37 Wonderful Photos of Catherine Zeta-Jones as Mariette Charlton on the Set of “The Darling Buds of May”

Catherine Zeta-Jones captured the heart of the British public as Mariette Larkin (later Mariette Charlton) on the set of the hit comedy-drama series The Darling Buds of May. Broadcast on ITV between 1991 and 1993, the idyllic 1950s period piece served as the definitive breakout role that propelled her to instant stardom.

Filmed primarily on location in the picturesque village of Pluckley, Kent, the series followed the chaotic, joyful life of the Larkin family. At just 21 years old, Zeta-Jones beat out over 300 hopefuls to play Mariette, the stunning eldest daughter of Pop (David Jason) and Ma Larkin (Pam Ferris). Her character’s central storyline revolved around her romance and eventual marriage to the earnest, straight-laced tax inspector Cedric “Charley” Charlton, played by Philip Franks.

The immense popularity of the show, drawing an astonishing 18 million viewers, subsequently subjected Zeta-Jones to intense British tabloid scrutiny. Weary of being pigeonholed into generic “pretty girl” roles in the UK, she ultimately made the bold move to relocate to Hollywood. The transition proved highly successful, opening the doors to starring roles in blockbuster films like The Mask of Zorro and her Academy Award-winning performance in Chicago.

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Charly Stember: Effortless Face of 1970s Fashion

Charly Stember (born Ingmari Gustavsson) was a Swedish fashion model who became a familiar face in 1970s high fashion.

Known for her natural, girl-next-door presence, Stember worked extensively with major magazines such as Vogue and was photographed by leading names including Irving Penn, Francesco Scavullo, and Bert Stern. She also gained recognition as one of Revlon’s early “Charlie Girls,” embodying the independent, modern woman of the era.

With her understated elegance and versatile look, Stember remains associated with the clean, confident style of 1970s fashion photography. These stylish photos capture the natural elegance and distinctive presence of Charly Stember, a memorable face of 1970s fashion.

Charly Stember in a long violet dress ablaze with Indian mosaics and along a sheer shawl margined in orange glittering with golden thread by made to order by Arnold Scaasi, photo by Irving Penn, Vogue, March 1, 1970

Charly Stember in white leather pants striped in black, fringed from knee to ankle, black leather and jersey top with black suède fringe dangling from the wrists by Bonnie Cashin for Philip Sills, photo by Richard Avedon, Vogue, January 15, 1970

Charly Stember wearing a flippy pageboy wig with deep bangs, the Chanel wig, in modacrylic, never needs washing, by Kenneth, photo by Gianni Penati, Vogue, February 15, 1970

Charly Stember wearing a gold pailletted organza maxi-coat over a chiffon midi dress both in lilacs, plums, violets and mauves by Christian Dior-New York, photo by Irving Penn, Vogue, February 1, 1970

Charly Stember wearing a grainy calvary twill dress by Donald Brooks, Fringed suède boots that go over the knee by Christel of Copenhagen, photo by Richard Avedon, Vogue, January 15, 1970

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30 of the Best Portraits of a Young and Beautiful Heather Locklear

Heather Locklear (born September 25, 1961) is an American actress known for her role as Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place (1993–1999), for which she received four consecutive Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.

In the 1980s, Locklear became one of prime-time television’s biggest stars and a defining pop-culture icon of the decade. Producer Aaron Spelling took notice of her early in her career, setting off a rare situation where she simultaneously starred on two top-rated television shows.

Starting in 1981, Locklear played the scheming, fiery Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty. Just a year later, she was cast as rookie police officer Stacy Sheridan in T.J. Hooker alongside William Shatner. For several years, she regularly commuted between both sets—switching from a cop uniform to high-glam evening gowns on the same day.

Beyond her television dominance, Locklear was highly sought after for fashion spreads and national commercial campaigns. Her luminous portraits by studio photographer Harry Langdon, characterized by soft lighting and pastel tones, frequently graced the cover of TV Guide, cementing her as one of Hollywood’s most photogenic stars.

Her real-life profile exploded into the rock-and-roll stratosphere in 1986, when she married Tommy Lee, the heavy-metal drummer of Mötley Crüe. The pairing of a clean-cut prime-time television queen with a notorious rock bad boy made them a massive tabloid fixture and an ultimate symbol of late-1980s pop culture.

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40 Beautiful On-Set Portraits of Sophia Loren From “Boccaccio ’70” (1962)

These beautiful on-set portraits capture Sophia Loren during the filming of the 1962 anthology film Boccaccio ’70. In the episode directed by Vittorio De Sica, she delivered one of her most iconic performances, combining glamour, humor, and screen presence.

The photos highlight her striking beauty, expressive features, and the elegant yet playful style that defined her work in this celebrated Italian production. They offer a vivid glimpse of Loren at the height of her international fame in the early 1960s.

