Giorgia Moll (1938-2026)

Earlier this month, on 2 June 2026, beautiful Italian actress and singer Giorgia Moll (1938) died. During the 1950s and 1960s, she was often seen on television and in cinemas, especially in many Italian B-films. With her pretty face and dream measurements, she also became a popular cover and pin-up model. She was 88.


Big Italian card by Bromofoto, Milano. Photo: Günther Wagner / Pelikan.


Italian postcard by Bromofoto, Milano, no. 1366. Photo: Dear Film. Giorgia Moll, as Vietnamese character Phuong, in The Quiet American (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1958). Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


German postcard by Krüger, no. 902/49.


German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 4954. Photo: Angelo Frontoni / Unitalia Film.


German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 5171. Photo: Fried Agency / Ufa.


Italian postcard by Bromostampa, Milano, no. 174.


Italian postcard by Rotalfoto, Milano, no. N. 164.

Tempestuous affair

Giorgia (also Georgia) Moll was born in Prata de Pordenone (some sources say Rome), Italy, in 1938 to a German father and an Italian-German mother.

Still very young, she started as a model for advertisements for Carosello reclamizzante, a well-known toothpaste product in Italy. In 1955, she won the beauty contest Miss Cinema. Producer Carlo Ponti suggested she take a screen test. Only seventeen, she was hired for her first film, Non scherzare con le donne / Don't Trifle with Women (Giuseppe Bennati, 1955) with Rossana Podestà.

Moll figured in such Italian films as the comedy Lo svitato / Unscrew Him (Carlo Lizzani, 1955) starring Dario Fo, Mio figlio Nerone / My Son Nero (Steno, 1956) with Alberto Sordi and Gloria Swanson, and Mariti in città / Husbands in the City (Luigi Comencini, 1957) opposite Renato Salvatori.

At the time, she was reportedly a girlfriend of Joe DiMaggio, the legendary baseball player and former husband of Marilyn Monroe. Later, she had a tempestuous affair with actor John Barrymore Jr., Drew Barrymore’s father.

Most of her films were undistinguished comedies and Peplums, but she did appear in a few well-known productions. Her biggest film was The Quiet American (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1958), based on Graham Greene's prophetic novel about U.S. foreign policy failure in pre-war Indochina, and starring American actor and war hero Audie Murphy. The film was shot in Cinécitta with some location shooting in Saigon. Moll played Phuong, Murphy's Vietnamese mistress. The part gave her a certain international notoriety. The Quiet American was critically well-received, but was not a box office success.


Italian postcard by Bromofoto Milano, no. 1326. Photo: United Artists / Dear Film. Giorgia Moll in The Quiet American (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1958).


Italian postcard by Bromofoto, Milano, no. 1616. Photo: Dear Film. Publicity still for The Quiet American (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1958).


West German Kolibri postcard by Friedrich W. Sander-Verlag, Minden, no. 2016.


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 4687. Photo: Hafbo. Publicity still for the Schlagerfilm Marina (Paul Martin, 1960), which was distributed in Holland as Teenagers Schlager Parade. Moll played the title character, and she poses here between Schlager stars Rex Gildo and Rocco Granata, singer of the hit song 'Marina'.


German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden/Westf., no. 1212. Photo: Grimm / CCCfilm / Gloria. Bubi Scholz and Georgia Moll in Marina (Paul Martin, 1960).


German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden/Westf., no. 1357. Photo: Grimm / CCC-film / Gloria. Publicity still for Marina (Paul Martin, 1960).


German postcard by Rüdel-Verlag, Hamburg-Bergedorf, no. 3062. Photo: Grimm / CCC-film / Gloria. Publicity still for Marina (Paul Martin, 1960).


German postcard by Filmvertrieb Ernst Freihoff, Essen, no. 637. Photo: CCC Gloria Film / Grimm. Publicity still for Marina (Paul Martin, 1960).


Italian postcard by Rotalfoto, Milano, no. 866.

Unforgettable tearjerker

Giorgia Moll was critically appreciated for her dramatic performance in Damiano Damiani's feature debut, the crime drama Il rossetto / Lipstick (1960) with Pierre Brice. In 1963, she appeared in Jean-Luc Godard’s classic film-about-film Le Mépris / The Contempt (1963), which starred Brigitte Bardot. Moll played Francesca Vanini, the secretary of the authoritarian film producer (Jack Palance), who works as a translator for the film’s protagonist, a scriptwriter played by Michel Piccoli.

