Category Archives: Motion picture actors and actresses

Lost Episode of Golden Age of Television Dramatic Series “Star Tonight” Found and Identified

From 1955-56 on ABC, a live TV series titled Star Tonight offered the chance for young up-and-coming New York actors to star in a show opposite established players. The known stars included: Buster Crabbe, Neva Patterson, Theodore Bikel, and June … Continue reading

Posted in announcements, Archival Film, Digital collections, Edmund C. Rice papers, found in the archive, Motion picture actors and actresses, popular culture, Student projects, television history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jean Howard and Charles Feldman: From Ziegfeld Follies to Movie Moguls

What do you get when you combine a stunning starlet, a savvy talent broker, and a bunch of famous friends? The answer is Jean Howard and Charles Feldman, the ultimate party planners of old Hollywood. The story of Jean Howard … Continue reading

Posted in found in the archive, Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Photographic collections, popular culture, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Attack of the Killer…Shrews?

With it being the Halloween season, it seems appropriate to take note of a gruesome creature of movie land that may have haunted our dreams, or is kitschy enough to have  made us roll our eyes in disbelief. You’ve heard … Continue reading

Posted in Current events, events, Fantasy, Holidays, Horror, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Pop Culture, popular culture, science fiction, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hoppy’s Saddle is not Hoppy’s Saddle – The Mystery Solved

In 1982, Grace Bradley Boyd donated to the American Heritage Center a large cache of documents, photographs and memorabilia that belonged to her late husband William L. Boyd, or “Hopalong Cassidy” as he was better known. “Hoppy” was well-known to … Continue reading

Posted in announcements, Collection donor, Current events, found in the archive, Hopalong Cassidy, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Pop Culture, popular culture, Student projects, television history, Uncategorized, Western history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spotlighting Communism & Hollywood in the papers of Sesame Street’s Mr. Hooper

One of the most recognizable figures of the first thirteen years (1969-1982) of PBS’s Sesame Street was Mr. Hooper the grocer, played by veteran actor Will Lee. He was one of the four original human characters on the show. Before … Continue reading

Posted in Blacklisting, Cold War, Communism, Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Political history, Politics, popular culture, Social justice, television history, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From Orphan to Icon: The Remarkable Journey of Barbara Stanwyck

The astounding and legendary life and career of Barbara Stanwyck began in Brooklyn, New York. The youngest of 5 children born to common laborers, Stanwyck was originally known as ‘Ruby Stevens.’ She became orphaned by the age of 4. After … Continue reading

Posted in Biography and profiles, Film History, Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, popular culture, television history, Women in Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The June Vanleer Williams Story

African-American journalist and editor June Vanleer Williams is not necessarily well-known, but what a rich life she led. Williams was an actress, a casting director, a journalist, a playwright, a poet, and an active member in Karamu House, which is the … Continue reading

Posted in African American history, Authors and literature, Current events, found in the archive, Journalism, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, popular culture, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Brassy Barbara Stanwyck and Pre-Code Hollywood

In 1934, the Hays Code began to be strictly enforced in Hollywood to clean up alleged indecency in movies. All evil-doers had to meet their just rewards. What spurred the prudish policing? Hardboiled flicks like Baby Face. This 1933 film had … Continue reading

Posted in Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Politics, popular culture, Uncategorized, Women in Hollywood, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Jean Howard, Photographer for the Glamorous Hollywood Set

Jean Howard parlayed her extraordinary beauty, ethereal glamour and light-hearted intelligence to become a Ziegfeld girl, a Hollywood starlet, a legendary hostess and the “house photographer” of the film colony. Her circle included Tyrone Power, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Humphrey … Continue reading

Posted in Biography and profiles, found in the archive, Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Photography, popular culture, women's history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment