benhästen

Spencer Tracy, 1932

Photo by Imogen Cunningham

(photographer unknown)

“Narrow-trimmed 1/6 plate studio portrait tintype of an endearingly serious boy, standing in front of a painted back drop, holding a crumpled hat in one hand.”

Via J. Cosmas Vintage Photography

Out of the Past, 1947

(stills photographer unknown)

The genius Max Goldblatt: (follow him!)

“In college I wrote a paper on this very scene. The class was Film Noir, Fall 2004, Prof. Jeanine Basinger. One of the most important classes that I ever did take.

We cut to Kathie in medium close-up: she is lit rather flatly, the cast shadows of the fighting men dancing over her face, creating dynamic movement within a relatively static shot.  We hold on her for three seconds, which is longer than any of the previous shots in this fast-paced section.  With this added lingering time on Kathie, Tourneur wants to draw our attention to her reaction.  She seems enthralled by the fight (which, if you’ll remember, she politely asked for when she requested that Jeff “break his head”) and he holds on her just long enough for us to notice that she is doing something with her hands below the frame line.  For now, Tourneur withholds any overt depiction of what is going on below the frame. But we’ll find out soon enough that she’s digging out a gun.”

Via To the Maxxx

Scanned from the Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up Handbook by Dick Smith, published by Warren Publishing Company, New York, NY, 1965.

“Smith pioneered the method of applying prosthetics made from foam latex in small pieces as opposed to the standard of applying a latex mask as one solid piece  . Smith’s technique allowed the actor to have a wide range of facial expressions, making the makeup appear more natural. Despite initial criticism from many professional makeup artists at the time, Smith’s makeup techniques proved to be superior. Today, the standard of applying prosthetics are those that Smith invented. 

Early work by Smith was seen on a short-lived syndicated supernatural “Twilight Zone” clone TV show produced by David Suskind out of New York in 1961 called “Way Out”,  hosted by British writer Roald Dahl. Most memorable was a make-up of a man who had half of his face suddenly erased by a spilled vial of photo retouching fluid that affected real people when merely applied to their photos. In another “Way Out” episode, a “Hunchback of Notre Dame” make-up created by Smith becomes permanently affixed to an evil actor who then became his character and could never remove his make-up. Smith contributed to 14 other memorable “Way Out” episodes, and other 60’s television shows as well.

Smith was also one of the early pioneers of combining make-up with on-set ‘practical’ special effects, starting with “The Exorcist” in 1973, and was an artistic influence of later FX make-up artists such as Rob Bottin. Though many of Smith’s make-up effects were so well conceived as to go undetected, Smith’s expertise gained prominence and acclaim through the variety and ingenuity of his many effects for The Exorcist. Some of his proteges have gone on to prominent success (e.g., Rick Baker), and Smith is generally considered to be the godfather of modern-day special make-up effects.

One of Smith’s trademarks is his ability to create natural-looking effects of aging. For Marlon Brando in The Godfather, Smith used a dental device called a “plumber” to droop the actor’s jowls. The transformation was so real that Brando could eat at local restaurants around the set of the film without being recognized.In his Academy Award-winning work in the Best Picture winner Amadeus, he transformed lead actor F. Murray Abraham into an elderly and crumbling old man.

In the early-mid 60s, Smith published an instructional book, entitled Dick Smith’s Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-up Handbook, a special edition of Forrest J. Ackerman’s “Famous Monsters of Filmland” magazine series. The detailed techniques outlined in this 100-page photo-heavy magazine were a huge influence on younger make-up artists who later revolutionized the quality of make-up in the film industry.”

Via Wikipedia

Thank you, publiccollectors

Lori Field

The Little Death

Image via Art.49

(photographer unknown)

Bela Lugosi and (probably) Bill Neff

Found via Classic Movie Monsters

Germaine Krull, Publicité pour Paul Poiret, 1926 [more]

© Mnam, Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2011

from La Lettre

Thank you, billyjane

(photographer unknown)

“A popular venue for the ol’ Gorilla and Girl act were the spook shows that roamed America beginning in the 1930’s. Dr. Neff’s Madhouse of Mystery appears to be one of the more enduring acts that thrilled audiences with magic and a variety of ghoulish gags. Neff was based out of Indiana and performed there well into the 1950’s.”

Via Hollywood Gorilla Men

Bohuslän

Photo: Jon Bergman

Neko Case

Photo: Jason Creps

Gary Cooper, Malibu, California, 1937

Photo: Veronica Balfe, known as “Rocky”

“Compiled of unpublished, never-before-seen personal photographs, shot primarily by his wife Rocky,  Gary Cooper: Enduring Style captures the cars, the mansions and ranches, the guns and gear, and of course the endless outfits for every occasion that this Hollywood icon ensconced himself in throughout the years. Whether hunting with close friend Ernest Hemingway, lounging with Cary Grant, horseback, poolside, or on the beach, on-set or after-hours, in the company of royalty or cowboys, Cooper had the perfect outfit for every occasion, embodying a type of refined masculinity rarely seen and in high demand to this day.”

Via Elizabeth Avedon

A young boy studying the human skull, 1948

Photographer: Nina Leen

Via LIFE

Photographer: Horst P Horst

(photographer unknown)

A still frame from the Buster Keaton short The Haunted House (1921) 

Thank you Shash for the update

(Source: agrizzlyscene)