Sunday, January 23, 2022

CLASSIC PHOTOS THAT SHINE A NEW LIGHT ON HISTORY

-----oOo-----

The following pics and text are a reprint from a post on website History Daily.

I found the photos and background fascinating and well worth sharing.

It will appear in parts over the coming weeks.

-----oOo-----

From the website . . . 

Classic Photos That Shine A New Light On History

Every so often you catch a glimpse of a once in a lifetime photo that makes you think differently about a specific moment in history. From bygone structures to vintage ads, and stars in the prime of their lives, the photos collected here provide new insight into the 19th and 20th centuries. There’s no better way to discover something new about the past than to explore history through our pictures.

These photos are the closest thing to a time machine that we’ll ever have, and with them we can learn something special about people and places we’ve only heard of in history books. Get ready to learn something and let’s crack on!

Source:


-----oOo-----

George Harrison and Stevie Nicks, 1978.


Not that we’re complaining, but what the heck was Stevie Nicks doing hanging out with George Harrison? It turns out that the two were friends and that she even helped him write the 1979 song “Here Comes The Moon.” According to Nicks, the song was a one-off thing that happened when they both turned up in Hawaii at the same time.

In the book George Harrison: Behind The Locked Door, Nicks said that she keeps a picture of herself and Harrison around when she tours to get her through the tough nights. She said:
When I go on the road it goes right on my makeup mirror, so before I go on stage, whether it's with Fleetwood Mac or me in my solo career, the three of us are looking back at me and that has been my inspiration every single night. There's lots of nights where you kind of go, I wish I didn't have to go on stage tonight, I'm tired, I don't feel like doing it, and I look at George Harrison and me and I go, well, you just have to, because it's important, it's important to make people happy, so get out of your chair, put on your boots and go out there and do your thing.
-----oOo-----

Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) at the age of ten with his dog Rex, 1914


Dr. Seuss wasn’t always a doctor, but oddly enough he was technically a Seuss - it was his mother’s maiden name. Born Theodore Geisel, he was brought up in Springfield Massachusetts where he helped his father work in the family brewery until it was closed due to prohibition.

When he wasn’t helping his father, the young Seuss spent a lot of time at the local zoo where he would sketch the animals while hanging out with his mother and sister. Is it any wonder that so many weird and wacky animals made their way into his later work? If only we knew whether or not his mother served green eggs and ham.

(Editor’s note:

Green Eggs and Ham was the result of a bet between Seuss and Bennett Cerf, Dr. Seuss's publisher, that Seuss (after completing The Cat in the Hat using 236 words) could not complete an entire book without exceeding 50 words. Out of the 50 words, "anywhere" is the only word used that has more than one syllable.)

-----oOo-----

Alfred Hitchcock and his grandchildren on a sleigh ride in 1960.


Even though he was the master of terror, Alfred Hitchcock liked to have a good time. After all, what’s the dark side of life if you don’t have fun every once in a while? Like most grandparents, Hitchcock obviously loved spoiling his grandchildren, and according to Tere O’Connell Carrubba (the middle of Hitchcock’s female grandchildren) he was always game to hang out with them.

Carrubba told Mercury News that Hitchcock loved spending time in San Francisco and that he often took trips to Scotts Valley, which was then a hefty seven and a half hour drive away. Whatever it takes to get away.

-----oOo-----

The beauty of Grace Kelly on her wedding day, 1956.


While many young women dream of becoming a princess, Grace Kelly actually made that dream come true when she married Monaco's Prince Rainier on April, 18 1956. On the day Kelly wore a dress that was provided by MGM and it supposedly required 30 seamstresses and six weeks to produce. Now that’s how you make a wedding dress.

In attendance to the wedding were stars like Cary Grant, Ava Gardner, and Gloria Swanson, and Kelly supposedly thought that the whole thing was “overwhelming.” Her son, Prince Albert, said that both of his parents that felt the whole thing was too much.

