Celebrities are always best to be seen during candid moments where they are caught off guard – or in their early years before they become famous. It makes you realize that celebrities are really a lot like you and I. And we got 49 photos of the famousthat will make you smirk. Take your pick. Is it a shot of Lady Di looking shocked from something Clint Eastwood must’ve said or is to 14-year old Tori Spelling’s acting headshot from when she auditioned for Saved By The Bell? We also got photos of Jean Claude Van Damme before he was fired from the movie, Predator – and an image of Janis Joplin and Grace Slick acting silly.
We got the photos. You got the eyeballs. Let’s journey forward…
Tom Selleck dancing with Nancy Reagan and Clint Eastwood dancing with Princess Diana at the White House in 1985, wonder what they were talking about?
Source: Reddit
Lady Di was actually friends with a lot of celebrities. Not only was she pals with Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury, but here she is back in 1985, shaking a leg with Dirty Harry himself, Clint Eastwood. I wonder if Clint is saying to Lady Di, “Come on, make my day, Di!”
Tom Selleck recalled the night, ” I was quite as uncomfortable as Clint Eastwood…he was really out of his safe zone.” The dance got off to a bad foot when Eastwood told Di, “You’re too old for me,” which the princess responded with, “I’m only 24!”
Selleck must’ve tried the same line on Nancy Reagan.
Here’s Johnny Carson and Robyn Hilton, 1974. Any ideas why he’s smirking?
Back in the day, Johnny Carson was the coolest. The Tonight Show was the only gig in town. There was no Late Show or Jimmy Kimmel Live – Johnny had the market cornered for making or breaking a star. If you sat on Johnny’s couch, that meant you had made it in Hollywood.
Robyn Hilton was an American movie and TV actress who made her mark during the 70s and 80s. She has the notoriety of appearing fully-clothed, twice, in Playboy. Hilton is best known for her role in the 1974 Mel Brooks’ comedy film, Blazing Saddles. Here she is on January 17, 1974 – making Johnny smirk.
Grace Slick shares a secret with her good friend Janis Joplin – 1967.
Source: Reddit
Here’s two women of the hour. And that hour was during 1967. This photo of Janis Joplin and Grace Slick was taken in San Francisco by legendary rock photographer, Jim Marshall. It was said that Marshall was “the only photographer to take a photograph with Janis Joplin and Grace Slick in the frame together.”
The photo was taken for Teen Set magazine for an article called, “Queen Bees of San Francisco Rock.” Back in the day, everyone thought there was a huge rivalry between Slick and Joplin – but they were actually good friends. This shot came towards the end of the photo session when the two began to get silly and started joking around.
“You can be my wingman any time.” Val Kilmer as ‘Iceman’ in “Top Gun” from 1986.
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Val Kilmer is everyone’s favorite skilled volleyball player/fighter pilot from the movie, Top Gun. Kilmer is actually going to reprise the role in the sequel, Top Gun 2 – which will be released in 2019.
In the original Top Gun, Iceman, whose real name in the movie is Tom Kazansky, was a rival to Maverick. How can you not love a guy who utters such classic, and slightly moronic lines as, “I don’t like you because you’re dangerous.”
To show how far we’ve come since 1985, the sequel focuses on fighter pilots dealing with a world in which drone technology is making their old style of flying obsolete. Save us Maverick, save us!
“Here is youthful Richard Pryor” during his first performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1965.
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In his early standup comedy days, Richard Pryor was still hilarious, but didn’t yet have his own unique voice. Back in the ’60s, when he was making appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, Pryor was more of a physical comedian who was sort of a knock off to the stand up comedy of Bill Cosby. Pryor had a moment of awakening when he was performing in 1967 at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. He looked out to the crowd which was comprised entirely of white people – and said, “What the **** am I doing here?” He then walked off stage.
Some might think that would be career suicide. But when Pryor returned to the standup scene a few years later – his comedy voice was revolutionary.
1970s Hippie Girls Go For a Stroll
It’s strange to think that these two adorable mod girls are probably now someone’s grandmothers. As part of the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 60s, women were burning their bras. This move was in stark contrast to the Mad Men days of the 1950s.
Around the same time, the actresses that played Jan and Marsha Brady on The Brady Bunch would try to get away with going bra-less on set. Creator, Sherwood Schwartz would walk over and pat them on the back to make sure they were wearing bras when the filming for the iconic sit-com began. The point was made; even the Brady women wanted to free their breasts from the constraints of society.
A 14 year-old Tori Spelling in the headshot she used when auditioning for “Saved By The Bell.”
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In a parallel universe, a brown-haired Tori Spelling would have starred on Save By The Bell. But this role for Spelling was not to be. Before she bought a bottle of bleach, here’s 14-year old Spellings acting headshot, which she used not only to audition for Saved By The Bell – but also for Troop Beverly Hills.
Spelling finally got her big break when she was cast on her father’s show, Beverly Hills 90210. According to Spelling, she actually had to audition for the part. Yeah, right…Recently, Spelling got backlash when she allowed her 7-year-old daughter Stella Doreen to dye her hair. Like daughter like mom.
A young 27 year-old Janis Joplin, 1970 looking snazzy.
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Not only did Janis Joplin rock the music stage, but she also rocked the fashion world with her own groovy, unique style. The singer knew how to wear the hippie threads and funky accessories. Joplin acted as her own stylist and would sometimes even sew her own stage costumes. Not only did Joplin have a one-of-a-kind voice, but her eccentric style made her emerge as leader of the Haight-Ashbury fashion scene. Joplin expressed her emotions on stage through her threads which consisted of flashy spangles and feathers along with leather, fur and wild prints. Now that’s something to sing about!
Ann-Margret was thought of as the female Elvis
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Have you ever seen the 1964 movie, Viva Las Vegas? It has great musical numbers and Ann-Margret goes head-to-head with Elvis Presley during the song and dance portion. That’s why she was toted back in the day as the “female Elvis.” Quite a feat for someone who was born in Valsjöbyn, Jämtland County, Sweden.
Crazy factoid, Anna Regina Aronsson (her real name) was actually discovered by comedian George Burns in 1961. Soon afterwards she got both a record deal and a film contract at 20th Century Fox. Launching her music career, Ann-Margret’s first single was called, “I Just Don’t Understand.”
Audrey Hepburn wearing a cowboy hat from the set of “Green Mansions” 1959
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Before her big breakout role in the 1961 movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Audrey Hepburn was swooning hearts and wearing cowboy hats in the 1959 movie, Green Mansions.
The film starred Hepburn as Rima, a jungle girl who falls in love with a Venezuelan traveler – who is played by none other than Psycho’s Anthony Perkins. The film, though, sort of bombed at the box office and was panned by critics.
Hepburn turned down the title role in the movie, The Diary of Anne Frank – to be in this film. In Green Mansions – Hepburn’s character is often accompanied by a fawn. To properly bond with the creature, the actress adopted a baby deer to properly get into the role. Isn’t that dear?
Beautiful Barbi Benton also included a moderately successful career as an actress, singer, and comedian in the late-1960s and 1970s.
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Not many actresses have the creds of appearing both in the magazine Playboy and on the TV show Hee-Haw. But Barbie Benton can wear those laurels. Her first professional gig was appearing on the TV show, Playboy After Dark, when she was 18-years old. She was initially hired as just an extra on the show, but Hugh Hefner fell for the beauty. And guess what? She quickly elevated to co-host of the program. Go figure.
Benton’s first film role was in a 1970 German movie, The Naughty Cheerleader. Throughout the 70’s, Benton could be found popping up on such TV shows as The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. We are still waiting for that sequel, The Naughty Cheerleader 2.
Sophia Loren at her home in Rome, Italy
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There’s Hollywood beauties and there’s international beauties. And Sophia Loren fits into the later category. Loren was born on September 20, 1934 in Rome, Italy. Her father was married to another woman and refused to marry her mother – despite the fact that they had two children together.
