Tag Archives: photography

Remembering Newsman Tony Valdez | 1945-2023

We’re remembering veteran Fox 11 newsman Tony Valdez, who died last week at 78. Tony loved Los Angeles and he loved Los Angeles history; for Tony, the city was a profession and an avocation. When he wasn’t reporting on Los … Continue reading

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Eve Golden: The Amazing Life of Allan Gould

Ruth Tester and Allan Gould perform Manhattan in the 1929 Paramount short Makers of Melody. Longtime readers may recall that way back in 2013, Larry and I pondered the career of Allan Gould, whom I had seen in a 1929 … Continue reading

Posted in Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Music, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Nelson Evans, Hollywood’s Early Forgotten Portrait Photographer

Photo: Nelson Evans Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Unlike the theatrical world, the early motion picture industry was slow in recognizing the importance of photographs to help publicize and sell its films. While Broadway producers hired great … Continue reading

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: George P. Hommel, Pensive Photographer

Overshadowed by the work of 1920s Paramount colleagues Donald Biddle Keyes and Eugene Robert Richee, stillsman George P. Hommel crafted thoughtful portraits highlighting both the beauty and sorrow of those he photographed. Like Keyes,  the peripatetic Hommel always looked for … Continue reading

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – George Hurrell

Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes in a George Hurrell portrait for “The Desperadoes” listed on EBay at $149.95. Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Recognized for his gorgeously lit, glamorous images of movie icons, photographer George Hurrell is … Continue reading

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — A. L. ‘Whitey’ Schafer Simplifies Portraits

“Thou Shalt Not,” “Whitey” Schafer’s most famous image. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. In the very early days of the motion picture industry, stills photographers meant nothing to the moving picture companies. They asked their feature cameramen … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Commercial Photographers and Hollywood

Thanks to the work of often uncredited talented stills photographers during the era of classic Hollywood, movie stars appeared sexy, glamorous and larger than life, gods and goddesses the moviegoing public could only aspire to. These stills men and women … Continue reading

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Hollywood Photography at Auction: George Hurrell and Cecil Beaton

Gary Martin of the Brain Trust passes along word of several lots of photos being auctioned by Swann Auction Galleries. The auction is April 18. He notes Lot 91, a set of 10 signed photographs by George Hurrell, including Anna … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 5

This is the last interior shot accompanying the photos of the 1957 wedding of two men in Philadelphia. Let’s see if we can detect anything that may shed some light on our mystery guests. Previously: Part 1 | Part 2 … Continue reading

Posted in 1957, Architecture, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 4

Here is another interior shot from the film showing the wedding of two men in 1957. This image, alas, doesn’t seem to have as much information. Let’s take a closer look. Previously: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Posted in 1957, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 3

In case you just tuned in, I’m exploring a series of photos taken in 1957 of a wedding between two men. The photo shop refused to return the photos, which were saved by a store employee and sold on EBay … Continue reading

Posted in 1957, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 2

Yesterday, I posted a few photos from 1957 showing a wedding between two unidentified men. Before we get to the event, let’s look at some of the decor to see if we can find any clues. Whoever snapped these pictures … Continue reading

Posted in 1957, Art & Artists, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years

Can you identify any of these men? In 1957, film with these images was left to be developed at a photo shop at Broad Street and Allegheny Avenue in North Philadelphia. According to Philadelphia Gay News, the shop manager had … Continue reading

Posted in 1957, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — AMPAS Awards Stills Photographers

“A close second as the Best Production Still Out-of-Doors, is this beautifully composed and lighted scene from “Song of Bernadette,” 20th-Century-Fox production, by Stax Graves,” Courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore of a post from 2014. Over … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Exploring Historic Photos on Flickr (Yes, Flickr)

In 2007, the Library of Congress began putting historic images on Flickr (remember Flickr?) and this was one of my favorites: The first all-woman jury in Los Angeles AND the first all-women jury in California.. Warning, you will see this … Continue reading

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Jan. 2, 1958: Photographer Edward Weston Dies

Here’s a blog post I wrote for the Daily Mirror blog in 2008, when it was hosted by the Los Angeles Times. Edward Weston, one of the great photographers of the 20th century, received a one-paragraph obituary in the Los … Continue reading

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Follies Theater’s 1927 ‘Hot Mamma’ Show Led Court to Overturn Law on ‘Indecent Shows’

A EBay vendor posted this photo of a woman named Aline or Alene Carberry, and I could not resist unleashing the hounds of research. Bidding on the “Hot Mamma” photo is currently at $34.50.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — A. L. “Whitey” Schafer Simplifies Portraits

“Thou Shalt Not,” “Whitey” Schafer’s most famous image. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. In the very early days of the motion picture industry, stills photographers meant nothing to the moving picture companies. They asked their feature cameramen … Continue reading

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Bert Longworth and ‘Hold Still, Hollywood’

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. In the last forty years, movie collectors and photography connoisseurs have recognized the art and value of Hollywood still photography, most particularly in the gloriously lit and composed portraits of glamorous stars. … Continue reading

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Sept. 30, 1886: ‘An Orgie Such as Even the Most Salacious Pen of Ancient Rome Never Dared Describe’

Sept. 30, 1886: We decided to dig out the original quote from Joe Mozingo’s history of the Los Angeles Times in Sunday’s paper. And let it be said that the editorial pages of frontier newspapers were not known for their … Continue reading

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