Born
Elizabeth Ruth Grable
December 18, 1916
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died
July 2, 1973 (aged 56)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place
Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California, U.S.
Nationality
American
Other names
Frances Dean
Occupation
Actress
pin-up girl
dancer
model
singer
Years active
1929–1973
Spouse(s)
Jackie Coogan
(m. 1937; div. 1939)
Harry James
(m. 1943; div. 1965)
Children
2
Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million, and she set a record of 12 consecutive years in the top 10 of box office stars. The U.S. Treasury Department in 1946 and 1947 listed her as the highest-salaried American woman; she earned more than $3 million during her career.[1]
Grable began her film career in 1929 at age 12, after which she was fired from a contract when it was learned she signed up under false identification. She had contracts with RKO and Paramount Pictures during the 1930s, and appeared in a string of B movies, mostly portraying college students. Grable came to prominence in the Broadway musical DuBarry Was a Lady (1939), which brought her to the attention of 20th Century-Fox.
She replaced Alice Faye in Down Argentine Way (1940), her first major Hollywood film, and became Fox's biggest film star throughout the remaining decade. Fox cast Grable in a succession of Technicolor musicals during the decade that were immensely popular, co-starring with such leading men as Victor Mature, Don Ameche, John Payne, and Tyrone Power. In 1943, she was the number-one box-office draw in the world and, in 1947, she was the highest-paid entertainer in the United States. Two of her biggest film successes were the musical Mother Wore Tights (1947) and the comedy How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), one of her last films. Grable retired from screen acting in 1955 after she withdrew from her Fox contract, although she continued to perform on the stage and on television.[2]
Throughout her career, Grable was a celebrated sex symbol. Her bathing suit poster made her the number-one pin-up girl of World War II, surpassing Rita Hayworth. It was later included in the Life magazine project "100 Photographs That Changed the World". Hosiery specialists of the era often noted the ideal proportions of her legs as thigh (18.5 in (47 cm)), calf (12 in (30 cm)), and ankle (7.5 in (19 cm)).[3] Grable's legs famously were insured by her studio for $1 million as a publicity stunt.[4] Describing her film career, Grable said "I became a star for two reasons, and I'm standing on them."
Frank Powolny poster[edit]
Grable's iconic over-the-shoulder pose from 1943 (due to the fact she was visibly pregnant) was a World War II bestseller, showing off her "Million Dollar Legs".
In 1943, she collaborated with photographer Frank Powolny for a regular studio photo session. During the shoot, she took several photos in a tight, one-piece bathing suit. One particular pose consisted of Grable's back being to the camera as she playfully smiled looking over her right shoulder, the reason for this pose was the fact that she was in fact several months pregnant with her first child [12]. The picture was released as a poster and became the most requested photo for G.I.s stationed overseas. Grable's photograph sold millions of copies, eventually surpassing the popularity of Rita Hayworth's famous 1941 photo.
Grable's success as a pin-up girl furthered her career as a mainstream movie star. As her star continued to ascend, Fox chief Darryl F. Zanuck expressed interest in broadening Grable's range as an actress. Zanuck attempted, on multiple occasions, to cast her in films that challenged her acting abilities, but Grable was reluctant; she felt insecure about her talent which rendered her unwilling to accept roles she felt required too much of her. Throughout her career, she was very cautious; she often worried about starring opposite well-known leading men. She preferred to star in up-beat and outlandish musicals, many of which followed the generic boy-meets-girl story tack. In fact, many of her movies were thin when it came to their stories, but they were high on energy during their song-and-dance sequences. Despite their lack of quality, Grable's movies were immensely popular, and Fox regularly channeled the profits it received from Grable's movies into their more prestigious movies.
Dancer, mom, daughter, and Pinup! I love all things vintage!
Mrs Cocoa Delight,, transplant from Germany , found my true self through Pin up a little later in life.
I am part of an amazing group of women , Pin Up & Pumps. Embracing my inner Queen ,come find yours
Aviation Angel, Daisy Donovan, is an Atlanta-based pinup. She is published in calendars for Curvy Silhouettes, American Warrior Garage, & Aviation Angels, as well as multiple magazine titles.
In her free time, she enjoys sewing; outdoor activities; & volunteering with the Commemorative Air Force. During the summer you will find her at car shows, air shows, or on the beach.
Visit her social media accounts & follow for more.
Dancer, pinup goth, actress--the Bay Area’s resident femme fatale is a real triple threat! Starting in 2013 with two seasons of Creepy KOFY Movie Time, Faye is a veteran of the local horror scene, appearing on Psychotropic Theater, Circus of Chaos, Creature Features, and Shadow Circus Creature Theatre. With a confident strut and a pair of very high heels, Faye is following in the footsteps of other San Francisco horror hosts like the legendary Bob Wilkins and John Stanley. Her unique combination of brains, beauty, kookiness, and spookiness has made her a real fan favorite. That’s why the lady is a vamp!
*Glam photography
*Pin Up Classes & Shoots
*Themed Photoshoots
DM for inquires or book one of our monthly shoots!
Based in Vero Beach, Florida
www.glitterglamstudios.com
Glitter Glam Studios
*Glam photography
*Pin Up Classes & Shoots
*Themed Photoshoots
DM for inquires or book one of our monthly shoots!