Loren grew up in the slums during the dark days of World War II and received no support from her father. (He sounds like kind of a jerk.) Loren’s life took a turn when she was 14-years old and entered a beauty contest – and become one of the finalists. By the time of her late teens, Loren was already starring in Italian feature films – eventually making her way to Hollywood and winning hearts worldwide.
Colorized photo of The Beatles in Hamburg, Germany in 1960. (From L-R) John Lennon, George Harrison, Pete Best, Paul McCartney and Stuart Sutcliffe.
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This colorized photo of The Beatles looks creepy. It makes them all look like wax dummies. And where’s Ringo? What did they do with Ringo? And who’s that other guy on guitar? You always hear about the fabled “fifth Beatle.” Well, this photo has two of them. Pete Best, on drums and Stuart Sutcliffe, far right, both spent time playing with the most famous band in world. Pete Best was eventually replaced by Ringo Starr and Stu Sutcliffe left The Beatles to pursue a career in art. Sutcliffe’s girlfriend was actually responsible for giving The Beatles their iconic moptop haircuts. He tragically died of a brain hemorrhage shortly after leaving The Beatles.
Dawn Wells takes a popsicle break in 1966.
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Dawn Wells was the true beauty on the TV show, Gilligan’s Island. She played the girl-next-door, Mary Anne, on the shipwrecked sitcom. Wells got her start in the biz, in 1959, when she was crowned Miss Nevada and represented her home state in the 1960 Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Before landing on Gilligan’s Island, Wells appeared on such popular ’60s TV shows as 77 Sunset Strip, The Cheyenne Show, Maverick, and Bonanza. After Gilligan’s Island was cancelled in 1967, Wells’ reprised her Mary Anne character in such Gilligan’s Island reboots as the cartoon spin-off Gilligan’s Planet, and Rescue from Gilligan’s Island, The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island, and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island. That’s a hell of a lot of Gilligan’s Island…
Nip it in the bud…Doris Day and Johnny get to some chatting on The Tonight Show
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The date was September 02, 1974. Movie icon, Doris Day – who starred in such film comedy classics as Pillow Talk – was on The Tonight Show talking to Johnny Carson about such topics as semi-retirement from the business. Also on the Tonight Show bill that night, comedian Rodney Dangerfield – who was getting no respect, and Burt Mustin aka The Strongest Man in the World performing a song from the musical 1894. So, a lot went down in episode 171 of The Tonight Show!
Taking a nod from Johnny Carson, in 1985, Day hosted her own television talk show called: Doris Day’s Best Friends. It aired on CBN and was canceled after 26 episodes.
Elspeth Beard was first Englishwoman to circumnavigate the world by motorcycle in the early 1980s, her journey took 3 years.
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Talk about easy rider; Elspeth Beard is not only a motorcyclist but also an award-winning architect. But it gets better; in the early 80s she became the first British woman to complete a solo motorcycle trip around the world. (I’m not sure how that works over the ocean bits.)
On completion of her trip in 1984, Beard put all my journals in a cardboard box – where they stayed for thirty years. Well, that box eventually got opened and Beard wrote a book about her journey in 2017, called, Lone Rider.
Beard now runs her own architectural firm and specializes in creating and remodeling interesting and unusual buildings. She also now lives in a converted Victorian water tower in the southeast of England and has a collection of motorcycles; including her trusty BMW R60/6 – which she made the global trek.
Elvis and his cousin hamming it up in a photo taken at the fair in 1953.
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My question here; why did Elvis give up this particular look? Here is The King in the days when he was performing at county fairs. Even back in 1953, Elvis loved guns. Elvis was known for being a gunslinger. In fact, as the story goes, Elvis shot out the screen of his 25-inch RCA TV in Graceland with a 357 magnum. Elvis was watching singer Robert Goulet performing on a television show one night and decided to fire off some lead – killing the TV set.
A spokesman for Presley’s home and museum Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, told the Associated Press in 2006: “There was nothing Elvis had against Robert Goulet. They were friends. But Elvis just shot out things on a random basis.”
Eric Clapton and Duane Allman hanging out in Miami, 1970.
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You would be in rock guitar god heaven – if you happened to be in the room with these two: Eric Clapton and Duane Allman. A legendary moment in music occured when the two guitar giants met. Allman is responsible for adding five notes to Clapton’s song “Layla” during a late-night studio session at Criteria Studios in Miami in September 1970.
Here’s how it was described by Butch Trucks (great name) – the drummer for the Allman Brothers:
“We happened to be in town, playing in Miami Beach, and Tom grabbed Eric and the guys and said, ‘I got some people I want you to hear.’ So we walked out on stage, and here, sitting on the front row, is Tom Down and Eric Clapton. That’s the one time I think I remember Duane being nervous!”
Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, 1979.
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Not only a meeting of two great minds in music – but also a meeting of two musicians with amazing names: Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. This musical pair would frequently tour together – despite the fact that they would often feud. Zappa and Beefheart’s relationship went way back to when they attended junior high school together in Lancaster, California during the 50s.
Back in 1975, Beefheart noted about their feud:
“I said some silly things because I’m a spoiled brat and I don’t understand business to the degree that Frank does. I probably felt neglected. I’ll admit it… and I told him so. I said, ‘I’m sorry Frank and I don’t mean that for an excuse.’ We shook hands and that was that.”
Ann-Margret tells it like it is
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After appearing in the 1964 movie, Viva Las Vegas, Ann-Margret formed a lifelong friendship with Elvis Presley. Elvis would send a bouquet of flowers to all of Ann-Margret’s stage-show appearances, until he died in 1977. Maybe a reason for this was her romance with Elvis – which she revealed in her autobiography.
Not only did she tour Vietnam with the USO during the Vietnam war but Ann-Margret also worked on the TV cartoon, The Flintstones, as the voice of “Ann-Margrock.”
Freddie Mercury wearing a ’77 shirt in 1978.
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Yes, Freddy Mercury! Here’s Mercury, perhaps being ironic, wearing a 77 T-shirt in 1978. The lead singer of Queen was always a fashion innovator. This shot of him was photographed by Christopher Hopper. The famed British photographer captured images of everyone from The Kinks and Cliff Richard to Johnny Mathis and Roxy Music.
After shooting the theater backdrops for Andrew Lloyd Webber, Hopper was introduced to the band Queen and spent several years shooting covers and publicity shot of them in both Europe and the United States. Ironically, Hoppers first job in the world of photography was when he was 18-years old and he worked for a fashion magazine called, Queen.
George Strait was stationed in Hawaii as a part of the 25th Infantry Division in 1971, he began performing with a U.S. Army-sponsored band, “Rambling Country” and played off-base under the name ‘Santee’.
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George Strait has roughly 60 #1 songs topping the Country Music charts. Much like Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix, he’s a musician who also served in the military. Strait was part of the 25th Infantry Division and stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii during the Vietnam War – where he served as a finance clerk.
While over in Hawaii, Strait began performing with a U.S. Army-sponsored band, Rambling Country. He would also play off-base under the sneaky name “Santee”. On October 6, 1972, Strait married his high school sweetheart, Norma, and the couple had their first child, Jenifer while he was still enlisted.
Goldie Hawn back in the ’70s looking groovy as usual.
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Goldie Hawn has done it all. The actress not only appeared as a go-go girl on the TV show Laugh-In, but she went on to receive both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her role in the 1969 movie, Cactus Flower.
Hawn was born in Washington, D.C., and her father was a well-known band musician who played at major events around the area. She got her “Goldie” name after her mother’s aunt.
Hawn made her professional debut as a dancer in a production of Can-Can at the Texas Pavilion of the New York World’s Fair – and would appear as a go-go dancer in NYC – before getting her big break.
Victoria Principal was an 80s TV queen
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What would the iconic 80s TV show, Dallas, be without Victoria Principal? She spent nine years on the show, playing the role of Pamela Barnes Ewing – who was married to the evil J.R. The role ended up netting her two Golden Globe Award nominations. Principal ended up leaving the show in 1987.
Principal went on to become a successful entrepreneur. She became a best-seller author and started running the skincare company, Principal Secret. She credits her time on Dallas that gave her the springboard to achieve so many of her dreams.
