Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner: A Look Back at the Fiery Couple

One of the most infamous couples of Hollywood – the love story of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner was something filled with passion and sorrow. They first met in 1940, but only began to spend their time together in 1948 after a number of personal affairs and at the time, Gardner had already divorced twice whereas Sinatra had had a family with three children.

A fiery couple who also shared many of the same things, from their love for jazz and alcohol to even their insecurities, they gained a reputation of having numerous heat arguments over even minor things. As time went by, they cared less and less about the necessary discreetness for their public images and careers. Their ultimate exposé came in 1950, which dealt a huge blow to Sinatra’s career.

They got married in 1951 after Sinatra was granted a divorce from his then-wife Nancy Barbato, but the blissful honeymoon failed to help Sinatra’s publicity now turned negative, as he received no more film or recording contract. Over the course of their marriage, the couple had more fiery fights, and Sinatra attempted suicide twice while Gardner had two abortions behind his back. Gardner officially filed for divorce in 1957.

Despite their marriage being over, their affections for each other remained the same. It was said that every year after the divorce, Sinatra would send Gardner a floral bouquet, while she always kept a photo from the early days of their love on her bedside table.

Take a look back at the couple when they were together in the 1950s:

Ava Gardner lighting a pipe for Frank Sinatra, 1951. (Walter Bellamy)

Posing with a sign that reads, 'Sinatra Swooners Bat Girl,' 1949. (Gene Lester)

At Riverside Hotel Casino Restaurant, 1951. (NY Daily News)

At Riverside Hotel Casino Restaurant, 1951. (NY Daily News)

Arriving from Philadelphia, 1951. (Bettmann)

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Intimate Photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono at Home in 1971

These intimate vintage photos were taken by English music photographer Michael Putland that show beautiful moments of John Lennon and Yoko Ono during an interview at their home at Tittenhurst Park, near Ascot, Berkshire in July 1971.

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34 Beautiful Photos Sonny & Cher in the Early Days of Their Career

Sonny & Cher were an American rock duo of entertainers made up of husband-and-wife Sonny Bono and Cher in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector.

The pair first achieved fame with two hit songs in 1965, “Baby Don’t Go” and “I Got You Babe”. Signing with Atco/Atlantic Records, they released three studio albums in the late 1960s, as well as the soundtrack recordings for two unsuccessful movies, Good Times and Chastity, with Cher contributing vocals to one cut, “Chastity’s Song (Band of Thieves)”. In 1972, after three years of silence, the couple returned to the studio and released two other albums under the MCA/Kapp Records label.

In the 1970s, they also positioned themselves as media personalities with two top ten TV shows in the US, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and The Sonny & Cher Show. The couple’s career as a duo ended in 1975 following their divorce. In the decade they spent together, Sonny and Cher sold over 40 million records worldwide.

Performing under her first name, Cher went on to a highly successful career as a solo singer and actress, while Sonny Bono was eventually elected to Congress as a Republican U.S. Representative from California. The two performers were inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998, following Sonny’s death in a skiing accident.

These beautiful photos captured portraits of Sonny & Cher in 1965, the early days of their career.

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30 Vintage Photos Show Fashion Styles of Couples in the 1930s

In the 1930s, fashion saw a profound influence from films and specifically Hollywood. Men’s, women’s, and children’s styles were based on fashions seen on screen with stars like Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Shirley Temple among the many who directly influenced fashion.

Even though people were broke in the 1930s they still didn’t dress like it.

Men still dressed up nice, sporting fedoras and double-breasted overcoats. The boys wore short shorts and tall socks. Women wore dresses and kept their hair close to their head. Makeup was chic and shoulder pads were very important until the late 1930s.

Although hats were still popular for women, they were gradually becoming less popular. Fashion in the 1930s was just as glamorous as the 1920s, just in a different way.

A set of cool vintage photos shows what fashion styles of couples from the 1930s.

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Siège d’Amour: This Love Chair Was Originally Designed for the Future King Edward VII in 1890

This extraordinary and highly imaginative chair was originally designed for the future King Edward VII – then known to everyone as ‘Bertie’, the playboy Prince of Wales – during his youthful escapades in Paris.

Made to measure by the prominent (yet discrete) cabinetmaker Louis Soubrier in 1890, the love chair was delivered to the Parisian bordello Le Chabanais for the future king’s personal use. The design allowed the infamous playboy prince to amuse himself in numerous ways, including with two ladies at the same time.

