From Marlene to Marilyn Glamour and Desire on

From Marlene to Marilyn: Glamour and Desire on the Silver Screen Rachel Park, Bryn Mawr College ’ 10 History & Classical Studies September 1, 2008

Overview: Summer 2008 Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center My internship at the National Portrait Gallery n Resources n Main concepts/themes n Impact on contemporary culture n

Internship at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D. C. n n n Assisted Smithsonian cultural historian, Amy Henderson, whose past exhibits include “Kate: One Life, ” and “Red, Hot & Blue” Researched Hollywood glamour during the Golden Era (1920 s-1950 s) Studied the key actors during that time, the studio system, the concept of glamour and its implications in American culture

What I enjoyed n n Staff at NPG and the Smithsonian at large expressed how much they appreciated and valued their interns Truly felt that my work was making a meaningful contribution Hands-on experience Experience pulled many of my interests together: fashion, film, cultural history

Resources n n Books from the National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian American Art Museum library (and through interlibrary loan) Kobal Collection online Films during that time period Newsreels at the National Archives in College Park and the James Madison building of the Library of Congress ¨ flatbed viewing machines

Resources n n In addition to newsreels, screened Paramount on Parade (1930), The Voice of Hollywood, and Screen Snapshots --> feature films/film magazines/“celebrity newsreels” that featured popular stars Pro. Quest database ¨ searches through the following historical newspapers: Atlanta Constitution (1868 -1939), Boston Globe (1872 -1925), Chicago Tribune (1849 -1986), Christian Science Monitor (1908 -1995), Los Angeles Times (1881 -1986), The New York Times (18512005), The Wall Street Journal (1889 -1991), and The Washington Post (1877 -1992) Life magazine (1940 s) Photoplay on microfilm (1912 -1917)

Key actors and actresses: Glamour n Marlene Dietrich (1901 -1992) “Legs” ¨ Sustained her image of glamour throughout her lengthy career ¨ n Greta Garbo (1905 -1990) “The Face, ” “The Swedish Sphinx” ¨ Has continued to fascinate audiences worldwide for her reclusive, aloof nature ¨

Glamour n Gary Cooper (1901 -1961) ¨ Primarily known for his role in Westerns ¨ Was able to uphold public interest due to his wide range of films, including Sergeant York, The Pride of the Yankees, and High Noon n Dolores del Rio (1905 -1983) ¨ First Mexican actress to hit it big in Hollywood ¨ Her natural beauty and her “exoticism” were selling points

Glamour n Cary Grant (1904 -1986) ¨ ¨ The quintessential dashing hero Had excellent comedic timing Fred Astaire (1899 -1987) and Ginger Rogers (1911 -1995) n ¨ ¨ The dynamic duo that brought glamour back onto the screens of Depression-era America Represented love through the art of song and dance

Glamour n Humphrey Bogart (1899 -1957) ¨ The definition of sexy masculinity and moral integrity

Desire n Gloria Swanson (1897 -1983) The silent screen vamp ¨ Showcased glamour on and off screen the ultimate “clotheshorse” ¨ n Rudolph Valentino (1895 -1926) First major male sex symbol of film ¨ Combination of sensitivity and virility – duality of character was very appealing ¨

Desire n Clark Gable (1901 -1960) ¨ “The King” of the box office ¨ Rugged and handsome: the mustache was essential n Jean Harlow (1911 -1937) ¨ “The Platinum Blonde” – her hair set a trend that millions of women would follow ¨ Had a magnetic screen presence, which many attributed to her “honesty”

Desire n Carole Lombard (1908 -1942) ¨ n The woman who could mix glitz and humor Joan Crawford (1906 -1977) ¨ Started off as a flapper girl, but was determined to be a star

Desire n Veronica Lake (1919 -1973) Most well-known for her “peekaboo” hairstyle, which had a tremendous effect on the hair industry ¨ n Marlon Brando (1924 -2004) Was part of a new wave of “method acting, ” which was to use real-life experiences and emotions as inspiration for the film ¨

Desire n Elizabeth Taylor (1932) ¨ Has n been called the last great star James Dean (1931 -1955) ¨ Was able to induce conflicted feelings in the viewer with his portrayal of morally ambivalent characters

Desire n Marilyn Monroe (1926 -1962) ¨ “The Blonde Bombshell” who transfixed the nation with her unabashed sex appeal, but level of vulnerability as well