In 2018, Principal donated $50,000 to Oceana, to help protect U.S. coasts from the dangers of offshore oil drilling.
Great photo of Martha Stewart during her modeling days in the 1960s.
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One thing we forget about Martha Stewart – she was hot when she was a young model. Yes, the successful businesswoman began her career in front of the cameras when she was a teenager.
Stewart said she began working at age 1o as a babysitter for the children of New York Yankees players. She began modeling by the age of 15, and was soon acting in TV commercials. In college, Stewart continued modeling for high-fashion brands, such as Chanel, to help pay for tuition when she was attending Barnard College. She could make up to $50 an hour modeling – which was a lot of money at the time, and helped her pay her way through living in New York City.
Here’s actor Patrick Stewart with hair back in the 1960s.
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It’s kind of strange to see Sir Patrick Stewart with hair. It just doesn’t seem right or natural. He was a man born not to have hair. Best known for his roles in The X-Men and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stewart cut his acting chops in a serious way. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and received the 1979 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Antony and Cleopatra – which ran on the West End in London.
Stewart’s run with the Royal Shakespeare Company began in 1966 and he remained with the esteemed troupe until 1982. Doesn’t that make you flip your wig?
Jungle Pam Hardy looking her best back in 1973
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It was said that Jungle Pam Hardy did not own a bra. Back in 1973, JPH was one of the most famous individuals in Chevy history. She was hired to travel with the Chevy crew and even worked on “Jungle Jim” Liberman’s Chevy Funny Cars.
Though Hardy had little experience with drag cars, she was utilized in all aspects of performance. The idea was to have a powerful Funny Car driven by the showman, mixed with an attractive woman on the track to gather everyone’s attention. She became famous in the world of drag racing – up until the 80s when the rules of the sport changed and she retired from drag racing.
Hugh Hefner and Barbi Benton pose with his private jet,”Big Bunny” and crew in 1970.
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Back in the 60s, Hugh Hefner was, of course, the ultimate playboy. So how did a playboy, who started the Playboy enterprise, like to travel? In his own private jet – a DC-9. The aircraft was lkke the Playboy Mansion at 35,000 feet, which Hef called, The Big Bunny. The private jet, which cost Hef $5 million (in 1969 money), played host to such celebrities as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and James Caan. This symbol of aviatic hedonism- was painted black and had the silhouette of a white rabbit in a bowtie. Of course on board their was an oval bed for Hef to lounge around on in his pajamas.
Jimi Hendrix jamming at Woodstock in 1969.
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On Aug. 18, 1969, legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix stepped onto the stage at the Woodstock music festival. During the height of the Vietnam War – his most signature song of the set was his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner – which practically stung with the sound of dropping bombs. Hendrix’s entire set ran almost two hours – and was the longest of his career.
During Woodstock, Hendrix performed with a temporary band – being the Jimi Hendrix Experience had broken up two summers before. For the Woodstock shows, Hendrix assembled a group he called, Gypsy Suns and Rainbows. Another first, Hendrix started his set at 9am. What a way to start the day!
Nice photo of 70s teen heartthrob/actor/singer David Cassidy.
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David Cassidy was the very definition of “teen heartthrob.” Though admired by teenage girls for his looks – he was also mocked for his musical ability on the TV show, The Partridge Family. On the 70s musical sitcom, he played Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge – who was played by his actual real-life stepmom, Shirley Jones.
Showbiz was always in Cassidy’s future. His father, Jack was an actor/singer, while his maternal mother was an actress. Because his parents were constantly touring for their jobs, Cassidy was raised by his grandmother in West Orange, New Jersey. Not to say this might have screwed him up a bit, but in 1956, Cassidy found out that his parents had been divorced for two years – when he was told by some neighbors’ kids.
Phyllis Diller performing at the Bob Hope show for the U.S. troops at Can Ranh in 1967.
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Hell yes, Phyllis Diller was the original queen of comedy. Diller got her start in the business when she decided to become a standup at the age of 37. She already had a few kids under her belt and was working as a copywriter at a local radio station.
