Born 1923 in Manhattan, New York City, American actress Bonita Granville began her career on the stage at age three. She initially began as a child actress, making her film debut in Westward Passage (1932). She rose to prominence for her role in These Three (1936), which earned her an Academy Award nomination at ageContinue reading “35 Gorgeous Photos of Bonita Granville in the 1930s and 1940s”
Tag Archives: 1940s
Mechanical Hands With Remote Control: GE Master-Slave Manipulator by John Payne, 1948
The village blacksmith of Longfellow may have had “muscles like iron bands,” but scientist John Payne of General Electric has done him one better; he has arms and hands made of steel, and what’s more, he can operate his from the next room. Designed for use by re-mote control in radioactive areas, a pair ofContinue reading “Mechanical Hands With Remote Control: GE Master-Slave Manipulator by John Payne, 1948”
16 Vintage Portraits of a Beautiful Mary “Te Ata” Thompson Fisher
Te Ata Thompson Fisher, whose name means “Bearer of the Morning,” was born Dec. 3, 1895, near Emet, Oklahoma. A citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Te Ata was an accomplished actor and teller of Native American stories. She received her early education in Tishomingo, and eventually went to the Oklahoma College for Women. While there,Continue reading “16 Vintage Portraits of a Beautiful Mary “Te Ata” Thompson Fisher”
Alfred Langevin, the Man Who Could Smoke Through His Eye
Here’s Alfred Langevin (1885–1974), French-Canadian, aka the “Eye Smoker,” who could smoke a pipe through his eye. In the 1930s, he resided in Detroit, Michigan but was under the employ of Robert Ripley. Mr. Langevin was featured not only in the Believe-It-Or-Not cartoons of Ripley, but also appeared in Ripley’s renowned Odditorium from 1933 toContinue reading “Alfred Langevin, the Man Who Could Smoke Through His Eye”
40 Portrait Photos of Actor Glenn Ford in the 1940s
Born 1916 in Quebec, Canadian-American actor Glenn Ford had his first major movie part in Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (1939) at 20th Century Fox. He often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood’s Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s,Continue reading “40 Portrait Photos of Actor Glenn Ford in the 1940s”
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1938 Phantom Corsair 1938 Phantom Corsair
25 Color Photographs Capture the Fall of Paris in 1940
On June 14, 1940, Parisians awaken to the sound of a German-accented voice announcing via loudspeakers that a curfew was being imposed for 8 p.m. that evening as German troops enter and occupy Paris. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had tried for days to convince the French government to hang on, not to sue forContinue reading “25 Color Photographs Capture the Fall of Paris in 1940”
40 Beautiful Photos of Ann Blyth in the 1940s and 1950s
Born 1928 in Mount Kisco, New York, American actress Ann Blyth performed on children’s radio shows in New York for six years, making her first appearance when she was five. When she was nine, she joined the New York Children’s Opera Company. Blyth had her first acting role on Broadway in Lillian Hellman’s Watch onContinue reading “40 Beautiful Photos of Ann Blyth in the 1940s and 1950s”
40 Vintage Portrait Photos of a Young Petula Clark
Born 1932 in Ewell, Surrey, British singer and actress Petula Clark began her professional career as a child entertainer on BBC Radio during the Second World War. In 1954, she charted with “The Little Shoemaker”, the first of her big UK hits, and within two years she began recording in French. Her international successes haveContinue reading “40 Vintage Portrait Photos of a Young Petula Clark”
Women Paint “Stockings” on Their Legs at a Store in Croydon, London, 1941
Wallace Carothers produced the first nylon fiber in 1935, but it was the 1939 World’s Fair that first introduced the nylon stocking to the public. It was marketed as a fabric made from “carbon, water and air.“ Cheap and durable, better in appearance than silk, nylon soon became the material of choice for manufacturing women’sContinue reading “Women Paint “Stockings” on Their Legs at a Store in Croydon, London, 1941”
