The Australian Women's Weekly: Icons

Revisit the magic of Hollywood’s golden age with a new Icons issue. From leading lady Lucille Ball’s path to becoming our favourite funny girl to the secret lives of stars including Frank Sinatra, Leslie Caron, Burt Lancaster and more there are 164 page of gripping reads and vintage photos to enjoy.

From the editor

LEADING ladies • Sophia Loren Hedy Lamarr Judy Holliday

The Italian beauty • She refused to submit to the Hollywood machine, choosing love and her country over fleeting fame. In the process, writes Bronwyn Phillips, Sophia became a true legend of international cinema.

The brainy bombshell • From the uproar over Ecstasy to the grandeur of Samson and Delilah, Hedy wowed the world with big-screen sparkle and a clever mind.

The smart dumb blonde • Intelligent, politically conscious and a respected Hollywood player, the brilliant actress turned out performances that brought wit, smarts and charm to her feather-brained characters. Nicole Hickson reports.

Stars AT PLAY • Stars playing cards Claridge’s

Shuffle and deal • STARS PLAYING CARDS It was the glamorous, popular pastime enjoyed by the stars of the Golden Age, whether they were challenging themselves with Solitaire, channelling their inner card shark in a high-stakes game of poker, or brushing up on their magic skills.

If walls could talk • The graceful hotel was the main stage for Hollywood’s guest appearances in London for both work and play. Peter Griffiths revisits its glory years.

SCANDALS & tragedy • Clara Bow Howard Strickling Susan Peters

The original fake news • At the height of her fame, the actress became the target of one of Hollywood’s earliest tabloid campaigns – and paid for it with her career. Peter Griffiths reports.

Hollywood’s Mr Fix-It • Cinema’s greatest tightrope walker, this rarely-noticed yet greatly feared face of the studio was an exponent of Hollywood’s dark arts, expertly controlling the stories – and the stars. Tim Gill reports.

A career cut short • Following a life-changing accident in 1945, this budding MGM leading lady was determined to make a Hollywood comeback on her own terms. Peter Griffiths reports.

DYNAMIC duos • Margaret Sullavan & James Stewart Lauren Bacall & Humphrey Bogart Fred Astaire & Cyd Charisse

Tinseltown’s almost couple • Despite never being promoted as a major Golden Age cinema couple by the studios, this pair’s off-screen friendship translated into incredible on-screen chemistry in timeless love stories that proved irresistible to moviegoers. Nicole Hickson investigates.

Love under the lights • From To Have And Have Not to Key Largo, Bogie and Bacall’s unlikely romance blurred reels with real life, forever together.

A perfect match • As individuals, these two were already spectacular. But put them together and, as Sarah Rodrigues reports, something truly magical would happen, changing the world of dance.

LEADING men • Harry Langdon Randolph Scott Errol Flynn

The forgotten clown • For one vivid moment, he was placed among silent comedy’s giants. Yet, writes Claire Isaac, creative disagreements and the advent of sound would see Harry disappear virtually without trace.

The master of Westerns • During a 30-year career in which he appeared in more than 100 films, the actor established himself as a strong and silent hero in 1950s Westerns.

Bounty beginnings • His raw, masculine charm in the 1933 trailblazer In The Wake Of The Bounty turned a restless nomad into a Hollywood prospect. An engrossing new book by Patricia A. O’Brien charts the life and career of a maverick that Tinseltown couldn’t contain.

THE STYLE makers • Eugene Joseff Hollywood hair

The jewellery king • In the 1930s and ’40s, films were...