Eerie Vintage Photos That Will Give You Chills
By | January 12, 2022
A very pregnant Sharon Tate lounges by the pool on Cielo Drive.
There are moments in our history that cause us to pause and reflect. It could be that we know what is about to happen next and that gives us a chill when we look back in hindsight. Or it could be that things were not how they appeared to be on the surface. Or, perhaps, things were more complex, more salacious, or just plain weirder than how you remembered them. That’s what this collection of vintage photographs of the past is all about. These pics offer you another angle of the story or another piece to the puzzle that aids in our understanding of our history.
Beautiful actress Sharon Tate, shot to stardom in Valley of the Dolls, was happily married to her director husband Roman Polanski, and the couple was expecting their first child. As this photograph shows, Sharon was positively glowing. On the evening of August 9, 1969, Polanski was out of town on business so Sharon asked her good friends, Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring, and Wojciech Fryowski, to keep her company. In the dark of the night, members of Charles Manson’s cult crept into the home and viciously and violently murdered the entire group. Sharon Tate was eight months pregnant when she was murdered.
Mr. Rogers Throwing Up the Bird to a Group of Kids
This story is not as terrible as it sounds. During the taping of an episode of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Mr. Rogers was singing a children's ditty, "Where Is Thumbkin?" In the song, each finger on the hand has a special name. As he was singing the verse for each digit, Mr. Rogers held up that finger on both hand to show the children in the audience. When he got to the "Where is Tall Man?" verse, he proudly displayed his middle fingers to the children. And it suddenly hit him what he was doing. Fits of laughter followed.
Susan Sarandon abandons shirt on a ledge during a photoshoot.
Sexy actress Susan Sarandon isn’t afraid of a little controversy. In fact, she quite likes to push the envelope, as you can probably tell from this risqué photo shoot. She had a starring role in the 1975 cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a film that raised a few eyebrows. A few years later, in 1978, she played the prostitute mother to a prepubescent Brooke Shields in Pretty Baby, a film that garnered a lot of controversies because of its content. But it was, perhaps, Sarandon’s 1983 movie, The Hunger, in which she has some on-screen girl-on-girl action with Catherine Deneuve.
This photo of John Candy and his daughter Jennifer Anne was taken, in 1983, when Candy was in his early 30s and his career had turned a corner.
In the early 1980s, Canadian comedian John Candy was a star on the rise. He made successful appearances in several TV shows and films in the mid to late 1970s, but it was his stint on SCTV Network from 1981 to 1983 that really pushed his career into high gear. In 1983, when this picture of a stylin’ John Candy was taken, along with his young daughter, Jennifer, Candy made a memorable cameo appearance in National Lampoon’s Vacation. He also hosted Saturday Night Live that year. Candy later joked that he was the “most-burned potential host in the history of SNL.” He was reportedly slated to host the show several other times, but the SNL staff made last-minute hosting changes to ice out Candy.
Sonny and Cher enjoying the sun in their swimsuits.
Ever wonder how the 1970s power couple Sonny and Cher met? It all started in 1962. Cher was just sixteen years old and a recent high school dropout looking for fame. Sonny Bono was much older – 28 years old – and working as record producer Phil Spector’s assistant. Sonny befriended the teen but it wasn’t long before the pair were lovers. Although they claimed they were married in 1964, Sonny later noted that it wasn’t an official wedding. He claimed they didn’t officially marry until after their only child, Chastity (now Chas) was born in 1969. Sonny and Cher achieved stardom as singers and through their television variety show before divorcing in 1974.
Dolly Parton With Her Husband of 55 Years ... And An Average Bust Size.
Dolly Parton married her husband, Carl Dean, in 1966. Back then, she was an aspiring singer and songwriter with an average bust size. As she later explained, she never thought of herself as beautiful. She had an image of beauty in her mind so as she became more successful and earned more money, she invested in herself with dozens of plastic surgeries. She had the majority of the work done on her face, but most people notice the work she had done elsewhere on her body. She admits that she has spent more than $1 million to get the buxom figure of her dreams (and maybe Carl Dean’s dreams, too!).
Princess Diana on a yacht in Portofino, Italy, one week before she passed in 1997.
This haunting photo of Princess Diana was taken as she vacationed aboard a yacht owned by her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed. Sadly, Fayed was killed along with Diana in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997. Dodi Fayed was the wealthy son of the Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, the owner of Harrods department stores. Dodi Fayed met the princess when she was still married to her husband, Prince Charles. Dodi and Charles went against each other in a polo match at Windsor. More than a decade later, Dodi’s father invited Diana and her sons to join his family on holiday in St. Tropez. In July of 1997, the two became a couple but their romance never had a chance to play out.
