Above, a promo shot of Italian actress and 1946 Miss Italy runner-up Silvana Pampanini. Not well known today, during the 1950s and 1960s she became an international star but was relegated to secondary status when Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida arrived on the scene. Even so, she eventually appeared in around sixty films. Oh, and about that Miss Italy contest—from what we understand she actually garnered the most votes, but was bumped to second place by the pageant jury because they felt she was just a bit too sensual. Perhaps they had a good point. This boudoir shot of Pampanini in see-through lingerie probably dates from around 1950.
1945—Hollywood Black Friday
A six month strike by Hollywood set decorators becomes a riot at the gates of Warner Brothers Studios when strikers and replacement workers clash. The event helps bring about the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, which, among other things, prohibits unions from contributing to political campaigns and requires union leaders to affirm they are not supporters of the Communist Party.