Australian Women's Weekly Icons

Revisit the magic of Hollywood’s golden age with a new Icons issue. From leading lady Lucille Ball’s path to becoming our favourite funny girl to the secret lives of stars including Frank Sinatra, Leslie Caron, Burt Lancaster and more there are 164 page of gripping reads and vintage photos to enjoy.

From the editor

LEADING ladies • Anne Baxter Brigitte Bardot Hazel Court

The unlikely Aussie • She looked like she had the movie world at her feet after her Oscar-nominated performance in 1950’s All About Eve. But love – and bad business decisions – ultimately led Anne to a cattle station in Australia. As Dann Lennard explains, this Down Under romance was doomed.

The ultimate muse • Model, movie star, pop chanteuse. In the 1950s and ’60s, the French beauty dominated popular culture, and now a new book, Being Bardot, has uncovered a selection of rare images from top photographers Douglas Kirkland and Terry O’Neill. We visit a few here.

Queen of scream • Dubbed the British Fay Wray, the stunning actress achieved cult cinema status thanks to a legion of fans transfixed by those jade green eyes and a healthy set of lungs. Tim Gill reports.

BEHIND THE stars • Screen tests Stars play DJ The Actors Studio

Testing the stars • In 1937, movie reporter Mary Olivier delighted her Australian readers with tales from Tinseltown, including a behind-the-scenes look at screen testing, and how it could ultimately make or break even the biggest stars. We reproduce her original article here.

Put your records on • The 1950s saw the record player go mainstream as the introduction of television also had pop and rock stars exploding into living rooms. Playing records at home was a regular pastime and the stars of the time were just like us - choosing their favourites for the turntable.

School for the stars • As the most in-demand actor’s training ground, The Actors Studio not only revolutionised the industry but has impacted the careers of some of the biggest stars of the 20th century and beyond, as Nicole Hickson discovers.

LEADING men • Fred Astaire Errol Flynn Marlon Brando

Lord of the dance • Despite his career on the silver screen almost burning out before it had begun, the dancer, as Kylie Walters reports, would revolutionise Hollywood in ways that are still seen today.

The eternal rogue • One of the first stars to experience fame on a global scale, Errol embodied the untamed man of action both on screen and off.

The wild one • She was Hollywood’s most formidable gossip columnist, her words able to make or break the biggest star. In 1963, Hedda Hopper wrote an exclusive series of articles for The Australian Women’s Weekly, talking about her relationship with the biggest names of the Golden Age. We republish one of her most biting.

SCANDALS & tragedy • Barbara Payton Ginger Rogers and Howard Hughes

The fallen angel • The beautiful and talented actress had the world at her feet, but she destroyed a promising film career through booze, drugs and scandals. What followed was a life of prostitution and alcoholism that led to Barbara’s death at the age of 39. Dann Lennard examines the inner demons that drove her to an early grave.

Power and passion • It seemed the perfect match: the gorgeous movie star and the dashing billionaire aviator. But, writes Bronwyn Phillips, when Ginger discovered just how far Howard would go for total control over her, the love affair quickly changed course.

Power PLAYERS • Billy Wilkerson Frances Marion Samuel Goldwyn

The Hollywood godfather • In the 1930s and ’40s he was known as the most powerful person in Tinseltown not to own a studio. Tiffany Dunk revisits the life and times of the man who had the ability to make or break the Golden Ages’ greatest stars.

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