Old Hollywood was known for its glitz and glamour, for its brightly shining stars like Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. The Golden Age of Hollywood was a time between the '20s and '60s when the studio system ruled, meaning the Big Five studios controlled the film industry and the stars they made contacts with. Today, in times of individuality and independence, this would be hardly imaginable.

But Old Hollywood has made such a mark on our culture that its legacy is still very much present, thanks to the hundreds of classic movies, iconic photographs and music made during that time. And this Instagram account is your ultimate destination for vintage entertainment.

Curated by Caitlin, “Vintage Movie Stars” is an online gallery that posts incredible black and white shots of movie and music icons. Famous and infamous, lesser-known and truly iconic, the photographs remind us of the times that kept fascinating the generations to come.

#1 Marilyn Monroe And Sammy Davis Jr. On The 20th Century Fox Lot, 1953

The actress was promoting her film, How to Marry a Millionaire. "Marilyn and I were rumored to be an item. We were friends. Nothing more. Marilyn was one of the sweetest creatures that ever lived," Sammy later said.

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#2 Carrie Fisher Watching Her Mother Debbie Reynolds Backstage At The Riviera Hotel In Las Vegas, 1963

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#3 Marlon Brando Having A Typewriting Session With His Cat, 1954

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

The old Hollywood era has made a mark on Western culture unlike anything else. Its origins date back to the first film completed in Hollywood, 1908’s The Count of Monte Cristo, although production of the film began in Chicago. The first film made entirely in Hollywood was a short film in 1910 titled In Old California.

By 1911, the first movie studio appeared on Sunset Boulevard. By 1915, many major motion-picture companies had relocated to Hollywood from the East Coast. Around this time, many iconic film stars rose to fame on the big screens, forever changing or rather shaping the concept of famous people, aka celebrities.

#4 Louis Armstrong Serenading His Wife Lucille At The Great Sphinx Of Giza, Egypt, 1961

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#5 "I'll Never Forget The Day Marilyn And I Were Walking Around New York City, Just Having A Stroll On A Nice Day"

"She loved New York because no one bothered her there like they did in Hollywood, she could put on her plain-jane clothes and no one would notice her. She loved that. So as we we're walking down Broadway, she turns to me and says 'Do you want to see me become her?' I didn’t know what she meant but I just said 'Yes' - and then I saw it. I don't know how to explain what she did because it was so very subtle, but she turned something on within herself that was almost like magic. And suddenly cars were slowing and people were turning their heads and stopping to stare. They were recognizing that this was Marilyn Monroe as if she pulled off a mask or something, even though a second ago nobody noticed her. I had never seen anything like it before." - Amy Greene, wife of Marilyn's personal photographer Milton Greene

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#6 John Travolta With His Sisters Ellen And Ann During The Stage Production Of Bus Stop, 1976

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

No wonder that in the 1930s and ‘40s, a time ransacked by the Great Depression and World War II, Americans turned to Hollywood film for inspiration. Stars like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford were like the Chiara Ferragnis or Leandra Medines are today. The glamor and accessibility to live their lives through the movie screen was something that appealed to audiences around the world. Soon, movie stars became the era’s new gods and goddesses, not unlike the influencers we see on social media today.

Today, the same icons, think of James Dean and Brigitte Bardot, remain as relevant as ever. Their portraits now cover t-shirts and coffee mugs, and it only takes one scroll through Instagram to see how much of an inspiration these figures are to users on the platform.

#7 Jane Fonda Shopping At Mayfair, 1967

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#8 Audrey Hepburn And Julie Andrews At The Academy Awards, 1964

Andrews was passed over in favor of Hepburn for the role of Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady, which she had originated on stage. This freed her to play the title role in Mary Poppins, which earned her an Oscar for Best Actress. That night, Audrey reportedly told Julie: "You should have done it, but I didn’t have the guts to turn it down." "We were friends from then on,” remembers Julie.

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#9 Dolly Parton And Her Husband Carl Dean Circa 1966

The couple met outside of a laundromat the day Parton arrived in Nashville in 1964. She was 18 and he was 21. "My first thought was I'm gonna marry that girl," Dean later revealed. "My second thought was, 'Lord she's good lookin.' And that was the day my life began."

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

These days, when celebrity culture is omnipresent, you can’t help but wonder what kind of effect both current celebrities and old icons have on our self-worth and mental wellbeing. Is it possible to become too invested in the lives of famous people, you wonder? So Bored Panda reached out to Claire Sisco King, the Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Vanderbilt University, who shared some very interesting insights.

#10 Joanne Woodward And Paul Newman At Their Hollywood Home, 1965

Woodward famously said: "Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat." Photos by David Sutton.

