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Retro Rewind Famous Pin-up Movie ActressesPin-up girls were the famous models whose pictures were mass-produced and consumed as part of pop culture. The pin-up phenomenon can be traced back to the nineteenth century, although their first wave of widespread appeal occurred during the first years of the twentieth century, in which the image of the 'Gibson' girl prevailed. Pin-up models are most often-famous models or actresses whose images are photographed and then widely disseminated.
Perhaps the most famous pin-up girls emerged during the 1940s and 1950s. World War II brought widespread popularity to many pin-up girls, and this popularity continued into the 1950s. Here is a short list of the most popular and famous pin-up stars that also strutted their stuff in the movies.
Betty Grable: One of the most famous of all the pin-up girls. Her famous over the shoulder pose graced
the lockers of thousands of young soldiers during World War II. Her image was also painted onto military jets. Grable was born in St. Louis on December 18, 1916, where her mother encouraged her to act at an early age. She danced in vaudeville, and at fifteen years of age, she got her first break dancing as a chorus girl for Twentieth Century Fox. In 1934, she signed a five-year contract with RKO pictures. Her big break came in 1940 when she starred in Down Argentina Way. She was voted the screen's most beautiful blonde, and in the years of 1942, 1943, and 1944, she was the number one female box office attraction. It is rumored that over five million copies of her famous full-length over the shoulder photograph were distributed during the Second World War. In 1944, Darryl F. Zanuck released the appropriately titled film Pin Up Girl in order to capitalize on Grable's status and popularity.
Dorothy Lamour: Another famous pin-up girl whose popularity surged circa World War II. Famous for her exotic beauty and frequently photographed in a sarong, Lamour came to Hollywood in 1936 in hopes of becoming a singer and actress. Her most well known role was as Ulah in The Jungle Princess (1936). Ulah was a kind of female Tarzan. She wore the sarong, which would soon become closely identified with her. With Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, she starred in the popular Road movies of the 1940s and 1950s. She sang in these extremely popular movies, often playing the straight man to Crosby and Hope's comic antics. The most popular of these movies is The Road to Morocco. Lamour enjoyed a long and successful career that lasted well until her last years.
Marilyn Monroe: What discussion of favorite pin-up movie actresses could be complete without reference to Marilyn Monroe? Marilyn Monroe has become one of the most enduring pop icons of the twentieth century. She worked for several years in small roles, eventually achieving the apex of stardom. She started out with small roles in films, including All About Eve and Asphalt Jungle. Eventually, her work in these small roles gained the attention of fans and critics and she was rewarded with larger roles. Most critics believe that her breakthrough dramatic role came in 1953 with her starring role in Niagara. Next came some of her most famous movies that allowed her to gain pin-up status and cement her place in American pop culture history forever. Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1953) and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) contain some of the most iconic Marilyn moments in film. Other major films include The Seven Year Itch (1955) and Some Like it Hot (1959).
Rita Hayworth: Rita Hayworth was one of the best known and most popular of the pin-up girls of the 1940s and 1950s. Her beauty and sensuality were so renown that she was nicknamed "the Great American Love Goddess." Her family background was rooted in vaudeville. She caught the eye of film producers and was given a role in Howard Hawks' Only Angels Have Wings (1939). Next she starred in The Strawberry Blonde (1941) with James Cagney. She played the sensual "other woman" in Blood and Sand (1941), which co-starred Tyrone Power. Her photo sessions for Life Magazine became pin-up classics. Along with Betty Grable and Dorothy Lamour, she was one of the most popular pin-up girls of the Second World War. Her career flourished with a series of musicals, including You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942).
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