TV and Movies

[Oznell]

That's Jean Howard, a photographer who started out as a Texas girl-turned- Zeigfield Follies chorine.  She did make films, early on, but was encouraged to become a photographer.  

She married legendary Hollywood super-agent Charlie Feldman, who was a bon vivant and glamour figure in his own right-- not something you could say about the usual Hollywood agent!

Because of their social position inside the Hollywood firmament-- they attended and gave lavish parties for their friends-- her insider photos for Look magazine and Vogue became highly prized.

Love this one she took of Marlene Dietrich and the mysterious Ann Warner, wife of studio head Jack Warner, sharing secrets--

A party at the home of Janet Gaynor ( the first actress to receive an Oscar), and her husband, screen fashion designer Adrian.  Gaynor is seated on the far left, her hubby standing at the back.  It's fun to pick out Jimmy Stewart smirking, wife Gloria on the far right, Mike Romanoff, David Niven, Jeanne Vanderbilt... 

 

A youngish Howard Hughes and beautiful Gene Tierney-- 

I think this party was at Clifton Webb's.  Note a relaxed Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Reginald Gardner...

I thought that this portrait she took of Olivier and Leigh was poignant, as it was on the eve of their disastrous break-up:

She took candid photos of Marilyn Monroe, while socializing, and also studio portraits.  Marilyn told a group of friends that of all photographers, Jean caught her the best:

Marilyn had worn that slinky cocktail dress, her "lucky dress" to the shoot, and gravitated toward the bird cage.

But Howard wanted to show another side of Marilyn that she knew, and she produced her own black taffeta jacket for her, and ultimately got this famously radiant shot:

I like both images.

She took this on the set of "How to Marry a Millionaire".  She said that Betty Grable had an almost maternal concern for Marilyn, whose well-known struggles were starting to intensify--

 

Love the series of photos Jean Howard took in Rome, at Tyrone Power's society wedding to the green-eyed, mercurial Dutch / Mexican actress, Linda Christian-

The bride and groom dancing--

I'm not really a James Dean fan, but love this shot that Jean Howard took of him in her own back yard--

I've never seen such a piquant photo of Dorothy McGuire, so delicate;  the other shot is of playwright William Saroyan in a fedora.

Adorable Anna Magnani, a force of nature--     

Such a sensitive portrait of Geraldine Page, on the right.  That's British writer Christopher Isherwood on the left.

Three brilliant directors--  Billy Wilder, Anatole Litvak, John Huston.  The shot is bursting with their various personalities--

Rita Hayworth, in happy times--

I found the book, "Jean Howard's Hollywood-- A Photo Memoir" for a few bucks at a local antique store, and boy was it worth it for a glimpse of old Hollywood!   A lot ( not all) of them can be found online, so thought I'd copy those and post here to give a flavor of the book.

[wilma]

@Oznell 

Thanks for taking the time to post this.
Loved looking at the photos and reading the information. 

[Mz iMac]

Just wow!  TY for sharing.

[goldensrbest]

There is something about seeing the photos of the past,that has always  appealed to me, i was looking at a book at a doctors appointment .a few weeks ago, it was very interesting,wish i could remember the name,it was quite old.

[KLm]

As someone who cannot claim to be a photographer, I admire the talent evident in these beautiful photographs.

thank you for posting them

[Citrine1]

How fun it was to look at these!  There's something so mesmerizing about old black and whites.  Every picture is lovely.  And the clothes!!  I love it.  

[GingerHead]

@Oznell 

Such a fun read! Beautiful photos, I especially like the 1st and 3rd ones. What an elegant, glamorous time in history, crazy how different the world is now....

[deepwaterdotter]

Love this series of photos.  That book is a lucky find.

[AuntG]

The photos are so natural - nothing comes across as staged.

[Terrywu]

Thanks for posting such lovely photos.  Good memories.  Could not help but notice how many were smoking.