A young Ann-Margret trying out for the character, Emily Porter, in the movie, “State Fair”. An American musical film directed by José Ferrer in 1962.
Pop culture fans rejoice! This collection of groovy-era photos you’ve never seen before will not only make you miss the old days of skateboards, boomboxes, and Happy Days re-runs, but will give you some behind-the-scenes tidbits and facts you never knew about your favorite movie and television stars, the biggest films, the coolest trends, and the hottest singers. You might learn a few things you never knew before about the sixties, seventies, and eighties.
Swedish actress Ann-Margret originally auditioned for the role of Margy in the 1962 remake of State Fair, based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. While she nailed her performance, the studio execs felt that she looked too hot and behaved too seductively to play the role of the innocent farm girl. Instead, they cast her in the role of Emily, the movie’s bad girl – although she is tame by today’s standards. The role of Margy went to Pamela Tiffin. Tiffin hadn’t planned to have a Hollywood career. When she was 19 years old, she was on vacation in California with her family and they took a tour of Paramount Pictures. There, a producer spotted her and gave her a screen test and offered her a contract.
A young Jim Henson working on Kermit the Frog in 1955. The original Kermit was made out of an old coat belonging to Henson’s mother and ping pong balls for his eyes.
When master puppeteer Jim Henson wanted to create a new character for the Sam and Friends TV show in 1955, he made his own hand-held puppet using green fabric from a spring coat his mother planned to throw away. Henson thought it was a good reptilian color. For the eyes of his puppet, Henson cut a ping pong ball in half. Early on, it was not clear what type of animal it was supposed to be, but Henson tweaked the design to make it more frog-like. But he needed a name. After he named his character Kermit the Frog, folks began to wonder where the name came from. It turns out that Henson knew a surprisingly large number of people named Kermit, from a childhood friend to a TV station’s sound engineer to a Sesame Street designer. Henson, however, denied that any of them were the inspiration for Kermit the Frog.
Ava Gardner sporting a bikini in a 1951 British drama film called, “Pandora and the Flying Dutchman”
Ava Gardner starred in the 1951 British film, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, a fantasy romance film that was shot in technicolor. The plot of the film is based on the myth of Pandora and the legend of the Flying Dutchman and was written by Albert Lewin. Lewin was able to merge these two legends together into a story about love, redemption, and reincarnation. Shot on location in Catalonia, Spain, the movie also starred James Mason. Gardner’s performance in Pandora and the Flying Dutchman was praised and led to her breakout role in Show Boat shortly after.
A 20 year-old Nick Nolte was arrested in Omaha for selling counterfeit draft cards in 1961.
In this 1961 mugshot, the first of Nick Nolte’s two arrests, the would-be actor looks a lot more clean-cut than he does in his 2002 mugshot (seriously, Google it). It was that wholesome image that spared Nolte a lengthy prison sentence when he was arrested in 1961 for selling counterfeit draft cards. His conviction carried a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison, but a kindly judge took pity on the young man in the button-down shirt and crew cut. The judge worked out a deal so Nolte could attend classes at the local community college in the mornings, spend his afternoons at football practice, then spend his evenings in a jail cell.
Frida and Agnetha of ABBA, 1970s.
ABBA, a pop group formed in Sweden in 1972 and named after the first letter of the members’ first names, won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974. From there, the group shot to international fame. They were one of the biggest-selling music acts in the history of pop music. ABBA was made up of two married couples, Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andresson and Anni-Frida Lyngstad. When ABBA first started out, the two couples were young and in love, and their lyrics reflected that. The pressures of fame caused both marriages to collapse and their song lyrics turned darker and more pensive as a result.
Funky menswear in the J.C. Penney catalog from the 1970s.
The 1970s was a decade of questionable fashion trends and this page from the JC Penney catalog is a perfect example. Fashion designers of the 1970s continued the pattern set in the 1960s by rewriting traditional styles and adding a funky, modern twist. Low-button shirts, wide-leg trousers, and lots and lots of polyester were the name of the game. Seventies men’s fashion wasn’t afraid of bold colors, wild prints, and soft pastels. The attire shown here was supposed to be able to take a man from the office to the disco club without stopping home for a wardrobe change.
“Dark Shadows” vampire actor Jonathan Frid (‘Barnabas Collins’) crowns “Miss American Vampire” in 1970.
Were you a fan of the dark, gothic television soap opera, Dark Shadows? The series ran on ABC from June 1966 to April 1971. When the show debuted, it was only marginally successful. Then actor Jonathan Frid, seen in this photo, was added to the cast, playing the role of Barnabas Collins, a vampire. After that, interest in the series increased. Joining Frid’s vampire character were zombies, witches, ghosts, monsters, and werewolves. There were even characters who were time travelers or who had come from a parallel universe. The action centered around the Collins family, a well-to-do family of freaky characters living in Collinsport, Maine.
KFC’s “Colonel Sanders” sight-seeing during his trip to Egypt in the 1970s.
The king of fast-food fried chicken, Colonel Harland Sanders was a self-made millionaire but success came later in life for him. Still, he made it a point to enjoy the fruit of his labors, including extensive travel opportunities like this trip to Egypt in the 1970s. Colonel Sanders had a carefully crafted public image to uphold. For the last twenty years of his life, he was only seen in public wearing his iconic Southern colonel attire … a white suit with a black bow. He sported a mustache and goatee which he bleached white to match his suit. He wanted to maintain his public image everywhere he went.
Dawn Wells and guest-star Kurt Russell in a scene from “Gilligan’s Island” in 1964.
This young boy, who was a Disney star in his youth, made a memorable guest appearance on TV’s Gilligan’s Island. He is Kurt Russell, the actor you know from the movies he made as an adult, including Silkwood, Escape from L.A., The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China. But long before those appearances, he was a 12-year-old actor who was cast as the ‘jungle boy’ on Gilligan’s Island. In the episode, Gilligan discovers a wild child living on the island. The jungle boy cannot communicate, but he can repeat words that are spoken to him. That becomes problematic when he manages to leave the island without Gilligan and the other castaways. He cannot tell the outside world about the survivors of the SS Minnow.
Elizabeth Montgomery from the film, “Johnny Cool”
Before she bewitched television audiences, beautiful Elizabeth Montgomery was a sexy wannabe gangster in the 1963 film, Johnny Cool. In the film. Montgomery plays Dare Guinness, a wealthy divorcee who befriends an American gangster, Johnny Colini, or Johnny Cool. Dare teams ups with Johnny Cool and helps him with his vendetta against the rival gangsters that orchestrated his fall from power. Things go south for Dare and Johnny Cool when the FBI gets involved. The film also stars Henry Silva, Telly Savalas, Jim Backus, and Sammy Davis Jr.
English rock band, Faces with Rod Stewart, 1969. At this time, Stewart was a Solo Performer and a member of a Band.
Lots of changes were taking place with the English rock band Faces in 1969. The band originally included guitarist and lead vocalist Steve Marriott, but Marriott soon left Faces to form another group, Humble Pie. Faces’ remaining members, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and Kenney Jones, replaced Marriott with not one, but two new members … Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood. This created a unique scenario. Rod Stewart had already signed a contract with Mercury Records as a solo artist. But Faces was signed with a competing label, Warner’s. Stewart included Faces on much of his solo releases, but this only caused tension within the group. The members of Faces began to feel like they were Stewart’s back-up band and not its own entity with its own identity.
“Young Hollywood in the Fifties” photo with Jayne Mansfield, Lance Fuller, John Smith, Natalie Wood and Bob Fuller. (1955)
This is where the cool kids hang out. And in 1955 when this photo was taken, there were none who were cooler. This was the year that blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield first appeared as the Playmate of the Month in Playboy magazine. It was also the year that teenage actress Natalie Wood earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Rebel Without a Cause. Actor Lance Fuller had just finished up filming Apache Woman with Lloyd Bridges, actor John Smith appeared as one of the Earp brothers in the western Wichita, and Bob Fuller, who had appeared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Marilyn Monroe two years earlier, had just returned from service in Korea.
Extras relaxing on the set of “Cleopatra” in 1963.
With elaborate sets, on-location filming, an expensive star (Elizabeth Taylor received a record-breaking $1 million for playing the Egyptian queen), and hundreds of extras, like the lovely ladies seen here, it is no wonder that the 1963 epic, Cleopatra, was so far over budget that it nearly bankrupted Twentieth Century Fox. When filming finally wrapped up in July of 1962, the expenses for the movie added up to $31 million. This made Cleopatra the most expensive film to date. The studio execs at Twentieth Century Fox were quaking in their togas. But they didn’t need to worry. Cleopatra was the highest-grossing film of 1963 and racked in a whopping $57.7 million in box office revenue. It was a financial and entertainment success. Cleopatra was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won four of them.
