Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema
@HGACinema • 87,403 subscribers
Classic Hollywood in motion. Iconic movie stars, legendary performances and unforgettable clips from Hollywood's most dazzling era. Posts by Neil Macready.
Shorts
![Sally Ann Howes landed the role of Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) without auditioning, but there was one problem. “I don’t dance,” she later admitted. “I’m appalling.” Howes had told producers she could dance and now had to learn fast. The “Doll on a Music Box” number was “the most difficult thing in the whole world. I really was very proud of it,” Howes recalled. “I did it on the set. I was a bit nervous about it, with about 150 extras [looking on]. They put me up on this box and off I went. And I got it in one take!”](https://image.24vids.com/tw-1992889076752490558/amplify_video_thumb/1992889008612126720/img/xKIQnk2viweHYj5b.jpg)
Videos
Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley dancing to “C'mon Everybody” in Viva Las Vegas (1964), directed by George Sidney. The film is regarded by Elvis fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it's noted for the real-life on-screen chemistry between Presley and Ann-Margret. Presley and Ann-Margret began an affair, which received considerable attention from film and music gossip columnists, and reportedly led to a showdown with Presley's worried girlfriend Priscilla Beaulieu. (Elvis and Priscilla married in 1967.) In her 1985 book Elvis and Me, Priscilla Presley describes the difficulties that she experienced when the gossip columnists erroneously “announced” that Ann-Margret and Presley had become engaged to be married. In her memoirs, Ann-Margret refers to Elvis Presley as her “soulmate” and stated: “We felt there was a need in 'The Industry' for a female Elvis Presley.” In addition, the filming of Viva Las Vegas reportedly produced unusually heated exchanges between the director, film veteran George Sidney, and Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who was not credited as a “Technical Advisor” in the film's credits. The arguments reportedly concerned the amount of time and effort allotted by the cinematographer, Joseph Biroc, to the song and dance numbers that featured Ann-Margret, ostensibly on the orders of the director. These scenes include views of Ann-Margret's dancing taken from many different camera angles, the use of multiple cameras for each scene, and several retakes of each of her song-and-dance scenes. David Winters, the film's choreographer, was recommended for the job by Ann-Margret, who was his dance student at the time. This was Winters's first job as a choreographer.
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema1,626,260 次观看 • 1 个月前
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Remembering Robert Shaw who was born on this day. Born | August 9, 1927 in Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, UK. Died | August 28, 1978 (aged 51) in Tourmakeady, County Mayo, Ireland. Video | Robert Shaw as Colonel Martin Hessler in Battle of the Bulge (1965).
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema210,855 次观看 • 18 天前
Cyd Charisse's striptease dance to “Satin and Silk” in the 1957 MGM musical romantic comedy film, Silk Stockings, directed by Rouben Mamoulian. • Cyd Charisse's striptease to the title number was met with a couple of raised eyebrows from the Hays film censors. For one two-second instant, Charisse is seen at length in a silk camisole exposing her legendary legs. This was considered too risqué by the Hays office, and a high-back chair was integrated into the dance for her to run behind. After she emerges from behind the chair, she has slipped on a swirling petticoat, but it is transparent and gives quick glimpses of her legs anyway. • In his vision for Silk Stockings, director Rouben Mamoulian was determined that the film would rely less on dialogue and instead dramatise the relationship between the two leads through elaborate dance numbers. He explained, “I had two of the best dancers in the world, and what interested me was to give greater importance to the dancing than to the action proper, which was merely a repeat of Ninotchka (1939). The psychological and dramatic development existed only in the dances.” • The exquisite gown that Cyd Charisse wears immediately after this dance was designed by Helen Rose.
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema157,111 次观看 • 15 天前
Marilyn Monroe in her last film The Misfits (1961). “What was meant to be a “valentine” from husband Arthur Miller became, instead, the unfortunate unraveling of their marriage. Miller had written the role of Roslyn for Marilyn, crafting it in her image — her tender spirit, her painful past, her mentally unwell mother, her ache to be loved and understood. But for Marilyn, it didn’t feel like love. It felt like exposure. Like her wounds had been fictionalised, dissected, and put on display for an audience. She felt more observed than seen — more used than loved.” “The shoot was brutal. Temperatures soared in the Nevada desert, scenes were rewritten by Miller the night before filming, and tensions on set were unrelenting. Marilyn, already battling insomnia and addiction, was emotionally and physically exhausted. Adding to the heartbreak: Miller began an affair during production with photographer Inge Morath, who had come to document the film. She wasn’t the only one unraveling. Montgomery Clift, deeply scarred, fragile, and fighting his own demons, shared an unspoken understanding with Marilyn. And Clark Gable, pushing himself beyond his limits for the role, had a heart attack two days after filming wrapped. He then sadly died from coronary thrombosis ten days later.” “Though this film is heavy with off-screen struggles, it stands as one of Marilyn’s most powerful performances. You can truly see her dramatic talent shine: raw, layered, and heartbreakingly real.” “I don’t revisit it often to be honest, not because it’s not brilliant, but because there’s a deep sadness that lingers throughout it. Knowing how much herself, Monty Clift and even Clark Gable endured during its making makes it all the more haunting.” Sourced from “RetroDreamings” on Instagram.
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema40,703 次观看 • 4 天前
One Of The Greatest Scenes In The History Of Cinema. During the scene in Casablanca (1942) in which the “La Marseillaise” is sung over the German song “Die Wacht am Rhein” (“The Watch on the Rhine”), many of the extras had real tears in their eyes as a large number were actual refugees from Nazi persecution in Germany and elsewhere in Europe and were overcome by the emotions the scene brought out. The scene was inspired by Jean Renoir's La Grande Illusion (1937), in which French soldiers in a German POW camp sing the song as a similar gesture of defiance. Marcel Dalio, who played Emil the croupier, had also appeared in La Grande Illusion . “La Marseillaise” was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by France against Austria and was originally titled “Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin” (“War Song for the Rhine Army”).
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema41,458 次观看 • 5 天前
Marilyn Monroe makes an early appearance in the Marx Brothers comedy Love Happy (1949). Groucho Marx told an anecdote ― both on a '60s Today Show segment and in print ― that the movie's producer Lester Cowan asked three aspiring actresses to walk seductively past Marx. Whomever Marx decided was the best walker would play opposite him in the film. When the third girl walked past, Marx asked the producer, “How could you possibly choose anyone but that last one?”. Marx had chosen Marilyn Monroe for the film.
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema74,604 次观看 • 13 天前
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) is a timeless romantic comedy-drama directed by Blake Edwards and based on the 1958 novella by Truman Capote. Set in 1960s New York City, the story follows Holly Golightly, a free-spirited young woman whose glamorous lifestyle hides a deeper search for love, security, and a place where she truly belongs. Her structured, superficial world is disrupted when Paul Varjak, a struggling young writer sponsored by an older woman, moves into her apartment building.” “As the two form an unlikely friendship that slowly deepens into attraction, both begin to look beyond the lives they’ve created for themselves, discovering that genuine happiness often comes from honesty rather than appearances.” “Filled with elegance, humor, romance, and iconic moments, the film beautifully explores themes of loneliness, personal freedom, and the fear of vulnerability, all masked behind a glamorous Manhattan lifestyle. What begins as a charming romance gradually unfolds into a heartfelt story about identity, vulnerability, and finding home in another person, showing that the things we chase aren’t always what we truly need.” Sourced from “VintageDaily” on Instagram.
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema24,782 次观看 • 4 天前
Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in a scene from The Apartment (1960), directed by Billy Wilder. • For this film, Billy Wilder became the first person to win the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. • Jack Lemmon said he learned much about filmmaking from Billy Wilder, particularly the director's use of “hooks”, bits of business the audience remembers long after they've forgotten other aspects of the movie. One such hook was the passing of the key to Baxter's apartment. Lemmon said for years after the picture's release, people would come up to him and say, “Hey, Jack, can I have the key?”. • Billy Wilder originally thought of the idea for the film after seeing Brief Encounter (1945) and wondering about the plight of a character unseen in that film ― the person who lends his apartment for an extramarital tryst. Shirley MacLaine was only given forty pages of the script because Wilder didn't want her to know how the story would turn out. She thought it was because the script wasn't finished.
