38 Amazing Photographs From the Set of “Citizen Kane” (1941)

Production on Orson Welles’ masterpiece Citizen Kane (1941) was a hotbed of cinematic rebellion. Welles, a 25-year-old Hollywood outsider given absolute creative freedom by RKO Pictures, used his lack of filmmaking experience to his advantage by ignoring established rules and relying heavily on the technical brilliance of cinematographer Gregg Toland.

Before Citizen Kane, Hollywood sets rarely featured ceilings because they blocked the massive overhead studio lights. Welles wanted dramatic low angles to make Charles Foster Kane look imposing. To achieve this, the crew built enclosed sets with ceilings made of tightly stretched muslin cloth. The studio lights were rigged above the cloth to diffuse light down into the scene, allowing the camera to tilt upwards from the floor without exposing the empty studio rafters.

Welles and Toland wanted to place the camera even lower than standard tripods allowed. On several occasions, Welles ordered the carpentry crew to literally chop holes directly into the concrete or wooden studio floors so the heavy Mitchell camera could be dropped below ground level. This yielded the iconic low-angle perspectives seen during the political rally speech and the tense arguments in the newspaper office.

Toland experimented extensively with deep focus, a technique where everything in the frame, from objects mere inches from the lens to backgrounds dozens of feet away, remains perfectly sharp. On set, this required using newly invented coated lenses that reduced glare and allowed more light to enter; flooding the sets with immense, blinding amounts of light so they could close the lens aperture down tightly; utilizing in-camera optical composites, where one half of a scene would be filmed while the other half was masked in darkness, and then the film was rewound to shoot the second half in perfect focus.

Welles was a famously hands-on director, but during the filming of the dramatic staircase sequence, he fell and chipped his ankle. Refusing to let production stall, he spent two weeks navigating the RKO stages directing from a wheelchair, frequently using a massive megaphone to call out adjustments to the crew and cast across the echoing, cavernous sets.

Citizen Kane is frequently cited as the greatest film ever made. For 40 years, it stood at number one in the British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound decennial poll, and it topped the American Film Institute’s 100 Years ... 100 Movies list in 1998, as well as its 2007 update. The Library of Congress selected Citizen Kane as an inductee of the 1989 inaugural group of 25 films for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

The film was nominated for Academy Awards in nine categories and it won for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Mankiewicz and Welles. Citizen Kane is praised for Gregg Toland’s cinematography, Robert Wise’s editing, Bernard Herrmann’s score and its narrative structure, all of which have been considered innovative and precedent-setting.

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Marilyn Monroe for TIME Magazine, an “Icon for the Ages” (1954)

Marilyn Monroe was selected by TIME Magazine as one of its “100 Women of the Year” to represent the year 1954, cementing her legacy as an “Icon for the Ages.” This historic retrospective project redesigns covers from TIME’s past to recognize influential women who were often overlooked for the traditional “Man of the Year” title during the 20th century.

While she didn’t actually appear on the cover of TIME in 1954, her standalone cover story didn’t happen until May 14, 1956, the year 1954 was a monumental, career-defining turning point for her. Coming directly off the massive success of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire in late 1953, she entered 1954 as Hollywood’s top-billed star. In late 1954, she filmed the iconic subway grate scene for The Seven Year Itch. The image of her billowing white dress became one of the most famous visual moments in cinema history.

The TIME “100 Women of the Year Profile” honors Monroe not just as a comedic genius and sex symbol, but as a sharp professional who fought a studio system heavily rigged against women. By late 1954, she boldly walked away from her 20th Century Fox contract to co-found her own independent production company.

In February 1954, she took a famous detour from her honeymoon with baseball star Joe DiMaggio to perform for over 100,000 U.S. troops in South Korea, an experience she later stated made her feel genuinely respected as a performer for the first time.

Her inclusion in the project highlights how Monroe shifted from a Hollywood starlet into a timeless, global symbol of beauty, subversion, and enduring star power.

Photos From the Wedding of Anna Nicole Smith and Billionaire Oil Tycoon J. Howard Marshall II in 1994

On June 27, 1994, 26-year-old model and actress Anna Nicole Smith married 89-year-old billionaire oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II at the White Dove Wedding Chapel in Houston, Texas. The ceremony became one of the most heavily scrutinized and iconic media spectacles of the 1990s due to their 63-year age difference and Marshall’s vast fortune.

