Ah, the pressures of Picture Day. Who can’t relate to the anxiety of getting that perfect shot for a yearbook, driver’s license, or, in this case, beloved Hollywood classic? For actors like Audrey Hepburn and Liz Taylor, sitting for test shots was all in a day’s work. We wish we could travel back in time to have been a fly on the wall, but we’ve come up with the next best thing: a compendium of our favourites to share how it all went down.
Hollywood’s Golden Age glamour was damn hard to make. Test and ‘continuity shots’ made sure every single curl, fake bruise, or bonnet had its place, and the painstaking nature of the craft often shows a different side of some of the world’s biggest stars. Vivien Leigh’s Gone With the Wind tests show much more low-key Miss Scarlett, while Marlon Brando’s pics paint him as rather annoyed; Judy Garland looks downright terrified in her Wizard of Oz pose, while darling Marilyn — whose collection of surviving test shots is definitely the largest on the web — looks like she’s loving it. So without further ado, let’s step behind the lens for a peek…
What do you think — and who is your favourite?