Peter Mayhew and Carrie Fisher having fun during the filming of “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)
The British actor who played the role of Chewbacca in the Star Wars films was Peter Mayhew, shown here goofing around with his co-star Carrie Fisher. Mayhew was a natural to play the giant, hairy, space alien sidekick to Han Solo. At 7 feet, 3 inches in height, Mayhew towered over Fisher and his other Star Wars co-stars, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill. That’s because he suffered from gigantism. He was diagnosed with the disease as a child. It caused his unusual growth, but also created mobility issues for him later in life. During the filming of The Force Awakens, Mayhew relied on a wheelchair most of the time.
Remember when L’eggs pantyhose came in plastic eggs, 1970s?
With a brand name that was meant to look French but to appropriately identify the product, it is easy to see how the next step in marketing L’eggs pantyhose would be to sell them in plastic eggs. Starting in 1969, L’eggs were the go-to brand of pantyhose for women, particularly businesswomen who would never dream of going into the office bare-legged. And those plastic eggs were quite handy. Kids loved them. They could be used to store other items. And crafts could be made from them. Unfortunately, too many of the plastic L’eggs eggs ended up in landfills. In 1991, the company retired the egg packaging in favor of more environmentally friendly cardboard.
Henry Winkler, Shelley Long and Michael Keaton from the film, “Night Shift,” 1982.
The 1982 comedy film, Night Shift, which was directed by Ron Howard, is full of surprises when we rewatch it now. First, Night Shift was Michael Keaton’s first starring role. He appears alongside Henry Winkler of Happy Days fame (a TV show he co-starred in along with Ron Howard). Shelley Long plays a prostitute, Belinda, who, through a series of odd happenings, helps the men open a brothel in the city morgue where Keaton and Winkler’s characters work the night shift. Look closely though, and you will see a young Shannen Doherty as a Bluebell scout, a young Kevin Costner as a frat boy, Charles Fleischer as an inmate, and Vincent Schiavelli as a food deliveryman.
Johnny Carson as Tarzan and Betty White as Jane in the skit, “Tarzan And The Apes,” on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” – 1981.
An unlikely Tarzan and Jane. In a comedy skit for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson that ran in 1981, Carson played the role of the Lord of the Jungle and Betty White, who was 59 years old at the time, played Jane. Carson and White enjoyed a long friendship that, at times, seemed flirtatious. Betty White often guest-starred on The Tonight Show and she enjoyed bantering with him. They were both quick-witted and had a similar sense of humor, which the audience loved. Carson sought out White’s advice on upcoming skits and the two were able to collaborate on them.
Marilyn Monroe being interviewed while promoting the film “Love Happy” in 1949.
Marilyn Monroe was a relative unknown when she appeared in a walk-on role in the 1949 musical comedy Love Happy. The film, which was directed by David Miller, was written by Mac Benoff and Frank Tashlin with inspiration from a Harpo Marx story. Love Happy starred Harpo Marx, Groucho Marx, and Chico Marx. In general, it ranks in last place among Marx Brother films. Later in his career, Groucho Marx acknowledged that it was a terrible film, but he said that the most memorable thing about it was Marilyn Monroe.
Rodney Dangerfield in “Caddyshack” (1980)
By the time comedian Rodney Dangerfield appeared in the comic film Caddyshack in 1980, he had established himself as a stand-up comic. He had his own Las Vegas show and regularly appeared on late-night television talk shows. He had appeared in minor roles in a few movies in the 1970s but Caddyshack was his biggest role to date. He joined an ensemble cast that included Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray as an obnoxious and crass nouveau riche golfer. The character fit Dangerfield’s brand of comedy quite well, allowing him to wear loud clothing and act in a boorish way.
One of the most popular Hollywood actresses during the 1940s, Veronica Lake.
Did you know that glamorous Hollywood actress Veronica Lake was really named Constance Frances Marie Ockelman? The Golden Age of Hollywood actress was a star of the stage, the silver screen, and the small screen. With her platinum blonde peek-a-boo hairstyle, she was often cast in femme fatale roles. Off-screen, Lake’s personal life was a mess. She was a heavy drinker and her alcoholism led to a decline in her career. By the 1950s, she was nearly washed up, despite attempts to restart her career. She was just 50 years old when she died of hepatitis and kidney disease.
John Wayne got his first leading role in the film “Big Trail”. Here he is with co-star Marguerite Churchill during filming, 1930.
According to the story, Raoul Walsh, the director of the 1930 western The Big Trail, initially wanted Gary Cooper to play the lead role but he declined. Walsh then ask his buddy and fellow director John Ford if he could suggest an actor for the part. Ford recommended 23-year-old John Wayne, a total unknown who was working in the props department. Ford simply said that he “liked the looks of this new kid”. When Wayne was approached about the role, he admitted that he had no acting experience. Walsh instructed him to “sit good on a horse and point”. Apparently, that’s how John Wayne got his big break.