Pinups During WWII n Betty Grable (1916 -1973) ¨ the ultimate pinup n Rita Hayworth (1918 -1987) ¨ in 1941 Life

Influence on American culture n n Lake’s hairstyle, Harlow’s hair, Dietrich’s pants Hollywood glamour flourished during the Depression, when people wanted to escape their daily hardships and live variously through the stars followed every fad and trend ¨ Automobiles and dining out were outward expressions of the stars’ refined lifestyles

Androgynous Appeal n Dietrich in Morocco: famous scene where she sings dressed in a tuxedo n Dean in Rebel Without a Cause: His “delicate” features appealed to both men and women

Transformation of Stars/Contradictions n n n Rita Hayworth’s hairline was raised via electrolysis and her hair was dyed to look “less Latin”; Gable’s ears were surgically corrected because they were too big Aim for perfection, but allure lays in imperfection: Monroe’s signature look was the “just-got -out-of-bed” look, but even this image was carefully constructed (Fox, 86) Stars were like divinities, but attempt to humanize them

Idea of Beauty n Picture from the 1937 film, A Star Is Born, which shows two men drawing on a woman’s face to “reshape” her brows stars began to look the same n 1920 s flapper girl 1930 s exotic, yet natural: In the early 1930 s, Crawford’s heavy eye make-up was widely imitated, but in the September 1933 issue of Photoplay, natural beauty was hailed. 1940 s pinup 1950 s sex symbol n n Harlow’s platinum blonde hair Rita Hayworth’s red hair Hedy Lamarr’s raven hair

Motifs n n n Stars and Cars Big cat Furs and feathers On the town – night clubs (El Morocco, Ciro’s) , restaurants (Romanoff’s, The Brown Derby) At play – Santa Anita races, poolside, informal “at-homes, ” boats and trains, tennis, skiing, golfing

Magic Makers n n n Wardrobe, lighting, makeup, and cinematography helped make the star Max Factor’s idea of beauty: “The beauty calibrator” Karl Struss ¨ Swanson in Male and Female (1919)

Magic Makers: Fashion Designers n Adrian – 1932 dress worn by Crawford n Travis Banton – designed costumes for Dietrich in The Devil is a Woman (1935)

Magic Makers: Photographers n Dennis Stock: 1955 James Dean in Indiana n George Hurrell: 1941 Veronica Lake

Impact on contemporary culture n Express newspaper in Washington D. C. , 7/2/08 issue: Discussed Armani fall-winter 2008 -2009 collection, and cited the influence of Hollywood decadence “Shades of earlier Hollywood heroines like Katharine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich ran through his collection of tailored jackets with razor-sharp shoulders and goddess gowns glistening with beads” (p. 31). n NY Times audio feature published on 7/27/08: “On the Street: The Appeal of the Heel, ” by Bill Cunningham revival of high heels with short skirts or shorts, reminiscent of Betty Grable, “no one could care less” attitude in the City n “Women In Film” video (Google Docs) on the transformation of women in film

Sources n Hayworth on cover slide: http: //www. tcf. ua. edu/Classes/Jbutler/T 57 7/Students/Rita. Face. jpg (8/14/08)

Sources n n n Dietrich: http: //www. humanesocietyny. org/auction/images/index-photo 07. jpg (8/5/08) Garbo: http: //farm 1. static. flickr. com/75/171481871_7467 da 1339. jpg? v=0 (8/5/08) Del Rio: http: //bp 1. blogger. com/_CLu 8_j. FPNZ 4/Rf 83 b. UN_w 3 I/AAAAAIA/r. Hcrc. J 9 Lj. Y/s 1600 -h/Delores+Del+Rio 12. jpg (8/5/08) Cooper: http: //www. staleywise. com/collection/steichen_gary_cooper_b. jpg (8/5/08) Grant: http: //www. bfi. org. uk/education/teaching/screendreams/images/postcards_grant_450. jpg (8/5/008) Fred and Ginger: http: //bp 0. blogger. com/_Vk. Zbqqa. JEt. Q/Rk. PYhbm. W 0 o. I/AAAAAt. A/Fqu. X 8 TPbn. Q/s 1600 -h/fred. bmp (8/5/08) Bogie: http: //www. filmsquish. com/guts/files/images/Annex%20%20 Bogart, %20 Humphrey%20(Maltese%20 Falcon, %20 The)_02. jpg (8/5/08) Swanson: http: //jasonlandry. com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/steichen. jpg (8/5/08) Valentino: http: //www. altfg. com/Stars/actorsv/valentino-rudolph-1. jpg (8/5/08) Harlow: http: //www. allaboutshoes. ca/images/common/heights_of_fashion/fantasies_big_screen/1. jp g (8/5/08) Gable: http: //www. theothersideofkim. com/images/uploads/2007 files/clark_gable 18. jpg (8/5/08)