Ivanka Trump with her dad, Donald, in the back of a limo.
Here is a teenage Ivanka Trump with her famous father in the mid-1990s. At the time, Ivanka was attending Choate Rosemary Hall, an elite boarding school in Connecticut where many wealthy business moguls and politicians send their kids. Ivanka and her friends often took the train into New York City for the weekend. She even began her modeling career as a high school student. She appeared in the 1997 issue of Seventeen magazine along with her famous mother, Ivana Trump, in a feature on celebrity mothers and daughters. Throughout her teen years, Ivanka claims that her dad was often too busy for her, however this photo suggests they had a loving relationship.
A whole new generation of teens have been introduced to Phoebe Cates, the hot teen star of Paradise and Fast Times at Ridgemont High in the early 1980s. That is because referenced to Cates, her iconic red swimsuit from Fast Times, and mentions of her movie roles are abundant in the Netflix series, Stranger Things, which premiered in 2016. Stranger Things is set in a fictional Indiana town in the 1980s and does a great job of capturing the whole 80s vibe, from the clothing styles and music to cultural references. If you were a teen in the 80s, you definitely knew who Phoebe Cates was, and the characters in Stranger Things are no different.
A woman stands near a ground rupture in Marin County, the result of the 1906 San Francisco.
The first natural disaster to be photographed, the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 wasn’t actually centered in San Francisco. The epicenter was about two miles away. Still, the destruction was immense. About 3,000 people were killed and more that 28,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. It was enough to render about half of the city’s population homeless. The earthquake provided a rare opportunity for scientists to learn about fault lines. Noted botanist, Alice Eastwood, shown here, was one of them.
Pat Priest, famous for portraying Marilyn Munster, with the Munster Mobile.
Pretty Pat Priest, best remembered as Marilyn Munster on TV’s The Munsters, was the daughter of Ivy Baker Priest, the United States Treasurer from 1953 to 1961. You may recall seeing her signature on paper money that was printed during that time. Pat Priest, a native of Utah, spent a lot of time in Washington D.C. with her mother. She even graduated from a D.C.-area high school and served as a page at the 1952 Republican National Convention. She got her show business start in local television programming and stage shows in the nation’s capital before landing the role of Marilyn Munster.
At least 10 men being buried at sea from the USS Intrepid.
The US aircraft carrier, the Intrepid, was the target of kamikaze attacks on November 25, 1944, during World War II. The attacks killed 69 of the crew members on board. As the ship limped back to port, the crew had the grisly task of dealing with the dead. As you can see from this photograph, the answer was to have a burial at sea. The fallen servicemen were sent to their watery graves on November 26, 1944, as the survivors gave them a 21-gun salute.
After undercover cops arrested her, this exotic dancer showed off in court, Florida 1983.
When three exotic dancers were arrested in 1983 in Florida’s Pinellas County, they were charged with violating the county’s obscenity laws. An undercover cop had claimed he saw too much of the dancers during their performances, but the dancers argued that their bikini bottoms completely covered everything. In court, one dancer proved her point by bending over for the judge, David A Demers. The judge agreed and dismissed the case, but not before this photograph was snapped. It ran in newspapers across the country and was even featured in a special edition of Playboy magazine called “The Year in Sex”.
A rare photo of the notorious Bonnie and Clyde, 1933.
Outlaw lovers Bonnie and Clyde relished their notoriety in the early 1930s. Reports of their criminal exploits – bank robberies, rural grocery store robberies, and more – were sensationalized in newspapers around the country. Although the public loved the romantic idea of the criminal couple and eagerly followed their exploits, the truth is that Bonnie and Clyde’s were cop killers. Historians believe they murdered nine police officers and four civilians. The law finally caught up to Bonnie and Clyde on May 23, 1934. The lovers were gunned down in a shoot out.
Ian Curtis with his daughter, days before he hung himself in 1980.
This haunting photograph of English singer-songwriter Ian Curtis was snapped just days before his death by suicide. In early 1980, Curtis was married with a newborn daughter when he began an affair with a Belgian embassy worker. Despite his immense talent, Curtis’s mental health was fragile. He suffered from epilepsy and depression. He was also guilt-ridden over his affair, which made his depression even worse. On May 18, 1980, he hung himself, after writing a suicide note expressing his love for his wife and baby daughter.
Ann-Margret is ready for takeoff.
As you may have noticed, many of the sexiest actresses of the 1960s and 1970s, including Ann-Margret in this photo, seem to avoid wearing bras. There were two reasons for that. First, Ann-Margret and other actresses of her day were embracing their femininity and sexuality. At this point in history, for the first time, women were casting off traditional roles as housewives and stepping into new roles. The second reason could be that, during the 1960s, women around the world were exerting their freedom and independence by burning their bras – a symbol of repression – or simply going bra-less.
Andre the Giant hanging out with friends in the 1980s.
Andre the Giant has been called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Because of his gigantism, the former professional wrestler and actor, whose given name is Andre Rene Roussimoff, stood more than seven feet tall. A native of France, Andre the Giant became a professional wrestler in 1966 and moved to the United States in 1971. A mainstay with the WWF, Andre the Giant delighted fans with an ongoing feud with Hulk Hogan, though much of the sparring was merely for the audience. In the 1970s, Andre was tapped for some acting jobs. Remember the episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man in which Steve Austin met up with a Sasquatch? That was Andre the Giant in a Bigfoot costume. He also had guest appearances in B.J. and the Bear, The Greatest American Hero, and The Fall Guy. But who could forget Andre the Giant as the lovable giant, Fezzick, in The Princess Bride?
Curvy Lynda Carter Showed Her Swimming Chops on "Battle of the Network Stars".
One benefit to having only three major television networks – and no streaming services – was the ability to cash in on a relatively small handful of stars and use their star power to boost network ratings. Such was the case of Battle of the Network Stars, a semi-annual television special that pitted stars for each network against each other in athletic events, such as swimming, racing, and tug of war. Battle of the Network Stars ran for 19 seasons, from 1976 to 1988. The 1976 team for ABC included Lynda Carter, Farrah Fawcett, Ron Howard, and Penny Marshall, but it was Lynda Carter, star of TV’s Wonder Woman, who dominated the swimming competition, leaving her competitors in her wake.
Extreme tree pruning crew from the late 1800s.
Working without a net, safety harnesses, rigging, or even helmets, tree trimming in the past was a dangerous job, but a necessary one. Employers advertised for strong, agile men who were not afraid of heights to apply for job openings. A new employee may be taught the ropes – pun intended – by an experienced tree trimmer, but otherwise, there was no real training. It was not a job for the faint of heart. And let’s remember that this photo was taken back before workman’s comp and employer-paid medical insurance was a thing. In all, tree trimming was a risky business.
16 year old Demi Moore bared all for Oui magazine before she was of age.
In the early 1980s, Demi Moore’s next-door neighbor was the sultry teenage actress from Germany, Nastassja Kinski. It was Kinski that suggested that Moore try her hand at modeling. She was only 16 years old when she posed for the cover of the January 1981 adult magazine, Oui. For Moore, the photoshoot was no big deal. She later explained that she simply told the people at Oui that she was 18 and did the nude photo shoot. She was told that she was modeling for the cover, but later found out that some of the pictures were used inside the publication. She went on to sign with Elite Modeling Agency and take acting classes.
Bill Gates and his favorite bike, 1970’s.
Nerdy Bill Gates grew up in a loving home in Seattle. Gates and his two sisters were encouraged to be smart and competitive. He loved to beat his siblings as the board game, Risk, and spent hours on end reading the encyclopedia. He was rather bored at his public school, so his parents enrolled him in an exclusive prep school when he was around 12 years old, about the time this photo was snapped. It was at this school, in the late 1960s, that Gates was first introduced to a computer. He learned the computer language and wrote simple programs for it. Later, he noted that he was amazed at what the computer could do and he saw the potential in them. He knew that one day, computers would change the world.
German General Anton Dostler moments before he was executed by firing squad.
A 12-man firing squad ended the life of this German general, Anton Dostler, in the closing days of World War II. Dostler served in both World War I and World War II. By 1940, he commanded the 57th Infantry Division and was promoted to commander of the 75th Army and then the 73rd Army Corps. Dostler was captured by American soldiers and put on trial for war crimes. ON December 1, 1945, his execution was carried out. The execution was filmed with movie cameras and some photographers were on hand to snap black-and-white photographs of Dostler’s final moments.
Jamie Lee Curtis is looking fit and toned in this promo pic from the 1985 film, Perfect. Although Perfect was panned by critics, it provided an opportunity for Curtis, who played a fitness instructor in the film, to show off her slim, athletic body. During the 1980s, Curtis kept in shape by joining the latest fitness crazes, like aerobics. She balanced her workouts with a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water. Today, the actress is in her sixties and still looking hot. Daily exercise is still important to her, but she left the spandex leotards and leg warmers back in the ‘80s. She does Pilates and yoga and goes on long walks with her gal pals to keep herself looking and feeling great.
The Aqua-Trail Terra Marina Camper/Houseboat, Circa 1959.
Aqua-Trail’s Terra Marina was an idea that was ahead of its time. It was a two-in-one unit that could be used as a camper and a houseboat so vacationers like these bathing beauties could go from the woods to the lake in one self-contained recreational vehicle. The Aqua-Trails company – and the Terra Marina houseboat/camper – had a brief, yet memorable run. Aqua-Trail only produced the Terra Marina for one year, 1959. And only about 35 units were made. In theory, a combo camper/houseboat sounded like a great idea, but the public wasn’t convinced.
Kathy Ireland up to bat in a Sports Illustrated photo, 1987.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Kathy Ireland made her money as one of America’s top supermodels who was best known for her appearances in Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue 13 years in a row. But did you know that Kathy Ireland is also a wise businesswoman who turned her modeling fame into a multi-million dollar company? It’s true! Even Forbes Magazine lists her as one of the top self-made women in the country. How did she do it? In 1993, she started her own brand marketing company, Kathy Ireland WorldWide, or kiWW. She secured licensing agreements with top fashion houses to offer Kathy Ireland clothing, handbags, socks, jewelry, shoes, home décor, and more. By the early 2010s, products bearing her name enjoyed more than $2 billion in annual sales. Ireland and her company are worth well over $400 million today.
Photograph by Félix Thiollier c. 1899.
Initially, Felix Thiollier was more interested in business and industry than he was in the new-fangled artistic medium called photography. He had taken over his father’s ribbon making business in Saint Etienne, France, and was intent on growing and expanding the company. He did, however, had a life-long love of art. As his company provided him with more wealth, he acquired artwork to add to his collection. Photography piqued his interest. It offered a means for him to create his own art, even though he could not paint. He studied photography as an art form and was influenced by notable French photographers of the day. The more he experimented with his new medium, the better he became at it. He retired from his company when he was only 37 years old to devote himself full-time to his photography.
A black police officer helps demonstrator at KKK rally.
The Ku Klux Klan applied for a permit and was granted permission to have a peaceful rally at the Texas State Capitol Building in Austin, Texas, in 1983. Some of the citizens of Austin, however, were upset with the City Council’s controversial decision to allow the Klan to host a rally. They showed up to confront the Klan on the day of the rally. That’s when this surprising photograph was taken. It shows an African American police officer protecting a KKK member from harm when the confrontation turned violent. This photo speaks of the integrity of the police officer and his commitment to his job and the sanctity of life, even when faced with a situation that affected him personally.
A Geisha after washing her hair and before styling it, c. 1905.
Most images you see of Japanese geishas show them wearing thick, white powdered makeup and ornate costumes. Their hair is piled high in sleek hairstyles. Much of their appearance is dictated by tradition, as the geisha has a long and significant role in Japanese culture. That is what makes this photograph so unusual. It shows a geisha in the early 1900s in her natural beauty, before she dons her cosmetics and before she styles her long, thick hair. This young geisha has just washed her glorious locks.
These melted mannequins were some of the only survivors from the fire at Madame Tussauds.
On March 19, 1925, firefighters across London were summoned to Marylebone Road to fight a devastating fire at Madame Tussaud’s, a popular visitor attraction in the city. The fire was reported at 10:30 at night. Within an hour, the fully engulfed top floor caused the roof of the building to collapse. The contents of the building were either destroyed or horrifically damaged. You see, Madame Tussaud’s is a wax museum. The exhibit features likenesses of famous people sculpted in wax. Wax, as you can imagine, does not hold up well under extreme heat. The wax figures that could be salvaged, like the ones in this photograph, were melted into grotesque forms.
Although Charles Bronson was married three times, it appears that the love of his life was his second wife, Jill Ireland. They got married on October 5, 1968 and remained married until Ireland’s untimely death in 1990. During their marriage, Ireland was often the leading lady in Bronson’s movies. In fact, they appeared in 15 films together. They raised seven children. Bronson had two kids from his first marriage and Ireland had three from hers. Together, they had two children.
Donald Trump hanging out with reggae superstars Shabba Ranks and Super Cat and singer Cyndi Lauper, 1992.
In the early 1980s, rap music was on the rise so it was only natural for business mogul (at the time) Donald Trump to want to capitalize on this new genre. The hottest Jamaican rapper of the day was Grammy Award-winner, Shabba Ranks. At a 1992 party, Shabba Ranks, along with pop artist Cyndi Lauper (“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”) and Jamaican deejay William Anthony Maragh, better known as Super Cat, all hobnobbed with Trump well before he had political aspirations.