Another classic in which she played a supporting part is the drama Incompresa / Misunderstood (Luigi Comencini, 1967). In this unforgettable tearjerker, Anthony Quayle plays a widower who tragically misunderstands his eldest son’s brave front as being unaffected by his mother's death.

During the 1960s, Georgia Moll also became known as a singer. She recorded some singles, of which 'Ballata per un amore perduto' / 'Nato in settembre' (Ballad for a Lost Love / Born in September, 1964) is best known. The author of the texts of both songs is Piero Ciampi, and the arranger and composer of 'Nato in settembre' is Elvio Monti.

With her harmonious face, her perfect brown hair and her dream measurements, she was also a popular pin-up model in this period, for instance in the magazine Playmen in 1972. After 1970, her appearances became sporadic, and she retired from the cinema in 1985.

Her last screen appearances were in the film Tutti dentro / Everybody in Jail (Alberto Sordi, 1984) with Alberto Sordi and Joe Pesci, and the TV film I due prigionieri / The Two Prisoners (Anton Giulio Majano, 1985) with Ray Lovelock and Alain Cuny. Later, Giorgia Moll became a photographer.


Italian postcard, no. 592.


German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 4971. Photo: Angelo Frontoni / Unitalia Film.


German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden / Westf., no. 1666.


Serbian postcard by Studio Sombor, no. 276.


Serbian postcard by Studio Sombor, no. 276. Sent by mail in Yugoslavia in 1965.


Italian postcard by SAG, Trieste, no. S. 7.


German postcard by Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft (Ufa), Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 4860. Retail price: 25 Pfg. Photo: Horst Maack / Ufa.


Trailer for Le Mépris / The Contempt (1963). Source: The Cultbox (YouTube).

Sources: Guy Bellinger (IMDb), Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen, Wikipedia (English and Italian) and IMDb.

Ann Blyth

On 24 June 2026, American actress and singer Ann Blyth (1927) passed away in Rancho Santa Fe, California. She was often cast in Hollywood musicals, but she was also successful in dramatic roles. Her performance as Veda Pierce in Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The 98-year-old actress was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.


Dutch postcard by Foto-archief Film en Toneel, no. 3370. Photo: Universal-International. Ann Blyth in Another Part of the Forest (Michael Gordon, 1948).


Vintage postcard. Photo: Universal International. Farley Granger and Ann Blyth in Our Very Own (David Miller, 1950).


German photo-card. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Mario Lanza and Ann Blyth in The Great Caruso (Richard Thorpe, 1951).


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. D. 213. Photo: Universal International. Anthony Quinn and Ann Blyth in The World in His Arms (Raoul Walsh, 1952).


West-German postcard by Krüger, no. 902/6.

A scheming, ungrateful daughter

Ann Blyth was born in 1927 in Mount Kisco, New York, to Harry and Nan Lynch Blyth. After her parents separated, she, her mother and her sister moved to a walk-up apartment on East 31st Street in New York City, where her mother took in ironing. Ann attended St. Patrick's School in Manhattan. Blyth performed on children's radio shows in New York for six years, making her first appearance at age 5. When she was nine, she joined the New York Children's Opera Company. Her first acting role was on Broadway at age 13 in Lillian Hellman's WWII drama 'Watch on the Rhine' (1941-1942). She played the part of Paul Lukas's and Mady Christians's daughter, Babette. The play ran for 378 performances and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award.

After the New York run, the play went on tour. While performing at the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles, Blyth was noticed by director Henry Koster and given a screen test. She was offered a contract with Universal Studios. Blyth began her acting career initially as 'Anne Blyth', but changed the spelling of her first name back to "Ann" at the beginning of her film career. She made her film debut in 1944, teaming with Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan in the teenage musical Chip Off the Old Block (Charles Lamont, 1944). She followed it with two similar films: The Merry Monahans (Charles Lamont, 1944) with O'Connor and Ryan again, and Babes on Swing Street (Edward C. Lilley, 1944) with Ryan.

