Tag Archives: Hollywood

“I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”: The Enduring Appeal of a Holiday Hit

As we enter the holiday season, it’s nearly impossible to escape the sounds of holiday standards warbling through PA systems and speakers wherever you go. Holiday music is an incredibly lucrative industry with a wide-ranging and enduring appeal, and many … Continue reading

Posted in Collections Highlights, Holidays, Music History, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Carroll Baker – More Than a Sex Symbol of the Silver Screen

With her large blue eyes and lithe figure, Carroll Baker was a Hollywood sensation. Papers of the day described her as “a little like Marilyn Monroe, a little like Jean Harlow, and altogether a platinum blonde.” She earned millions from … Continue reading

Posted in Biography and profiles, Collections Highlights, Film History, Hollywood history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From Brooklyn to Broadway: How Bertha Klausner Built America’s Most Innovative Literary Agency

This is Part 1 of a two-part series exploring the remarkable life of Bertha Klausner, one of America’s most influential literary agents. Read Part 2 here. Bertha Klausner was among one of the most influential literary agents in the United … Continue reading

Posted in Biography and profiles, Literary History, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Air and in the Aisles: How Kraft Music Hall Sold a Show and a Brand 

A standard of the Golden Age of Radio, musical-variety radio programs surged in popularity in the early 1930s as consumers gained access to affordable radio units. These shows, often blending comedy with music, remained beloved throughout the Great Depression. Typically … Continue reading

Posted in Advertising, Entertainment history, Golden Age of Radio, Hollywood history, radio history, television history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

From the Archives to the Airwaves: Taylor Swift’s ‘Clara Bow’ and the AHC’s Scrapbook

Sometimes you find remarkably topical surprises in the archives, like the recent discovery of a scrapbook devoted to Clara Bow in the Samuel Anthony Peeples papers at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming. This treasure trove of newspaper clippings, … Continue reading

Posted in Celebrity Culture, Film History, music, Pop Culture Icons, popular culture, Uncategorized, Women in Hollywood, Women in Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jack Benny: Accidental Radio Extraordinaire

On March 29th, 1932, Ed Sullivan invited Jack Benny to his radio program, launching a prolific radio and entertainment career. Benny went from a small-time vaudeville performer to a radio host, USO performer, movie man and more. Today, we honor … Continue reading

Posted in Entertainment history, Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, radio history, television history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 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

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

Marilyn Monroe – “True Spirit and Soul”

“Jean took the best pictures of me I’ve ever had,” said Marilyn Monroe at one of Gloria Vanderbilt’s celebrity-studded party in the 1950s. Everyone turned to look at the photographer in question, Jean Howard. Former Ziegfeld girl and MGM contract … Continue reading

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Jacques Kapralik and the Art of Film Promotion

The American Heritage Center is fortunate to hold the papers and artwork of Jacques Kapralik. Kapralik was a commercial artist and caricaturist whose art was used in the promotion of motion pictures throughout Hollywood’s Golden Era of the 1930s-1950s. Born … Continue reading

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