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#11 Hugh Grant Photographed By Gregory Heisler, 1984

"He was alone in a booth sipping coffee, killing time, distractedly tapping his teaspoon," recalled Heisler. "It was an authentic moment sandwiched between many not-so-authentic moments."

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#12 "When You Look At Marilyn On The Screen, You Don't Want Anything Bad To Happen To Her. You Really Care That She Should Be All Right... Happy" - Natalie Wood

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

“There is the possibility of over-investment in any kind of relationship, whether it’s an interpersonal relationship with a friend or romantic partner or a parasocial relationship with a celebrity. We can even point to examples of overinvestment in sports teams,” the professor said.

“There are certainly negative implications associated with the idealization of celebrities. For example, idealization of the American Dream obscures the fact that some people experience privileges (such as race or socioeconomic status) that make it easier for them to achieve success,” Sisco King stated. She added: “As another example, celebrity culture has contributed to the hegemony of white Eurocentric beauty norms and the idealization of thinness in the U.S.”

#13 A Dapper Muhammad Ali (Then Known As Cassius Clay) Going For A Stroll In New York, 1963

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#14 Meryl Streep Photographed By Duane Michals, 1975

"The picture was taken before she was famous," Michals remembers. "I had simply been told she was super talented and big things were in the wings. We went up town and ran around the Marquis theatre and had a lot of fun. I asked her to dance and she was as joyful as she seems in the photograph, just radiant."

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#15 Audrey Hepburn Photographed By William Klein For Vogue, 1966. The Actress Would Have Been 92 Today

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

Moreover, “The emergence of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok has corresponded with increased cases of body dysmorphia among young people whose ideas about what they should look like are often shaped by inaccessible ideals. Images of celebrities are often manipulated, and celebrities have access to resources (trainers, nutritionists, cosmetic surgeons, etc.) that most people cannot afford; but still many people desire and even attempt to imitate these beauty standards,” the professor explained.

#16 Robert Redford And Paul Newman On The Set Of Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, 1969

Newman fought to have Redford, the Hollywood newcomer, to play his sidekick in the film. "He was considered a star at the time and I wasn't," remembers Redford. "From that point on I had a great deal of affection for him, for what he did for me. He didn't have to do that."

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#17 Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, And Rob Lowe In A Publicity Still For The Outsiders, 1983

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#18 Audrey Hepburn Nervously Awaiting The Announcement For Best Actress At The 26th Academy Awards Ceremony, 1954

The actress won her first and only Oscar that night for her performance in Roman Holiday (1953). The film helped establish her as a star and style icon. Despite this, she was very insecure, later saying: "I'm terribly self-conscious and clothes give me a great deal of confidence. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I see the problems when I get up in the morning and do my best to look well. I'd have liked to have been not so tall, liked to have smaller feet, a larger figure, a smaller nose, to have been blonde. I'd have liked to have changed everything."

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

Having said that, Sisco King said that there are also benefits to celebrity culture. “We can point to examples of stars whose presence and activism have countered oppressive discourses in the U.S., countering racism or homophobia, for example. For example, in the 1980s and 1990s, celebrities played a major role in promoting AIDS awareness. More recently, many Black celebrities have used social media to support the Black Lives Matter movement, and many famous women have challenged misogyny and sexual violence through the #MeToo movement.”

#19 Meryl Streep And Robert De Niro In The Deer Hunter, 1978

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#20 In February Of 1954, Marilyn Monroe Interrupted Her Honeymoon With Second Husband, Joe Dimaggio, To Entertain The Troops In Korea. The Actress Performed Ten Shows For More Than 100,000 Troops

The actress performed ten shows for more than 100,000 troops. She later described the experience as "the best thing that ever happened to me. I never felt like a star before in my heart. It was so wonderful to look down and see a fellow smiling at me."

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#21 Olivia Newton-John And John Travolta At The Grease Premiere Party At Paramount Studios In Los Angeles, 1978

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

According to the professor, celebrity culture is complex as it brings people both pleasure and pain. “It can reaffirm exclusionary norms at the same time that it can challenge them. Celebrity culture should neither be wholly celebrated nor summarily dismissed, but rather deserves careful and balanced consideration for its values and limitations.”

#22 Grace Kelly Shopping For Dresses With Her Mother Margaret In New York, 1955

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#23 Family Portrait Of A Two-Year-Old Elvis Presley And His Parents Gladys And Vernon, 1937

"My love for my son began even before he was born," Vernon later said. "At that time there was almost nobody poorer than my wife Gladys and me. But we were thrilled and excited when we learned that we were going to be parents..." On January 8, 1935, Gladys gave birth to twins. Sadly, Elvis’s brother Jesse was delivered stillborn. "...God spoke to my heart and told me that Elvis was the only child we’d ever have and the only child we’d ever need," Vernon continued. "Elvis was a special gift who would fill our lives completely...As soon as I realized that Elvis was meant to be an only child, I felt as though a burden was lifted. I never again wondered why we didn’t have additional sons and daughters. It’s hard to describe the feelings Elvis, his mother and I had for each other."

