Starlets of the Silver Screen

[GrauGeist]

With the recent passing of Lauren Bacall, it brought to mind the great Starlets of the Silver Screen that the soldiers would have known, during WWII.

Occasionally, you'll read a story where a veteran recalls the memory of a certain star while they were in the trenches or see a photo of a sailor reaching out to a poster and patting Betty Grable's rear-end for luck as he raced to battle stations. Some Starlet's ended up as nose-art on warplanes and occasionally, the soldiers would be treated to a visit by one or another Starlet as they toured to boost morale.

So here they are!

Lauren Bacall

Lucille Ball

Ingrid Bergman

Cyd Charisse

Dorothy Dandridge

Bette Davis

Yvonne De Carlo

Olivia de Havilland

Dolores Del Rio

Marlene Dietrich

Joan Fontaine

Frances Farmer

Greta Garbo

Ava Gardner

Greer Garson

Betty Grable

Paulette Goddard

Susan Hayward

Rita Hayworth

Katharine Hepburn

Valerie Hobson

Deborah Kerr

There's more in the following post!!

 

[Thorlifter]

This is a terrific start showing true Hollywood royalty. You know, when you look at a woman and just freeze, then realize your jaw is open, you know your looking at a beautiful woman. I have many more in mind but I'll wait to see who else you will post.

 

[GrauGeist]

Elyse Knox

Veronica Lake

Hedy Lamarr

Priscilla Lane

Vivien Leigh

Carole Lombard

Myrna Loy

Merle Oberon

Maureen O'Hara

Mary Pickford

Donna Reed

Ginger Rogers

Rosalind Russell

Jean Simmons

Ann Sheridan

Ann Sothern

Barbara Stanwyck

Gene Tierney

Lana Turner

Mae West

Esther Williams

Googie Withers

And that should cover most (but not all) of the Great Ladies of the Silver Screen before and during WWII...

I am sure I may have missed some, so add any that I may have overlooked.

And no, Marylyn Monroe (or Jane Mansfield and all the others don't qualify...they came AFTER the war)

 

[Thorlifter]

Ahhhh, my dream lady from a past life. Myrna Loy! Pure beauty!!!!!

 

[GrauGeist]

Ahhhh, my dream lady from a past life. Myrna Loy! Pure beauty!!!!!

She and Mary Pickford were definitely from the Golden age of the screen

 

[Thorlifter]

From Wiki.....

With the outbreak of World War II, Loy all but abandoned her acting career to focus on the war effort and work closely with the Red Cross. She was so fiercely outspoken against Adolf Hitler that her name appeared on his blacklist. She helped run a Naval Auxiliary Canteen and toured frequently to raise funds.

 

[GrauGeist]

Might also mention that a good number of these Starlets ended up as "pin up" girls, like Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable (she even made it onto the nose of the B-17 "Sentimental Journey") and Jane Russell.

 

[Thorlifter]

True. Also, a bunch of these ladies toured around the U.S. during the war doing Red Cross and war bond missions. Carole Lombard was killed, along with her mother and Clark Gable's press agent, in a plane crash returning home from a very successful war bond appearance in 1942.

 

[Bernhart]

and all before plastic surgery....

 

[Njaco]

What no Veronica Lake? or Ann Sheridan?

Lauren Bacall was my favorite followed by Gene Tierney but I have to protest some choices. Weren't Lucille Ball, Ingrid Bergman, Maureen O'Hara and Ava Gardner more suited to the 50's than the earlier years? Just my opinion!

Oh and a pic of Anne Sheridan. Wow! She has a minor role in the "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" as the woman/prostitute who strolled past Humphrey Bogart as he came out of the barber shop.

.

 

[Thorlifter]

I don't think so Njaco. True, they had their biggest successes after the 40's, but they were all very active and successful during the 30's and 40's.

Lucille Ball appeared in 78 movies before 1950 and only 13 after.
Ingrid Bergman appeared in 28 movies before 1950 and 22 afterwards.
Maureen O'Hara appeared in 27 movies before 1950 and 29 afterwards.
Ava Gardner appeared in 32 movies before the 50's and 32 afterwards.

 

[Shortround6]

Lucille Ball, Ingrid Bergman, Maureen O'Hara may have achieved the peak of their 'stardom' in the 50s but were certainly active in the late 30s and early 40s .

 

[Capt. Vick]

Where is Veronica Lake?

 

[GrauGeist]

Well, if ya'll read my posts, you would have seen that I missed a few...mainly because I was going by memory with alot of these and also because it was getting late last night! I'll be adding Valerie Hobson, Veronica Lake, Jean Simmons, Ann Sheridan and Googie Withers to the list up there.

As far as Ava Gardner goes, she had some of the most pinups printed during the war years...she was VERY popular with the guys overseas! So if anyone wants to go on a pinup hunt, find 'em and post 'em here!

 

[GrauGeist]

I missed a few last time around, so I added 4 more...a couple I cannot believe I missed, like Katharine Hepburn and Barbara Stanwyck!

I also added Deborah Kerr and Elyse Knox

That's alot of Ladies...41 to be exact!

 

[Capt. Vick]

Deborah Kerr!

 

[at6]

I have to say my picks for ultra beauty are Frances Farmer and Susan Hayward, even though each one had her own special beauty. They may have all been old enough to be my mother but I still say that women of that time period were more beautiful that what we see today and definitely more talented.

 

[GrauGeist]

Just when I thought the list was done, I discovered that I left out two heavy-weight Hollywood gals that I should hang my head in shame for forgetting!!

Marlene Dietrich and Mae West!! Another Starlet that I overlooked, was Dolores Del Rio.

So this pretty much covers the Ladies of the Silver Screen as the guys overseas knew them. These Starlet's names were household words. The girlfriends, wives and daughters of the servicemen all tried to dress like them and look like them.

They were a part of everyday life

 

[Thorlifter]

Really good list GG. Thanks for putting it together.

 

[Old Wizard]

Ahhhh, my dream lady from a past life. Myrna Loy! Pure beauty!!!!!

Probably the most underrated actress of them all. She was so good, you didn't notice she was acting.