California 2017: Highlights from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour

We spent spring break in Los Angeles and Anaheim this year, ostensibly to tour colleges for our teenager (whose dream school is Cal Arts). While I was once again too early to revel in the delights of the TCM Film Festival in Hollywood, I did manage to enjoy plenty of movie buff destinations, from Hollywood Blvd. to Disneyland. One of our best side trips was a morning at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, where we took in a guided tour. Lauren, our tour guide, was a TCM addict and classic film fan, so she was the perfect person to tell us all about the studio's golden age stars and productions!

Here are a few photos of classic Hollywood items from the museum showcase near the end of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour.

First up is a dress worn by the great Olivia de Havilland in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), which also stars Bette Davis and Errol Flynn as the title characters. It's not one of the more elaborate costumes from the film, but it was still wonderful to see something the actress wore in the picture. It was even nicer because de Havilland celebrated her 100th birthday last summer and is still with us.

Also on display is the microphone used in The Jazz Singer (1927), which is, of course, the perfect item to symbolize the picture that really ushered in the talkie era. It's so big that I inevitably thought of Singin' in the Rain (1952) when I saw it, remembering how much trouble those clunky nuisances gave Gene Kelly and Jean Hagen when their characters tried to make the jump from silent films to sound!

I was also delighted to find a few items from The Music Man (1962), starring Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. My husband and daughter were horrified when I immediately began singing "Seventy-Six Trombones" while staring at this display case, but, honestly, could you have resisted the urge? That trombone is right there. They're lucky it wasn't a costume worn by Ron Howard, or I might have struck up "Gary, Indiana" or "Wells Fargo Wagon" and never stopped.

These photos are just a fraction of what we saw on the tour, which took all morning and was worth every penny. If you find yourself in the LA area, I definitely recommend the Warner Bros. tour as a top pick. Although it also provides a lot of exhibits geared toward fans of modern movies and TV shows, there's plenty for classic movie buffs to appreciate. The only disappointment is the gift shop at the end, which has absolutely nothing to celebrate the studio's long history. Come on, Warner! Can't you even get us a Casablanca fridge magnet or a Rick's Cafe Americain coffee mug?

Homes of Classic Hollywood Stars: Four Vintage Postcards

Here's Cary Grant's beach home in Santa Monica, California. The postcard was manufactured by Western Publishing & Novelty Co. of Los Angeles. The house was originally built for Norma Talmadge in 1929, but Grant lived there from 1939 to 1942 with housemate Randolph Scott. According to Wikimapia, lots of stars spent some time in this house, including Merle Oberon and David Niven. You can read all about the neighborhood and its classic stars in this article from Curbed Los Angeles.

This postcard shows Bing Crosby's Toluca Lake home in North Hollywood. Longshaw Card Co. of Los Angeles produced the card. The original house on the site burned in 1943, and the home seen above was built to replace it. Later owners included Andy Griffith and Jerry Van Dyke. According to the LA Times, the home sold in 2009 for $10 million.

Another postcard from Longshaw shows the Beverly Hills home of Hollywood bad boy, Errol Flynn. Like the three other cards, this one includes a picture of the star resident. It's hard to imagine Flynn getting up to his usual mischief in such a stately manor! The Errol Flynn Blog has a great list of places associated with the actor; as you might expect, he got around.

This last card is the only one that lacks a photo of the star, which is a shame, since it's also the only one depicting the home of an actress. This is Irene Dunne's Holmby Hills residence; Tichnor Art Company produced the postcard. Dunne lived in the home for more than 40 years, but it was demolished after her death and replaced (such a pity!). The Irene Dune Site has a nice collection of photos showing Dunne in the home in March 1950.

Personal Notes -

I found these while sorting through some of my late mother-in-law's belongings. They lay in a heap of vintage postcards that she probably inherited from her mother or grandmother, given that many were addressed to her grandmother and were from her uncle; I don't know if she actually knew that these were among the lot. You can imagine my delight at finding them! Scans of the postcards are already available online thanks to copies for sale on Amazon and Ebay, but I thought many of my classic movie friends might not know about them and would enjoy seeing them. I think I'm going to get them framed and put them up in my study.

Classic Movie Atmosphere at Disney's Hollywood Studios

We visit Walt Disney World in Orlando every few years, and I always enjoy the classic Hollywood vibe at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Here are a few photos from our most recent trip showing some of the ways that the park makes classic movie fans feel right at home.