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#24 James Dean And Eartha Kitt At Katharine Dunham’s Dance Studio, New York, 1955

"He (James Dean) said to me, 'I want to move like you, can you teach me how to move my body like you do on stage?' And I told him where to meet me, here in New York and that’s where we met for dance classes."

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#25 Harrison Ford Photographed By Nancy Moran At His Los Angeles Home, 1981

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#26 Cary Grant Leaving His London Hotel In Style, 1946. "My Father Used To Say, 'Let Them See You And Not The Suit'. That Should Be Secondary," Quoted The Actor

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#27 Diane Keaton And Al Pacino Behind The Scenes Of The Godfather, 1972

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#28 Marilyn Monroe And Jane Russell During A Break In Filming Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#29 Frank Sinatra Sharing A Sweet Moment With A Little Girl During His Visit To The Royal National College For The Blind School At Northwood, Middlesex, 1962

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#30 Ingrid Bergman With Her Daughter Isabella In Rome, 1962

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#31 Judy Garland In An Early Costume Test For The Wizard Of Oz, 1939

The actress was originally outfitted with a blonde wig and babydoll makeup at the start of filming, but George Cukor ditched the "glam" look in favor of a more natural appearance.

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#32 Al Pacino Photographed By Steve Wood, 1974

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#33 Paul Newman And Joanne Woodward Book Shopping In New York, 1959

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#34 Audrey Hepburn And George Peppard On The Set Of Breakfast At Tiffany’s, 1961

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#35 James Dean Visiting Elizabeth Taylor In Her Trailer During The Filming Of Giant, 1955

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#36 Debra Paget Photographed By Nina Leen For Life Magazine, 1950

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#37 Marlon Brando Photographed By Philippe Halsman, 1949

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#38 Meryl Streep At Bernards High School, 1966. She Was A Member Of The Varsity Cheerleading Squad, And Was Named Homecoming Queen During Her Senior Year

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#39 On October 29th, 1956, Elizabeth Attended The Premiere Of The Battle Of The River Plate With Her Sister Margaret At Odeon Leicester Square. Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, And Brigitte Bardot Were Among The Notable Guests

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#40 Robert Redford Photographed By Ron Galella, 1974

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#41 Elizabeth Taylor And Husband Eddie Fisher At A Boxing Match, 1960

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#42 Nancy Sinatra Pictured With Her Father Frank And Family Friend Yul Brynner At The Sands Hotel In Las Vegas, 1965

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#43 Cary Grant And Audrey Hepburn Photographed By Philippe Halsman For Charade, 1964

reportedly said: "All I want for Christmas is to make another movie with Audrey Hepburn." Sadly, the two never reunited on screen, but they did remain life-long friends. Swipe to read a thank you note that Cary sent to Audrey in 1982.

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#44 "I Always Ribbed Frank About His Strange Effect On The Female Sex. Then One Night My Infant Daughter Started To Bawl Blue Murder. As A Last Resort Frank Took Her In His Arms And Started To Sing To Her. At The End Of A Chorus And A Half, She Was Blissfully Asleep. I Never Kidded Him Again!" - Gene Kelly

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#45 Sophia Loren Sitting Back To Back With Her Little Sister Maria, 1955

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#46 Sharon Tate At Her Home In Summitridge Drive, 1968

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#47 Robert De Niro, Liza Minnelli, And Al Pacino Hanging Out In New York, 1981

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#48 James Stewart And Ginger Rogers At The 13th Academy Awards Ceremony, 1941

Stewart won in the Best Actor category for The Philadelphia Story, and Rogers won in the Best Actress category for Kitty Foyle. The two dated briefly, and starred in the 1938 film Vivacious Lady together.

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#49 Ava Gardner Getting In Costume On The Set Of The Barefoot Contessa, 1954

Image credits: vintagemoviestars

#50 Audrey Hepburn Touching Up Her Makeup On The Set Of Breakfast At Tiffany’s, 1961

The actress was initially hesitant to play the role of Holly Golightly, telling the New York Times: "I read the book and liked it very much. But I was terribly afraid I was not right for the part. I thought I lacked the right sense of comedy. This part called for an extroverted character. I am not an extrovert. I am an introvert. It called for the kind of sophistication that I find difficult. I did not think I had enough technique for the part. But everyone pressed me to do it. So I did."

Image credits: vintagemoviestars