Betty Mae Page, known professionally as Bettie Page, was an American model who gained a significant profile in the 1950s for her pin-up photos.
The “Queen of the Pinup”, Bettie Page was the foremost pinup model of the 1950s. She was easily recognized by her trademark bangs and her dark hair. She posed for numerous photo shoots wearing lingerie, bikinis, and even animal skins. Some of her photos acted out scenes of bondage and erotic fantasy, but did you know that Bettie Page gave that all up in 1959? She converted to evangelical Christianity and attended Bible college. She even went to work for Billy Graham. Page hoped to become a missionary and spread the word of God. Unfortunately, she was a divorcee so her application to do mission work in Africa was denied. Apparently, they were more concerned about her marital status than her previous career as a pinup model.
"Jungle Pam" Hardy, sweetheart of the dragstrip.
With the introduction of “Jungle” Pam Hardy, drag racer “Jungle Jim” Lieberman brought an element to the racing world that was missing before … sex appeal. The leggy, busty teen’s main job was to strut around the racetrack wearing short shorts, gogo boots and a clingy sweater and, in short, draw everyone’s attention to Jungle Jim’s race team. And she was great at her job. She was so great, in fact, that she modeled for several hot rod magazines and served as the trophy girl for many races. Her tenure as Jungle Pam lasted only about four years. Regulation changes in the sport prevented drivers from engaging in splashy spectacles anymore.
Yvonne Craig suiting up in her 'Batgirl' costume on the set of "Batman" in 1968.
Before she was cast as Batgirl in TV’s Batman, Yvonne Craig already enjoyed a successful show business career. A trained ballerina and actress, Craig guest starred in some of the most popular television shows of the 1960s, including Perry Mason, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and The Big Valley. She co-starred alongside Elvis Presley in two films, It Happened at the World’s Fair and Kissin’ Cousins. Her most high-profile role, however, was playing Batgirl in television’s Batman. Between September of 1967 and March of 1968, Craig wore the tight-fitting Batgirl suit and rode around Gotham City on a purple motorcycle, to the delight of her fans.
Pam Grier rocking a dress in 1974.
In the 1970s, there was no one badder than Pam Grier! In fact, director Quentin Tarantino called her “cinema’s first female action star.” She made a name for herself in the ‘blaxploitation’ film genre by starring in 1973’s Coffy and 1974’s Foxy Brown. She was often typecast as a tougher-than-nails, hard-talking, revenge-seeking woman. For her numerous roles, Grier was nominated for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a Satellite, a Screen Actors Guild, and a Saturn award. Grier wasn’t just a 1970s success. She is still acting today. You may have seen her in The L Word, Bless This Mess, Smallville, and This Is Us.
In 1952, when this photo was taken, Marilyn Monroe was on the cusp of stardom. She was successful in turning her fame as a pinup model into a Hollywood acting career and was poised to star in a slew of films that mostly cast her as the typical dumb blond. This was also the year before her nude photograph appeared in the first centerfold of Playboy magazine, a move that nearly derailed her career. The tearful Monroe explained that she had no choice but to pose au naturale because she was so broke. The public bought her excuse ... or chose to ignore her indiscretions.
Phoebe Cates Auditioned for "The Big Chill" But Lost Out to Meg Tilly.
Remember the 1983 film, The Big Chill? Twenty-year-old Phoebe Cates auditioned for the role of Chloe in that movie but lost out to Meg Tilly. It was at those auditions, however that the hottest young star of Hollywood teen sex movies met actor Kevin Kline who was 16 years her senior. Both Cates and Kline were dating others at the time, but they seemed to hit it off, so they kept in touch. Despite the age difference, Kline and Cates began dating a few years later. The couple got married in 1998 and raised a son and a daughter. And you know what? They are still married today…a rare Hollywood love story with longevity.
The Hair - by Nadar, c. 1894-1895.
Nadar was the pseudonym of the eccentric French photographer, balloonists, and caricaturist, Gaspard-Felix Tournachon. In the 1850s, he became the first person to take aerial photos from a hot air balloon. He set up a studio where he drew caricatures for local newspapers and magazines. In the 1850s, he added photography to his skill set, but he still wanted to keep the exaggerated, comic angle of his work. He found a way to combine photography with his caricatures to create several memorable photos, including this one. Titled “The Hair”, this man-in-the-moon shot was taken in the 1890s.
Did you know that humans and chimpanzees share between 95 and 98-percent of the same DNA? Our cousins on the primate family tree are genetically quite similar to us, but there are some marked differences. The chimp in this photo suffers from alopecia, a condition that caused the animal to lose all its hair. Furless, we can see just how muscle-bound this chimpanzee is. No, this isn’t the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the primate world. It is a typical example of the power of these primates. In fact, biologists say that these buff beasts are at least four times stronger than their wimpy human cousins.
Bob Ross Was Once A Master Sergeant In The Air Force.
You know that artist Bob Ross enjoyed painting ‘happy little trees’ on his PBS show The Joy of Painting, but did you know that Ross spent twenty years in the U.S. Air Force and achieved the rank of master sergeant? The Florida native was stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska after he enlisted in 1961. This was the first time the 18-year-old Ross ever saw snow. Ross later said that in the military, he was required to act like a tough guy and bark orders at others. Because of this, he vowed to never raise his voice again after his discharge from the Air Force. It was also during his time in the military that Bob Ross learned to paint.
The man who wore the creature suit in Ridley Scott’s classic film Alien in 1979 was 6’10″ Nigerian Bolaji Badejo.
Nigerian actor and visual artist, Bolaji Badejo, was the son of the head of the Nigerian Broadcasting Company. He was interested in graphic design and moved to London in the 1970s. Tall and lanky, Badejo stood 6-feet, 10-inches tall and had disproportionately long legs. He was hanging out in a Soho pub in the late 1970s when he was approached by one of director Ridley Scott’s casting team members. Badejo was asked to don a hideous costume and play the role of the alien in Scott’s 1979 film, Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver. This was Badejo’s one and only acting job.
Supermodel Jerry Hall at Studio 54.
Model Jerry Hall was sunbathing in the French Riviera with her twin sister, Terry, in the early 1970s, when the pair were spotted by Claude Haddad, a fashion agent. Haddad wanted to sign them both, but it was Jerry that moved to Paris to launch her modeling career. She shared a Paris apartment with Jessica Lange and Grace Slick. In 1975, she appeared on the cover of the album Siren by Roxy Music. After that, her modeling career took off. In a few short years, she had graced the cover of at least 40 magazines, including Vogue and Cosmopolitan. She was earning more than $1000 per day and dating some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Mick Jaggar.
Jamie Lee Curtis right before Halloween.
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, shown here in a candid pic taken shortly before she starred in the horror classic, Halloween, is the daughter of two great Hollywood performers, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, so you could say that acting is in her blood. While Jamie Lee Curtis is known as the “queen of screams and her bloodline runs through Hollywood, her director/screenwriter/composer husband’s bloodline is decidedly more royal. Since 1984, Jamie Lee Curtis has been happily married to Christopher Guest, a Brit. Guest is the 5th Baron Haden-Guest, which makes Jamie Lee Curtis a Baroness. In the U.K., her official title is Lady Haden-Guest.
Before she was a red bathing suit wearing life guard with a penchant for running in slow motion down the beach Pamela Anderson was just a lucky young sports fan.
Talk about a lucky break. Pamela Anderson was a typical Canadian teen with a winning smile when she attended a Canadian football game in 1989 in Vancouver. A cameraman periodically flashed videos of spectators members on the Jumbotron at BC Place Stadium and he selected Anderson, wearing a cropped Labatt’s beer t-shirt, to appear on the big screen. The fans went crazy when they saw her, in part because they loved Labatt’s beer, but also because Pamela Anderson was a stunning, fresh-faced beauty with a golden smile and golden hair. She was brought out on the field where she received even more applause and cheers. Labatt’s beer took notice. Not long after, they hired her as a spokesmodel and dubbed her “the Blue Zone Girl.”
Cathy Lee Crosby, 1980's.
Cathy Lee Crosby, the co-host of That’s Incredible!, a hit TV show of the 1980s, hopped on the ‘80s fitness craze, working out in her French cup Spandex leotard and leg warmers. Staying active and fit were important to Crosby even before the fitness craze hit. She was a professional tennis player before becoming an actress and model. She was ranked as the #7 singles player and the #4 doubles player in the US junior tennis competition. She competed twice at Wimbledon before retiring from the sport.
Rocker Tommy Lee and Actress Heather Locklear Were Totally into Each Other in the mid-1980s.
In the mid-1980s, Heather Locklear was a popular television actress with an America’s sweetheart reputation. Tommy Lee, the drummer for the hard rock band Motley Crue, was viewed as a wild, hedonistic, bad boy rocker. But images can be deceiving. When Lee spotted Locklear, he asked a mutual friend to introduce him. He claimed he was too shy to approach the actress himself. Their romance moved quickly. Just one year after they met, Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear tied the knot. The couple seemed totally into each other, but their marriage broke up after seven years.
Fred Grandy and BernNadette Stanis in The Love Boat (1977)
Do you remember this beauty of the late 1970s and 1980s? New York actress BernNadette Stanis is best known for playing Thelma Ann Evans on the television sitcom, Good Times, that ran from 1974 to 1979. When Good Times ended, Stanis continued to work in television, taking guest star roles on various shows, including The Love Boat, as you can see in this photograph with Fred Grandy, a regular cast member as Gopher. She appeared in episodes of What’s Happening Now, The Cosby Show, and Bustin’ Loose.
Racing Trophy Girl Barbara Roufs Embraced the Bra-Burning Mantra of the early 1970s.
In the early 1970s, drag racing competitions needed trophy girls, and the prettier, the better. With her long hair, busty chest, and go-go boots, sexy Barbara Roufs fit the bill. It didn’t hurt that she never wore a bra either. The knock-out was a hit at the races and helped bring further attention to the sport. This was especially true after she posed for hundreds of pictures for racing photographer Tom West. Her photos appeared in racing magazines across the country, making her as hot and the hot rods at the California race tracks.
An Italian Girl from Tunisia - Claudia Cardinale.
In 1957, Claudia Cardinale won the title of “Most Beautiful Italian Woman in Tunisia”. As part of the prize package, she won a trip to Italy. While there, the beauty capitalized on her newfound fame to land a movie contract. Throughout the 1960s, Cardinale appeared in many of the highly acclaimed European films of the day. Her next move was to come to Hollywood where she starred alongside such greats as Omar Sharif, Tony Curtis, and David Niven in parts that mostly cast her as an exotic foreign beauty. One such role was in the 1968 Western, Once Upon a Time in the West, in which she shared the screen with Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, and Jason Robards. Discouraged with the typecasting, Cardinale eventually returned to Italy to work in the European film industry, a move that allowed her to take on more challenging roles.
Venus and Serena Williams meet Ronald and Nancy Reagan in this 1990 photo.
If you have followed the tennis careers of the incomparable Williams sisters, or if you’ve seen the Will Smith movie, King Richard, you know that Venus and Serena Williams were tennis prodigies from an early age. Both sisters worked hard at their sport to reach the upper echelons. That included attending various tennis camps around the country in their youth. This photograph, for example, shows the Williams sisters at a Florida tennis camp in 1990, posing with Ronald and Nancy Reagan a year after Reagan ended his two-year term as President.
Sean Connery doing a handstand for Ursula Andress on the set of "Dr No."
Sean Connery was the first actor to tackle the role of James Bond when he appeared as the British secret agent in the 1962 film, Dr. No. In this pic, you can see that Connery is trying to impress his co-star, Ursula Andress, with his gymnastics skills. Connery impressed audiences with his portrayal of the suave spy. He went on to reprise his role in six more James Bond movies. In 1963, he starred in From Russia With Love. The next year, he appeared in Goldfinger. He took on the role of James Bond again in the 1965 film, Thunderball, and the 1971 film, Diamonds Are Forever. His last appearance as James Bond was in 1983’s Never Say Never Again.
"Jungle Pam" Hardy, one of drag racing's main attractions in the '70s.
Jungle Pam Hardy splashed onto the 1970s drag racing scene and turned heads with short shorts, long legs, and curve-hugging sweaters. It may surprise you to know that Jungle Pam knew virtually nothing about racing before she became one of the most iconic racing trophy girls. Racer Jungle Jim Liberman quite literally picked her off the streets to join him on the racing circuit. She learned on the job, though her primary job was to look sexy and draw attention to Jungle Jim’s race team. That was easy work for Jungle Pam. She just donned her shortest pair of shorts and clingiest sweater and flashed her winning smile to get all eye on her.
Cindy Morgan as 'Lacey Underall' in a scene from the comedy film "Caddyshack," 1980.
Cindy Morgan’s most memorable film was in the 1980 comedy film, Caddyshack, which has become a cult classic. Morgan, a native of Chicago, played the role of the sexy Lacey Underall in the movie. She later explained that working on Caddyshack was a fun experience. She added, “All I had to do was focus on making the person sweat.” In 1982, Morgan tackled the dual role of Lora, a computer programmer, and Yori, her computerized alter ego, in the Tron, the very first computer-generated film. You may also remember Cindy Morgan for her 1978 ad campaign as the Irish Spring girl and for a series of guest appearances in some of the hottest shows of the 1980s, including Falcon Crest, CHiPs, and Matlock.
Dick Cavett Has a Few Questions for Raquel Welch, 1972.