The nod to classic costume designers Adrian and Edith Head was one of my favorite little touches. Replicas of gowns from the 1920s and 1930s could also been seen in many shop windows, although, sadly, the merchandise within the stores tended to be the same old theme park souvenirs. I keep hoping that Studios will add more interesting items to their stores, but we did manage to find some neat Oswald the Lucky Rabbit stuff this trip.

The main entrance area of the park is bright with neon and signs that recall Hollywood's Golden Age, including this Planet Hollywood sign. If only the real Planet Hollywood chain was this cool!

The mock movie posters at the Planet Hollywood shop also pay tribute to classic films. The sci-fi one is clearly a reference to the iconic promo image for Forbidden Planet (1956), while the Flyboys Over Hollywood poster reminds me of both the original and remake versions of The Dawn Patrol. I often wonder how many tourists actually stop to look at these little details, much less know what they mean.

These next two bring to mind Gone with the Wind (1939) and Out of the Past (1947), but they also summarize the whole genres of romance and film noir. I wonder how many old movie posters the designers looked at when they made these?

Every time I visit I notice something I hadn't really seen before, which is one of the reasons going back to Disney is always fun. I hope that by the next time I go, I'll have lots of new classic movie details to appreciate with the TCM updates at The Great Movie Ride!

Classic Movie Stars at Madame Tussauds Hollywood

Marilyn Monroe

Classic movie fans might be pleasantly surprised by the number of Old Hollywood stars immortalized in wax at Madame Tussauds Hollywood. While the majority of the exhibits do focus on more recent celebrities familiar to the rank and file tourists who flock to Hollywood Blvd., Madame Tussauds makes an effort to celebrate those who came before, as well. The figures themselves are quite good, and their placement encourages visitors to cozy up to Jimmy Stewart and Bette Davis or even get into the action with Peter O'Toole and Alfred Hitchcock. Here are some photo highlights of the classic star figures on display at Madame Tussauds Hollywood.

Have a drink with Bette Davis.

Among the classic stars you'll find the heavy hitters, of course, including Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Judy Garland. All are shown in costumes from their films, and some have scenes with backdrops and props to recreate particular moments from their most memorable roles. For Alfred Hitchcock you can actually get into the famous shower scene and pretend you're Janet Leigh about to meet her demise in Psycho - Hitch stands out front ready to roll cameras. You can also mount a camel next to Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, although it's hard to get camel rider and wax figure together in a good shot.

Charlie Chaplin is the museum's only real nod to the silent era, but it's nice to see the Little Tramp included in the menagerie. He hangs out near other comedians like George Burns and Bob Hope in the first section of the classic Hollywood exhibits. You can pose next to the figures and even touch them, although the staff do ask that visitors not touch the figures' faces or hair (which makes sense).

Fred and Ginger dance divinely.

Gene Kelly is sadly absent, but the musical gets its tribute in the form of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, forever frozen mid-dance.

Bogart is avoiding those leeches.

Judy Garland appears as Dorothy against an Oz backdrop, naturally, while Bogart and Katharine Hepburn have a nice scene from The African Queen. You can even get in the boat and help Kate steer, which is fun.

George Bailey never escapes Bedford Falls.

If you visit the museum yourself, be sure to turn the flash off if you want good photos of the figures. They look much better that way.





One thing that struck me about the figures was how tall or short different stars were. I was especially surprised at how tall Jimmy Stewart is in his It's a Wonderful Life scene! My 5 foot 8 inch husband barely reached Clint Eastwood's shoulder, but he was glad to at least be a little taller than Raquel Welch in her One Million Years BC costume.

Madame Tussauds Hollywood is not a cheap ticket, and you'll be more likely to get your money's worth out of it if you also care about modern stars like Anne Hathaway, Bruce Willis, and Johnny Depp. The superhero exhibit includes Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Chris Hemsworth as Thor, which will appeal to genre fans and younger kids, and there are rooms for pop stars and athletes, too. Still, if you have always dreamed of mugging with the classic stars in their signature roles, Madame Tussauds is ready to make that dream come true.

Note: Figures on display do change over time, so you might see different stars depending on when you go. John Wayne was conspicuously absent from the Western room, for example. Maybe he was off having his boots cleaned. For a different perspective and set of photos, see Kenda Bean's post about her trip to the attraction in 2010 (naturally, she has lots of photos of Vivien Leigh!).

Classic Movie Tourist: A Day in Hollywood

Hollywood is naturally the Mecca of every classic movie fan, but for many of us visiting in person is difficult, if not impossible. I have been reading lucky travelers' blog posts and admiring photos of the Walk of Fame for years, but last week I finally got to check Hollywood off of my own personal bucket list. It was everything I expected it to be: tacky, crowded, worn around the edges, and yet bursting with the spirit of those who made it great. Footprints and stars, glamor and squalor, the absurd and the sublime - all are there among the throngs of tourists and the endless blaring signs.

The Hollywood Bed & Breakfast

We made a comfortable camp at the Hollywood Bed & Breakfast just up the street, which allowed us to walk a few blocks into the tourist stretch when we woke early on Sunday morning. Being on Central Time, we were wide awake long before the locals got going, and we mostly saw joggers and dog walkers along the residential section. Even Grauman's Chinese Theatre was quiet when we first passed by.

Our first stop of the day was the Hollywood Museum, located in the Max Factor building. In spite of an exterior and barker that make it seem like just another tourist trap, this is a great place for classic movie buffs. The Max Factor angle actually makes for fascinating history, especially if you're interested in Jean Harlow, Lucille Ball, Joan Crawford, and other stars who were known for the distinctive looks that Factor helped to create. Downstairs were mildly gruesome horror exhibits celebrating Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, Hammer films, and other genre icons. Upstairs we found exhibits featuring Elvira, Sonny and Cher, The Beverly Hillbillies, and just about everything else you can think of. A costume display highlighted outfits from recent movies and television shows. We spent a good two hours in the museum, but you could stay longer if you wanted to watch the entire Max Factor in Hollywood documentary.

Mel's next door to the museum was a touristy bust, very expensive and lacking in the character that made us enjoy Mel's in San Francisco. Even though Mel's offers a discount on Hollywood Museum tickets if you eat there first, I suggest you skip it and find someplace better - or at least less pricey - to eat. Sadly, some of the more iconic Hollywood Blvd. eateries were closed the day we were there.

Of course we spent time wandering up and down the Walk of Fame, and I enjoyed reciting the film careers of the stars to my utterly uninterested spouse and child. (They endure similar educational lectures from me on a regular basis.) Some homeless men had constructed a bizarre shrine on Marilyn Monroe's star that consisted mostly of McDonald's fare, including an apple pie still in the box, a handful of chicken nuggets, and some other items that they arranged with great consideration. Oddly enough, none of the homeless people ever asked us for anything, although one man called out "Welcome to Hollywood!" every time we passed him.

By the time we returned to Grauman's to see the cement, the crowds had arrived. Hoards of people jostled one another in front of the theater, but most seemed unimpressed by the stars whose names appeared next to their handprints. It was easy enough to get photos of the blocks honoring Charles Laughton, Margaret O'Brien, and Monty Woolley.

We spent the afternoon at Madame Tussauds Hollywood, which is overpriced and very touristy but also a delight for those who want to have their pictures made with Fred and Ginger, Charlie Chaplin, George Burns, and Bette Davis. The number of classic stars represented was really pretty impressive; I think my favorite was Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd., but I was also thrilled to find Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen. The wax figures are more fun because the museum encourages visitors to get close and take interesting pictures; props are even provided for some scenes.

The shopping center near Grauman's has little for the cinephile, although there are some eateries and a number of familiar mall staples. I found the real deal, though, at Larry Edmunds Bookshop, where I browsed movie books, stills, and posters to my heart's content. I would probably still be there a week later if my family hadn't dragged me out.

The highlight of our day in Hollywood was seeing Muppets Most Wanted at Disney's El Capitan Theatre. An organist played a Wurlitzer as the seats filled, making his way through an astonishing number of Disney tunes (he seemed to like Mary Poppins in particular). When he played the theme for The Muppet Show the audience went wild. Then, to our utter delight, we enjoyed a live performance by Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. It must have been fifteen or twenty minutes long, and the duo made their way through several songs and gags. The experience became positively uncanny when the movie started outside the very theater where we were sitting! Having co-edited two books about Jim Henson and the Muppets, you could definitely say I'm a fan, and seeing the newest Muppet movie in this setting was almost a religious experience. Afterward, we got to stroll through a display of props and costumes from the picture, including several of Miss Piggy's gowns and the tiny car driven by Ty Burrell.

Exhausted and giddy, we caught a bus back to the Hollywood B&B, where we collapsed into Muppet and movie filled dreams. My day in Hollywood was over, but the memories will stay with me for a very long time.