Hunter S. Thompson hard at work on a beach in Mexico, 1974.
Hunter S. Thompson was a leader of the gonzo journalism of the 1960s and 1970s. This new form of journalism broke many rules. For example, the reporter is often part of the story rather than an outside observer. In addition, gonzo journalism doesn’t even pretend to be objective. This style is evident in much of Thompson’s works, including his 1967 book Hell’s Angels and his 1971 book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Thompson’s brand of writing was popular with the counterculture movement, in part because it broke traditional rules and in part because offered a first-person account of events.
Claudia Cardinale and Brigitte Bardot at the premiere of their movie “Les Petroleuses” in 1971.
Looking chic without their cowboy hats and spurs, actresses Claudia Cardinale and Brigitte Bardot smile at the premiere of their 1971 film Les Petroleuses (Petroleum Girls), which was also called The Legend of Frenchie King. The movie was made with an international production crew made up of French, British, Italian, and Spanish filmmakers. The action is set in Texas in 1888 and pits two powerful women, Cardinale as Marie Sarrazin and Bardot as Louise, or Frenchie King. Although they start as bitter enemies, the women eventually join forces to get their revenge on the menfolk of the town.
Jim Taylor, Vince Lombardi, Paul Hornung and Bart Starr celebrate in the locker room after the Packers defeated the Giants in 1961.
This photograph was taken shortly after the end of the 1961 NFL Championship Game on December 31, 1961. The game pitted the Western Conference champs, the Green Bay Packers, against, the New York Giants, the Eastern Conference champions. It was held at Green Bay’s New City Stadium which is now called Lambeau Field. Packers players Paul Hornung, Ray Nitschke, and Boyd Dowler were granted a leave from the military to participate in the game. Good thing, too. Hornung scored one touchdown, three field goals, and four extra points to lead the Packers to a 37 to 0 victory.
Tina Louise touching up her makeup before a show in the early 1960s.
Before she was Ginger Grant on TV’s Gilligan’s Island, beautiful Tina Louise was a pinup model and appeared in the Frederick’s of Hollywood 1958 catalog. She graced the pages of Playboy, Adam, Sir!, and Modern Man magazines. Her acting debut was in Two’s Company, a 1952 musical revue starring Bette Davis. After that, she appeared on Broadway in several plays, including Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, Li’l Abner, and John Murray Anderson’s Almanac. In 1958, she was named “The Most Beautiful Redhead in the World” by the National Art Council. It is no wonder she was tapped to play the glamorous movie star in Gilligan’s Island.
Playing around on the set of “Caddyshack,” all sitting in the wrong chairs are executive producer, Jon Peters, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield, 1980.
They think they are funny! Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield, and executive producer Jon Peters seemed to be playing a round of musical chairs on the set of Caddyshack in 1980. Although each man has his own designated chair, they decided to switch it up for this photo, in keeping with the slapstick hilarity of the movie. Caddyshack still has a cult following of fans who find the plot sidesplitting and the characters memorable. ESPN has even called Caddyshack “perhaps the funniest sports movie ever made.”
Charles Bronson and his wife, English actress, Jill Ireland, 1971 in Santa Monica, California.
Actress Jill Ireland was married to actor David McCallum when she met her second husband, Charles Bronson. McCallum and Bronson worked on The Great Escape together, but sparks flew between Ireland and Bronson. After McCallum and Ireland divorced, Ireland married Bronson. That was in 1968 and the couple remained together until Ireland’s death from breast cancer in 1990. During that time, Bronson and Ireland appeared together in 15 films. Among those films were Chino, Hard Times, Rider of the Rain, Breakout, Love and Bullets, and Final Shot.
Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt during a photo shoot for their album, “Trio” in 1987.
Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt were all good friends in the 1970s and 1980s. They admired each other’s work and talent. In fact, the trio tried to collaborate on an album in the mid-1970s but it never came to fruition. Their conflicting schedules and the fact that all three of them were contracted with different recording companies made a collaboration project nearly impossible. But the friends never lost sight of this goal and finally, on March 2, 1987, they released Trio, their aptly named studio album. The album reached the number six spot on the Billboard chart. Several of the songs from Trio hit the Billboard Top Ten, including “To Know Him Is to Love Him”, “Telling Me Lies”, “Those Memories of You”, and “Wildflowers.”
Rookie Ric Flair, 1973.
