The many loves of Lana Turner.

August 1, 2017 Alan Royle 5

  LANA TURNER (1921-95)   1936:   Wayne Morris, who would become a fighter pilot hero in World War Two, was Lana’s first Hollywood crush.   1937:   Ronald Reagan was her first studio-arranged romance, although it is generally believed that their relationship did not go beyond a few horse-riding outings. However, […]

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Heroes & Villains – the HUAC blacklistings 1947-58.

November 8, 2016 Alan Royle 15

  When 79 individuals were subpoenaed in September 1947 by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and charged with subversive actions and/or injecting Communist propaganda into their movies, the repercussions career-wise for many of them were long and destructive. The charges were never substantiated, but their accusers were not concerned […]

Two tragic Hollywood beauties.

September 13, 2016 Alan Royle 10

  Ava Gardner (1922-90) Mickey Rooney took one look at Ava Gardner when she arrived in Hollywood and was hooked. He pursued her, wooed her and did his utmost to bed her, but the 18 year-old virgin made it clear that any man who wanted to alter that status was […]

My Top 50 Handsome Actors (Pt 1)

February 6, 2016 admin 13

    Since listing my 50 most beautiful actresses I have been asked to provide a similar list of the 50 most handsome men. And that creates a problem for me. Being heterosexual, how do I go about naming the men I find most sttractive? I don’t really think of […]

Reds under the bed – Hollywood and the HUAC.

December 10, 2015 admin 12

  John Huston directed and Sterling Hayden starred in The Asphalt Jungle in 1950. At the time both were members of The Committee for the First Amendment, a group formed in September 1947 to support the Hollywood Ten and to oppose those who wished to blacklist actors, writers etc. who […]

Stanwyck & Taylor – a Lavender Marriage?

July 6, 2015 admin 52

When it came to questions about her sexuality, Barbara Stanwyck was the old studio days’ equivalent of today’s Tom Cruise. Any mention of her sexual preferences would immediately bring forth veiled threats of litigation should the subject be pursued. Cruise does the same thing today. Mention his name in connection […]

Lana Turner – murderer?

March 25, 2015 admin 4

Lana Turner began her Hollywood career as ‘the Sweater Girl’, and for many of her critics that seemed to be the extent of her thespian ability. Quite a few of them revised their opinions, however, following her real life performance on the stand during her daughter’s murder trial. Single handed, […]