Laird Cregar at 100

July 28, 2013, marks the 100th birthday of classic Fox star Laird Cregar, one of my favorite lesser-known actors and the protagonist of one of Hollywood's most tragic stories. Cregar had been pegged by the studio as a heavy because of his large size and his air of hedonistic debauchery, but the actor longed for leading man status and was willing to take drastic measures to show that he could fit the studio's image of a romantic lead. He dropped 100 pounds and presented himself in a very different light in his final film, Hangover Square (1945), but the strain of his physical transformation resulted in a fatal heart attack, and Cregar died before the picture was released. He was only 31 years old, with a brilliant career ahead of him, and had he lived Cregar might have proved a true rival to his friend, Vincent Price.

Here are a few of my favorite Cregar performances -

HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943) - Cregar plays the Devil in this romantic comedy from Ernst Lubitsch. He doesn't have a lot of scenes with star Don Ameche, but he makes every one of them count, and Cregar's Devil is a jolly -  if slightly sinister - fellow, a laughing demon who doesn't really seem to wish his guest eternal damnation at all.

CHARLEY'S AUNT (1941) - With Jack Benny as the cross-dressing star, Cregar plays an older man who tries to court Benny in his widow's disguise. Ironically, Cregar's son in the movie, James Ellison, was actually three years older than Cregar!

BLOOD AND SAND (1941) - In this sweeping Spanish epic, Cregar plays a smug bullfight critic who can make or break careers with a wave of his pen. Cregar cuts Tyrone Power down as viciously as a gored bull, but the real threat to Ty's ambitious bullfighter is the seductive Rita Hayworth.

THE LODGER (1944) - Cregar takes on the Jack the Ripper role in this creepy thriller starring Merle Oberon and George Sanders. As dangerous as his killer is, Cregar invests him with a strange sympathy that fascinates both the audience and Oberon's heroine.

HANGOVER SQUARE (1945) - Although he didn't live to see it, Cregar gives a tour de force performance in his final film, building on the pitiable monster created in THE LODGER. His transformation scenes from nice guy to killer require no makeup or special effects, just Cregar's own ability to show his protagonist crossing over to the dark side at the sound of a particular tone.

Cregar also makes memorable appearances in I WAKE UP SCREAMING (1941), THE BLACK SWAN (1942), and THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942). Honor his memory and his passion for stardom by catching a few of his movies this week.

The Palace Cinema: A LEGO Set for Serious Cinephiles

It's not everyday that my two greatest obsessions - classic movies and LEGO - overlap, but when they do the results are fantastic. The official unveiling of the upcoming Palace Cinema set took place at BrickFair AL in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 19, 2013, and I was there to drool all over the display model. It's a great set, and one that I think general classic movie fans might well find as irresistible as those of us already involved in the LEGO hobby.

This is a huge Creator set designed to work with the previous Cafe Corner modular kits, and all of those have been terrific, but the classic theater design really sets this latest installment above and beyond. As film fans will immediately note, it takes its architectural cues from that Mecca of the movies, Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The movie posters on the outside feature in-jokes for adult LEGO hobbyists but also evoke classic Hollywood style, and the set even has stars on the sidewalk outside the entrance and minifigures to stage a classic Hollywood gala premiere.

The Palace Cinema will go on sale at LEGO stores and other retailers in March 2013. List price will be about $150. If you're planning to stage a red carpet event with yours, be sure you get the Marilyn Monroe inspired collectable minifigure in the new Series 9 figure collection. She costs about $3 retail and will add the perfect starlet sex appeal to the scene!

If you'd like to see more photos of the Palace Cinema set and the huge LEGO displays at BrickFair 2013, head over to the Virtual Virago photostream on Flickr!

Classic Movie Costume Designers

For many film fans, the gorgeous costumes and gowns of the stars make up a big part of the appeal of classic movies. That was true during Hollywood's early days, too, when audiences flocked to the cinema for a look at life on the greener side of the hill. Actresses like Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn, and Gene Tierney were expected to look ravishing in gowns created by the most talented costume designers in the business; the stars' reputations for glamour were on the line every time they appeared on the screen or strolled across the red carpet, and a talented designer could make the difference in a performer's rise from actress to icon. Here is an introduction to a handful of classic Hollywood's greatest costume designers, along with some suggestions about where to see their best creations on film.