Here is professional wrestler Richard Morgan Fleihr, better known as Ric Flair, in his rookie year, 1973. When this photo was taken, Ric Flair had no idea that his professional wrestling career would extend for the next fifty years. He is considered by many to be the greatest professional wrestler of all time. He was a staple with Jim Crockett Promotions, the World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation, as well as several others. He was named Wrestler of the Year six times and the first two-time inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame and the first wrestler to complete the WCW’s Triple Crown.
Sexy Raquel Welch standing next to a sexy Ferrari, 1967.
In 1967, when this photo of sex symbol Raquel Welsh was taken, the steamy actress had reached international fame for her doe-skin bikini-clad role in One Million Year B.C. and was wrapping up filming Bedazzled, a British comedy starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Set in London during the swinging sixties, Bedazzled is the story of an unhappy man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for seven wishes that, he hopes, will bring him wealth and love. Welsh was cast in the role of Lilliam Lust, the personification of … well, lust.
Lt. Col. Sherman T. Potter – Harry Morgan, M*A*S*H.
Before he was Colonel Sherman T. Potter on the hit TV sitcom M*A*S*H, actor Harry Morgan was well-known for playing Officer Bill Gannon, the partner of Joe Friday, on TV’s Dragnet. But did you know he also made a guest appearance on M*A*S*H as a different character before he landed the role of Colonel Potter? In the third season of the television show, when the camp was under the leadership of Colonel Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), Morgan played Major General Bartford Hamilton Steele, a mentally unstable general in an episode that aired on September 10, 1974. Morgan, a huge fan of the show, fit in well with the rest of the cast members. When Stevenson left the show, Morgan was the first choice to play the new commanding officer.
Sofía Vergara back in 1989.
When this photograph was taken in 1989, Colombian-born actress Sofia Vergara was hosting two Spanish-language shows for the Univision television network and was on the cusp of making her acting debut in the U.S. From 2013 to 2020, Vergara was the highest-paid television actress in the U.S. She has earned four Primetime Emmys, four Golden Globes, and eleven Screen Actors Guild Awards. Did you know that Vergara is a natural blonde? For many TV and movie roles, however, she was asked to color her hair darker so she looked more Hispanic.
Jeff Bridges in “Against All Odds” (1984)
Shirtless Jeff Bridges is enough to make the 1984 romantic thriller, Against All Odds, a fan favorite. Joining Bridges on screen were the equally sexy Rachel Ward and James Woods which would also make the film a hit. But what really cemented it was the Grammy Award-nominated soundtrack. It featured songs by Stevie Nicks, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Big Country, and Genesis. In fact, it was Genesis’s title song that struck gold. Sung by Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, and Mike Rutherford, the title song was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and a Grammy.
Clint Eastwood in London during the filming of a 1968 British World War II action film, “Where Eagles Dare”.
Clint Eastwood starred with Richard Burton in the 1968 British war film, Where Eagles Dare, which was filmed in England and on location in Austria. Set in World War II, the film follows the daring rescue of a US Army brigadier general who was captured by the Germans and held in a secluded and inaccessible castle atop a mountain. Eastwood plays a US Army ranger who, along with Burton’s character, a British major, in the daring and dangerous rescue, which includes parachuting into the Austria Alps and a terrifying fight scene atop a cable car. The movie and a book of the same name were written simultaneously by author Alistair MacLean.
Sophia Loren getting the ‘Cinderella’ treatment on the set of a film, 1950s.
Did you know that Sophia Loren is one of the last surviving major stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age? Part of the reason is that she started her career when she was quite young. She was just 16 years old in 1950 when she started in show business. Her roles in such movies as The Pride and the Passion, Houseboat, and It Started in Naples helped launch her as a major star and one of the hottest sex symbols of the day. Sophia Loren got her start doing beauty pageants, but she soon proved that she was not just another pretty face. She has won numerous awards for her acting, including an Academy Award, Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award, a BAFTA Award, a Grammy Award, and an Academy Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement.
A decade later…. Sophia Loren on the set of “Boccaccio ’70” in 1962.
Sexy Sophia Loren appeared in the 1962 film Boccaccio ’70, a unique comedy anthology movie. The movie was really four individual stories, each with their own director – Fredrico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De. Sica, and Mario Monicelli. Each story examines some aspect of modern love with a common thread of morality running through each one. Sophia Loren plays the role of Zoe in the story titled “La Riffa”, or “The Raffle”. In this tale, a meek and timid man wins the lottery. His prize is one night with the sultry Zoe. But Zoe has a plan of her own. The “La Riffa” portion of Boccaccio ’70 was directed by De Sica.
Carolyn Jones as Morticia Addams, 1960s.
