20 Publicity Photos of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell for “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953)

Horns blare as two showgirls emerge from behind curtains dressed in identical shimmering red gowns. They knowingly look at one another, step forward, throw their white fur wraps to the ground and begin singing and sashaying to the oh so effervescent “Two Little Girls from Little Rock.” This tantalizing display of bold jazzy music, glittering costumes, and the radiant star power of Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe as the showgirls makes it instantly clear this is going to be one dazzlingly fun film even before the opening credits roll.

And Gentlemen Prefer Blondes doesn’t disappoint for a second. This iconic movie was a major box-office hit, the seventh highest-grossing film of 1953, and remains mighty entertainment. It’s also the film that crystalized the persona and major star status of one of the biggest stars in cinema history, Marilyn Monroe.

The film received positive reviews from critics. Monroe and Russell were both praised for their performances even by critics who panned the film.

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called Howard Hawks’ direction “uncomfortably cloddish and slow” and found the gags for Russell “devoid of character or charm,” but concluded, “And yet, there is that about Miss Russell and also about Miss Monroe that keeps you looking at them even when they have little or nothing to do.”

Variety wrote that Hawks “maintains a racy air that brings the musical off excellently at a pace that helps cloak the fact that it’s rather lightweight, but sexy, stuff. However, not much more is needed when patrons can look at Russell-Monroe lines as displayed in slick costumes and Technicolor.”

Harrison's Reports wrote: “Both Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe are nothing short of sensational in the leading roles. They not only act well, but the sexy manner in which they display their song, dance and pulchritude values just about sets the screen on fire and certainly is crowd-pleasing, judging by the thunderous applause at the preview after each of the well-staged musical numbers.”

John McCarten of The New Yorker wrote that the two leads “have a good deal of enthusiasm, and occasionally their exuberance offsets the tedium of one long series of variations on the sort of anatomical joke that used to amuse the customers of Minsky so inordinately.”

Britain’s Monthly Film Bulletin praised Jane Russell for her “enjoyable Dorothy, full of gusto and good nature,” but thought that the film had been compromised from the play “by the casting of Marilyn Monroe, by the abandonment of the 20s period and the incongruous up-to-date streamlining, by inflating some bright, witty songs into lavish production numbers, and by tamely ending the whole thing by letting two true loves conventionally come true. There is too, a lack of grasp in Howard Hawks’ handling, which is scrappy and uninventive.”

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Before the Beatles: Rarely Seen Photos of the Quarrymen Performing at Liverpool’s Casbah Coffee Club

The Casbah Coffee Club was a rock and roll music venue in the West Derby area of Liverpool, England, that operated from 1959 to 1962. Started by Mona Best, mother of early Beatles drummer Pete Best, in the cellar of the family home, the Casbah was planned as a members-only club for her sons Pete and Rory and their friends, to meet and listen to the popular music of the day. Mona came up with the idea of the club after watching a TV report about the 2i’s Coffee Bar in London’s Soho where several singers had been discovered.

The Quarrymen—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ken Brown—went to the club to arrange their first booking, to which Mona agreed, but said she needed to finish painting the club first. All four took up brushes and helped Mona to finish painting the walls with spiders, dragons, rainbows and stars. In addition to the four boys’ artistic contributions, Cynthia Powell, later to become Cynthia Lennon, painted a silhouette of John on the wall, which can still be seen today. The group often played at the Casbah as other venues, like the Cavern Club, had a jazz-only policy at that time.

The Quarrymen played a series of seven Saturday night concerts in the Casbah for 15 shillings each, starting on August 29, to October 1959, featuring Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Brown, but without a drummer, and only one microphone connected to the club’s small PA system. The opening night concert was attended by about 300 local teenagers, but as the cellar had no air-conditioning, and people were dancing, the temperature rose until it became hard to breathe. After the success of the first night, Mona gave the Quarrymen a residency, and paid the whole group £3 a night. Every Saturday thereafter, queues lengthened onto the street, which was financially good for Mona, as she charged one shilling admission on top of the annual membership fee. As there was no amplification, Lennon later persuaded Mona to hire a young amateur guitar player called Harry to play a short set before the Quarrymen, but this was only so they could use his 40-Watt amplifier.

Other artists and groups like Cilla Black, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, the Searchers and Gerry & the Pacemakers later played in the club. The Black Jacks became the resident group at the Casbah, although the Quarrymen occasionally played there again and often visited. Even though the membership list later spiraled to over a thousand, Mona closed the club on 24 June 1962, with the Beatles as the last group to perform.

