Pulp Culture: Top 20: Sexiest Stars of Hollywood's Golden Age

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Top 20: Sexiest Stars of Hollywood's Golden Age

Ok bloggers make these lists all the time, as do reputable archivists like AFI and yet they still seem to get it wrong! I remember when they named Humphrey Bogart the #1 film star of all time, ok he's huge and definitely should be in the top 5, but he's not #1 I'm sorry. Of course, every one is entitled to their opinion and I thought I'd thrown mine out there. In Hollywood history there have been movie stars that are good looking, and then there have been icons. The difference between the two is the ability to locate that part of the self that is appealing within. Obviously. Anyway, these are the top 20 film stars of Hollywood's golden age (1930's - early 1960's, and to some extent the 1920's) that I never stop obsessing over. They have the 'it' factor, to put it in really simplified terms. You can watch one of their films over and over at any stage in your life and still feel your heart skip a beat.

Now to just end on yet another cliche, this list will illustrate that they really don't make them like they used to. I've decided to include photos that are very simplistic, black & white, and for the most part professional head shots to show just how unfathomable and unimaginably perfect stars used to look back then. No one in Hollywood presently can touch them. They built a persona, an aesthetic totality measured by the way they walk, the suit they wear, the way they're hair falls off their shoulders, and how they place their hands in front of themselves. They were always immaculate. Of course that's all part of the make belief, but during a brief period in our culture, that's what we wanted; the glamour, the unattainability, and the super-humanity. This list is of course very subjective to my taste, but I thought I'd stick it in with all the others and just remember for a short bit. Enjoy!