Bordellos were legalized in France in 1802, but it wasn’t until 1878 that one of high standing, Le Chabanais, was opened. One of the great bordellos of fin-de-siècle Paris, Le Chabanais was renowned for its extravagance. Over the years this ‘maison de tolerance’ saw visitors as illustrious as Humphrey Bogart, Mae West, Cary Grant, and the future King Edward VII. The bedrooms were lavishly decorated in their own exotic styles, including the Turkish Chamber, Pompeii Room and Japanese Salonbut Bertie’s favorite was the Hindu room.

While the original chair used by the prince is now owned by the great-grandson of the original 19th-century maker, the present example is one of just three known based on the original design. Another example can be found on display at the Museum of Sex in Prague.

A siege d’Amour displays at the Sex Machines Museum Prague.

Looking Back to the 1970s Weddings Through Beautiful Vintage Photos

Weddings in the 1970s were influenced by many different trends; like hippie or rock-and-roll styles, and even a few pantsuits; as opposed to a single dominant style. Colored tuxedos for men also became popular in the 70s. It was a time of change for many couples.

A “natural” look was stylish throughout the 1970s, which prompted many brides of the decade to wear a fresh-faced, makeup-light look for their wedding.

Another popular wedding trend in the 1970s were headpieces that encircled the bride's head, usually made out of flowers, greenery, or something metallic, in addition to or instead of standard veils.

Anyone in attendance at a wedding in the late 1970s could expect to hear a lot of disco music. Some popular songs would have been “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, and “Y.M.C.A.” by The Village People.

Take a look at these beautiful vintage photos to see what weddings looked like in the 1970s.

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Candid Photos Capture Marilyn Monroe Eating Hot Dog in 1957

These photographs, taken by American photographer Sam Shaw, capture Marilyn Monroe eating hot dogs from a stand, a counter and at an outdoor table in New York, during her 3-day visit to the city with her then-husband, playwright Arthur Miller, in 1957.

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Interesting Story of the Ye Olde Coffin House in Brixham, the Only Coffin Shaped House in the World

Brixham legend has it that a young man asked the father of his sweetheart for her hand in marriage. So appalled was the father that he replied “I would rather see my daughter in a coffin than wed to you.” The suitor took this to heart and went off and bought the coffin-shaped house.

The future son-in-law said to the father “Your wish is granted, your daughter shall live in a coffin, the Coffin House.” The father was so impressed that he relented and allowed his daughter to marry the man. They lived happily ever after, or so the story goes!

A postcard of the Ye Olde Coffin House from the late 19th century.

The Ye Olde Coffin House in 2020, image via Google Street View.

The Coffin House in Brixham is the only one in the world which is shaped like a coffin. In actual fact the strange building was built in 1640 as a fortification. Truth is never as good as fiction.

Over the years this old house at the foot of King Street steps has had a variety of uses including an inn, a workhouse, a barber’s shop, a sheep-skin shop, and a café before becoming a clock shop.

40 Cool Found Photos Capture Couples Posing With Their Cars in the 1920s and ’30s

A set of cool photos was found by Vintage Cars & People that shows couples posing with their cars in the 1920s and 1930s.

A young couple posing with an Opel 4/14 PS in the countryside. The car is registered with pre-war German licence plates of the Prussian province of Silesia (I K = Provinzen Ober- und Niederschlesien), circa 1925

A stylish couple posing with a Stoewer D9 on the side of a tree-lined avenue in the countryside. The right-hand drive Stoewer is registered in the Prussian province of Hanover (I S = Provinz Hannover), circa 1925

A young couple embracing in front of an ancient automobile, possibly an early 1920s Dodge Brothers tourer, circa 1925

A fellow in a summer suit flirting with a young lady in a fashionable white dress pose with a 1925 Rollin. The words: “Red Lips – Kiss My Blues Away” (a popular hit in 1927) are handwritten on the back of the print

A cheerful couple posing with a Adler Standard 6 on the side of a country road in summertime. The words: “Mannheim, August 1928” are handwritten on reverse, the car is registered in the German state of Baden (IV B = Baden)

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Lovely Photos of Israeli Husband-and-Wife Musical Duo Esther & Abi Ofarim in 1967

Esther & Abi Ofarim were an Israeli musical duo active during the 1960s, consisting of the husband-and-wife team Abi Ofarim and Esther Ofarim. They were the most popular act in Germany. They had hits in Europe with their songs “One More Dance,” “Morning of My Life,” and “Cinderella Rockefella.”

Artistic differences strained the couple relationship. They performed their last concert together in Cologne in March 1969 before separating. Their divorce was finalized in 1970.

These lovely photos were taken by Helmut Reiss that show portraits of Israeli husband-and-wife musical duo Esther & Abi Ofarim while they were posing on the main street, which leads away from the Brandenburg Gate, and separated West Germany from East Germany in 1967.

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