Adrian

Adrian Adolph Greenburg (1903-1959) was the gifted designer who created the fantastic costumes of The Wizard of Oz (1939) for MGM, but he also styled the gowns for many other memorable classics, including The Philadelphia Story (1940), A Woman's Face (1941), and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941). Some of his best work sprang from his association with Joan Crawford, one of the great style icons of the period. Although Adrian designed many gorgeous gowns for the queens of the silver screen, his most enduring creations must be Dorothy's ruby red slippers, changed from novelist L. Frank Baum's original silver shoes in order to capitalize on the lavish hues of the Technicolor production.

Oleg Cassini

Born in Paris, Oleg Cassini Loiewski (1919-2006) was romantically linked to many Hollywood actresses, but his most important relationship was with the ethereal Gene Tierney, who was both his wife and his muse as a costume designer. Cassini created the gowns wore by Tierney in The Razor's Edge (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), and Night and the City (1950). Although their union ended in divorce (twice), film fans can still appreciate the beautiful partnership that made Tierney look so lovely in many of her best pictures. Having dressed both Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelly, Cassini remains one of the most renowned designers in the world, and his design house still turns out haute couture for fashion conscious consumers who long for their own chance at classic Hollywood style.

Edith Head

No classic film designer was more prolific or better known than Edith Head (1897-1981), who won eight Academy Awards over the course of her long career. Her work included costumes for stars like Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve (1941) and Ball of Fire (1941), Veronica Lake in Sullivan's Travels (1941), Ginger Rogers in The Major and the Minor (1944), and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950). She created holiday cheer for the outfits worn in White Christmas (1954) and medieval fantasies for The Court Jester (1955). From Westerns and screwball comedies to period dramas and musicals, Edith Head did it all, which helps to explain why Edna Mode, the superhero costume designer in Pixar's The Incredibles (2004), is both parody of and homage to her legendary status.

Orry-Kelly

Originally from Australia, Orry George Kelly won three Oscars for his costume designs. His winning work came with An American in Paris (1951), Les Girls (1957), and Some Like It Hot (1959), but he also designed costumes and gowns for Bette Davis in many of her best pictures, including Jezebel (1938), Dark Victory (1939), The Old Maid (1939), and Now, Voyager (1941). His career started in 1932, and by the time of his death in 1964 he had worked on nearly 300 films. Today, his most recognizable work is almost certainly his costuming for Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942).

Walter Plunkett

If you can picture Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind (1939), you can picture the work of Walter Plunkett. He was the costume designer responsible for that famous green curtain dress, as well as the many other gorgeous period costumes featured in the film. Plunkett's ability to create memorable and historically accurate period costumes led to his involvement in many of the more colorful classic films, including both the 1933 and 1949 versions of Little Women, Stagecoach (1939), Duel in the Sun (1946), and Kiss Me Kate (1953). Aside from Gone with the Wind, however, his most memorable work came with Singin' in the Rain (1951), in which he recalled the Hollywood styles of the 1920s for Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor with the perfect combination of grace and humor that the film required.

Travilla

William Travilla (1920-1990) won an Oscar for his work on The Adventures of Don Juan (1948), but he is best remembered as the designer who dressed Marilyn Monroe in eight films: Monkey Business (1952), Don't Bother to Knock (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), River of No Return (1954), The Seven Year Itch (1955), and Bus Stop (1956). His work with Marilyn produced some of the most famous images in Hollywood history, including the blonde bombshell dressed in white above a ventilation shaft in The Seven Year Itch (1955). 

An earlier version of this article originally appeared on Examiner.com. The author retains all rights to this content.

Theresa Harris, Classic Movie Actress

Few people today know anything about Theresa Harris, but if you have seen more than a handful of classic movies in your life, you have seen her. Harris, who was born in Texas in 1906, appeared in more than 80 films between 1929 and 1958, although many of her roles were small, uncredited parts. How could someone appear in so many classic movies and yet be so obscure?

The answer is simple, if disheartening. Theresa Harris was an African-American actress working in the lily white world of Hollywood's "Golden Age," and for almost thirty years this talented and beautiful performer spent her time and talent playing servants, maids, and slaves to the silver screen's most celebrated stars. Gorgeous, poised, and charismatic, Harris might have become a huge star had she been born in a different era. In recent years, she has attracted some new and long overdue attention, as this 2011 New York Times article about the play, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, reveals, but she’s still far from being a household name.

