Vintage Pulp

February 23 2025

A NISTRI SOLVED

Who's that with the beckoning finger? Even in abstract form she's impossible to mistake.

Even slightly abstract Marilyn Monroe is immediately recognizable. The above piece of art was created by Enzo Nistri as a preliminary poster study for the film Come sposare un milionario, better known as How To Marry a Millionaire. It starred Monroe, along with Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall, in what was one of three Monroe blockbusters to hit cinemas in 1953, along with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Niagara. That’s an incredible trio but she was just getting started. The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot were still in her future. There was plenty in Nistri’s future too. He would paint hundreds of promos, including iconic posters for North by Northwest, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and John Wayne’s The Searchers. You see what his preliminary study led to below. How To Marry a Millionaire opened in the U.S. in late 1953 and charmed Italy beginning today in 1954.

Italy, Come sposare un milionario, How To Marry a Millionaire, North by Northwest, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Searchers, Enzo Nistri, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, poster art, cinema

Hollywoodland

October 31 2024

SQUASHED TOGETHER

Hello there, pumpkin. It's Halloween again.

Pumpkins are squashes, in case you ever wondered. And if you’ve ever wondered, we think Halloween is the most giving of U.S. holidays, because unlike Christmas your gifts go to strangers. We’ve cobbled together a collection of seasonal shots featuring Hollywood stars posing with jack-o’-lanterns, that yearly tradition we discussed a bit last year in another Halloween post. These pumpkins range from real, to plaster, to papier mâché, to paint, to shadows. There’s even a jack-o’-lantern house.

The stars are posted in the order of the keywords at bottom. Of special note are the last three: Peggy Ryan sitting on the identical pumpkin used by Ellen Drew for her Halloween shots (same prop department, we guess), Ava Gardner being her usual notable self, and finally, Gloria Saunders posed as if she’s about to let a scarecrow go doggy on her. Don’t judge us—you’ll think the same thing. Of all our previous posts along these lines, our favorite is at this link. Happy Halloween. Don’t eat too much candy.

Femmes Fatales

September 21 2023

LEGS UP TO THERE

I just insured them for a million dollars. You think I'm actually going stand on things that valuable?

Trivia time, vintage Hollywood fans. Our subhead tells you all you need to identify the person in this photo, even though she’s upside down. Give up? It’s Betty Grable, whose famous gams were allegedly insured with Lloyd’s of London for a cool milly. It’s was her studio Twentieth Century Fox’s doing, though some say it was a publicity stunt. Either way it worked. The free ink the insurance (or insurance fairytale) produced was priceless. It continues even today, obviously, as nearly everyone who writes about Grable mentions the policy. Grable once said, “I became a star for two reasons, and I’m standing on them.” But not in this photo.

Twentieth Century Fox, Betty Grable

Intl. Notebook

November 17 2021

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY

A dozen movie stars share the Crown.

Not long ago we showed you a few Royal Crown Cola print ads featuring Hollywood superstar Lauren Bacall, and mentioned that other celebs had also pitched the brand. That was an understatement. In its efforts to claw away part of Coca Cola’s dominant market share, RC signed up an entire stable of top stars, including a-list personalities such as Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, and Gene Tierney. Above you see a dozen celebrity ads produced by RC. There were others we left out of the group, for example with Sonja Henie, Irene Dunne, Diana Lynn, and even Bing Crosby. But how much cola can you really stand? Twelve is enough for one day.

Barbara Stanwyck, Paulette Goddard, Rita Hayworth, Lizabeth Scott, Virginia Mayo, Linda Darnell, Gene Tierney, Hedy Lamarr, Loretta Young, Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers, Betty Grable, Sonja Henie, Irene Dunne, Diana Lynn, Bing Crosby, magazine art

Intl. Notebook

January 12 2021

A HEAD OF HER TIME

Someone to watch over you.

