New Book Features Hollywood Stars In Gorgeous Kodachrome

There are many actors like Errol Flynn and Gregory Peck who we are used to seeing in black and white. But a new book about Hollywood's transition to color, specifically to that electric brand of high contrast color known as Kodachrome, is out which features some glorious color shots of those and other actors like Danny Kaye and Marlene Dietrich.

David Wills new book HOLLYWOOD IN KODACHROME has more than 200 photos like this which show us these and other actors in living color (as they used to say). Doesn't Peck look absolutely charming in that red turtleneck? While Flynn looks downright sexy and almost contemporary (Ryan Gosling-esque?) in his dapper suit.

The book was featured recently on Vanity Fair's Hollywood blog along with 14 other shots from the book, including people like Cary Grant and even Ronald Reagan. It conjures up the height of the glamour during the studio system heyday of the 1940s, a era that I am espeically fond of when it comes to the films themselves. Thus, I am adding this to my Amazon Wish List in advance of the holidays (HINT).

Don't You Forget About Him--Oscars/Vanity Fair

The Oscar's tribute to John Hughes was, aside from Bigelow's double win, the most memorable moment of this year's show.  As the Brat Packers lined up on stage in their best adult prom wear, they gave some wonderfully moving and funny testimonials to the King of High School Comedy.  It's remarkable that Hughes high-school trio of films have survived not only more than 20 years but have become classics as well...all without one single Oscar nomination.


This month's "Vanity Fair" has an in-depth exploration of Hughes and his small but memorable body of work.  Mixing interviews with his own children as well as the stars of his films, there are some interesting revelations.  Most fascinating to me was that "The Breakfast Club" was supposed to be the first of the triology films but then Hughes dashed off a quickie comedy "Sixteen Candles", which got rushed into production before TBC.  There's also some good stories about his intense and mercurial relationships with his teen muses, notably how he didn't speak to Molly Ringwald after their 80's collaborations.  There's also the revelation that, until he died, Hughes was constantly writing and drawing in notebooks, the pages of which are shown in detail in the magazine.  


It's the best distillation of Hughes and his work that I've read in a while.  And a lovely complement to Sunday's well-earned Oscar tribute.