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'A walk back in time': Monroe Gallery of Photography takes viewers back to classic Hollywood
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Francis Ford Coppola directing Marlon Brando.
Jimmy Stewart working on 鈥淗arvey.鈥�
James Dean taking a nap in his truck.
Santa Fe鈥檚 Monroe Gallery of Photography is taking viewers back to old movie glamour with photographs from classic Hollywood.
'A walk back in time': Monroe Gallery of Photography takes viewers back to classic Hollywood
鈥淲e wanted to take a little break from some of our more serious exhibitions,鈥� said Sidney Monroe, gallery co-owner. 鈥淎nd this being awards season with the Academy Awards coming up, there鈥檚 a great range of materials with the photographers we represent.鈥�
The 45 images feature such Hollywood icons as Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Steven McQueen, Robert Redford, Rock Hudson, Audrey Hepburn and more. The photographs depict them both on and off the set and in studio portraits.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be a little bit of a walk back in time,鈥� Monroe said.
Steve Schapiro was the on-set photographer for 鈥淭he Godfather鈥� (1972).
鈥淚 remember him telling us they were collaborating,鈥� Monroe said. 鈥淐oppola鈥檚 telling Brando where the camera鈥檚 going to come in. It鈥檚 an interesting behind-the-scenes moment with an actor and director.鈥�
Photographer Richard Miller captured James Dean sleeping during a break in the filming of 鈥淕iant鈥� (1956).
鈥淗e鈥檚 napping in his truck with his feet up in the window,鈥� Monroe said. 鈥淭hat James Dean was killed shortly after contributed to that icon. (Miller鈥檚) got another one of Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean taking a break.
鈥淚t鈥檚 photography that creates images of these bigger than life characters,鈥� he added.
In 鈥淗arvey鈥� (1950), James Stewart played a man dubbed crazy due to his insistence that he has an invisible six foot-tall rabbit for a best friend. Life magazine鈥檚 Ida Wyman, best known for her images of New York street life, shot Stewart during the filming. Wyman was one of the early female photographers. The field was almost exclusively male when she started during the 1940s.
鈥淪he found a lot of work for Life in Los Angeles,鈥� Monroe said.
Sonia Handelman Meyer鈥檚 striking 1948 image of the Paramount Theater encapsulates the glitz and glamour of the movies.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a beautiful photograph of the marquee.鈥� Monroe said. 鈥淭he movies (functioned) as an escape from hard times.鈥�
Tony Vaccaro鈥檚 on-set shot of Federico Fellini directing 1960s 鈥淟a Dolce Vita鈥� reveals the old school cameras used in the production.
鈥淭he director鈥檚 stepping in,鈥� Monroe said. 鈥淭o me, it looks like he鈥檚 telling the actress how to pose.鈥�
Sid Avery鈥檚 photograph of the 1960 鈥淥cean鈥檚 11鈥� cast features Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Peter Lawford, among others.
鈥淣ow there鈥檚 been I don鈥檛 know how many remakes or new versions have been made,鈥� Monroe said. 鈥淲e actually had that picture in the gallery in New York when the first remake was being made. Julia Roberts came in and bought it as a gift for the director (Steven Soderbergh.)鈥�
