Funny Photos of Classic Hollywood Stars Walking Turkey

During the Golden Age of Hollywood, it was a common publicity stunt for movie studios to stage seasonal photo shoots featuring their biggest stars posing with live turkeys for Thanksgiving. These publicity photos were part of a coordinated, seasonal effort by major studios to promote their contract players. Studio photographers and publicity departments would create fun, campy, and often glamorous images to keep the stars and their upcoming films in the public eye during the holiday season.

The pictures offered a playful contrast to the stars’ typically glamorous on-screen images, humanizing them for the public. These images were often sent to magazines and newspapers nationwide to generate buzz.

Bette Davis

Virginia Gibson

Barbara Bates

Vera Ellen

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Irene Vanbrugh: A Leading Light of the Edwardian Stage

Irene Vanbrugh (1872–1949) was a distinguished English actress who had a prominent stage career spanning over fifty years. She was a leading lady particularly known for her performances in plays by playwrights like Arthur Wing Pinero, J.M. Barrie, and Oscar Wilde; she notably created the role of Gwendolen Fairfax in the original 1895 production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

Although primarily a stage performer, Vanbrugh also appeared in a number of silent films and talking pictures in her later years. For her extensive contributions to the theatre, she was honored as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1941.

Vanbrugh was also a keen supporter of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), of which her brother was the principal, and the Academy’s theatre was later named the Vanbrugh Theatre in honor of her and her sister, Violet, who was also an actress.

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Jimi Hendrix Photographed by Rob Bosboom in London, 1967

The images feature a 25-year-old Jimi Hendrix early in his solo career in London, shortly after his arrival in England the previous September. The photos were taken by Rob Bosboom in January 1967. The session took place at 34 Montagu Square in London. This was the flat rented by Ringo Starr of The Beatles, and it was a significant hub for London’s music scene in the 1960s.

Bosboom was a prominent Dutch music photographer in the 1960s, primarily working for magazines like the Dutch Muziek Express. He developed an especially good relationship with Jimi Hendrix. These images offer a glimpse into Hendrix’s time in London as he launched his solo career with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, before gaining massive fame back in the US at the Monterey Pop Festival later that same year.

Vintage Photos Capture Street Scenes of Seattle in the 1970s

The streets of Seattle in the 1970s presented a gritty, transitional urban landscape, a distinct departure from the gleaming tech hub of today. Downtown, areas around First Avenue and Pike Place Market buzzed with a diverse mix of long-haired counter-culture youths, sailors from the nearby port, and working-class locals.

Fashion was a collision of styles: bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye shirts, and military surplus jackets were commonplace sights, often worn under the perpetual gray skies. The air carried the smells of fresh fish and strong coffee mixed with exhaust fumes from classic American cars: Chevys, Fords, and Volkswagens that dominated traffic, as the city had not yet fully embraced modern public transit.

The 1970s vibe was defined by an earthy, slightly rough-around-the-edges authenticity, as Seattle navigated a period of economic fluctuation and cultural change. These vintage photos, from duckswim2, capture street scenes of Seattle in March 1977.

View from bus to downtown, the Hat 'n' Boots Texaco Gas Station, Seattle, Washington, 1977

Hat 'n' Boots, Seattle, Washington, 1977

View from downtown to Space Needle, Seattle, Washington, 1977

Pioneer Building, Downtown Seattle, Washington, 1977

A building at night, Seattle, Washington, 1977

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42 Publicity Photos of Bruce Lee as Kato on the Set of “The Green Hornet”

Bruce Lee’s portrayal of Kato in the 1966-1967 television series The Green Hornet was a pivotal moment in his career and for martial arts in American media. The film was Lee’s first major adult role in the United States and introduced his unique martial arts style to a mainstream American audience. While the show starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet (Britt Reid), Lee’s energetic and groundbreaking performance as Kato, the Green Hornet's valet, masked driver, and crime-fighting partner, often stole the spotlight. The show was so popular in Hong Kong that it was known as The Kato Show.

Lee refused to follow the standard American fisticuff fight choreography. He insisted on using his authentic martial arts skills, which was a key factor in the character’s popularity and the show’s distinction. He effectively brought high-tech martial arts to American television. His speed was so legendary that the show’s film crew had trouble capturing his movements at a normal frame rate. Bruce Lee was reportedly asked to slow down his punches for the cameras because, at regular speed, his movements appeared as a blur.

On one occasion, during a planned crossover episode with the Batman TV series, Lee refused to participate in a fight scene that depicted Asian-style martial arts being defeated. He walked off the set in protest, as the original script had the Green Hornet and Kato being beaten by Batman and Robin. He reportedly insisted that his character would not be defeated.

His time as Kato is credited with helping to popularize martial arts in the United States in the 1960s, paving the way for his later feature films like Enter the Dragon. The success and attention he gained from The Green Hornet ultimately led to his starring roles in Hong Kong feature films, which cemented his status as a global pop culture icon.

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30 Beautiful Portraits of Romanian Wedding Couples in the 1920s and ’30s

The 1920s and ’30s marked a fascinating period of transition for Romanian wedding couples, as the burgeoning modernization and increasing influence of Western European fashion began to merge with deep-rooted traditions.

While couples in rural areas largely maintained the full, elaborate costume popular, often worn for several days of celebration, those in cities like Bucharest or Cluj started to adopt more contemporary styles. The bride’s attire, in particular, saw the most significant change: instead of catrință, many urban brides opted for a white, Western-style wedding dress, sometimes featuring the drop-waist or bias-cut silhouettes popular in those decades, often paired with a long veil.

Despite this shift, traditional elements were frequently preserved or integrated; an urban bride might wear a simpler gown but still carry a traditional embroidered sash or adhere to the ceremonial legarea miresei (the ritual of tying the scarf). The groom increasingly traded his wool vest for a three-piece suit or tuxedo, reflecting the new social elegance.

This era thus represented a beautiful cultural compromise, where couples navigated the pressures of modernity while remaining respectful of the vibrant folk heritage of Romania. These beautiful photos capture portraits of Romanian wedding couples from the 1920s and ’30s.

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‘Freedom from Want’ – The Story Behind Norman Rockwell’s Iconic Thanksgiving Painting in 1943

Freedom from Want, also known as The Thanksgiving Picture or I’ll Be Home for Christmas, is the third of the Four Freedoms series of four oil paintings by American artist Norman Rockwell. The works were inspired by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union Address, known as Four Freedoms.

Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Want, 1943, oil on canvas.

After the US entered the war following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, these four freedoms were emphasized to restore morale during the wartime years. In June of 1942, Rockwell started sketching paintings based on each of the freedoms, encouraged by the editor of the Saturday Evening Post. Each of Rockwell’s completed paintings ran next to Four Freedom essay features in four Saturday Evening Post newspapers in 1943.

For his subjects, Rockwell chose those close to home. The setting was his living room and the woman bringing in the turkey was based off a photograph Rockwell took of his cook in the same position on Thanksgiving 1942. His wife and mother are portrayed as sitting around the table, as well as neighbors and friends. As Rockwell later said of the turkey, “Our cook cooked it, I painted it and we ate it. That was one of the few times I’ve ever eaten the model.”

1943 poster showing all four paintings.

The U.S. government used Rockwell’s paintings as a way to boost patriotism and encourage the purchase of war bonds, which were securities to support the war effort abroad. The government collected a sum of about $132 million. The images were so popular that by the end of the 20th century, it is said 25 million people had bought Four Freedom prints and posters.

Although frequently distributed and exhibited throughout the country, Freedom of Want was disliked in Europe, which was being ravaged by war. Rockwell said, “The Europeans sort of resented it because it wasn’t freedom from want, it was overabundance, the table was so loaded down with food.”

Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Want, 1943, offset color lithograph on paper.

Today, all four of the Four Freedom paintings can be found at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, to which they were given directly by Rockwell himself. Over the past century, the work has been used for many parodies throughout popular culture, from illustrations and cartoons to TV and film reenactments.

Freedom From Want, especially, is part of the American art canon because of its historical significance as a patriotic representation to finance war bonds, but also as a portrayal of the American Dream. Considered Rockwell’s most famous painting, it echoes his other themes of American regionalism and genre painting: struggle and success, family and food, patriotism and justice.

Happy Thanksgiving!

(via Barnebys Magazine)