Old Hollywood Stars: Before and After (2024)

We have a Before and After-thread for ourselves, but what about our idols? Do we know what they looked like before their Hollywood make-overs?
The idea for this thread initially came from me being upset by the fact that so many beauties have been forced do diet and lose their curves in order to become stars (this is still true today). I would enjoy seeing pics of starlets prior to the weight loss ticket to fame.
Also, I find the rest of the make-overs intriguing as well: changes in hair color, make-up, clothing, and the overall image. Please enlighten me! Even if you've seen a pic a thousand times, maybe other ladies haven't.

Let's kick things off with Greta Garbo:

Before

Greta Gustafsson at 17, far right.

Greta had a sweet tooth and liked to eat cake and pastries. She had to give up on sweets to become a star.

More early Greta, when she still lived in Sweden, here: http://www.garboforever.com/Film-06.htm

After

Good idea for a thread. :eusa_clap

Wow, Garbo looks so different. She became so thin.

Even though everyone has seen before and after pictures, I figured I would post Norma Jean/Marilyn. I figured she would be good for the thread because she went through so many changes.

Some people only like her as Norma Jean, others only like Marilyn. I like her in both looks. I'm biased though because she's my favorite.

Rita Hayworth

Before Margarita Carmen Cansino

Rita was born in Brooklyn with parents of Irish, English and Spanish descent. Columbia thought Hayworth's image was too much of a Latin style, which caused Hayworth to be cast into stereotypical Hispanic roles. So she underwent electrolysis to broaden her forehead and accentuate her widow's peak, dyed her brown hair red, and went on a diet. Some sources say she bleached her skin as well, but I'm not sure if this is true.

After

Naturally shy and reclusive, Hayworth was the antithesis of the characters she played. "I naturally am very shy," she said, "and I suffer from an inferiority complex." She once complained, "Men fell in love with Gilda, but they wake up with me." (wikipedia)

Great Thread!

Rita Hayworth!!
Quite possibly my #1 Hollywood crush.
I like her more as a brunette.

Meet Frances Ethel Gumm...

Far Right

I guess we've all heard about how the studio put a lot of pressure on Baby Gumm to be thin and styled her to be glamorous. My personal opinion is that when the innate talent is bigger than any image a studio could create, all efforts to "improve" are superfluous. I think we would have loved her any way we could get her.

Judy Garland...

Threw this one in because I love the monochromatic ensemble, the hat and the beads.

A favorite Silver Screen star of mine, especially her earlier movies. See if you can guess before you get to the end.:

As a little tyke, circa 1915:

As a budding young lady,circa 1922:

As a Jazz Age baby, circa 1923:

As a Hollywood hopeful, circa 1925:

And circa 1944, please pass the eyebrow pencil... Joan Crawford, here in "Mildred Pierce"

Thanks for the great posts, ladies! :eusa_clap

23SkidooWithYou said:

I guess we've all heard about how the studio put a lot of pressure on Baby Gumm to be thin and styled her to be glamorous. My personal opinion is that when the innate talent is bigger than any image a studio could create, all efforts to "improve" are superfluous. I think we would have loved her any way we could get her.

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I agree with this. With a divine talent like Judy's, who cares if she has a "thick waist"? Worth mentioning is that the doctor at MGM gave her different pills to help her diet, survive the long working hours, and manage to sleep. They were addictive.

Doris Day

Doris Day had a wholesome, girl-next-door image; from her 50s musicals to her 60s romantic comedies, her smile was always blindingly white. In the 40s however, she was a steamy pin-up! I wasn't able to get hold of the more racy pin-ups of her, though I know I've seen them in the past, so you'll have to make do with this:

Before Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff

1944 (22 years-old, the year of her musical breakthrough)

After The Virgin Queen

Bonus: Fun hair pics!

"The succession of cheerful, period musicals I made, plus Oscar Levant's highly publicized comment about my virginity ('I knew Doris Day before she became a virgin.') contributed to what has been called my 'image', which is a word that baffles me. There never was any intent on my part either in my acting or in my private life to create any such thing as an image."
Quote from her autobiography

In an interview with Barbara Walters, she commented, "I don't know where that label came from. Maybe it's the way I look. Do I look like a virgin?"
Wikipedia

P.S. If anyone else has better pin-ups of Doris, please post!

Caity Lynn said:

Judy garland, the monochromatic picture, is that from As Clouds Roll By?

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That's what the site, from whom I borrowed it, said.

Joan Crawford...never in a million years would I have guessed! She looks nothing like her childhood or Jazz Baby images. I had to struggle to see a glimpse of the "Joan" we know in the 1925 Hopeful pic. It makes me wish I could get my hands on one of those amazing makeup artists from the Studios!

Doris Day is a fav, I admit it! LOL Sometimes I watch her movies just to see the clothes. The dark red dress she wore in the piano bar scene of Pillow Talk makes me drool. The fur collared checkered coat she wears in the car scene, yum. I love her movies and actually own 3 or 4. I'll have to dust those off! She's one of those people you wish you knew in real life. I think she'd be pretty fun to hang out with! (whereas an afternoon with Joan would scare the bejeepers outta me, lol)

23SkidooWithYou said:

Joan Crawford...never in a million years would I have guessed! She looks nothing like her childhood or Jazz Baby images. I had to struggle to see a glimpse of the "Joan" we know in the 1925 Hopeful pic. It makes me wish I could get my hands on one of those amazing makeup artists from the Studios!

Click to expand...

I have an old, out of print book called "Flesh and Fantasy," by Penny Stallings. It has a chapter about the remarkable work done by Hollywood photo retouchers and mentions that it's nearly impossible to restore the negatives 100% to their original condition. They partially restsored a couple to show some of the work - a finger drawn in for Harold Lloyd, who had lost his in an accident, Ginger Rogers or Barbara Stanwyck (can't remember which) had quite a bit of peach fuzz in real life, which disappeared at the hand of the photo retouchers, Judy Garland's neck elongated, Claludette Colbert's shoulder smoothed out... it's a fun read, if you ever have chance to pick up a copy.

Who is he??????

YESSS that's him! Bogey Bogart

baby bogey in 1901 wearing overalls!

with pipe and dog in 1918 trying to look mature! lol

Bogey the sailor!

Jean Harlow

She was always attractive! Everything was always there.[huh]

before

after

I think Judy was wonderful.

HadleyH, thanks for sharing the Bogey photos, he's my favorite!

Christy said:

I like Rita with dark hair, she looks pretty. I think she looks pretty both ways.

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Wow! I much prefer Rita as a Latina. Absolutely stunning.

Sophia Loren

She has said on many occasions that being born into and living with extreme poverty for most of her childhood gave her a strength of character that allowed her to succeed and appreciate every moment she has been given as a human being. Up until Sophia Loren was about 14, she was considered an ugly duckling.