Diller first took to the stage in 1955 at The Purple Onion in North Beach – located in San Francisco. With her outrageous appearance, and her skewed take on being a housewife, Diller was a ground-breaker in standup. This was during a time when it was rare to see a woman on stage telling jokes.
Diller set the way for such women comedian to follow as Joan Rivers, Carol Burnett, and Ellen DeGeneres.
Barbara Roufs was a mother of two and the queen of the drag strip
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In the 70s, drag racing also meant beautiful women. The world of funny cars was blessed by one particular trophy girl, Barbara Roufs. She was a regular fixture at such drag events in Southern California sanctioned by Doug Kruse’s Professional Dragster Association. Roufs embodied everything that made up a great 70s trophy girl; white go-go boots, tight short-shorts, ironed straight hair, and a killer tan and smile. She embodied California drag racing.
Ironically, at the time of this photo, Rouf was 29-years old, a mother of two, and had weighed 200 lbs after the birth of her second child.
Picnic at Woodstock, 1969.
Source: Reddit
There’s a 50th anniversary Woodstock music festival in the works. The four-day music festival, held on a dairy farm in upstate New York, attracted more than 400,000 people – and not only changed the face of music, but also pop culture. It was said to be the high-watermark of the peace and love 60’s – only to come crashing down by the Altamont Free Concert held in Northern California in 1969 where the Hell’s Angels acted as security guards and one person ended up being stabbed to death.
Meanwhile, Woodstock was all about good vibes – though Pete Townsend, of The Who, ended up punching out Abbie Hoffman for trying to interrupt their set with an anti-war speech. Perhaps in this photo, everyone is watching Jimi Hendrix – who took to the Woodstock stage at 9am for a two hour set.
Robert Plant, 1971.
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Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, was the ultimate rock god. Just think of that magical combination of Plant on vocals, Jimmy Page on guitar, and John Bonham on drums. Oh, yeah, and John Paul Jones in the mix as well. As far as charismatic frontmen of the 60s and 70s, Plant, along with Roger Daltry, and Mick Jagger – get the prize.
Plant got the music bug at an early age. Says Plant:
“When I was a kid I used to hide behind the curtains at home at Christmas and I used to try and be Elvis. There was a certain ambience between the curtains and the French windows, there was a certain sound there for a ten-year-old. That was all the ambience I got at ten years old… I think! And I always wanted to be a curtain, a bit similar to that.”
Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve at an award show in the 1980s. The two longtime pals met in 1973 as Juilliard students and were best friends up until Reeve’s death in 2004.
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Robin Williams and Christopher Reeves were great friends who met early on when they were both attending Juilliard to study acting. Williams and Reeves were of just 20 students accepted into Juilliard that year – and were in the Advanced Program taught by the legendary John Houseman. On their meeting, Reeves said in his biography:
“I’d never seen so much energy contained in one person. He was like an un-tied balloon that had been inflated and immediately released. I watched in awe as he virtually caromed off the walls of the classrooms and hallways. To say that he was ‘on’ would be a major understatement. There was never a moment when he wasn’t doing voices, imitating teachers, and making our faces ache from laughing at his antics.”
In 1978, they both took an alien turn. Williams got the starring role on Mork and Mindy, while Reeves starred in the Richard Donner film, Superman.The planet earth was never the same after these two pop culture landmarks.
Scene from the “Batman” episode with singer Lesley Gore as ‘Pussycat’ in “That Darn Catwoman” in 1967.
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The premise of this 1967 Batman episode is simple, The Catwoman manages to drug Robin and the Boy Wonder becomes her mindless slave. Need I mention that Catwoman already looks like an S&M pro? The episode climaxes with Batman caught in a giant mouse trap that’s about to snap shut on him. Yikes!
Singer Lesley Gore plays “Pussycat” in the episode. Gore is known for the pop hits It’s My Party, Judy’s Turn to Cry, She’s a Fool, and California Nights. Not only that but Gore, along with her brother Michael, ended up composing the music for the 1980 movie, Fame. Pretty impressive.
Steve McQueen on the set of “The Getaway” in 1972.
