Yestergaze

Robert Redford and Natalie Wood on the set of Inside Daisy Clover (1965). Wood, already an established star, specifically chose Redford to be her leading man in the film, a move that Redford often credited as helping to launch his career. Their connection dated back to their time at Van Nuys High School in Los Angeles and evolved into a close friendship. After Wood's tragic death in 1981, Redford maintained a close relationship with her family. He honored her legacy in the 2020 documentary, Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind which premiered at his very own Sundance Film Festival.

A young and seductive Gloria Swanson, a huge star in silent films, years before her triumphant comeback in Sunset Boulevard (1950).

An ostrich feathered Elizabeth Taylor dances with Russian ballet star Rudoloph Nureyev at a party in London on March 25, 1968.

Pier Angeli and Paul Newman on the set of The Silver Chalice (1954). The story line was fictitious but included historical biblical elements. It related the tale of a young Greek silversmith robbed of his inheritance and sold into slavery. He is commissioned by Luke the Evangelist and Joseph of Arimathea to create an ornate silver holder to protect the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper. The movie was neither a financial or critical success and was dismissed by most critics as being bloated, tedious, and overlong. It marked the film debut of Paul Newman, and he was very embarrassed by his performance. He publicly called it "the worst motion picture produced during the 1950s."

Happy 80th Birthday to Dame Penelope Wilton who was born on June 3, 1946. An accomplished actress of stage and screen, she is probably best known for her role as the socially conscious Isobel Crawley in the much-loved ITV and PBS series, Downton Abbey.

Marion Hutton (left) and Betty Hutton were sisters who had a complicated relationship defined by a traumatic childhood, sibling rivalry, and careers in the entertainment industry. They were raised by an alcoholic mother who operated Prohibition-era speakeasies. The sisters were frequently made to sing and dance for nickels and dimes, which formed the foundation of their performing careers. Marion was discovered by bandleader Glenn Miller and became the featured female vocalist for Glenn Miller and his Orchestra from 1938 to 1942. She was known for her swinging, energetic delivery. Betty's career began with the Vincent Lopez Orchestra. Her explosive energy and comedic acting abilities led her to Hollywood stardom. She went on to star in major films in the 1940s and 1950s like The Miracle of Morgans Creek (1943), Annie Get Your Gun (1950) and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). Both sisters battled heavy addictions to alcohol and prescription drugs later in life. Betty eventually achieved sobriety and found peace through a later-in-life religious conversion. Marion pursued a different path of recovery by becoming deeply dedicated to family counseling and founding treatment centers for female alcoholics. Marion died in 1987 at age 67. Betty died in 2007 at age 86.

In 1972, Diana Rigg and Anthony Hopkins starred in a critically acclaimed production of Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Royal National Theatre in London. At the time, Rigg was already a household name due to her role in the TV show, The Avengers, while Hopkins, a commanding stage actor, was transitioning into a well-known film actor. Diana Rigg died of cancer at the age of 82 in 2020. Anthony Hopkins is 88 years old today and still performing in movies. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Actor for The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and The Father (2020).

Talullah Bankhead starred in the original 1939 Broadway production of The Little Foxes as Regina Giddens, a play written by Lillian Hellman that is considered a classic of 20th century drama. The Tony Awards were not yet established but Bankhead would win the Variety Award for Best Actress of the Year, as well as the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for her performance. Two years later when the film was to be made, Bette Davis was cast in the role of Regina, despite trying to persuade Warner Brothers to cast Bankhead. Bankhead accused Davis of imitating her performance in The Little Foxes, and also Dark Victory (1939) which she had also performed on stage before the film was made. When the two icons eventually met, Bankhead reportedly told Davis, "Oh, you're the person who plays all my parts in the films."

Karl Malden, Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy and Kim Hunter starred in the original stage production of A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Elia Kazan, the play opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 3, 1947, and ran for 855 performances, winning the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and earning Jessica Tandy a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. Four years later, the film version would be made with all the same cast members except Tandy, who was replaced by Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois. Leigh would win the Oscar for her performance.

Barbara Stanwyck, circa 1929.

Elizabeth Taylor getting kissed by her husband Richard Burton and director Franco Zeffirelli at the end of the filming of The Taming of the Shrew on August 2, 1966, in Rome, Italy. The movie was released in 1967 and was celebrated for the fiery chemistry between Taylor (as Katherina) and Burton (as Petruchio). It was a huge commercial success and both Burton and Taylor received BAFTA nominations.

Marlon Brando poses with Greer Garson and Deborah Kerr, two of his costars in Julius Caesar (1953) an American film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Brando played Mark Antony, Greer Garson was Calpurnia, and Kerr played Portia. Julius Caesar was played by Louis Calhern. The casting of Brando was met with some skepticism when it was announced, as he had acquired the nickname of "The Mumbler" following A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). However, Brando's performance was praised and the New York Times' critic, Bosley Crowther, stated in his review that “Happily, Mr. Brando's diction, which has been guttural and slurred in previous films, is clear and precise in this instance. In him a major talent has emerged."

A feisty Joan Crawford at the Excelsior Hotel in Rome in 1957 giving a photographer a taste of his own medicine.