“I never go outside unless I look like Joan Crawford the movie star. If you want to see the girl next door, go next door.”

-Joan Crawford

A true movie star- Joan Crawford lived a life of drama on and off screen. The strongest of cocktails- she’s sweet and bitter, going down easy, but with a burn. Joan’s on screen presence is startling, her commitment to the drama of being an actress is unrelenting. Her features are large and exaggerated and later in life would become somewhat garish. In 1952’s Sudden Fear, there is a scene in which Joan listens to an incriminating message in silence. Here eyes widen, well up and tears fall. She paces about the room in fear, sadness, and disbelief- it is mesmerizing to watch. You feel that just under the surface there is a true madness in Joan- a raw energy that is threatening to explode. Researching the photographer George Hurrell for this project, I came to find that Joan was something of a muse to him. She and Hurrell had 33 sessions together over 16 years- mostly for specific films, but many of them were for the fun of it. Joan would stroll over to the MGM gallery where Hurrell photographed all the MGM stars and say “don’t you like this dress?” and he would shoot with her because she enjoyed being the production. Joan also had a sense that the images would be beneficial to her career and today, Hurrell’s images of Joan in the 30s are some of the most iconic portraits of the actress. The woman in the photo is Melody Madarasz.

“I’ve never fooled anyone. I’ve let people fool themselves.”

-Marilyn Monroe

One of the most fascinating people to ever grace the silver screen, Marilyn Monroe continues to make platinum blonde waves. So much could be said about Marilyn, but as an actress she is underrated. Besides her physical beauty and undeniable sex appeal- she's hilarious. In 1953’s How to Marry a Millionaire- Marilyn plays gold digger Pola Debevoise. For nearly the entire film, she foregoes the glasses she desperately needs because “men aren’t attentive to girls who wear glasses.” The performance is endearing and nuanced and by the end of the film Pola finds her match in a man who is similarly site challenged. The two meet on a flight that Pola was never meant to be on, after she misreads the flight information do to her near blindness. In the classic filmGentleman Prefer Blondes (also 1953)- Marilyn spends most of the movie pulling from her usual bag of tricks as the dim blonde bombshell with a thirst for diamonds, Lorelei Lee. By the end of the film however and after a series of memorable musical numbers- including the iconic, “Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend,” Marilyn gives a fantastic little monologue comparing rich men to pretty women and asks, "you wouldn't marry a girl just because she's pretty, but my goodness doesn't it help?”

The legend of Marilyn Monroe grows as the mysteries of her life are blurred by the passing of time. Like so many people in this series- Marilyn's personal life was far more dramatic than the roles she played on screen. Alleged affairs and troubled marriages remain the subject of debates among historians and fans alike. Something not up for debate however is the mark Marilyn has made. From her appearance to her dalliances and through her trials and triumphs- Marilyn burns like a fire- mesmerizing, untouchable, and seemingly inextinguishable. The woman in the photo is my friend Blake Shutterly.