You may remember her best for playing Morticia Addams on television’s The Addams Family, but actress Carolyn Jones had a successful career pre-television. She earned a nomination for an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in the 1957 film, The Bachelor Party. She was also in Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Man Who Knew Too Much. She starred with Elvis in King Creole and played opposite some of Hollywood’s biggest leading men, including Frank Sinatra, Kirk Douglas, Dean Martin, George Peppard, and Anthony Quinn. She was cast in From Here to Eternity, but was forced to pull out of the film when she came down with pneumonia.
A Hollywood marriage still going strong. Henry Winkler and his wife, Stacey Weitzman were married in 1978 and are still married to this day.
In 1976, businesswoman Stacey Weitzman, who owned a public relations firm, stopped to see one of her clients, Jerry Magnin at his Beverly Hills clothing store. While she was there, actor Henry Winkler, who was a big star thanks to his role as Fonzie on the TV sitcom Happy Days, stopped in to purchase a sports coat. He mistook Stacey for a sales clerk and asked her for help. She didn’t have the heart to correct him, so she helped him find a jacket to buy. She made a mental note about when the coat would be finished being tailored and popped back into the store that day. Sure enough, she ran into Winkler as he stopped by to pick up his new coat. This time, the actor asked Stacey out for a drink. Two years later, they were married and they are still happily married today.
“Doc” Severinsen, Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon pose for a photo on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”
Talk show host Johnny Carson spent three decades as the host of the late-night program, The Tonight Show. During that time, he racked up a collection of honors and awards, including six Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and, surprisingly, a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Carson shook up the late-night talk show scene when he announced that his last show would be on May 22, 1992. When he made this announcement to his viewers, he added a few more resignations. He quipped, “Ed McMahon announced he’ll be going with me. But I don’t know if he read the fine print in his contract. When I died, he’s also going with me.” Also exiting with Carson and his “Heeeeere’s Johnny” co-host was Doc Severinsen, the leader of the Tonight Show band.
“The Munsters” family photo.
Television programs in the 1960s followed a supernatural trend. Look at Bewitched, My Favorite Martian, Star Trek, and I Dream of Jeannie, for example. With TV producers all looking for the next big otherworldly hit show idea, it is not surprising that two networks, ABC and CBS, had similar ideas. Writers at both studios pitched ideas for television shows about typical American families (like The Donna Reed Show) with a monstrous twist. And, coincidentally, they began production on their shows at about the same time. ABC premiered its show, The Addams Family, first, on September 18, 1964. A week later, on September 24, 1964, CBS debuted The Munsters, featuring the characters in this promo pic.
A television classic/ Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden with Art Carney as Ed Norton on “The Honeymooners,” 1950s.
Michael J. Fox and Huey Lewis on the set of “Back To the Future,” 1985.
A hit song by Huey Lewis and the News was featured prominently in Back to the Future, but that almost never happened. When the movie’s producer, Steven Spielberg, and writer, Bob Gale, called a meeting with Lewis, they explained that the main character in their time-travel movie was going to be a big fan of Huey Lewis and the News. Lewis was naturally flattered. But when they asked him to write a song for the movie, he was skeptical. He didn’t think his style of music would be a fit for the film. But he was told he could write a song about anything he wanted. Lewis agreed to let them listen to the next song he wrote to see if they could make it work in the movie. That song, of course, turned out to be “Power of Love”.
Mr. T in 1969.
When this photo was taken, Laurence Tureaud was a high school senior who played football and wrestled for his Chicago-area school. After his father left the family, Laurence, who was the youngest of twelve kids, shortened his last name to Tero to distance himself from his estranged father. About the time that he posed for this picture, he legally changed his last name to T. As a bouncer, bodyguard, tough man competitor, and stunt man, he preferred to be called Mr. T. He explained that after watching the Black men in his neighborhood being called ‘boy’, he demanded that people call him by a title that shows respect.
San Francisco, 1960s.
In the 1960s, no city in America attracted more hippies than San Francisco. A center for the counterculture movement, the California city embodied the music, lifestyle, and drug culture that arose in the sixties. The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in particular saw an influx of young people who were anxious to break free of the conformist lifestyle of the previous generation. Bands like the Grateful Dead created the soundtrack for this counterculture generation. Beat generation writers and television news journalists reported on the free-spirited lifestyle of San Francisco.
Sidney Poitier between scenes of the film “To Sir, with Love,” 1967.
Sidney Poitier starred in the 1967 drama, To Sir, With Love, a British film that explored issues of race and social class in a high school for troubled kids. The movie was based on an autobiographical novel written by E.R. Braithwaite that was published in 1959. The movie also featured a number one song, “To Sir, With Love”, which was performed by singer Lulu who also appeared in the movie. In fact, it was Lulu’s film debut. The song spent five weeks in the Billboard number one spot.
