THE HOLLYWOOD FILE
THE MOST REMEMBERED CINEMA DIVAS, ICONS AND LEGEND
Known
as “the little tough guy,” James Cagney’s greatest roles were as the
quintessential tough-guy in such films as “The Public Enemy” and “Angels
with Dirty Faces.” After a string of gangster pictures, he went on to
portray Bottom in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and his classic
performance as George M. Cohan in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” won him an Academy
Award, eventually proving to Hollywood his vast range as an entertainer.
James
Dean (1931-1955) showed the budding youth culture how to spit in its dull,
conformist parents' faces. If driving fast cars could kill you -- as it did
him -- what was there to live for anyway? Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) roamed
the country looking for truer values than those ascribed to a suburban
family home. On the Road can still touch anyone who gazes into a future
where all is unsure, "besides the forlorn rags of growing old. "Kerouac
never did; he drank himself to an early death. Pin-up
girl of all pin-up girls, Betty Grable was the favorite among US soldiers
during World War II.
Starting as a chorus girl when she was barely a teenager, Betty proved to be a gifted singer, dancer and actress. She made over 40 films during her career, including "How To Marry A Millionaire" with Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall. Long before Mary Hart, Betty's legs were insured with Lloyds of London for a reputed $1 million. During her heyday, Betty was both the highest paid star in Hollywood and one of the wealthiest women in all of America.