In 1962, Bette Davis Did Her Own Makeup for “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”

Bette Davis famously created and applied her own makeup for the 1962 film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? to ensure it looked appropriately grotesque. She took this approach because she believed no professional makeup artist would dare to make her look as “ghastly” as the character required, with one artist even telling her he feared he would never work again if he followed her vision.

Davis’s core concept was that the character, Jane Hudson, never washed her face. Instead, she imagined Jane simply applied a new layer of makeup over the previous day’s grime every morning. She drew inspiration from older women she saw on Hollywood Boulevard. These were often former actresses who lived in the past and wore heavy, outdated makeup in a desperate attempt to look young. The look was a “grotesque” parody of silent film stars like Mary Pickford, featuring white-caked skin and exaggerated features.

She used heavy Max Factor supplies to create a thick, pale base that emphasized her wrinkles rather than hiding them. She added a Clara Bow-style beauty mark and used charcoal pencils to draw harsh, dark lines around her eyes and lips. By layering the products, she created a mask-like appearance that became increasingly distorted as Jane’s mental state deteriorated throughout the film.

According to Bette Davis in her book “This N’ That,” What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? was originally going to be shot in color. Davis opposed this, saying that it would just make a sad story look pretty. Davis said she had a lot of control over how her makeup should be done for the film. She imagined the older Jane as someone who would never wash her face, just put on another layer of makeup. When her daughter, Barbara Merrill, first saw her in full “Jane” makeup, she said, “Oh, mother, this time you've gone too far.”

“What I had in mind no professional makeup man would have dared to put on me,” said Davis. “One told me he was afraid that if he did what I wanted, he might never work again. Jane looked like many women one sees on Hollywood Boulevard. In fact author Henry Farrell patterned the character of Jane after these women. One would presume by the way they looked that they once were actresses, and were now unemployed. I felt Jane never washed her face, just added another layer of makeup each day.”

The budget was so limited that the production wasn’t able to use the usual process screen shots for Jane’s driving scenes. Davis did her own driving around Hollywood with cameraman Ernest Haller perched either in the back seat of the car or over the front fender in order to get the shots he needed. “To this day,” said Davis in 1987, “I smile when I remember the first time ’Jane’ drove down Beverly Boulevard in an old Hudson. The expressions on the faces of people in other cars when they saw me were hysterical. Lots of mouths dropped.”

Director Robert Aldrich and the producers initially feared the look was too over-the-top, but Davis gave them an ultimatum: she would only play the role if she could keep her self-designed makeup. Her instincts proved correct, earning her an Academy Award nomination for the performance.

See more»

Gloria Holliday Posing With an Easter Bunny, 1951

In 1951, Gloria Holliday was a regular cast member of the CBS Radio situation comedy The Harold Peary Show (also known as Honest Harold), where she played the character Gloria, a switchboard operator and the girlfriend of the main character. On March 1, 1951, Holliday was photographed in New York posing with an Easter bunny as part of a promotional campaign for the program. Holliday was the real-life wife of the show’s star, Harold Peary.

Gloria Holliday was an actress and singer who often collaborated with her husband. On The Harold Peary Show, her character was the romantic interest of Harold Hemp. Interestingly, Peary had recently left his iconic role as Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve on The Great Gildersleeve to start this series, bringing much of his signature humor and “dirty laugh” with him.

Before ABBA, Here Are Some Rarely Seen Photos of a Very Young Anni-Frid Lyngstad in the 1960s

Before she became the “Frida” of ABBA fame, Anni-Frid Lyngstad’s 1960s career was defined by a jazz-influenced sound, a sophisticated schlager style, and a striking transformation from a local band singer to a national contest winner.

At the age of 13 in 1958, Anni-Frid secured her first professional engagement as a schlager and dance band singer with Evald Ek’s Orchestra, performing primarily swing and popular tunes at local venues across Sweden. The orchestra’s leader, Evald Ek, later recalled her precocious talent, noting the difficulty in believing such proficiency came from someone so young.

Throughout the early 1960s, Lyngstad expanded her local presence by collaborating with additional ensembles, including Bengt Sandlund’s big band in Eskilstuna, and reportedly forming her own quartet, the Anni-Frid Four, around 1963.

She met her first husband, Ragnar Fredriksson, in 1961. Together they had two children: Hans, born in 1963, and Lise-Lotte, born in 1967.

On September 3, 1967, Frida won a talent contest in Stockholm. Immediately after her victory she appeared on national television singing her winning song. This first exposure to a wider television audience caused a sensation, and many record companies and producers contacted Frida immediately. EMI executives, fearing they might lose their new singer, drove from Stockholm to her home in Eskilstuna the next morning with a recording contract.

On 11 September 1967, Lyngstad recorded the vocals for “En ledig dag,” which became her first single for EMI. Professional and self-assured on her first day in the studio, she recorded the vocals in just one take.

Despite this promising start, it took several years for Lyngstad to achieve commercial success. She recorded seven solo singles for EMI over the next two years, but none achieved much airplay. She spent most of her time performing in cabaret shows across Sweden.

In 1969, Frida participated in Melodifestivalen (the Swedish heat for Eurovision) with the song “Härlig är vår jord,” finishing fourth. During this time, she met Benny Andersson at a cabaret show in Malmö. Their professional and personal partnership began shortly after, marking the end of her solo “jazz singer” era and the beginning of the journey toward ABBA.

