Monday 30 September 2013

Charles Dickens

Charles_Dickens 1868
Charles Dickens during his second visit to the USA, this time New York, 1868.

Charles_Dickens 1868
Original B&W photo.

James Stewart

jimmy stewart
A young Jimmy Stewart.

jimmy stewart
Original B&W photo.

Sunday 29 September 2013

Carole Lombard

Carole Lombard in Mr & Mrs Smith directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1941
Carole Lombard in "Mr and Mrs Smith", directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1941.
At the end of the year, America had entered the second World War, and Lombard flew to her home state of Indiana for a war bond rally where she raised over $2 million in defense bonds in a single evening. Anxious to reach home quickly, in January 1942, she decided to take a plane, which crashed and killed everyone on board.

Carole Lombard in Mr & Mrs Smith directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1941
Original B&W photo.

Diana Dors

Dors, Diana (Lady and the Prowler, The)_02
Diana Dors in a publicity shot for the 1957 film, "The Unholy Wife".
Dors was often billed as "Britain's Marilyn Monroe", but was a well known actress before Monroe ever appeared on film.

Dors, Diana (Lady and the Prowler, The)_02
Original B&W photo.

Louise Brooks

LOUISE BROOKS zeigfeld
Louise Brooks in 1925. It was quite a busy and important year for Brooks. Among other things, she joined the Ziegfeld Follies, which is where this photo comes from, she had a summer long affair with Charlie Chaplin, she appeared on her first magazine cover, Art & Beauty Magazine, and most importantly for the future star of silent movies, she appeared in her first film, "The Street of Forgotten Men", and signed five year contract with Paramount.

LOUISE BROOKS zeigfeld
Original B&W photo.

 

Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Earp
A 75 year old Wyatt Earp at home, on August 9, 1923.

Wyatt Earp
Original B&W photo.

Saturday 28 September 2013

Davy Jones

davy-jones-01-sized.

A teen Davy Jones, in the early 1960s. He would later find fame in "The Monkees".

davy-jones-01-sized.
Original B&W photo.

Mick Jagger

MickJagger
Mick Jagger, in September of 1964, having a ciggy and a cuppa.

MickJagger
Original B&W photo.

Charles Laughton

Charles_Laughton-publicity2
A publicity photo of Charles Laughton for the film "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" in 1934.

Charles_Laughton-publicity2
Original B&W photo.

Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich in the 1951 film "No Highway in the Sky".

Marlene Dietrich
Original B&W photo

Margaret Lockwood

LockwoodTheWickedLadyMargaret Lockwood in the title role of "The Wicked Lady", a 1945 film.

LockwoodTheWickedLady

Helen Mirren



Helen Mirren in 1969. Given the year and the "costume", this is probably a publicity shot for the film "Age of Consent".

Helen Mirren

Original B&W photo.

Basil Rathbone

Basil-Rathbone 1922
Basil Rathbone, in a publicity shot for the 1922 film "Sherlock Holmes".

Basil-Rathbone 1922
Original B&W photo.

Friday 27 September 2013

Bernard Bresslaw

bresslaw
Bernard Bresslaw, shown here getting made up as the first Ice Warrior for the 1967 Doctor Who story, "The Ice Warriors", was already a household name in Britain, but was happy to play a role where his face wouldn't be seen, and came up with the sibilant voice himself, which meant he would be completely unrecognisable.

He had a young son at the time, which may have had something to do with him taking the part.

bresslaw
Original B&W photo.

Neil Armstrong

Neil_Armstrong_1956_portrait
Neil Armstrong in 1956, while working as a test pilot for NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the predecessor to NASA.

Neil_Armstrong_1956_portrait
Original B&W photo.

Margaret Rutherford

margaret rutherford 3
A publicity shot of Margaret Rutherford for the 1949 film, Passport to Pimlico.

margaret rutherford 3
Original B&W photo.

 

Norman Wisdom

Norman Wisdom as 'Pitkin' in the 1955 film One Good Turn
Norman Wisdom as 'Pitkin' in a publicity shot for the 1955 film "One Good Turn".

Norman Wisdom as 'Pitkin' in the 1955 film One Good Turn
Original B&W photo.


 

Patrick Troughton

Doctor2Fury
Patrick Troughton, during location shooting for the 1968 Doctor Who story, "Fury from the Deep".

The-Second-Doctor-Patrick-Troughton-classic-doctor-who-13664714-1024-768
Original B&W photo.

 

Thursday 26 September 2013

James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper c1850
James Fenimore Cooper, best known as the author of The Last of the Mohicans, photographed here around 1850.

James Fenimore Cooper c1850
Original B&W photo.

 

Ebensee Concentration Camp

Ebensee_concentration_camp_May 6, 1945
Newly liberated prisoners of the Ebensee concentration camp, on or shortly after May 6, 1945.

WAR & CONFLICT BOOK ERA:  WORLD WAR II/WAR IN THE WEST/THE HOLOCAUST
Original B&W photo.

 

The Goons - Series 1

Goons2
The Goons in 1951. This photo includes Michael Bentine who left the show after 17 episodes to pursue solo projects, alongside Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers.

Goons2
Original B&W photo.

 

Wednesday 25 September 2013

William Hartnell - the First Doctor

FirstDoctorResult9When William Hartnell first started in the role, he confidently predicted that Doctor Who would run for perhaps as long as 5 years. Half a century later, and we're about to be introduced to the 12th Doctor.
This picture shows Hartnell in rehearsals for the 1965 story, The Web Planet. The first Doctor usually sported a plain, black string tie, but here he's wearing something a little more elaborate. I couldn't find a colour reference for the cravat, but I thought it looked a little like the one worn by the sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) for most of his tenure, so I used the colour from that to add a note of continuity.

Doctor-Who-01-William-Hartnell-JPG_232511
Original B&W photo.

Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin

The real Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, ca. 1927
I was going to make a new category for this one, but it can happily go into "Authors" as, in addition to being the inspiration for his father's books, Christopher Robin Milne was an author himself in later years.
The bear's name was Edward, but the name "Winnie" came from a bear that the father and son saw on a visit to London Zoo.

NPG x36167; Christopher Robin Milne by Marcus Adams
Original B&W photo.

 

Clayton Moore, the Lone Ranger

Clayton_Moore_Lone_Ranger_1956 (2)

The first screen Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore, with a young fan, 1956.

Clayton_Moore_Lone_Ranger_1956 (1)
Original B&W photo.

 

Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock on the set of "Psycho", 1960.

Alfred Hitchcock
Original B&W photo.