German postcard by Terra-Color, no. PU 8. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
American actress Mara Corday (1930) was also a popular showgirl, model and Playboy Playmate of the 1950s.
Italian postcard by B.F.F. Edit, no. 3464. Photo: Columbia / CEIAD.
American film and television actress Kim Novak (1933) starred in such popular successes as Picnic (1955), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and Pal Joey (1957). However, she is perhaps best known today for her ‘dual role’ as both Judy Barton and Madeleine Elster in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Vertigo (1958). She withdrew from acting in 1966 and has only sporadically returned since.
Vintage card. Photo: Warner Bros.
Lovely, auburn-haired American actress Martha Vickers (1925-1971) began her career as a model and cover girl. She is best known as Lauren Bacall's wild, thumb-sucking sister in the classic Film Noir The Big Sleep (1946).
West German postcard by Kunst und Bild, Berlin, no. A 1083. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
By 1953, Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars, with leading roles in three films: the noir Niagara, which focused on her sex appeal, and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, which established her star image as a "dumb blonde". Although she played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image throughout her career, she was disappointed at being typecast and underpaid by the studio. She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project, but returned to star in one of the biggest box office successes of her career, The Seven Year Itch (1955).
Spanish postcard by Archivo Bermejo, no. C 2. Photo: Warner Bros.
Voluptuous American actress Julie Newmar (1933) with her seductive deep voice is our all-time favourite Catwoman. She was very busy on television and the stage in the 1960s and 1970s but also appeared in several films.
Vintage postcard. Photo: Warner Bros.
Statuesque, smart Canadian-born Alexis Smith (1921-1993), with her blue/green eyes and a seductively husky voice, lent a touch of class to her leading ladies of the 1940s and 1950s. She was paired with the top male stars in Hollywood, including Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Bing Crosby. She was stylishly attired by costume designers like Milo Anderson and Helen Rose in the most glamorous gowns but also proved to be a capable and spirited actress. She reserved her best acting for the stage and in 1972, she won a Tony award for her starring role in Stephen Sondheim's musical 'Follies'.
British postcard in the Greetings series, no. B. Photo: R.K.O. Radio.
American film actress Jane Russell (1921-2011) was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1943, she had her first film role in Howard Hughes' The Outlaw. In 1947, Russell delved into music. Her film career revived when she was cast as Calamity Jane opposite Bob Hope in The Paleface (1948). After starring in several films in the 1950s, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Russell again returned to music while completing several other films in the 1960s. She starred in more than 20 films throughout her career.
Belgian postcard, no. 317. Photo: Universal International.
American actress and singer Gloria DeHaven (1925-2016) was a contract star for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and often played the second lead in cheerful light musicals.
Dutch postcard by Takken / 't Sticht, no. AX 213. Photo: Foto archief Film en Toneel.
Faith Domergue was one of the many actresses who have crossed the path of eccentric Howard Hughes. She never became as successful as Jane Russell, another Hughes’ protégée, but she still made her mark in the movies and notably starred in the Science-Fiction classic This Island Earth (1955).
Vintage card.
American actress and singer Barbara Bates (1925-1969) was best known for her role as Phoebe, the slyly manipulative fan of stage actress Anne Baxter in the closing scene of All About Eve (1950). She also played Clifron Webb and Myrna Loy's daughter Ernestine in the popular Fox-family comedy Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), and its sequel, Belles on Their Toes (1952). Bates committed suicide at the age of 43.
Italian postcard by Bromofoto, Milano, no. 1748. Photo: Warner Bros. Angie Dickinson in Ocean's Eleven (Lewis Milestone, 1960).
American actress Angie Dickinson (1931) has appeared in more than 50 films and starred on television as Sergeant Leann 'Pepper' Anderson in the successful 1970s crime series Police Woman. Her trademarks are her honey-blonde hair (on the postcard she still has her original brunette hair colour), her large brown eyes, her voluptuous figure and her deep sultry voice.
British postcard in the The People series by Show Parade Picture Service, London, no. P. 1039. Photo: Republic - British Lion.
Adele Mara (1923-2010) was an American actress, singer, and dancer, who appeared in films during the 1940s and 1950s and on television in the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1940s, the blonde actress was also a popular pin-up girl.
Italian postcard by Bromofoto, Milano, no. 1457. Photo: Agenzia Liliana Biancini Sabatello.
Va-va-voom singer Abbe Lane (1932) achieved her greatest success as the vocalist for Xavier Cugat's orchestra, but she also appeared in several American and Italian films. The beautiful, curvaceous Lane was nicknamed 'the swingingest sexpot in show business.'
Spanish postcard. no. 3088.
Charming, youthful and pretty American actress Jeanne Crain (1925-2003) was frequently cast in bright and breezy musicals. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in Pinky (1949), in which she played the title role. Her career spanned from 1943 to 1975.
Spanish postcard, no. 454. Photo: Warner Bros.
American actress Ruth Roman (1922–1999) had a memorable role in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Strangers on a Train (1951).
West-German postcard by Rüdel-Verlag, Hamburg-Bergedorf, no. 542. Photo: J. Arthur Rank Organisation. Yvonne De Carlo in Hotel Sahara (Ken Annakin, 1951).
Dark-haired Hollywood beauty Yvonne De Carlo (1922–2007) was a Canadian-American actress, singer, and dancer whose career in film, television, and musical theatre spanned six decades. From the 1950s on, she also starred in British and Italian films. She achieved her greatest popularity as the ghoulish matriarch Lily in the TV sitcom The Munsters (1964-1966).
Belgian postcard, no. 96.
Voluptuous American actress Mamie Van Doren (1931) was a sex symbol of the 1950s and 1960s. Van Doren starred in several exploitation films such as Untamed Youth (1957), loaded with rock 'n' roll and juvenile delinquency. Her onscreen wardrobe usually consisted of tight sweaters, low-cut blouses, form-fitting dresses, and daring swimsuits. Mamie and her colleague blonde bombshells Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield were known as 'The Three M's.'
Italian postcard, no. 584.
Some Hollywood stars were much more popular in Europe than at home. A fabulous example is sweet Jayne Mansfield (1933-1967), one of Hollywood's original platinum blonde bombshells. Although most of her American films did not do much at the European box offices, Jayne herself was a sensation whenever she came to Europe to promote her films. During the 1960s when Hollywood had lost its interest in her, Jayne continued to appear cheerfully in several European films.
Dutch postcard, no. 3198. Photo: Europa Columbia.
Evelyn Keyes (1916-2008) was an American film actress. She is best known for her role as Suellen O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and for the female lead in the blockbuster hit The Jolson Story (1946). Her final film was The Seven Year's Itch (1955) starring Marilyn Monroe.
Dutch postcard by Takken, no. 461. Photo: Universal International.
Tall, sultry, green-eyed blonde Peggie Castle (1927-1973) was an American actress who specialised in playing the "other woman" in B-movies. Castle was Miss Cheesecake in 1949.
Italian postcard, no. 8. Photo: Universal International.
'All-American-Darling' Sandra Dee (1942/1944-2005) was an American film actress who was often referred to as 'the next Doris Day'. Sandra was the most popular teen star of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
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