See more»

35 Elegant Photos That Defined Women’s Fashion in the Mid-19th Century

In the mid-19th century, women’s fashion was defined by an era of dramatic silhouettes and romantic Victorian ideals. This period saw the peak of the bell-shaped silhouette, made possible by the invention of the cage crinoline in the 1850s, which allowed skirts to reach massive proportions without the weight of heavy petticoats. Bodices were meticulously tailored with high necklines for daytime and off-the-shoulder styles for evening galas, often featuring elaborate lace, silk ribbons, and intricate embroidery.

The mid-1800s was a time of “conspicuous consumption,” where the volume of one’s dress signaled social status and wealth. From the shimmering taffetas of the upper class to the modest cotton prints of daily life, every garment reflected a rigid adherence to etiquette and modesty. This decade also marked the transition toward the more streamlined “princess line” and the eventual rise of the bustle, showcasing a constant evolution in Victorian craftsmanship.

These vintage photos capture a world of breathtaking elegance, a time when fashion was not just clothing, but a structural work of art.

See more»

40 Candid Snaps Capture Teenagers’ Styles in the 1970s

The 1970s teenagers’ styles were a vibrant explosion of self-expression, marking a definitive shift from the structured silhouettes of the past to a more liberated, “anything goes” aesthetic.

For many teens, fashion was a rhythmic blend of bohemian ease and disco glamour, characterized by the iconic flare of bell-bottom jeans, colorful tie-dye shirts, and platform shoes that added both height and attitude. This was the era of the “Me Generation,” where personal identity was worn on one’s sleeve, whether through the rugged, denim-on-denim look of the rock-and-roll crowd or the flowing, ethereal peasant blouses inspired by the hippie movement.

Beyond the clothing, the 1970s teen look was defined by bold textures and patterns, from corduroy and velvet to psychedelic prints and earthy tones like mustard yellow and burnt orange. Hair was equally expressive, ranging from shaggy, feathered cuts, popularized by icons like Farrah Fawcett, to the natural, voluminous glory of the Afro.

These vintage snapshots capture a generation caught between the lingering idealism of the sixties and the high-energy pulse of the upcoming eighties, embodying a spirit of rebellion and effortless cool that continues to influence modern streetwear today.

See more»

18 Photos of Robert Downey Jr. on the Set of “Heart and Souls” (1993)

Heart and Souls (1993) is a fantasy comedy-drama directed by Ron Underwood. Robert Downey Jr. plays Thomas Reilly, a San Francisco businessman who, since birth, has been the unknowing host to four ghosts, souls who died in a bus accident the night he was born and became attached to him.

Downey Jr.’s performance is widely praised for its physical comedy, as his character is frequently “possessed” by the four spirits, requiring him to mimic their distinct personalities and mannerisms.

Thomas is haunted by Milo (Tom Sizemore), Harrison (Charles Grodin), Penny (Alfre Woodard), and Julia (Kyra Sedgwick), four strangers who died in a bus crash the moment Thomas was born and became his “guardian angels.” After years of being invisible, the ghosts realize they have limited time to resolve their “unfinished business” on Earth and use Thomas as their physical vessel to do so. A highlight of his performance includes a scene where he and the ghosts sing “Walk Like a Man” and an uncredited rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Critics like Peter Travers noted the film showcased Downey Jr.’s “explosive talent” for comedy. For this role, Robert Downey Jr. won the Saturn Award for Best Actor from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The film was released shortly after his Oscar-nominated turn in Chaplin (1992), marking a period of significant critical success for the actor.

See more»

Megan Williams Preparing for the “Mad Hatters Contest” Held at the Sydney Opera House, 1975

Australian actress Megan Williams is seen here getting ready for the Mad Hatters Contest that took place at the Sydney Opera House, 1975. At the time this photo was taken, Williams was 18 years old. The event was a promotional or charity-driven competition that leaned into the whimsical, avant-garde spirit of the mid-1970s.

True to the “Mad Hatter” theme, Williams is sporting an elaborate, wide-brimmed hat decorated with large fabric flowers, leaves, and thin wire stalks topped with pearls or beads. The curved architecture in the background is the distinctive concrete and glass of the Sydney Opera House (which had only been open for about two years at this point). She is leaning into the Alice in Wonderland motif by posing with a teapot and teacup, showcasing the bright, engaging smile that would soon make her a household name in Australia.

For those who recognize her face but can’t place the name, Megan Williams is best remembered for two major roles in Australian television history. Shortly after this photo was taken, she joined the cast of massive wartime drama The Sullivans. Her portrayal of Alice made her one of the most popular young actresses in the country during the late 1970s. In the 1980s, she starred as Cassie MacLean in the iconic, high-drama “glam” soap opera Return to Eden, which gained international fame.

Williams wasn’t just known for her acting; she was also a singer (notably providing backing vocals on the 1980s hit “The Honeymoon is Over” by The Cruel Sea).

Sadly, her story has a poignant end. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in the late 1990s and became a vocal advocate for breast cancer awareness in Australia. She passed away in 2000 at the age of 43 due to complications from the disease. This 1975 image remains a beautiful capsule of her early energy and the playful culture of Sydney in the 1970s.