Above, a Twentieth Century Fox promo item, a giant die-cut head of movie star Betty Grable made to promote her 1944 musical Pin Up Girl. That isn’t the type of movie we usually talk about here, but for her we’ll make an exception. This is the second time, actually, but we’re into any kind of vintage memorabilia, especially something this rare and interesting. Plus Grable is kind of fun, as any viewing of her movies will show. This is a very large scan, as you can by our zoom of her eye. See another fun Grable image on the cover of Paris-Hollywood magazine here.

Twentieth Century Fox, Pin-Up Girl, Betty Grable, cinema

Hollywoodland

June 22 2018

A SENSE OF NOSTALGIA

Comic book icon Stan Lee goes Hollywood.

Nostalgia Illustrated was a New York City based magazine published by none other than comic book kingpin Stan Lee. It debuted in November 1974, with the issue you see here coming this month in 1975. It’s exactly as its title suggests—a collection of vintage photos of American icons. We imagine Lee wanted to get into the burgeoning tabloid market, but one that didn’t go full Hollywood gossip. Instead the stories are more along the lines of respectful bios, which makes it less tabloid than fanboy publication.

Except for the cover, its design is nothing special, but it contains a wealth of old Hollywood photos we haven’t seen before, which makes it worth a share. You get John Garfield, Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe (because what’s a nostalgia magazine without her?), a youthful John F. Kennedy, and many other celebs. There’s also a story on John Lewis Roventini, the “world’s smallest bellhop” at four feet in height, who was famous in New York City for a time. All in thirty scans below.

Nostalgia Illustrated, Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, John Lewis Roventini, John Garfield, Marilyn Monroe, Raquel Welch, Betty Grable, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Jane Russell, Rita Hayworth, Mae West

Vintage Pulp

September 12 2017

FRENCH FLAIR

Thank you! Thank you very much! I agree! I'm amazing!

Above is another issue of our favorite classy skin mag Paris-Hollywood, this time with Betty Grable on the cover, and no, you haven’t developed cataracts—the genitals of all the nudes have been erased, as per normal for this publication. The main attraction with these early 1950s Paris-Hollywoods are the déshabillable centerfolds, which were painted by notable artists of the day. The example in this issue is from Roger Brard, and you can see more of his work by clicking his keywords below and scrolling down. How many of these magazines do we have to upload still? A lot. A deep stack we picked up during a trip to Paris a few years ago, faithfully documented. Stay tuned.

France, Paris, Paris-Hollywood, Betty Grable, Roger Brard, nudity, nudie mags

Hollywoodland

November 12 2015

SCREENLAND MAGIC

It’s a Delight from beginning to end.

Above and below are assorted scans from an issue of Screenland published this month in 1940. The issue we posted previously was from 1923. In the intervening years contributor Delight Evans had become editor, and as a result had become one of Hollywood’s most powerful starmakers. Evans was uniquely talented and got her break when, as a fifteen-year-old, she had a story purchased by Photoplay. That was in 1915.

By 1917 she was working for Photoplay in Chicago, and quickly ascended to an associate editor position there. At least one online source says she was an editor at Screenland by 1923, but even for someone that gifted twenty-three is a bit young to be helming one of America’s biggest magazines.

We have an issue from December 1923 and it was Frederick James Smith in the corner office. But Evans was in charge by at least 1934, which we can confirm because we have an issue from that year too. When did she actually take the reins? No idea. This is where it would be nice to click over to a Wikipedia page or something, but she doesn’t have one. A trailblazer like this—can you believe it? But we shall dig. Evans needs some online exposure, so we’ll see what we can do. Twenty-one scans with a galaxy of stars below.

Vintage Pulp

July 4 2015

SUMMER MOON

Shine on you crazy diamond.

There’s some confusion online about whether this promo poster for Moon over Miami was painted by Alberto Vargas. Jan-Christopher Horak’s book Saul Bass: Anatomy of Film Design states: “Virtually all movie poster design work remained anonymous, although a few well-known designers received contracts, including Alberto Vargas for Moon over Miami.” On the other hand, several auction sites claim Vargas only worked on the print ads, and that the artist who painted the poster was charged with emulating the Vargas style. So there you go—cleared that right up, no? Well, we tend to believe Vargas would not have received a contract simply for print ads. What would the point of that be? So we think this piece is his.