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30 Stunning Portraits of Julia Faye in the 1920s

Julia Faye Maloney (September 24, 1892[2] – April 6, 1966), known professionally as Julia Faye, was an American actress of silent and sound films. She was known for her appearances in more than 30 Cecil B. DeMille productions. Her various roles ranged from maids and ingénues to vamps and queens. She was “famed throughout Hollywood for her perfect legs” until her performance in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Volga Boatman (1926) established her as “one of Hollywood’s popular leading ladies.”

During the 1920s, Faye experienced the absolute pinnacle of her career, establishing herself as one of Hollywood’s most popular leading ladies and a main fixture in the extravagant productions of legendary director Cecil B. DeMille. Faye had a sophisticated, witty charm that translated perfectly to the silent screen. Because she was DeMille’s off-screen mistress, she became his ultimate muse, eventually appearing in more of his films than any other actress in history.

She shifted seamlessly between playing maids, ingénues, vamps, and royalty. Her notable 1920s roles included Pharaoh’s wife in The Ten Commandments (1923), Martha in The King of Kings (1927), and a breakout dramatic turn as a gypsy in The Volga Boatman (1926).

Her peak era came to a close at the very end of the decade with her sound debut in DeMille’s Dynamite (1929). While it was one of her texturally meatier roles, the arrival of “talkies” marked the beginning of her career's decline.

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Koolbiri, the Aboriginal Mailman Who Connected Australia’s Remote West Coast in the 1870s

Koolbiri, widely known to colonists as “Mailman Jimmy,” was a legendary Indigenous Australian runner from the Mirning people who served as the sole postal lifeline across the brutal Nullarbor Plain in the 1870s. Operating from roughly 1871 to 1876, he carried the Royal Mail between Fowlers Bay in South Australia and Eucla in Western Australia.

Portrait of Koolbiri in 1875

He traversed a grueling 280 miles (approx. 450 kilometers) one way, meaning a full round trip spanned nearly 560 miles (700 kilometers). Koolbiri completed this trek every single fortnight. He would run the mailbags out during one week, and return with a new batch the next.

According to colonial records and an obituary printed in Adelaide’s Saturday Journal in 1923, he routinely completed the trip faster than a man on horseback. He carried no specialized gear and ran entirely barefoot through one of the harshest, most arid landscapes on Earth.

Where colonial settlers saw an empty, lethal desert, Koolbiri saw his ancestral home. His incredible endurance relied entirely on his profound bushcraft skills and an intimate knowledge of hidden rock holes and reliable water supplies that only he knew how to find. He lived completely off the land during his journeys, hunting and gathering as he ran.

For nearly six years, Koolbiri was the only line of communication connecting these isolated frontier outposts before the official Eucla Telegraph Station was established in 1877. Despite the critical and superhuman nature of his work, colonial authorities only paid him in meager rewards, such as tobacco.

Mirning elder Bunna Lawrie recalled Koolbiri with reverence, saying, “He was the only man who could walk as fast as a horse.” To many, Koolbiri’s abilities seemed beyond explanation, almost magical. “They thought, ‘This man must be a magic man,’” Lawrie said, expressing hope that future generations would draw strength from his story. Today, a photograph of Koolbiri dating to around 1875, preserved by the State Library of South Australia, stands as a powerful tribute to a man whose footsteps once bridged some of the most remote lands in Australia.

Anna Magnani’s Love for Rome’s Stray Cats

Anna Magnani, one of Italy’s most iconic and emotionally raw actresses, was celebrated not only for her unforgettable roles in films like Rome, Open City but also for her profound love of animals, especially Rome’s stray cats. Magnani was one of Rome’s most famous original gattare (cat ladies), women who dedicated themselves to feeding and protecting the city’s vulnerable feline population. Her quiet acts of devotion have become an enduring part of Roman lore.

Often seen wandering the cobbled streets in modest clothes with a scarf tied around her head, she carried a basket of food for the cats who lived among ancient ruins and back alleys. Director Franco Zeffirelli once told of a passerby who scoffed at the plainly dressed woman feeding cats, only for her to wordlessly pull off her scarf and reveal she was none other than the luminous Magnani. The man stood speechless.

Magnani lived near Largo di Torre Argentina, the sunken square containing four Republican Roman temples and the remains of Pompey’s Theatre. Following excavations in the late 1920s, hundreds of abandoned and stray cats took shelter among the below-ground ruins.

In the evenings, often after performing at the nearby Teatro Argentina or finishing a film shoot, Magnani would tie a scarf around her head as a quick disguise, grab a wicker basket filled with food, and slip out into the night. She didn’t just feed the felines; she paid out of pocket for medical care, tending to sick or injured strays long before organized animal shelters existed in the city.

Magnani often spoke of her affinity for animals over people, finding solace in creatures that demanded nothing from her fame or fiery public persona. “People and I understand each other very little,” she once said. “But two cats playing on the rug are enough to fill my evening.”

Following her death in 1973, fellow actors and animal lovers stepped in to maintain the colony she had protected for decades. This volunteer effort eventually formalized in 1993 into the world-famous Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary, which today cares for around 150 resident cats.

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