She had a support role in the bigger budgeted Bowery to Broadway (Charles Lamont, 1944), a showcase of Universal musical talent. On loan to Warner Brothers, Blyth was cast 'against type' as Veda Pierce, the scheming, ungrateful daughter of Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945). Her dramatic portrayal won her outstanding reviews, and she received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Blyth was only 17 when she made the film, for which Crawford won the Best Actress award. After Mildred Pierce, Blyth sustained a broken back while tobogganing in Snow Valley, and was not able to fully capitalise on the film's success. After a long convalescence (over a year and a half in a back brace), she made two films for Mark Hellinger's unit at Universal: Swell Guy (Frank Tuttle, 1946), with Sonny Tufts, and Brute Force (Jules Dassin, 1947) with Burt Lancaster. During this time, her father died.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer borrowed her to play the female lead in Killer McCoy (Roy Rowland, 1947), a boxing film with Mickey Rooney that was a box office hit. Back at Universal, she did a Film Noir with Charles Boyer, A Woman's Vengeance (Zoltan Korda, 1948). She was then cast in the part of Regina Hubbard in Lillian Hellman's Another Part of the Forest (Michael Gordon, 1948), an adaptation of the 1946 play where Regina had been played by Patricia Neal. The play was a prequel to 'The Little Foxes'.

Blyth followed it with Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (Irving Pichel, 1948) with William Powell. She was top-billed in Red Canyon (George Sherman, 1949), a Western with Howard Duff. Paramount borrowed Blyth to play the female lead in Top o' the Morning (David Miller, 1949), a daughter of Barry Fitzgerald who is romanced by Bing Crosby. It was the first time she sang on screen. Back at Universal, she was teamed with Robert Montgomery in Once More, My Darling (Robert Montgomery, 1949), meaning she had to drop out of Desert Legion. She did a comedy with Robert Cummings, Free for All (Charles Barton, 1949). In April 1949, Universal suspended her for refusing a lead role in Abandoned (1949). Gale Storm played it.


Belgian card by Kwatta, Bois d'Haine, no. C. 206. Ann Blyth in Killer McCoy (Roy Rowland, 1947).


Dutch postcard by J. Sleding N.V., Amsterdam, no. 1051. Photo: Universal-International.


Dutch postcard by J. Sleding N.V., Amsterdam, no. 1250.


Dutch postcard.


Belgian postcard, no. 11. Photo: Universal-International.


West-German postcard by Netter's Star Verlag, Berlin. Photo: Universal International. A publicity still for Red Canyon (George Sherman, 1949).


Vintage card. Photo: Universal Pictures.


Vintage postcard. Photo: Universal.

A massive box office hit

Ann Blyth was borrowed by Sam Goldwyn to star opposite Farley Granger in Our Very Own (David Miller, 1950). Universal gave her top billing in a romantic comedy, Katie Did It (Frederick De Cordova, 1951). Blyth was borrowed by MGM for The Great Caruso (Richard Thorpe, 1951) opposite Mario Lanza, which was a massive box-office hit. She made Thunder on the Hill (Douglas Sirk, 1951) with Claudette Colbert and had the female lead in The Golden Horde (George Sherman, 1951) with David Farrar. Then, 20th Century Fox borrowed her to star opposite Tyrone Power in I'll Never Forget You (Roy Ward Baker, 1952), a last-minute replacement for Constance Smith. She appeared on TV in Family Theater in an episode called 'The World's Greatest Mother' alongside Ethel Barrymore. Universal teamed Blyth with Gregory Peck in The World in His Arms (Raoul Walsh, 1952). She was top-billed in the comedy Sally and Saint Anne (Rudolph Maté, 1952) and was borrowed by RKO for One Minute to Zero (Tay Garnett, 1952), a Korean War drama with Robert Mitchum where she replaced Claudette Colbert, who came down with pneumonia.

MGM had been interested in Blyth since The Great Caruso. In December 1953, Blyth left Universal, and she signed a long-term contract with MGM. She was the leading lady in All the Brothers Were Valiant (Richard Thorpe, 1953) with Stewart Granger and Robert Taylor, stepping in for Elizabeth Taylor, who had to drop out due to pregnancy. On television, she was in a version of A Place in the Sun for Lux Video Theatre alongside John Derek. Back at MGM, Blyth had the lead in the remake of Rose Marie (Mervyn LeRoy, 1954) with Howard Keel, which earned over $5 million but lost money due to high costs.