In any case, we’ve always loved the poster and it prompted us to finally watch the film. Guess what? It’s just what you’d expect from looking at the art—goofy, gooey, and terminally good-natured. None of that is particularly pulp, but hey, crazy as it sounds, some filmmakers actually prefer to downplay death and mayhem. Betty Grable stars here as a woman determined to marry a millionaire. She sets up at a Miami hotel with her sister and aunt, and pretends to be rich herself, with the aim attracting the proper suitors. Confusion ensues, enlivened by musical numbers. Grable proves in this movie why she was a star, as does the object of her destiny Don Ameche, and excellent support comes from Carole Landis and Charlotte Greenwood. We don’t generally go for this sort of film, but we liked this one, as did our girlfriends. Now back to death and mayhem. Moon over Miami premiered in the U.S. today in 1941.

Miami, Moon over Miami, Saul Bass: Anatomy of Film Design, Betty Grable, Carole Landis, Charlotte Greenwood, Don Ameche, Alberto Vargas, Jan-Christopher Horak, poster art, cinema, movie review

Femmes Fatales

July 4 2015

BLONDE BOMBSHELL

Caution: emits flames, sparks, and blinding light.

Above: the incomparable Marilyn Monroe in two promos made for U.S. Independence Day. Many actresses posed for similar July 4th shots, but these are two of the nicer ones. And she’s wearing those Lucite platform heels again. Man, she absolutely lived in those. See here and here. Monroe made these photos in 1953 when she was filming How To Marry a Millionaire, the hit comedy in which she and two pals move into a fancy hotel and use it to attract rich suitors. Guess who played one of the other gold diggers and was actually top-billed in the film? Betty Grable. Why is that curious? Well, let’s just say Hollywood’s difficulty coming up with new ideas is not a new problem. See the next post.

How To Marry a Millionaire, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, cinema

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

November 15

1920—League of Nations Holds First Session

The first assembly of the League of Nations, the multi-governmental organization formed as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, is held in Geneva, Switzerland. The League begins to fall apart less than fifteen years later when Germany withdraws. By the onset of World War II it is clear that the League has failed completely.

November 15

1959—Clutter Murders Take Place

Four members of the Herbert Clutter Family are murdered at their farm outside Holcomb, Kansas by Richard “Dick” Hickock and Perry Smith. The events would be used by author Truman Capote for his 1966 non-fiction novel In Cold Blood, which is considered a pioneering work of true crime writing. The book is later adapted into a film starring Robert Blake.

November 13

1940—Fantasia Premieres

Walt Disney’s animated film Fantasia, which features eight animated segments set to classical music, is first seen by the public in New York City at the Broadway Theatre. Though appreciated by critics, the movie fails to make a profit due to World War II cutting off European revenues. However it remains popular and is re-released several times, including in 1963 when, with the approval of Walt Disney himself, certain racially insulting scenes were removed. Today Fantasia is considered one of Disney’s greatest achievements and an essential experience for movie lovers.

November 12

1912—Missing Explorer Robert Scott Found

British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his men are found frozen to death on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, where they had been pinned down and immobilized by bad weather, hunger and fatigue. Scott’s expedition, known as the Terra Nova expedition, had attempted to be the first to reach the South Pole only to be devastated upon finding that Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had beaten them there by five weeks. Scott wrote in his diary: “The worst has happened. All the day dreams must go. Great God! This is an awful place.”

November 12

1933—Nessie Spotted for First Time

Hugh Gray takes the first known photos of the Loch Ness Monster while walking back from church along the shore of the Loch near the town of Foyers. Only one photo came out, but of all the images of the monster, this one is considered by believers to be the most authentic.

November 12

1969—My Lai Massacre Revealed

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh breaks the story of the My Lai massacre, which had occurred in Vietnam more than a year-and-a-half earlier but been covered up by military officials. That day, U.S. soldiers killed between 350 and 500 unarmed civilians, including women, the elderly, and infants. The event devastated America’s image internationally and galvanized the U.S. anti-war movement. For Hersh’s efforts he received a Pulitzer Prize.