45 Rare Behind-The-Scene Photographs of Golden Age Hollywood Icons
Sophia Loren – The Pride and the Passion
Hollywood beauty Sophia Loren was photographed in 1956 on The Pride and the Passion‘s set while filming outside Avila’s walls in Spain. The actress peered through an eyepiece belonging to Franz Planer, the film’s cinematographer.
The film famously starred big names like Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra, along with Sophia Loren, making it a successful all-star flick. The captured moment here is sweet and casual and also showcases the playful and silly side of a serious actress like Loren.
Doris Day – Pillow Talk
This photo showcases Hollywood golden age diva Doris Day and her co-star Rock Hudson enjoying some casual downtime on the set of Pillow Talk. The pair is seen here beating the heat and chilling happily with glasses of icy cold drinks in their hands.
The famous 1959 flick made Day and Hudson lifelong friends and avid supporters of each other in real-life moments of crisis. The two stars also went on to work together in several other movies, such as Lover Come Back (1961), Send Me No Flowers (1964), and many more.
Eartha Kitt – Anna Lucasta
Eartha Kitt and her Anna Lucasta co-star Sammy Davis Jr. were photographed on the 1958 film noir drama set. The pair took a much-needed break after long hours of shooting. Kitt is seen massaging her aching leg while Davis looks on sympathetically.
Anna Lucasta was a remake of the 1949 original film, adapted from a 1936 play. It was the first dramatic role in Hollywood for Davis. His character had a minor role in the original play, but it was expanded in the movie to accommodate his star power.
Jean Harlow – Hold Your Man
Dubbed the first ‘Blonde Bombshell’ of Hollywood, Jean Harlow epitomized the classic Tinseltown glamor with her platinum blonde curls, dramatic eyebrows, and cupid’s bow mouth. Her breakthrough role was in Hell’s Angels, 1930, a hit made by Howard Hughes.
After that, Harlow appeared in several other big banner flicks, often paired with other stars of the era, like Clark Gable in Hold Your Man (1933). Here, in the backstage photo of the classic film, the beauty queen is seen giving her makeup a retouch in between the shots.
The Golden Age of Hollywood gave birth to a pool of talented and glamorous actors and actresses who became legendary industry superstars. With their iconic star status, it’s often hard to remember that they’re also real people doing their mundane job on film sets. That’s why it’s so much fun to look at the vintage behind-the-scene photos. It allows us to take a sneak peek of celebrities backstage, sharing some light moments, rehearsing scenes, or having a touch-up. Let’s travel back in time and look at what our favorite Hollywood stars looked like on the sets of their iconic Golden Age films.