Sources n n n Lombard: http: //i 223. photobucket. com/albums/dd 164/iamericamag/1920 s%20 sirens/carole_lombard_ 1313. jpg (8/5/08) Crawford: http: //images. scripting. com/archive. Scripting. Com/2006/02/27/young. Crawford. Big. jpg (8/5/08) Lake: http: //farm 2. static. flickr. com/1192/1383365761_3 a 4 f 4 e 66 ab. jpg? v=0 (8/5/08) Brando: http: //imagecache 2. allposters. com/images/pic/54/039_4032~Marlon-Brando. Posters. jpg (8/5/08) Taylor: http: //artfiles. art. com/images/-/Elizabeth-Taylor-Photograph-C 12145909. jpeg (8/5/08) Dean: http: //www. cinematical. com/images/2005/09/james%20 dean 2. jpg (8/5/08) Monroe: http: //www. gallerym. com/images/work/big/associated%20 press_marilyn_monroe_seven_yr _itch_L. jpg (8/5/08) Hayworth: http: //www. tcf. ua. edu/Classes/Jbutler/T 577/Students/Rita. Pinup. jpg (8/14/08) Grable: http: //history. sandiego. edu/gen/ww 2 Timeline/images 2/1943. jpg (8/5/08) Lamour: http: //history. sandiego. edu/gen/ww 2 Timeline/images 2/lamour 1. jpg (8/5/08) Turner: http: //www. seraphicpress. com/images/Lana%20 Turner, %20 They%20 Won't%20 Forget. jpg (8/12/08) Sheridan: http: //www. ipacific. com/shop/photography/hurrell/08 Ann. Sheridan. jpg (8/5/08)

Sources n n n “Androgynous appeal” ¨ Dietrich: http: //i 192. photobucket. com/albums/z 297/Green. Ambassador/Green%20 Ambass ador%20 Weed/Canna%20 Embassy%20 art/marlene_dietrich 1. jpg (8/11/08) ¨ Dean: http: //www. vafilm. com/images/Film. Fest 07/rebel. JPG (8/14/08) “Transformation of Stars/Contradictions” ¨ Rita Hayworth: Basinger, Jeanine. The Star Machine. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. 42 ¨ Fox, Patty. Star Style: Hollywood Legends as Fashion Icons. Santa Monica: Angel City Press, Inc. , 1995. 86. ¨ Cary Grant cooking from Kobal Collection online: photo ref. XGR 004 ML (8/14/08) “Idea of Beauty” ¨ A Star Is Born: Basinger, The Star Machine, p. 40 “Motifs” ¨ Jean Harlow from Kobal collection online: photo ref. CA 002 FF ¨ Santa Anita races from Kobal collection online: photo ref. XDE 027 CA

Sources n “Magic Makers” ¨ ¨ ¨ “The Beauty Calibrator”: http: //cache. viewimages. com/xc/3065333. jpg? v=1&c=View. Images&k=2&d=3 2 F 168 F 2 F 013 CA 9 AFFA 45 C 14 C 2 D 93 F 44 A 55 A 1 E 4 F 32 AD 3138 (8/11/08) Swanson in Male and Female: Kobal, John. The Art of the Great Hollywood Portrait Photographers: 1925 -1940. New York: Harrison House, 1987. 74. (8/14/08) Adrian: http: //static. flickr. com/47/179512788_e 9296 c 2 c 95. jpg (8/11/08) Travis Banton: http: //lib. store. yahoo. net/lib/thehollywoodcollection/md 643. jpg (8/11/08) Stock, Dennis. James Dean: Fifty Years Ago. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 2005. 43. George Hurrell: http: //www. ipacific. com/shop/photography/hurrell/06 Veronica. Lake. jpg (8/11/08) “Impact on contemporary culture” “The Appeal of the Heel” feature: http: //www. nytimes. com/interactive/2008/07/27/fashion/street-multimedia 3/index. html (2: 15 mins - 2: 07 mins) “Women In Film” video: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=v. Ec 4 YWICe. Xk