# Starlets of the Silver Screen



## GrauGeist (Aug 17, 2014)

With the recent passing of Lauren Bacall, it brought to mind the great Starlets of the Silver Screen that the soldiers would have known, during WWII.

Occasionally, you'll read a story where a veteran recalls the memory of a certain star while they were in the trenches or see a photo of a sailor reaching out to a poster and patting Betty Grable's rear-end for luck as he raced to battle stations. Some Starlet's ended up as nose-art on warplanes and occasionally, the soldiers would be treated to a visit by one or another Starlet as they toured to boost morale.

So here they are!

*Lauren Bacall*






*Lucille Ball*





*Ingrid Bergman*





*Cyd Charisse*





*Dorothy Dandridge*





*Bette Davis*





*Yvonne De Carlo*





*Olivia de Havilland*





*Dolores Del Rio*





*Marlene Dietrich*





*Joan Fontaine*





*Frances Farmer*





*Greta Garbo*





*Ava Gardner*





*Greer Garson*





*Betty Grable*





*Paulette Goddard*





*Susan Hayward*





*Rita Hayworth*





*Katharine Hepburn*





*Valerie Hobson*





*Deborah Kerr*






There's more in the following post!!

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## Thorlifter (Aug 17, 2014)

This is a terrific start showing true Hollywood royalty. You know, when you look at a woman and just freeze, then realize your jaw is open, you know your looking at a beautiful woman. I have many more in mind but I'll wait to see who else you will post.

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## GrauGeist (Aug 17, 2014)

*Elyse Knox*





*Veronica Lake*





*Hedy Lamarr*





*Priscilla Lane*





*Vivien Leigh*





*Carole Lombard*





*Myrna Loy*





*Merle Oberon*





*Maureen O'Hara*





*Mary Pickford*





*Donna Reed*





*Ginger Rogers*





*Rosalind Russell*





*Jean Simmons*





*Ann Sheridan*





*Ann Sothern*





*Barbara Stanwyck*





*Gene Tierney*





*Lana Turner*





*Mae West*





*Esther Williams*





*Googie Withers*





And that should cover most (but not all) of the Great Ladies of the Silver Screen before and during WWII...

I am sure I may have missed some, so add any that I may have overlooked.

And no, Marylyn Monroe (or Jane Mansfield and all the others don't qualify...they came AFTER the war)


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## Thorlifter (Aug 17, 2014)

Ahhhh, my dream lady from a past life. Myrna Loy! Pure beauty!!!!!


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## GrauGeist (Aug 17, 2014)

Thorlifter said:


> Ahhhh, my dream lady from a past life. Myrna Loy! Pure beauty!!!!!


She and Mary Pickford were definitely from the Golden age of the screen


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## Thorlifter (Aug 17, 2014)

From Wiki.....

With the outbreak of World War II, Loy all but abandoned her acting career to focus on the war effort and work closely with the Red Cross. She was so fiercely outspoken against Adolf Hitler that her name appeared on his blacklist. She helped run a Naval Auxiliary Canteen and toured frequently to raise funds.


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## GrauGeist (Aug 17, 2014)

Might also mention that a good number of these Starlets ended up as "pin up" girls, like Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable (she even made it onto the nose of the B-17 "Sentimental Journey") and Jane Russell.


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## Thorlifter (Aug 17, 2014)

True. Also, a bunch of these ladies toured around the U.S. during the war doing Red Cross and war bond missions. Carole Lombard was killed, along with her mother and Clark Gable's press agent, in a plane crash returning home from a very successful war bond appearance in 1942.


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## Bernhart (Aug 17, 2014)

and all before plastic surgery....


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## Njaco (Aug 17, 2014)

What no Veronica Lake? or Ann Sheridan?

Lauren Bacall was my favorite followed by Gene Tierney but I have to protest some choices. Weren't Lucille Ball, Ingrid Bergman, Maureen O'Hara and Ava Gardner more suited to the 50's than the earlier years? Just my opinion! 

Oh and a pic of Anne Sheridan. Wow! She has a minor role in the "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" as the woman/prostitute who strolled past Humphrey Bogart as he came out of the barber shop.

.


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## Thorlifter (Aug 17, 2014)

I don't think so Njaco. True, they had their biggest successes after the 40's, but they were all very active and successful during the 30's and 40's.

Lucille Ball appeared in 78 movies before 1950 and only 13 after. 
Ingrid Bergman appeared in 28 movies before 1950 and 22 afterwards. 
Maureen O'Hara appeared in 27 movies before 1950 and 29 afterwards. 
Ava Gardner appeared in 32 movies before the 50's and 32 afterwards.

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## Shortround6 (Aug 17, 2014)

Lucille Ball, Ingrid Bergman, Maureen O'Hara may have achieved the peak of their 'stardom' in the 50s but were certainly active in the late 30s and early 40s .


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## Capt. Vick (Aug 17, 2014)

Where is Veronica Lake?


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## GrauGeist (Aug 17, 2014)

Well, if ya'll read my posts, you would have seen that I missed a few...mainly because I was going by memory with alot of these and also because it was getting late last night! I'll be adding *Valerie Hobson*, *Veronica Lake*, *Jean Simmons*, *Ann Sheridan* and *Googie Withers* to the list up there.

As far as *Ava Gardner* goes, she had some of the most pinups printed during the war years...she was VERY popular with the guys overseas! So if anyone wants to go on a pinup hunt, find 'em and post 'em here!


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## GrauGeist (Aug 21, 2014)

I missed a few last time around, so I added 4 more...a couple I cannot believe I missed, like *Katharine Hepburn* and *Barbara Stanwyck*!

I also added *Deborah Kerr* and *Elyse Knox*

That's alot of Ladies...41 to be exact!


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## Capt. Vick (Aug 21, 2014)

Deborah Kerr!


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## at6 (Aug 21, 2014)

I have to say my picks for ultra beauty are Frances Farmer and Susan Hayward, even though each one had her own special beauty. They may have all been old enough to be my mother but I still say that women of that time period were more beautiful that what we see today and definitely more talented.


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## GrauGeist (Aug 22, 2014)

Just when I thought the list was done, I discovered that I left out two heavy-weight Hollywood gals that I should hang my head in shame for forgetting!!

*Marlene Dietrich* and *Mae West*!! Another Starlet that I overlooked, was *Dolores Del Rio*.

So this pretty much covers the Ladies of the Silver Screen as the guys overseas knew them. These Starlet's names were household words. The girlfriends, wives and daughters of the servicemen all tried to dress like them and look like them.

They were a part of everyday life


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## Thorlifter (Aug 22, 2014)

Really good list GG. Thanks for putting it together.


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## Old Wizard (Aug 22, 2014)

Thorlifter said:


> Ahhhh, my dream lady from a past life. Myrna Loy! Pure beauty!!!!!



Probably the most underrated actress of them all. She was so good, you didn't notice she was acting.


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## Coors9 (Aug 22, 2014)

Myrna Loy, Mmmmmm. I'll always be in love with her. The Best of the Best. What a gal......


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## Njaco (Aug 22, 2014)

I am trying to find a beauty who started as an actress and then later in life switched to Directing and became famous for that. Latin beauty - can't remember her name at the moment.


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## GrauGeist (Aug 22, 2014)

Hmmm...Dolores Del Rio was one of the biggest Latin Actresses of her time and I understood her to have done a little under the direction of Orson Wells. There was Carmen Miranda, though I don't know if she did any directing in a large capacity.

This may take some looking into...


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