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The 1972 Steve McQueen movie, The Getaway – is one of my favorites. Not only was it directed by Sam Peckinpah – but it also costarred Ali McGraw. The film is also based on a novel by badass crime writer, Jim Thompson. As with any Peckinpah movie, you can expect there’s going to be lot of violence.
Some interesting trivia, in the opening scene at the Huntsville penitentiary, Steve McQueen is actually surrounded by real-life convicts. Meanwhile, Peckinpah’s consumption of alcohol dramatically increased while filming The Getaway. He was often heard saying: “I can’t direct when I’m sober.”Yes, the 1970s were a much simpler time!
Steven Tyler performing with Aerosmith in 1976.
Source: Reddit
Once again, talk about great rock frontmen of the 70s – Steven Tyler is the Mick Jagger of America. After getting expelled from high school for drug use, a 17-year old Tyler would spend a lot of time hanging out in Greenwich Village. He got the music bug after seeing the Rolling Stones in concert. Friends started saying he looked like Jagger because of his big lips. A photo in the band’s autobiography – shows a young Tyler standing behind Mick Jagger outside a hotel.
Tyler wrote the song, Dream On, which would become a signature hit – long before Aerosmith was even a group.
Sweet photo of baby Angelina Jolie with her mother Marcheline Bertrand.
Source: Reddit
Like mother, like daughter. Marcheline Bertrand is Angelina Jolie’s mom and also the former wife of Midnight Cowboy star, John Voight. She was born of French-Canadian heritage and studied acting with Lee Strasberg in New York City. Bertrand got her first screen role on the TV show, Ironside. She also had roles in the movie, Lookin’ to Get Out, which was co-written and starred her former husband, Voight.
Bertrand dropped out of the business and turned her attention to humanitarian causes. She co-founded the All Tribes Foundation, to support the cultural and economic survival of Native peoples. Bertrand sadly died of ovarian cancer at the age of 56.
The cast of the 1986 film, “Stand By Me” directed by Rob Reiner.
Source: Reddit
Did you know, Stand By Me, was based on a short story by Stephen King called, The Body? Well it was. Pretty much all the actors who appeared in the movie went on to do great things. Take Corey Feldman for example, he went on to appear in the 1992 sequel to Meatballs, which was called, Meatballs 4.
The movie was directed by Rob Reiner. After screening the movie for King, Reiner noticed that the writer was visibly shaking and wasn’t speaking. King later told him it was because the movie was the best adaptation of his work he had ever seen. And this is coming from a man who wrote The Shining!
The Mamas and The Papas, 1966.
Source: Reddit
Holy crap – these iconic musical figures of the 60s look like kids in this photo. The Mamas and the Papas performed together from 1965 to 1968 – and racked up over 40 million record sales worldwide.
It was always rumored that Mama Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas died from chocking on a ham sandwich. This is not true. Cass, who was overweight, died of heart failure at her flat in London. The ham sandwich rumor got started when a physician told the London police that a half-eaten sandwich was found in her room. No food was found in Elliot’s windpipe – though the false story still lives on to this day.
Ann-Margret sitting in the Autumn leaves, 1965.
Source: Reddit
I really don’t know more to say about Ann-Margret – but she keeps popping up with amazing shots of her in her heyday. She is one of the few sex symbols who was discovered by comedian George Burns in 1960. Burns saw her sing in a campus musical at Northwestern University and hired her to be a part of his Vegas act. In just a few years later – she was costarring with Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas.
She also had the luck of a cat with nine-lives; in 1972, Ann-Margret survived a dramatic 22-foot fall during a concert from a stage in a Lake Tahoe. And yes, she is still around to sing and dance about it.
Candid photo of Priscilla Presley driving outside her home in Beverly Hills in 1969.
Source: Reddit
Have you seen the HBO documentary, Elvis Presley: The Searcher? Check it out if you can. It’s one of the best portraits of The King – I have ever seen. Priscilla Presley is interviewed in the documentary – and gives amazing insights on what it was like to live with Elvis. Not to say it was kind of creepy, but Elvis started dating Priscilla when she was 14-years old – while he was stationed in Germany during his stint in the military. Elvis was 24 at the time. The two didn’t have sex until their wedding night in 1967.