The wedding took place in an intimate setting with only eleven guests in attendance. Both the bride and groom dressed in all white. Smith wore a traditional cleaving white lace gown and veil while showcasing a 22-carat diamond ring. The elderly groom, who was in frail health, was wheeled up the aisle in a wheelchair to the song “Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You.” The couple sealed their vows with a kiss, and white doves were released inside the chapel.

The couple originally met three years prior in 1991 at a Houston strip club where Smith was working as a dancer before she found mainstream fame as a Playboy Playmate and Guess fashion model. Marshall was captivated by her and proposed multiple times while showering her with millions of dollars in lavish gifts, including homes, luxury cars, and diamond jewelry.

The union immediately sparked widespread public debate. Critics and tabloids widely labeled Smith a “gold-digger” targeting Marshall’s estimated $1.6 billion estate. Conversely, Smith always maintained that she genuinely loved Marshall, noting that he accepted her and brought stability to her and her young son.

Immediately following the ceremony, Smith famously left her new husband at the chapel to jet off for a scheduled photo shoot. The marriage was short-lived, lasting only 14 months before Marshall passed away from pneumonia at age 90 in August 1995.

Because Marshall excluded Smith from his official final will, his death sparked a grueling, multi-decade legal battle over the inheritance between Smith and Marshall’s son, E. Pierce Marshall. The case famously went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court twice. Ultimately, the legal system ground down both sides, and Smith passed away in 2007 without ever receiving any part of the billionaire's fortune.

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Christa Vogel: A Golden Era High-Fashion Icon

Christa Vogel was a German fashion model who became one of the most elegant and recognizable faces in international fashion photography during the late 1950s and early ’60s.

Known for her refined beauty, graceful poise, and sophisticated features, Vogel appeared in numerous high-profile editorial shoots for magazines such as Life, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar. Photographed by legendary lensmen like Horst P. Horst, F.C. Gundlach, Karen Radkai, and Mark Shaw, she epitomized the chic, ladylike style of the era, often modeling haute couture from Dior, Balenciaga, and other leading fashion houses.

Her timeless images remain beloved today among collectors of vintage fashion photography, representing the height of postwar European elegance and classic modeling standards.

Christa Vogel in moss green wool suit worn over paisley blouse, photo by Karen Radkai, Vogue, August 15, 1956

Christa Vogel in man-sized Shetland wool sweater-jacket over a paisley foulard blouse and soft wool skirt all by Greta Plattry, photo by Horst P. Horst, Vogue, August 15, 1957

Christa Vogel in paisley-print knit two-piece dress with pleated skirt by Bobette-Morton, hat by John Frederics, Vogue, August 15, 1957

Christa Vogel in red and pink wool two-piece by Mr. G worn with red velveteen beret by Betmar, photo by Horst P. Horst, Vogue, August 15, 1957

Christa Vogel in Siamese plaid sheath of Shamokin wool tweed by Donald Brooks, burunduki beret by John Frederics Charmer, photo by Horst P. Horst, Vogue, August 15, 1957

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30 Breathtaking Vintage Covers of Flying Aces Magazine From the 1930s

Flying Aces was one of the most popular and influential pulp magazines dedicated to aviation adventure during the Golden Age of Aviation. First published in 1928 by Periodical House, the magazine thrilled readers with thrilling tales of daring pilots, aerial combat, and heroic exploits set against the backdrop of World War I and the interwar period.

Featuring contributions from notable writers such as Arch Whitehouse, George Bruce, and Frederick C. Painton, Flying Aces combined fast-paced fiction with articles on real aircraft, technical illustrations, and colorful cover art that captured the romance and danger of early flight.

At its peak, the magazine inspired generations of young readers to dream of becoming pilots and played a significant role in popularizing aviation culture in America throughout the 1930s and early ’40s. These breathtaking vintage covers of Flying Aces magazine from the 1930s capture the golden age of aviation pulp like no other.

