Yesteryear

Life of Riley, The

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1 9 7 5 (UK) 7 x 30 minute episodes This short comedy series from Granada starred Bill Maynard – in the first series of his own – as Frank Riley, an insurance agent for Lancastrian Assurance and a widower of 18 years with a roving eye for the ladies, especially his secretary Ethel Goodchild (Eileen […]

Mister Jerico (1970)

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This British crime comedy film, directed by Sidney Hayers and starring Patrick Macnee, was originally made for TV, but was released theatrically in the UK and some other territories. Smooth conman Dudley Jerico (The Avengers star Patrick Macnee) plots to relieve corrupt millionaire Mr Rosso (Herbert Lom) of his legendary Gemini diamond, with the help […]

BBC Domesday Project (1986)

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Nine hundred years after the original 1086 Domesday Book was started, the BBC began the ‘Domesday Project’. Using computer and laser disc technology, one million people were to help compile a ‘picture’ of twentieth-century Britain for future generations to read. It aimed to capture a snapshot of British life through the eyes of its people, […]

Hope Lange: The Luminous Grace of Hollywood’s Golden Age

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Hope Lange was a quintessential figure of American grace, widely regarded for her ethereal beauty and profound emotional range during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Rising to stardom in the late 1950s, Lange earned an Academy Award nomination for her nuanced performance in Peyton Place, a role that showcased her unique ability to portray vulnerability masked by a quiet, steely strength. She possessed a “girl-next-door” charm that she elevated with a sophisticated, intellectual edge, making her a favorite for both high-stakes dramas and lighthearted comedies.

Throughout the 1960s, Lange transitioned seamlessly into television, becoming a household name as the charming Carolyn Muir in The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, a role that won her two consecutive Emmy Awards. Her screen presence was often described as luminous and dignified, characterized by a soft-spoken elegance that never felt forced.

Beyond her professional accolades, Hope Lange remained a symbol of timeless American chic, maintaining a career of artistic integrity and poise that spanned over four decades. Take a nostalgic look back at the career of Hope Lange with these stunning vintage photos, celebrating the enduring elegance and talent of one of Hollywood’s most beloved leading ladies.

1937 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet: An Italian Masterpiece of Pre-War Elegance

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The 1937 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet stands as a pinnacle of pre-war automotive engineering, representing a seamless blend of Italian avant-garde design and technical brilliance.

Launched during an era of radical innovation, the Aprilia was the final masterpiece overseen by Vincenzo Lancia, featuring a revolutionary narrow-angle V4 engine and an exceptionally low drag coefficient that was far ahead of its time. While the standard Berlina was celebrated for its aerodynamics, the Cabriolet variants, often bodied by elite coachbuilders like Pinin Farina, transformed the car into a symbol of “open-air” sophistication and high-society glamour.

With its sleek, sweeping lines and independent pillarless suspension, the Aprilia Cabriolet offered a level of handling and stability that shamed many of its more expensive contemporaries. Its lightweight chassis and nimble performance made it a favorite among the European elite, who sought a vehicle that could conquer Alpine passes with the same elegance it displayed on the boulevards of Rome or Paris.

Experience the timeless allure of Italian motoring with these stunning photos of the 1937 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet, a true icon of pre-war engineering and style.

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

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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.

Gloria Holliday Posing With an Easter Bunny, 1951

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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.

Management, The

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1 9 8 8 (UK) 6 x 25 minute episodes Gareth Hale and Norman Pace – two ex-teachers-turned-comedians – starred in this Channel 4 series (produced by LWT) as the perpetually tuxedo-clad duo, arguably their most famous creation. Doormen Ron and Ron inherit a rundown London nightclub from their late uncle Albert. They rename the […]

Heroes, The

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1 9 8 9 (Australia/UK) 2 x 120 minute episodes This ITV coproduction with Australia’s Network Ten was a true World War II adventure starring Neighbours heartthrob Jason Donovan as the youngest of 14 Australian and British Commandos who sailed 5,000 miles from Cairns in Northern Australia across the Indian Ocean to Singapore harbour in a […]

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

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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.