Steven Spielberg and Drew Barrymore on the set of “E.T.” (1981)
Drew Barrymore was just seven years old when she played the role of Gertie in Steven Spielberg’s E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982. She was not a stranger to acting, despite her young age. As a member of the famous Barrymore family, acting is in her blood. She land her first professional acting gig before she was one year old and had several minor roles in movies prior to E.T. Since E.T. was a blockbuster hit – the highest-grossing movie of the 1980s – Drew Barrymore became a sought-after child actress. She was awarded a Young Artist Award for Best Supporting Actress and became the youngest person to appear as a guest host of Saturday Night Live.
Stevie Nicks hanging out in New Haven, CT back in 1975.
The year 1975 was a pivotal time for singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks. That was the year she joined Fleetwood Mac. As part of this group, Nicks achieved rock success. Fleetwood Mac is one of the top-selling music groups of all time with sales exceeding 120 million records. The band’s album, Rumours, the second album released by Fleetwood Mac after Nicks joined the group, remains one of the best-selling albums in music history. It has been certified platinum 20 times over in the U.S. alone. Nicks, while remaining a member of Fleetwood Mac, launched her solo career in 1981. Her debut solo album, Bella Donna topped the Billboard charts when it was released.
Texas country music singers and songwriters Billy Joe Shaver and Willie Nelson, 1972.
Billy Joe Shaver, who died in October of 2020, was a singer and songwriter that epitomized the outlaw country movement in the 1970s. Although he released several albums on his own, including his 1973 debut album Old Five and Dimers Like Me and his Grammy-nominated 2007 album Everybody’s Brother, many of Shaver’s songs were big hits for other artists, including Willie Nelson. Waylon Jennings, David Allen Coe, Patty Loveless, and Joe Ely all performed songs written by Shaver. Later in his career, Shaver’s son, Eddy, co-wrote with him. His acclaimed 1993 album, Tramp On Your Street, showcased Eddy Shaver’s guitar playing.
The “Howard the Duck” movie was executive produced by George Lucas and based on the cult favorite Marvel Comics series, starring Lea Thompson in 1986.
Big-haired Lea Thompson starred in the weird superhero comedy movie, Howard the Duck, that was released in 1986. For fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is strange to think that Howard the Duck was based off a Marvel comic book character, the same as Captain America, the Hulk, Ironman, and Thor. It is hard to envision a large, anthropomorphic duck saving the Earth from an alien invasion, but then again, there is a talking raccoon and a humanoid tree in Guardians of the Galaxy, so I guess anything is possible in the MCU.
The always sexy and demure Ann-Margret.
Swedish-born actress, Ann-Margret Olsson was known professionally as Ann-Margret throughout her career. Many of the parts she played, in such films as State Fair and Viva Las Vegas, Ann-Margret played sexy, confident characters. It may surprise you to know that she was an early favorite to play the role of the sweet, innocent Sandy in the 1978 movie musical Grease. But Ann-Margret was 37 years old at the time, so the producers felt she was too old to play a high school student. Instead, they cast 30-year-old Olivia Newton-John. In the play version of Grease, Sandy’s last name was Dumbrowski. For the movie version, the producers changed her last name to “Olsson” – Ann-Margret’s real last name – in her honor.
The ever-elegant Jaclyn Smith, late 1970s.
Jaclyn Smith might be best remembered for playing beautiful private detective Kelly Garrett on the hit TV series, Charlie’s Angels, in the late 1970s, but she ventured into business in the mid-1980s. When she introduced her line of women’s clothing for Kmart, she became one of the first celebrities to create their own clothing brand. Prior to this, celebrities often endorsed the designs of others but did not have their own brand. Her partnership with Kmart was a huge success. It allowed Jaclyn Smith to venture into home furnishings, bath and bedding items, and more.
The glamorous, Sophia Loren on the set of “More than a Miracle”, 1967, photographed by Angelo Frontoni.
The 1967 film, More Than a Miracle, had two alternative titles, Cinderella Italian Style and Happily Ever After. The second two titles are more indicative of the plot of the movie, which stars Sophia Loren and Omar Sharif. Filmed on location in Naples, the movie is a fairytale romance between a rebellious Spanish prince, who is reluctant to accept an arranged marriage, and a poor but beautiful village girl. In true Cinderella fashion, the unlikely couple fall deeply in love, but have to work through societal expectations before they can experience their happily ever after.
Who remembers Kinney Shoes and Buster Browns?