Flying Aces cover, December 1932

Flying Aces cover, June 1932

Flying Aces cover, October 1932

Flying Aces cover, August 1934

Flying Aces cover, December 1934

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Rare Photographs of a Very Young Tom Hanks in the 1970s

Long before he was Hollywood's resident “everyman” or a multi-Oscar winner, Tom Hanks spent the 1970s as a wandering, highly energetic theater kid trying to find his footing. If you looked at him in 1975, you wouldn't see a movie star; you’d see a self-described “extroverted, colorful” teenager working as a bellhop at the Oakland Hilton and obsessing over stage productions. His journey through the decade was a classic, grinding origin story.

Hanks started the decade at Skyline High School in Oakland, California. Coming from a fractured, nomadic childhood (his parents divorced early, and he moved homes constantly), he found an emotional anchor in his school's drama program. His very first acting experience was playing in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

After graduating high school in 1974, he headed to Chabot Community College in Hayward, California, where his love for the stage completely took over. He wasn’t just acting; he was working as a stagehand, absorbing everything he could about how live theater operated. In 1976, Hanks transferred to California State University, Sacramento, to major in drama. While there, he met Vincent Dowling, a director associated with the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. Dowling invited Hanks to intern for the summer of 1977.

Hanks packed his bags for Cleveland, and that internship turned into a three-year stint that essentially replaced his college education. He dropped out of CSU Sacramento because he was learning more on the job. He did everything: tracked props, built sets, managed stages, and played minor roles (making his official professional stage debut as Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew in 1977). By 1978, his hard work paid off when he won the Cleveland Drama Critics Award for Best Actor for playing Proteus in Two Gentlemen of Verona.

The end of the decade brought massive shifts in his personal and professional life, In 1977, his college sweetheart, Samantha Lewes (Susan Dillingham), gave birth to their first child, Colin Hanks. The couple married in 1978 when Tom was just 21 years old. Armed with his Cleveland theater experience, a young family to support, and immense determination, Hanks moved to New York City in late 1978 to try and break into professional film and television.

The hustle was real, he spent a lot of 1979 hitting pavement and visiting unemployment offices. But right at the tail end of 1979, the hard work began to materialize. He landed a small role in a low-budget, slasher horror flick called He Knows You’re Alone (released in 1980), which served as his feature film debut. More importantly, the auditions he ran at the close of 1979 set up the ultimate turning point of his early career: landing the co-leading role in the ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies, which premiered in late 1980 and officially launched him into the public consciousness.

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40 Fascinating Photos of a Young and Beautiful Kelly McGillis in the 1980s

In the 1980s, Kelly McGillis (born July 9, 1957) was the epitome of a Hollywood “it girl,” defining a very specific kind of screen presence: intelligent, statuesque, and classic. Following her training at Juilliard, she quickly transitioned into major film roles, bringing a grounded gravitas to a decade otherwise famous for its high-energy, stylized blockbusters. Her trajectory through the decade is defined by three massive, tonally distinct landmark films.

Her breakout role came opposite Harrison Ford in romantic thriller Witness (1985). Playing a young Amish widow, McGillis received critical acclaim, including BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. Her performance was widely praised for its quiet, luminous intensity and emotional depth, standing strong alongside Ford at the peak of his career.

She starred as flight instructor Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood in Top Gun (1986). This is the role that cemented her status as a global pop-culture icon. As the civilian astrophysicist and flight instructor who captured Tom Cruise’s Maverick, she shattered the typical “damsel” trope of 1980s action cinema. She brought an intimidating intelligence, authority, and an unforgettable style—her structured blazers, white tees, and leather aviator jacket became a decade-defining look.

Closing out the decade, McGillis took on an incredibly intense, gritty role as a deputy district attorney fighting for justice alongside Jodie Foster in The Accused (1988). It was a demanding, heavy drama that highlighted her range and commitment to serious, narrative-driven filmmaking over simple commercial stardom.

Musicians and actors of the era were leaning heavily into synth-pop neon, but McGillis naturally possessed a timeless, Golden Age of Hollywood allure. At 5'10", her commanding height, signature blonde curls, and sharp, classic features made her look like a classic noir actress transported directly into the modern era. She often played characters who were older, more academically accomplished, or more authoritative than their male counterparts, cutting through the typical Hollywood flash with pure substance.

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