She was meant to be reteamed with Lanza in The Student Prince (Richard Thorpe, 1954), but he was fired from the studio and was replaced in the picture by Edmund Purdom. The film did well at the box office. Blyth and Purdom were reunited on a swashbuckler, The King's Thief (Robert Z. Leonard, 1955). She was teamed again with Keel on the musical Kismet (Vincente Minnelli, 1955). Despite strong reviews, the film was a financial flop. She was named for the female lead in The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955) but was eventually not cast in the film. MGM put Blyth in Slander (Roy Rowland, 1957) with Van Johnson. Sidney Sheldon cast Blyth in The Buster Keaton Story (Sidney Sheldon, 1957) with Donald O'Connor at Paramount. Warner Bros then cast her in the title role of The Helen Morgan Story (Michael Curtiz, 1957) with Paul Newman. Blyth reportedly beat 40 other actors for the part. Even though her voice was more like the original Helen Morgan, her vocals were dubbed by Gogi Grant. That soundtrack was much more successful than the film itself.

Blyth made no further films. In 1957, she sued Benedict Bogeaus for $75,000 for not making the film Conquest. From the late 1950s into the 1970s, Blyth worked in musical theatre and summer stock, starring in the shows 'The King and I', 'The Sound of Music', and 'Show Boat'. She also appeared on television, including co-starring opposite James Donald in The Citadel (1960), an adaptation of A.J. Cronin's novel. She guest-starred on episodes of such series as The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Dick Powell Theatre, Saints and Sinners, The Christophers, Wagon Train, The Twilight Zone, and Burke's Law. Several of these appearances were for Four Star Television, with whom Blyth signed a multi-appearance contract.

Blyth also became the spokesperson for Hostess Cupcakes. Her last television appearances were in episodes of Switch (1983), Quincy, M.E. (1983) and Murder, She Wrote (1985). In 1985, she officially retired. For her contributions to the film industry, Blyth has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6733 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1953, Ann Blyth married obstetrician James McNulty, brother of singer Dennis Day, who had introduced them. After her marriage, Blyth took somewhat of a reprieve from her career to focus on raising their five children: Timothy Patrick (1954); Maureen Ann (1955); Kathleen Mary (1957); Terence Grady (1960); and Eileen Alana (1963).


West-German postcard by Kunst und Bild, Berlin, no. A 414. Photo: Universal International.


Dutch postcard by DRC, no. F 208. Photo: MGM.


Belgian postcard. Photo: M.G.M.


Italian postcard by B.F.F. Edit., no. 2947. Photo: Metro Goldwyn Mayer.


Italian postcard by Bromofoto, Milano, no. 1262. Photo: Paramount.


Dutch postcard by Sparo (Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam). Photos: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The picture stars are Judy Garland, Betty Hutton, Vivian Blaine (twice), Monica Lewis, Pier Angeli, Ann Blyth and Mario Lanza, Coleen Gray, and Jane Powell. The postcard must date from ca. 1951 when Blyth and Lanza starred together in The Great Caruso (Richard Thorpe, 1951).


French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 675. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 1952.


Belgian postcard, no. 11. Photo: MGM.

Sources: Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), Wikipedia (Dutch and English) and IMDb.

Tommy Sands

Tommy Sands (1937) is an American country, rockabilly and pop musician and actor. After scoring a national hit with the song 'Teen-Age Crush' in 1957, Sands embarked on a career as a singer and actor.


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 3675. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Tommy Sands in Sing Boy Sing (Henry Ephron, 1958).


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 3676. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Tommy Sands on the set of Sing Boy Sing (Henry Ephron, 1958).


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5531.

Colonel Tom Parker

Thomas Adrian 'Tommy' Sands was born in 1937 in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Ben Sands, was a pianist, and his mother, Grace Dickson, sang in Art Kassel’s big band. He moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, at a young age.