Here are just a few notable films where you'll find Theresa Harris, always memorable for her beauty and solid performances in spite of the small size of her roles. 

Baby Face (1933) - This pre-Code Barbara Stanwyck drama is probably the best place to see Harris in a larger role; as Stanwyck's companion and collaborator, Chico, Harris has significant screen time and some subtle character development. Early in the film, the two women function primarily as friends and equals, but as Stanwyck’s ambitious Lily sleeps her way to the top, Chico has to resort to playing lady’s maid in Lily’s increasingly swanky digs. At least Lily never abandons or betrays Chico, as she does her male victims, and Chico clearly benefits from the relationship.

Jezebel (1938) - Harris plays the slave maid, Zette, to Bette Davis' tempestuous Southern belle in this gripping period melodrama. She would play similar roles in a number of pictures, where her uncredited maid characters often remain nameless, even though they have scenes and lines with the top-billed stars.

Cat People (1942) - Harris appears in a bit part in this horror classic from Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur; look for her as the waitress in the restaurant scene. This time, at least, she’s not a maid or a servant, and she has a few nice lines with her costars.

I Walked with a Zombie (1943) - A second outing with Lewton and Tourneur offers Harris more screen time as Alma, one of the servants on a voodoo haunted tropical island. Aside from Baby Face, this might be Harris' biggest role in a well-known film. It’s not an especially liberated part, but Harris plays a well-developed character and has many important scenes with star Anna Lee. You’ll also get a great look at Harris’ gorgeous face and animated expressions, which highlight her unrealized star potential.

Out of the Past (1947) - Harris only has one scene in this classic noir film, but director Jacques Tourneur knew from experience that she could do a lot with a very small part. Watch for her as Jane Greer's former maid in the club scene where Robert Mitchum tries to find out where Greer has gone.

Tension (1949) - If you blink you'll miss Harris as a drug store customer in this underappreciated noir gem starring Audrey Totter and Richard Basehart. This kind of role was also typical of Harris’ career, but at least some of the walk-on parts broke away from the maid stereotype.

You'll also find Harris in The Women (1939), Phantom Lady (1944), The Big Clock (1948), The File on Thelma Jordan (1950), and Angel Face (1952). 

An earlier version of this article appeared on Examiner.com. The author retains all rights to this content.

10 Classic Movies Starring Zsa Zsa Gabor

Glamorous Zsa Zsa Gabor never became an A-list actress, but she certainly did find lasting celebrity. In recent years, her health problems and marriage to Prince Frederic von Anhalt have produced a fair amount of tabloid interest in the Hungarian-born Gabor, the middle of a trio of acting sisters that included older sister, Magda, and younger sister, Eva. Here are ten classic movies that provide a snapshot of Gabor's Hollywood career, beginning with the 1952 musical comedy, Lovely to Look At, and ending with the campy horror of Picture Mommy Dead (1966).

1. Lovely to Look At (1952)

2. We're Not Married (1952)

3. Moulin Rouge (1952)

4. Lili (1953)

5. 3 Ring Circus (1954)

6. Death of a Scoundrel (1956)

7. Touch of Evil (1958)

8. For the First Time (1959)

9. Boys' Night Out (1962)

10. Picture Mommy Dead (1966)

Spotlight films

The Headliner: Moulin Rouge (1952)

Dir. John Huston

This biopic about French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec earned seven Oscar nominations in 1953 and won two. Jose Ferrer stars as the diminutive artist, while Gabor plays the famous can-can dancer, Jane Avril, who posed for some of Toulouse-Lautrec's most celebrated paintings. Moulin Rouge came early in Gabor's career, but it would be the most successful film in which she played a major role.

The Hidden Gem: Touch of Evil (1958)

Dir. Orson Welles

Welles' great noir thriller is not particularly obscure, but Gabor's performance is somewhat hidden because she appears only briefly as the owner of a strip club. She does, however, make her short stay memorable, and Welles' picture is an interesting place for Gabor to turn up, especially with costars like Marlene Dietrich, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, and Welles himself.

The Cult Classic: Picture Mommy Dead (1966)

Dir. Bert I. Gordon

I'm not even going to pretend to know what Gabor and Don Ameche are doing in a cheesy horror feature from Attack of the Puppet People (1958) director Bert I. Gordon, but if that doesn't count as a cult movie, nothing does. Gabor plays the dead mother of a girl whose release from an insane asylum only precipitates further horrors. Signe Hasso and Anna Lee also make appearances.