After the pair divorced, Elvis spiraled out of control. You can hear the effects of their breakup on the song, Hurt, off his last studio album.
Carl Weathers and a then unknown young Jean Claude Van Damme (cast as the Predator) on set in 1987. Van Damme was fired from the film because he wouldn’t stop kickboxing.
Source: Reddit
Young Jean-Claude Van Damme was cast as the title alien in the 1987 movie, Predator. Guess what? He got fired and they recast the role. In the early 80’s, Van Damme came to America with dreams of movie stardom. The Muscles from Brussels found it tough at first; at one point he slept in a rental car for two weeks, and made money money by teaching martial arts, delivering pizzas, and working for Chuck Norris as a doorman at his restaurant.
Van Damme got, what he thought, was his big break when he was cast as the alien in Predator. He was fired because he wanted Predator to be a kickboxing alien from outer space. Everyone else didn’t. He eventually replaced by Kevin Peter Hall. There’s actually footage out there of Van Damme playing the original Predator.
Here are some groovy men’s suits from the 1960s, dig that mustard yellow!
Source: Reddit
My first thought – where can I get suits like these? Look at these crazy fashions from the 60s – it looks like everyone was dressing like a foppish Oscar Wilde. Back in the day, bright colors were all the rage. Perhaps it was complimented by all the acid everyone was doing. The clothing material of choice was polyester. I guess everyone was also smoking so much weed that they wanted a material that was fireproof. Men were into tight pants that flaired out – this was complimented by platform shoes. The late 60s and early 70s was the perfect fashion blending of hippie meets mod – when turtlenecks and neck scarves were all the rage.
Here’s what the popular Halloween kids costumes were back in 1967
Source: Reddit
Halloween costumes were both simple and creepy back in the 60s. You’d slap on a mask with a string – and have your breathing constricted for the rest of the evening while you went trick-or-treating. In the United States, trick-or-treating became a Halloween tradition back in the late 1920s. Think of the premise, we’re telling children to go to complete strangers houses – and beg for candy. During the World War II, trick-or-treating took a decline due to sugar rations. Stupid World War II.
Today, Americans spend an estimated $6 billion annually on Halloween – escalating it to becoming the second-largest commercial holiday in the nation.
Nice photo of the Houston rockers ZZ Top, 1970.
Source: Reddit
Wow – look at these soon-to-be big bearded dudes of ZZ Top. As you can tell by the photo, the band is from Texas. They formed in Houston back in 1969. The band released their first album in 1971 – cunningly entitled: ZZ Top’s First Album. Their early sound was blues-inspired rock.
The band got their name from the initials of musicians: B.B. King and Z.Z. Hill. They combined the two into: ZZ King. The figured something to the effect that “king is going at the top” which brought them to “ZZ Top.” Get it?
Sleek 1969 Dodge Charger.
Source: Reddit
Talk about classic muscle cars…the 1969 Dodge Charger will punch you in the face. The Charger came onto the scene in 1966 and sold for a base price of $3,100. The ’69 model added a few modifications including a new grille with a center divider and longitudinal taillights – all designed by Harvey J. Winn.
If the Dodge Charger looks vaguely familiar, that’s because it was on the TV show, Dukes of Hazzard. It was painted orange and named, The General Lee. An unfortunate Confederate flag was painted on the hood. The General Lee would execute amazing jumps in each episode – and the show’s popularity produced consumer interest in the Dodge Charger – except without unfortunate Confederate flag.
Phil Collins promotes his band in 1976.
Source: Reddit
Here me out on this one, but Phil Collins is an amazing drummer – despite the fact that he looks like Charlie Brown. Collins started his life on stage as a child actor and got his first major role as the Artful Dodger in the London stage production of Oliver! Collins then slowly segued from acting into music.
He joined the band Genesis – after the group advertised for a drummer – saying they wanted “a drummer sensitive to acoustic music.” The audition took place at the home of the parents of singer Peter Gabriel. From 1970-1975, Collins only played drums and sang background vocals before eventually becoming the lead singer as well.
