They Put What, Where? Weird Beauty Hacks of Yesteryear

According to fashion legend Diana Vreeland, “the only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it,” and we tend to agree. Of course, aesthetic cultural standards have fluctuated from generation to generation (and icon to icon) for the better, and for the worse. Sometimes beauty, fashion, and…

Don’t Call Her the Dragon Lady: Hollywood’s First Chinese American Star

Wong Liu Tsong was born on Los Angeles’ Flower Street in 1905 – a rather befitting location for a gal whose Cantonese name meant “frosted yellow willow.” Most U.S. moviegoers, however, would get to know her under a more American moniker: Anna May Wong, the “Dragon Lady” of Hollywood. Wong was just your average California girl…

From the Batmobile to the Bath-mobile, He Built them All

Behold, the Bath buggy, built in 1970 for the World’s Fair in Osaka Japan, complete with a Ford Mustang engine, made by the same guy who pretty much created every cool ride that appeared on television screens during the 1960s and 70s. The Batmobile, the Flinstones car, David Hasslehoff’s car the Green Hornet car, The Munster’s car, the Monkee’s mobile–…

A Short History of Abandoned Hollywood Filmsets sitting in the North African Desert

A skeletal fortress built for Lawrence of Arabia, an American gas station used for a forgettable horror film now inhabited by an old shepherd and his dog; entire fake villages have been left behind by Hollywood to be battered by the sands of the south moroccan deserts. Photographer/ filmmaker Ra Di Martino sets the cameras rolling once again…

Ever Wondered Why Americans of the 1930s and 40s Spoke with an Accent?

Oh I do love it when my shower thoughts finally get answered. Have you ever wondered why Hollywood favourites like Katharine Hepburn spoke as if they only just stepped off the ferry from England, despite being American, born & bred? (See Exhibit A). Well I’ve wondered about it, mostly while washing my hair. So, why do all those…

10 Rare Hollywood Props I Found For Sale on the Internet Today

1. Woody Allen’s Bullets over Broadway Neon Signs Used in the award winning film “Bullets Over Broadway” by Woody Allen, released in 1994, the famous NYC restaurant is situated next to the theatre where the stage performance goes on. The sign was in poor condition when it was purchased, it’s been fully restored and in…

A Brief History of Ridiculous Celebrity Endorsements

Cher reading the bible? Hmmm … something doesn’t quite add up. As far back as the 1760s, celebrity endorsements have been used to promote products, whether it was microwavable meals or the newest smoke on the market, someone was always there to seemingly believe in the product. In honour of National Bible Week in 1971, Sonny…

Marilyn Monroe’s Forgotten Hollywood Sorority

If you had knocked on the door of room 334 at the Hollywood Studio Club on Lexington Avenue in 1948, a 24 year-old struggling actress going by the name of Marilyn Monroe would have answered with eyes full of hope. Marilyn was one of over 10,000 girls who were housed at the Hollywood Studio Club during its sixty year history, providing film studios…

That time the Hollywood sign got High

On January 1st, 1976, Hollywood residents woke up to read their famous hilltop sign a little differently. Local prankster Danny Finegood had indulged in some large-scale wordplay and changed the sign to say “Hollyweed“. It was to be the first of many pranks on the Hollywood sign by Danny and coincided with the day less restrictive…

The Hollywood Canteen where Movie Stars were at your Service

Hours away from being shipped off to Europe’s battlefields or back on US soil for a brief reprieve, there wasn’t a single American serviceman passing through Los Angeles in the 1940s that wouldn’t have lined around the block for an evening at the Hollywood Canteen. Set up in an abandoned nightclub near Sunset Boulevard, if you were wearing…