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After the success of It Happened One Night (1934), Claudette Colbert became the biggest actress under contract to Paramount Pictures. Although the film had been made at Columbia, its popularity did not escape the attention of Paramount's executives, who decided to capitalize on Colbert's newfound fame as a comedienne. The studio commissioned screenwriter Claude Binyon to create another romantic comedy for the actress, and the result was The Gilded Lily (1935), the story of a stenographer who becomes a member of café society and must choose between a dashing English aristocrat and a common newspaper reporter. Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert appeared in seven pictures together. Whereas the part of the Englishman was perfectly suited for Ray Milland, there was some difficulty in casting the role of the reporter. Paramount initially wanted Franchot Tone, but MGM refused to loan him out. Cary Grant was considered, but his light cockney accent made him «not American enough» ...

In late 1940, an aspiring young actor named Van Johnson was hired by director-playwright George Abbott as a chorus boy and  Gene Kelly 's understudy in the Broadway musical Pal Joey . The show opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Christmas Day of that year, a few months after Cole Porter's Panama Hattie premiered at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre). In the cast of Panama Hattie was another young hopeful, June Allyson, who was understudying Betty Hutton. One day, Van happened to meet June at the apartment of a mutual friend and, by all accounts, the two instantly became «soulmates.» Van Johnson and June Allyson were lifelong friends and appeared in six films together.   Van and June were both avid movie fans and they both had dreams of becoming actors one day. Whereas Van idolized Spencer Tracy — with whom he would later co-star in A Guy Named Joe (1943) and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) — June thought Margaret Sullavan was the screen's ...

Ginger Rogers sunbathing in 1936 (Side note: I LOVE her shoes!) Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart with their son, Steven (early 1950s) Ava Gardner in Phillip Island, Australia during the making of On the Beach (1959) Rita Hayworth and Robert Mitchum in Trinidad and Tobago during the filming of Fire Down Below (1957) Natalie Wood and Steve Rowland at the Thalians Beach Ball in Malibu (July 1956) Henry Fonda at the Atlantic Beach Club (1936) Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks at Catalina Beach in 1929 Diane Ellis and Carole Lombard at the beach in 1929 Rock Hudson at the pool (1950s) Audrey Hepburn in Monaco during the making of Monte Carlo Baby (1951) Jane Wyman and Ronald Reagan in their pool (1940) Randolph Scott and Cary Grant poolside at their Santa Monica beach house (1935) I hope you are having an amazing summer! 

As part of my series of Oscar-related articles, today I bring you my top 10 favorite gowns worn by Best Actress winners from 1929 up until 2017. Be prepared to see a lot of white/nude dresses. 10. Sally Field (1980) | Dress by Bob Mackie Won the Oscar for playing Norma Rae Webster in Norma Rae (1979) This dress is kind of the «odd-one-out» of all the gowns on this list. It is definitely not as fancy or embellished as all the others, but I genuinely love it. The floral tulle blouse/bolero adds a beautiful finishing touch. And since it was the 1980s, she had glorious big hair to go with it. 9. Olivia de Havilland (1950) | Dress by Unknown Won the Oscar for playing Catherine Sloper in The Heiress (1949) This dress is so pretty! I love the floral black and white appliqués and the lace detailing on the sleeves. I'm not too keen on the gloves, but it was the 50s so of course there had to be gloves. 8. Julianne Moore (2015) | Dress by Chanel Won the Oscar for playing Alice Daly Howl...

Throughout this month, just like I did last year, I have decided to do a series of Oscar-related articles in anticipation to the 90th Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held on March 4. Last week, I told you my top 10 favourite Best Supporting Actor-winning performances , so today I thought I would do the same, but for Best Supporting Actresses. Once again, please bear in mind that this is my own personal opinion, which is limited to the films I have seen so far. 10. Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind (2001)   Alicia Nash (Jennifer Connelly): I need to believe that something extraordinary is possible.     9. Teresa Wright in Mrs. Miniver (1942) Carol Beldon (Teresa Wright): I know how comfortable it is to curl up with a nice, fat book full of big words and think you're going to solve all the problems in the universe. But you're not, you know. A bit of action is required every now and then.     8. Anne Baxter in The Razor's Edge (1946) Sophie Nel...