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Elegant Fashion Photography in the 1930s

Fashion in the 1930s was characterized by elegance and sophistication, reflecting both the economic challenges and the glamorous escapism of the era.

Fashion photography in the 1930s

For women, the decade saw the rise of longer hemlines, with floor-length gowns for evening wear and mid-calf skirts for daytime. Dresses often featured soft, flowing fabrics like silk and chiffon, with an emphasis on draped silhouettes and defined waists. The era also popularized the bias-cut technique, which created a flattering, body-skimming effect.

Overall, the 1930s fashion was about balancing practicality with style, reflecting both the challenges of the Great Depression and the escapist allure of Hollywood glamor. These elegant photos captured portraits of classic beauties wearing fashion designs in the 1930s.

Lee Miller in a gown by Jeanne Lanvin, photo by George Hoyningen-Huene, 1931

British actress Joan Maude, Vivex color print by Madame Yevonde, 1932

Fashion study for Harper's Bazaar by George Hoyningen-Huene, 1932

Mary Taylor wearing white angora hat with grosgrain band by Maria Guy, photo by Edward Steichen, Vogue, 1933

Mme. Hilling wears Lanvin's Russian diadem of ebony and silver metal, and quilted silver sleeves, photo by George Hoyningen-Huene, Vogue, October 1, 1933

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David Bowie Working on Desktop Computer in Office, 1994

In 1996 Bowie became the first major artist to make a single release downloadable. ‘Telling Lies’ took about 11 minutes to download using a dial-up connection. He set up his own Internet Provider in 1998 called BowieNet. Users were given access to exclusive content and bonus material.

In 1999, David Bowie gave a famous interview on BBC Newsnight and made some remarks about the internet, which was at that time a burgeoning technology. His remarks seemed to predict some of the social fragmentation and chaos catalyzed by the internet in the 2010s and early 2020s.

At the time, Bowie told BBC interviewer Jeremy Paxman that the internet seemed subversive to him, because society's wielders of power and influence didn't yet have a monopoly over it.

“I don’t think we’ve even seen the tip of the iceberg. I think the potential of what the internet is going to do to society, both good and bad, is unimaginable. I think we’re actually on the cusp of something exhilarating and terrifying...

“I’m talking about the actual context and the state of content is going to be so different to anything that we can really envisage at the moment. Where the interplay between the user and the provider will be so in simpatico, it’s going to crush our ideas of what mediums are all about...

“The idea that the piece of work is not finished until the audience come to it and add their own interpretation and what the piece of art is about is the grey space in the middle. That grey space in the middle is what the 21st century is going to be about.”

30 Vintage Photos of People With TVs in the 1960s

In the 1960s, television became a staple in American households. By the mid-1960s, most American households owned a television. The number of TV sets in homes grew rapidly as prices dropped and technology improved.

Television was a central part of family life. Families gathered to watch popular shows, news events, and live broadcasts together. TV personalities and stars, like Lucille Ball, Ed Sullivan, and Walter Cronkite, became major cultural figures, shaping public opinion and entertainment. Television also began influencing social norms and public discourse, with shows reflecting and sometimes challenging societal values and issues.

Overall, the 1960s saw television solidify its role as a crucial medium for information and entertainment in American homes. Here below is a set of vintage photos that show people with TVs in the 1960s.

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50 Amazing Behind the Scenes Photos From the Making of Disney’s Classic “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” (1961)

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (also known as 101 Dalmatians) is a 1961 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions. Adapted from Dodie Smith’s 1956 novel of the same name, the film was directed by Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wolfgang Reitherman from a script by Bill Peet.

After Sleeping Beauty (1959) disappointed at the box office, Disney was losing money and there were discussions about closing down the animation department. During the film’s production, Disney told animator Eric Larson: “I don’t think we can continue; it’s too expensive.” Despite this, he still had deep feelings towards animation because he had built the company upon it.

Ub Iwerks, in charge of special processes at the studio, had been experimenting with Xerox photography to aid in animation. By 1959, he used a Xerox camera to transfer drawings by animators directly to animation cels, eliminating the inking process, thus saving time and money while preserving the spontaneity of the penciled elements. However, because of its limitations, the camera was unable to deviate from a black scratchy outline and lacked the fine lavish quality of hand inking. Disney would first use the Xerox process for a thorn forest in Sleeping Beauty, and the first production to make full use of the process was Goliath II (1960). For One Hundred and One Dalmatians, one of the benefits of the process was that it was a great help towards animating the spotted dogs. According to Chuck Jones, Disney was able to complete the film for about half of what it would have cost if they had had to animate all the dogs and spots.