Do you remember shopping at a Kinney Shoe store to get a pair of Buster Brown shoes for back-to-school time? Kinney Shoes is now out of business but at one time, the chain had stores across the country. In fact, it was the largest family shoe chain in the country for a number of years. Kinney Shoes was the go-to place for Buster Browns, sensible, sturdy shoes for children. The Brown Shoe Company started in business in 1878 in St. Louis. The Buster Brown mascot was taken from a comic strip character.
Yvonne DeCarlo as Lily Munster in her customized 1966 Jaguar Mark X., 1960s.
Before she gained a fan base as Lily Munster, the vampish wife of the Frankenstein-like Herman Munster in TV’s The Munsters, Canadian actress, singer, and dancer Yvonne De Carlo appeared in several movies that were inspired by ancient tales or biblical stories. For example, she starred in Salome, Where She Danced, Song of Scheherazade, Slave Girl, The Sword and the Cross, and The Ten Commandments. De Carlo was also the first American movie star to visit Israel. She was called “the most beautiful girl in the world” and the “queen of Technicolor.”
Alfred Hitchcock and Anthony Perkins share a laugh on the set of “Psycho” (1960)
When it comes to suspenseful movies, the 1960 film Psycho set the bar pretty high. The horror thriller, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is often called the first slasher film. Perhaps Hitchcock’s best movie, Psycho used camera techniques, dramatic lighting, suspenseful music, and other tricks to build the tension. The audience was left shocked and shaken by the twists and turns of the movie. People were terrified to take showers after watching Psycho. Despite this, the film earned four Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Director for Hitchcock.
At home with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, 1961.
For about a decade, the hottest Hollywood couple was Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. When they married on June 4, 1951, both of their movie studios tried to talk them out of it. Despite the obvious attraction between the two, Curtis’s studio wanted him to marry Piper Laurie to boost the publicity for both of them. As for Janet Leigh, she was a biggest, more established star at the time. Her studio felt as though she was marrying down when she announced her engagement to Tony Curtis. At the time, Curtis was an up-and-coming leading man who was trying to build his Hollywood persona. But it was a good march. Curtis and Leigh were married for ten years.
Country legend Ernest Tubb in front of his record shop in Nashville, early 1960s.
Ernest Tubb, the Texas Troubadour, was one of the country music singers to introduce the honky-tonk style. He helped set the foundation for the country music genre. Perhaps the biggest song of his career came in 1941 with “Walking the Floor Over You.” Tubb was also the first person to record “Blue Christmas”, written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, that was later made popular by Elvis Presley. His 1965 hit, “Waltz Across Texas”, is still popular in Texas dancehalls. In the 1960s, he recorded a duet, “Sweet Thang,” with a relatively unknown singer, Loretta Lynn.
Sammy Davis, Jr.talks with the U.S. troops stationed at Bien Hoa Air Force Base in Vietnam between his USO performances. (1972)
A Vaudeville performer, Sammy Davis Jr. was just 18 years old when, in 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. As a member of the military, Davis endured racial prejudice that often escalated into violent confrontations. He claimed he had several broken noses to prove it. He returned to show business following the war and, by the mid-1960s, he was a big star and one of Hollywood’s famous Rat Pack. When the U.S. got involved in the Vietnam War, Sammy Davis Jr. volunteered for a 13-day USO tour. It was not lost on his that he would be re-entering an environment that he found to be racist in the 1940s, but he stated that his USO tour experience was quite rewarding.
Phil Collins in New York- 1973.
The rock band Genesis was in a crisis in 1970. They signed a contract with Charisma Records by their drummer and guitarist both suddenly quit. The remaining members contemplated folding the band but decided to keep going. They placed an ad looking for a “drummer sensitive to acoustic music” and a “12-string acoustic guitarist”. Phil Collins applied and auditioned for the band. His first reaction, after listening to the band’s 1970 album Trespass, was that the group was a soft rock band similar to Crosby, Stills, and Nash. At first, Collins was a backup singer as well as drummer, but the first song on which he sang lead vocals was on the 1973 tune “More Fool Me.”
Who remembers watching Foghorn Leghorn try to talk his way out of trouble on “Looney Tunes”?
Did you know that the down-homey cartoon rooster, Foghorn Leghorn, from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, was inspired by another character that was featured on Fred Allen’s radio show in the 1940s. That radio character, that was played by Kenny Delmar, was a boastful, blustering Southerner called Senator Claghorn. Like the Senator Claghorn character, Foghorn Leghorn was fond of saying “I say, old boy”. Foghorn Leghorn was created by Robert McKimson and made his debut in 1946. He appeared in cartoons from 1946 to 1964.
