training indulged in by the Christie Sports Girls even comes in handy now and then in the pictures. Witness this gym scene in a new Bill Dooley comedy. photo: NEA,(Newspaper Enterprise Association)  December 3, 1925

Forgotten today are brothers Al and Charles Christie of the Christie Film Company. Continue reading →