As host of his own talk show, The Dick Cavett Show in the 1960s and 1970s, Dick Cavett earned a reputation for bringing controversial people, events, and topics into the spotlight. His show was called a “thinking man’s talk show” because Cavett didn’t shy away from any subject. In fact, he went out of his way to invite guests to his show that had different views as him on various social or political issues. That way, he and the guest could have a frank and honest discussion about the topic. When sultry actress Raquel Welch appeared on his show, the two discussed her recent film, Myra Breckenridge, in which she plays a transgendered person who has undergone gender reassignment surgery. In 1970s, this was a taboo topic yet Cavett and Welch handled the subject with dignity and compassion.
A pre-Wonder Woman Lynda Carter, circa 1971-72.
Before she was TV’s Wonder Woman, pretty Lynda Carter was a pageant queen. In the early 1970s, about the time this candid pic was snapped, Lynda Carter entered a local beauty pageant in her native Arizona. Bolstered by the success of that pageants, she entered more. She won the Miss World USA pageant in 1972. As the title winner, she went on to compete internationally in the Miss World 1972 pageant, representing the United States. She made it into the Top 15 of that competition but did not come away with a crown. With her pageant days behind her, Carter went to New York to take acting lessons and landed a few small TV roles before she got her big break in Wonder Woman.
Yvonne Craig as 'Batgirl' on "The Merv Griffin Show" in 1967.
Did you know that the Huffington Post has called Yvonne Craig “a pioneer of female superheroes”? Craig played Batgirl on TV’s Batman in the mid-1960s and showed some real girl power. By day, Craig’s character was Barbara Gordon, a smart, independent career woman and the daughter of the police commissioner. But when there was trouble in Gotham City (and there was always trouble in Gotham City), Gordon transformed into her crime-fighting alter ego, Batgirl, and went in aid of Batman and Robin. Tough and smart, Batgirl was also a real bada$$ on her purple motorcycle.
Suzanne Pleshette doing a photo shoot for Harry Langdon, when she was 42 years old in 1979.
Suzanne Pleshette proved that sexy has no age when she did a photoshoot with photographer Harry Langdon in 1979. She was 42 years old at the time. Pleshette enjoyed a remarkable career that included theatre, television, and movies. You may remember seeing her in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds in 1963 and her portrayal of Emily Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show. She was also a guest star on several popular television shows, such as Route 66, Columbo, and The Fugitive.
Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing on "Dallas."
During the 1980s, Linda Gray shot to stardom in the TV drama Dallas. She played the role of Sue Ellen Ewing, the alcoholic wife of Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing in Dallas, which ran from 1978 to 1989. Gray was a fan favorite and received accolades for playing the former Texas pageant princess who ended up as the trophy wife for the ruthless womanizing businessman. Dallas was at the center of a pop culture moment with its “Who shot J.R.?” cliffhanger. Time magazine named Dallas as one of the “Best 100 TV Shows of All-Time”.
Who remembers “Jungle Pam”, the drag racing sweetheart of the ’70s?
Jungle Jim Liberman, a legendary drag racer, spotted the well-endowed, skimpily dressed Pam Hardy when she was an 18-year-old recent high school grad who was preparing to head to college. Within days of meeting him, Pam gave up her college plans and go on tour with Jungle Jim and his race crew. Even though Jungle Jim was more than 12 years her senior, the two were lovers. Their relationship was rocky at times, particularly because Jungle Jim had a wandering eye. Still, they stayed together until Liberman was tragically killed in a car accident in 1977.
Young love at Woodstock...
Woodstock was a pivotal moment for the hippie generation, but did you know that it was a life and death event? There were three babies that were born during the three-day festival in 1969. One mother was giving birth as singer John Sebastian was performing. He stopped for a moment when the baby arrived and announced, “That kid is going to be far out!” There were probably a lot of babies conceived at Woodstock! Sadly, there were two deaths at Woodstock as well. One person died of a drug overdose. The second person was killed in a tragic accident. He was curled up in a sleeping bag under a tractor. The farmer didn’t see him there and accidentally backed over him.
Dancer Joey Heatherton Turning Bob Hope's Head.
Actress and dancer Joey Heatherton, one of the hottest sex symbols of the 1960s and 1970s, was quite popular as a performer on the television variety shows of the day. As you can see in this photograph, she also joined Bob Hope on USO tours for more than ten years. She also starred in some movies. One of her more memorable roles was in the 1977 film, The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington. In this movie, Heatherton played the role of Xaviera Hollander, a famous prostitute that must go to the nation’s capital to testify before Congress.