Based in Vero Beach, Florida
www.glitterglamstudios.com
Glitter Glam Studios, a Florida based photography studio, specializes in Pin Up, Glam & Boudoir Photography. Follow them to see where they are Touring or book a shoot in Vero Beach, Florida. Glitter Glam Studios work can be seen in Internationally landing on multiple magazine covers including; Retrolovely, Bombshell, The Social Pin Up Magazine, Halloween, Modern Day Pin Up Magazine, Nylzonzine, Twisted Pin Up, Chica Boom Magazine and so many more! Offering Pin Up Classes, Themed Photoshoots and Burlesque Dance Classes too! DM for inquires or book one of our monthly shoots!
Born
Rose Louise Hovick
January 8, 1911
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Died
April 26, 1970 (aged 59)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation
Actress, author, playwright, vedette, dancer, entertainer
Years active
1928–69
Spouse(s)
Robert Mizzy
(m. 1937; div. 1941)
Alexander Kirkland
(m. 1942; div. 1944)
Julio de Diego
(m. 1948; div. 1955)
Children
1
Parent(s)
John Olaf Hovick
Rose Thompson Hovick
Relatives
June Havoc (sister)
Gypsy Rose Lee was born in Seattle, Washington, on January 8, 1911; however, she always gave January 9 as her date of birth. She was known as Louise to her family. Her sister, actress June Havoc, was born in 1912. Their mother, Rose Thompson Hovick, forged various birth certificates for each of her daughters—older when needed to evade varying state child labor laws, and younger for reduced or free train fares. The girls were unsure until later in life what their years of birth were.
Career
Louise's singing and dancing talents were insufficient to sustain the act without June. Eventually, it became apparent that Louise could make money in burlesque, which earned her legendary status as an elegant and witty striptease artist. Initially, her act was propelled forward when a shoulder strap on one of her gowns gave way, causing her dress to fall to her feet despite her efforts to cover herself; encouraged by the audience's response, she went on to make the trick the focus of her performance.
Her innovations were an almost casual stripping style compared to the herky-jerky styles of most burlesque strippers (she emphasized the "tease" in "striptease"), and she brought a sharp sense of humor into her act as well. She became as famous for her onstage wit as for her stripping style, and—changing her stage name to Gypsy Rose Lee—she became one of the biggest stars of Minsky's Burlesque, where she performed for four years. She was frequently arrested in raids on the Minsky brothers' shows. During the Great Depression, Lee spoke at various union meetings in support of New York laborers. According to activist Harry Fisher, her talks were among those that attracted the largest audiences.
In 1937 and 1938, billed as Louise Hovick, she made five films in Hollywood. But her acting was generally panned, so she returned to New York City where she had an affair with film producer Michael Todd and co-produced and appeared in his 1942 musical revue, Star and Garter.
Lee viewed herself as a "high-class" stripper, and she approved of H. L. Mencken's term "ecdysiast", which he coined as a more "dignified" way of referring to the profession. Her style of intellectual recitation while stripping was spoofed in the number "Zip!" in Rodgers and Hart's Pal Joey, a musical in which Havoc had appeared on Broadway, opposite Gene Kelly. Lee performed an abbreviated version of her act (intellectual recitation and all) in the 1943 film Stage Door Canteen.
In 1941, Lee authored a mystery thriller called The G-String Murders, which was made into the sanitized 1943 film, Lady of Burlesque starring Barbara Stanwyck. While some assert this was in fact ghost-written by Craig Rice, there are those who claim that there is more than sufficient written evidence in the form of manuscripts and Lee's own correspondence to prove that she wrote a large part of the novel herself under the guidance of Rice and others, including her editor George Davis, a friend, and mentor. Lee's second murder mystery, Mother Finds a Body, was published in 1942. In December 1942, preliminary papers alleging breach of contract were filed in the Supreme Court against Lee by Dorothy Wheelock, associate editor of Harper's Bazaar, alleging that in August 1940 she and Gypsy entered into what Wheelock described as "an oral agreement to collaborate on a joint venture involving the conception, construction, development, writing, and exploitation of a literary work with a burlesque background. The agreement, Miss Wheelock went on, called for a 50:50 split on all income from sale of the book. She charged that she had lined up a publisher for the book when, in November 1940, Gypsy called off the collaboration ... Lee said she turned over notes and other material to Miss Wheelock and that the latter had then written 'a sample book'. However this sample book is not the book that was published, Gypsy declared. She denied any resemblance between Miss Wheelock's book and the book published under her own name, except such similarities might stem from the notes Gypsy turned over to Miss Wheelock. Simon & Schuster agreed to publish the book, Gypsy said, after the first three chapters were shown to them by Janet Flanner, a New York writer". The case was settled out of court.
Kate Francis is getting her MA in Fashion History and Fashion Design from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. She studies fashion and culture from the 1920s-1940s, and wears it too!
When Kimmie isn’t at the beach, she’s buying vintage goodies, browsing antique cars, or getting baby dolled up for a pin up contest.
Kimmie is a member of the North Florida Luscious Ladies.
Konnichiwa from Kimmie Khaos. I am a curvy Luscious Lady who loves traveling, antiques, classic cars, and music with soul. My passions are beach life, biology, and babies. The pinup culture allows me the opportunity to share my platform of “Loving The Skin You Are In”with my community. The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the memories we’ve made along the way.
My name Lady Black Velvet is the perfect way to describe me, sweet and soft with a mysterious side! I'm the perfect definition of an introverted extrovert. I am family oriented and enjoy the simple things in life, but I am also very adventurous and love going new places and challenging myself with doing new things. I have a very vintage, yet eclectic, sense of style that falls right in line with different pinup eras. Furthermore, I also love all different hair and makeup styles, which all in all makes being a pinup gal that much more fun!!