Sands' mother gave him a guitar for Christmas when he was seven. He taught himself to play, and within a year, he was performing twice a week on The Louisiana Hayride, a country music programme broadcast on KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was twelve (some sources say fifteen) when Colonel Tom Parker, who later also managed Elvis Presley, heard about him.

In 1951, he and his mother moved to Houston, where, he cut his first record for Freedom Records. Parker offered him a recording contract with RCA Records, but his first recordings did not sell well. After high school, Sands moved to Los Angeles. He was a regular guest on Tennessee Ernie Ford’s radio show and discovered a passion for acting.

In early 1957, he was invited to appear in an episode of ‘Kraft Television Theatre’, called 'The Singin’ Idol'. He played a singer who bore a striking resemblance to Elvis Presley, complete with guitar, an Elvis hairstyle and a host of enthusiastic teenage fans.

Colonel Parker helped Sands land the lead role. The song ‘Teenage Crush’ was played in the episodes, and it struck a chord with the young audience. Capitol Records released it, and it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 album charts. It turned Sands into a star overnight. He received eight times more fan mail than any other actor who had appeared on a Kraft Television Theatre episode.


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg, Rotterdam, no. 5228.


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 3663. Photo: 20th Century Fox.


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 3665. Photo: 20th Century Fox.

Sing Boy Sing

Tommy Sands no longer played country music, but instead the far more popular rockabilly, rock ’n’ roll and, from the late 1950s onwards, pop. His young age and good looks quickly made him a teenage idol, and further hits followed for Capitol, such as ‘Goin’ Steady’ (#16), ‘The Worryin’ Kind’ (#69) and ‘Ring My Phone’ (#16), though none of these came close to matching the success of his debut single. His 1957 album 'Steady Date with Tommy Sands' reached number four on the album charts.

Thanks to his sudden success, Tommy Sands was invited to sing the Oscar-nominated song, 'Friendly Persuasion' at the 1957 Academy Award ceremonies. He did another episode of Kraft Television Theatre, 'Flesh and Blood' (1957), playing the son of a gangster. He also made 'The Promise' for Zane Grey Theatre (1957), playing the son of a character played by Carl Benton Reid and the brother of a character played by Gary Merrill.

In 1958, he was offered the lead role in the musical film Sing Boy Sing (Henry Ephron, 1958), an expansion of 'The Singin' Idol'. The title track reached number 24 on the Hot 100, whilst the accompanying album peaked at number 17. In the long run, however, Sands was unable to establish himself in the record business. His hits faded from the charts again in the late 1950s. Between 1961 and 1967, Sands was signed to labels including Buena Vista, ABC-Paramount and Imperial Records.

Sands supported Pat Boone in a musical for Fox, Mardi Gras (Edmund Goulding, 1958), which was a moderate hit. In 1960, he married Nancy Sinatra. During the 1960s, Sands appeared in several films, including the Disney musical Babes in Toyland (Jack Donohue, 1961) with Ray Bolger, the war epic The Longest Day (Andrew Marton, a.o., 1962) and Ensign Pulver (Joshua Logan, 1964).

IMDb alleges that when Sands divorced Nancy Sinatra in 1965, his former father-in-law, Frank Sinatra, saw to it that Tommy's career went permanently on the rocks. In an interview with Cable TV host Skip E Lowe, Sands dispelled that and said Frank was warm, soft and kind and had nothing to do with it. Anyhow, his last feature film was The Violent Ones (Fernando Lamas, 1967) with Lamas and Aldo Ray. Sands moved to Hawaii and retired, though he would act in some TV episodes until 1978. In Hawaii, Sands operated the Tommy Sands Nightclub Tour for five years and performed at the Outrigger Hotel in Waikiki. In 1974, Sands married Sheila Wallace, a secretary, in Honolulu. Sands returned permanently to the mainland of the US in 1981, settling in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He toured regularly, performing concerts. With Sheila Wallace, he has a daughter, Jessica Sands, who became a singer, model and later, a make-up artist.


West German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag, G.m.b.H, Minden / Westf., no. 1580.


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, licence holder for the Netherlands of Universum Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. 1175. Photo: Ufa/Film-Foto / Terb Agency.


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5255.

Sources: Alan Eichler (YouTube), Wikipedia (Dutch, German and English) and IMDb.