Editor’s note:

Prince Rainier did not quit the monarchy after marrying his actress bride.

-----oOo-----

'The Twins,' Lisa and Louise Burns take a break from filming "The Shining" (1980).


Without a doubt the creepiest part of The Shining, one of the scariest movies ever made, is when young Danny rides his tricycle through the hallways of the overlook hotel and comes across the Grady twins, two girls who were chopped up by their father after he went crazy while taking care of the hotel during the harsh winter months.

According to the Burns twins, despite playing the ghosts of two dead girls they had a great time on set. They told the Daily Mail:
Everyday felt like we’d been invited to a very exclusive party and we were the youngest, luckiest people to be there. Stanley wanted us on set every single day, so between scenes we would play with Danny [Lloyd] and Jack [Nicholson].
-----oOo-----

Here's a baby in an overhead cradle on an airplane in the early 1950s.


If you think that flying is lousy now, just imagine trying to ride on an airplane while a baby sleeps in a cradle hanging off of the overhead compartment. You know how hard it is to find space for your carry on bag, that problem’s only exacerbated when a new mother is trying to make sure her newborn has space to sleep comfortably where your bag should go.

Aside from the problem of overhead luggage, turbulence must have been an issue for the tot holding “sky cots.” We can’t imagine that the babies at all comfortable upon running the plane running into an air pocket.

-----oOo-----

Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese's mother on the set of "Goodfellas." Mrs. Scorsese often cooked meals for the cast and crew of her son's films. (1989)


While Martin Scorsese has an entire filmography full of highly quotable movies, Goodfellas is truly one of the most memorable films every made. On top of that, it’s got a ton of food work in the movie, and the most well known food scene takes place following a hit carried out by Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito. In that scene DeVito’s mother cooks food for everyone and she’s played by Martin Scorsese’s actual mother.

Not only did Scorsese's mother Catherine cook for the cast and crew during the film, but the prison sequence where Paul Sorvino shaves garlic with a razor blade comes from her cookbook. Scorsese told Jimmy Kimmel:
My mother made a dish called chicken with lemon and garlic and if you go to Francis Coppola's restaurant he has it on the menu... It's pretty good, pretty close... The garlic was cut so thin and she would put it on the chicken and the chicken would be roasted... and the garlic would blacken and then disappear into the lemon juice. It was delicious.
-----oOo-----

Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez, C. Thomas Howell and Rob Lowe on the set of "The Outsiders," 1983.


The Outsiders, Francis Ford Coppola’s film adaptation about the life and times of a struggling group of lower class friends is truly an under appreciated piece of work in the director’s filmography. Not only does this film capture the desperation of working class youth in the 1950s, but it also presents a stark contrast to the wave of ‘50s nostalgia that appeared in the 1980s.

The film also introduced audiences to actors like Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, and Rob Lowe, all actors who would go one to be huge names in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Nothing gold can stay, but this movie definitely holds up.

-----oOo-----

Fearless painters on the Woolworth Building in New York City, 1926.


Well here’s to a set of guys who risked their lives to make sure the Woolworth Building in New York City was painted. In 1926 these fellows made their way up to stomach churning heights on top of one of the 50 tallest buildings in the world to make sure it stayed ship shape and Bristol fashion. To work on a building like this you’ve got to not only trust your harness but you’ve got to trust your crew.

But never mind how these guys got outside on the side of building, how do you think they had lunch? Did they have to climb back inside or do you think they just kept a bucket of sandwiches with them? What a wild life.

-----oOo-----

The University of Texas women's track team at practice in 1964.


Texas may be known for barbecue, beer, and football, but those aren’t the only thing the lone star state cares about. The second biggest state in the union loves sports, and in the 1960s the UT women’s track team made it a point to run like the wind and to look good while doing it - which should have garnered them at least a few extra points.

Can you imagine running with that much hair spray on your head? Or with a full on beehive hairdo? It may sound ridiculous but it was just something that came with being a female sports star in the ‘60s.

-----oOo-----

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.