Meanwhile, Ken Anderson, the studio’s art director, learned a television production studio—Hurrell Productions—was using Xerography to produce television commercials featuring Disney characters. Inspired by the aesthetic, Anderson experimented with a Xerox copier to directly transfer the animators’ drawings onto transparent cels, thereby eliminating the inking process. Anderson screened an animation test to Disney and the animators; although Disney expressed concern at the graphic style, he gave his approval stating: “Ah, yeah, yeah, you can fool around all you want to.” For the stylized art direction, Anderson took inspiration from British cartoonist Ronald Searle, who once advised him to use a Mont Blanc pen and India ink for his artwork.

In addition to the character animation, Anderson also sought to use Xerography on “the background painting because I was going to apply the same technique to the whole picture.” Along with color stylist Walt Peregoy, the two had the line drawings be printed on a separate animation cel before being laid over the background, which gave the appearance similar to the Xeroxed animation. Disney disliked the artistic look of the film and felt he was losing the “fantasy” element of his animated films. In a meeting with the animation staff concerning future films, Disney angrily said, “We’re never gonna have one of those goddamned things,” referring to the film’s art direction; he also stated, “Ken’s never going to be an art director again.”

Anderson took this to heart, but Disney eventually forgave him on his final trip to the studio in late 1966. As Anderson recalled in an interview: “He looked very sick. I said, ‘Gee, it’s great to see you, Walt,’ and he said, ‘You know that thing you did on Dalmatians.’ He didn’t say anything else, but he just gave me this look, and I knew that all was forgiven and in his opinion, maybe what I did on Dalmatians wasn’t so bad. That was the last time I ever saw him. Then, a few weeks later, I learned he was gone.”

As with the previous Disney films, the actors provided live-action reference as an aid to the animators before the animation process begun. By January 1959, Mary Wickes, who had played the maid Katie in The Mickey Mouse Club serial Annette, was hired as a model for Cruella De Vil. The live-action reference for Nanny was provided by both Don Barclay and Barbara Luddy, who had voiced Lady in Lady and the Tramp (1955) and Merryweather in Sleeping Beauty (1959).[17] Helene Stanley – who had been a model for the titular character in Cinderella (1950) and Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty (1959) – performed the live-action reference for Anita.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians was released in theaters on January 25, 1961, to critical acclaim and was a box-office success, grossing $14 million domestically in its original theatrical run. It became the first animated feature to earn over $10 million during its initial release, and became the eighth-highest-grossing film of the year in the North American box office and the highest-grossing animated film when reissues of films are not counted.

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On September 11, 2001, Actor Steve Buscemi Returned to His Old Job as a NYC Firefighter to Hunt for Survivors

On September 11, 2001, Steve Buscemi – the US actor known for his depictions of gangsters and weirdos in shows such as The Sopranos and The Big Lebowski – returned to his old job as a New York City firefighter. He worked 12-hour shifts for several days alongside other firefighters, searching for survivors in the rubble of the World Trade Center.

Steve Buscemi, pictured on the far left, joined the New York firefighters after 9/11.

Buscemi had taken the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) civil service test when he was 18 and used to work as a FDNY firefighter in downtown Manhattan in the 1980s.

He later left the service to become an actor but has remained in touch with New York firefighter causes. He is often seen speaking at union rallie. In 2014, he produced and hosted a documentary called “A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY,” which provides an in-depth look at the life and challenges of New York City firefighters.

The actor on duty in the early 1980s.

At the time, he said of his efforts during the rescue: “It was a privilege to be able to do it. It was great to connect with the firehouse I used to work with and with some of the guys I worked alongside. And it was enormously helpful for me because while I was working, I didn’t really think about it as much, feel it as much.”

Very few photos exist of Buscemi working tirelessly at the World Trade Center as he wasn’t there for publicity. When people tried to snap photos or interview him, he outright refused. There is little photographic evidence, though the picture below purports to be him.

Buscemi has used his platform to draw attention to the health struggles many first responders have faced following 9/11, including respiratory problems and cancers.

He is a board member of Friends of Firefighters, an organization dedicated to supporting active and retired FDNY firefighters and their families.

The FDNY honored Buscemi with a special commendation for his service during the aftermath of 9/11, recognizing his contributions and volunteer work.

Of the nearly 3,000 victims killed in the 9/11 attacks, 343 were firefighters. Tragically, there were 75 firehouses in which at least one member was killed, and the FDNY also lost its department chief, and first deputy commissioner.