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema30,102 次观看 • 6 天前
Grace Kelly's unforgettable blue gown in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief (1955) was designed by legendary costume designer Edith Head and remains one of the most celebrated dresses in cinema history. The dress is an ethereal, ice blue to periwinkle silk chiffon evening gown that appears to float around Kelly as she moves. The strapless bodice is softly draped and precisely fitted, accentuating her shoulders and elegant neckline without looking overtly structured. From the waist, the skirt falls in multiple whisper-light layers of chiffon, creating a cloud-like silhouette that catches every movement. One of its defining features is the long, sheer chiffon stole that drapes from the back of the bodice and trails behind her like a veil. Rather than serving as a dramatic cape, it adds a sense of effortless movement, fluttering as she walks through the casino scene. The fabric's transparency and delicate layering give the gown an almost luminous quality, particularly under the film's Technicolor photography. Costume sketches describe it as "soft blue chiffon" and emphasise subtle blue-violet tones. The colour itself shifts depending on the lighting, appearing variously as powder blue, icy blue, periwinkle, or pale sapphire. This changing quality has become part of the gown's mystique, enhanced by the rich saturation of VistaVision and Technicolor cinematography. Kelly wears the dress with a matching blue purse and impeccably coiffed blonde hair and restrained styling with no jewellery to accessorise the gown allowing it to command attention while reflecting the character Frances Stevens' cool confidence and aristocratic glamour. Fashion historians often cite this gown as a masterclass in understated luxury. Rather than relying on heavy embellishment, Edith Head achieved drama through impeccable cut, fluid chiffon, and a perfectly judged shade of blue. Its influence has endured for decades, inspiring designers and famously echoing in Diana, Princess of Wales's ice blue Cannes gown in 1987. Music | “She's The One” ― Robbie Williams.
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema179,369 次观看 • 1 个月前
Grace Kelly and James Stewart in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954). • By most accounts, everyone was crazy about Grace Kelly. According to James Stewart, “Everybody just sat around and waited for her to come in the morning, so we could just look at her. She was kind to everybody, so considerate, just great, and so beautiful”. Stewart also praised her instinctive acting ability and her “complete understanding of the way motion picture acting is carried out.” • According to Georgine Darcy, the man and woman on the fire escape struggling to get out of the rain was based on a prank by Alfred Hitchcock. Each actor and actress in the apartment complex facing Jeff's rear window wore an earpiece through which they could receive Hitchcock's directions. Hitchcock told the man to pull the mattress in one direction and told the woman to pull in the opposite direction. Unaware that they had received conflicting directions, the couple began to fight and struggle to get the mattress inside once the crew began filming. The resulting mayhem, in which one of the couple is tossed inside the window with the mattress, provided humour and a sense of authenticity, which Hitchcock liked. He was so pleased with the result that he didn't order another take.
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema49,105 次观看 • 13 天前
Barbra Streisand as Katie and Robert Redford as Hubbell in “The Way We Were” (1973), directed by Sydney Pollack. Years after their divorce, Katie and Hubbell meet by chance in front of the Plaza Hotel in New York City, where Katie is demonstrating to “Ban the Bomb”. A taxi interrupts their reunion and they part with a tender, bittersweet farewell. A box-office success, “The Way We Were” was nominated for several awards and won the Academy Awards for Best Original Dramatic Score (Marvin Hamlisch) and Best Original Song for the theme song “The Way We Were”. It ranked at number six on AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions survey of the top 100 greatest love stories in American cinema. The “The Way We Were” soundtrack album became a gold record and hit the Top 20 on the Billboard 200, while the title song became a gold single, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and selling more than two million copies. Billboard named “The Way We Were” as the number 1 pop hit of 1974. In 1998, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and finished at number eight on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Songs list of top tunes in American cinema in 2004. It also was included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Hollywood Golden Age of Cinema144,991 次观看 • 1 个月前
