Stars, Fans, And Consumption In The 1950s: Reading Photoplay Photoplay With Tv Mirror

Introduction: The Fans 11 Advertisements for Movie Star Glamour and Romance 12 Self-Making with Beauty Tips and "Photoplay Fashions" 13 Starring in Photoplay Dream and "Story-Book Houses" 14 Advice Columns for Readers in Search of Romance 15 Contests, Gold Medal Awards, Commodity Fetishism, and Southern California Tourism Conclusion: The Fans Notes Index ## Illustrations Writing a book in early retirement was not what I expected to do after deciding to help my brother care for our aging and ill parents. And leaving academe, which is frequently elitist, hierarchical, and racist, to spend more time with my mom and her friends in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles had its merits. A few friends and colleagues were remarkably helpful and supportive. Art Nolletti, a witty critic with inexhaustible knowledge, sharpened my focus on structure so that the chapters evolved like a playlist. Vicki Callahan, an exemplary feminist scholar, was savvy about the construction of gender and read parts of the manuscript with insight. And Jon Lewis, a really cool expert on pop culture, focused on the chapters on the stars and asked searching questions. I should also mention Murray Pomerance because this book is a spinoff of an essay that he asked me to write about the films of the 1950s. Working without institutional support and funding has been challenging. I would like to thank Charles Musser and Dudley Andrew for inviting me to be a fellow in the Yale Film Studies Department for a few years. Several librarians, especially Lea Whittington, Kristine Krueger, and Sandra Archer at the Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, were very helpful. Lea graciously permitted me to examine the fragile hard copies of Photoplay that she had been carefully accumulating. And for interlibrary loans, I am grateful to Kim Myers at my former campus, SUNY Brockport; Judy Haggerty at Guilford Free Library in Guilford, Connecticut; and Clara Flath at Scranton Library in Madison, Connecticut, for their resourcefulness. At Palgrave Macmillan, I would like to thank my editor, Robyn Curtis, for being savvy about publishing and trusting me to do my best work. And her assistants Erica Buchman and Chelsea Morgan have provided timely help with innumerable details. Also a smart and experienced anonymous reader focused my attention on the charts so that they now include more valuable data. Lastly, I am most indebted to my thoughtful husband and colleague, Robert J. Smith. Although his first impulse on entering a store like Brooks Brothers is to head for the exit, he became an unlikely expert on consumption. And he donned hats as a brilliant researcher, a patient critic, a copy editor, a statistician, and a techie dealing with a hard drive crash. During the years when we should have been sitting in a Parisian bistro or strolling in the Luxembourg Gardens, I have been sustained by his generosity and wit. As my final project, this book is dedicated not only to my husband, Bob, but to the memory of my mother, Satsuko Higashi. She spent the war years behind barbed wire in an internment camp and survived later privation with a sense of aesthetics expressed in exquisite floral arrangements, skillful sewing, and superb cuisine. She was fun to shop with. Part I The Stars Total ## Esther Williams 22) [10] Debbie Reynolds 2 (2) 2 (5) 7 (8) [2] 5 (8) [2] 6 (3) [1] 4 (2) [1] 4 (5) 6 (1) [3] 5 [4] 11 [5] 6 [3] 5 [2] 4 [1] 67 (34) [24] Doris Day 1 1 (1 ) 1 (2) [1] 5 (7) [2] 2 (4) [1] 5 (3) [1] 5 (4) [2] 2 3 (1) 2 (1) 2 [1] 4 [1] 1 1 2 37 (23) [9] The Fan Magazine Photoplay Pioneered The Construction Of Both Female Stars As Social Types And Fans As Aspiring Consumers In The First Mass Consumption Society. In The 1950s, Stars Embodied A Leisured California Lifestyle Based On Goods. Addressing Working- And Lower Middle-class Readers, Photoplay Published Beauty Tips, Fashion Layouts, Sewing Patterns, Home Decorating Advice, Recipes, And Vacation Guidelines So That Fans Could Live Like The Stars. This Book Traces The Changing Social Mores Regarding Female Behavior And The New Relationship Between Stars And Fans. When The Magazine Adopted Tabloid Conventions To Report Sex Scandals Like The Debbie-eddie-liz Affair In 1958, Stars Were Demystified And Fans Became Scandalmongers. The Construction Of Female Identity Based On Goods And Performance In A Consumer Society Resulted In Multiple, Fragmented, And Unstable Selves - A Legacy Evident In Postmodern Culture Today-- As The Leading Movie Fan Magazine In Postwar America, Photoplay Constructed Stars As Popular Social Types Like The Girl Next Door Signifying Small-town Values In The Midst Of Suburban Affluence. And Fans Were Addressed As Aspiring Consumers To Be Initiated Into The Rituals Of Feminine Self-making And Gracious Living. When Glamorous Stars Were Demystified In Scandalous Headlines At The End Of The Decade, However, Fans Exchanged Cinderella Dreams For A Fascination With Scandal-- Machine Generated Contents Note: -- General Introduction: Fan Magazines, Suburban America, And Consumer Goods -- Part I: The Stars -- Introduction: The Stars -- 1. Esther Williams: The Million Dollar Mermaid As The Girl Next Door -- 2. Doris Day: The Big Band Singer As The Girl Next Door -- 3. Debbie Reynolds: The Suburban Teenager As The Girl Next Door -- 4. Susan Hayward: The Gal From Brooklyn As A Fiery Redhead -- 5. Grace Kelly: The Philadelphia Socialite As The Princess Of Monaco -- 6. Audrey Hepburn: The Gamine As A Givenchy Fashion Plate -- 7. Marilyn Monroe: The Playboy Centerfold As A Sex Symbol -- 8. Kim Novak: Miss 'deep Freeze' As Columbia's Lavender Blonde -- 9. Natalie Wood: The Rebellious Teenager As A Junior Femme Fatale -- 10. Elizabeth Taylor: A Superstar As The World's Most Beautiful Woman -- Conclusion: The Stars -- Part Ii: The Fans -- Introduction: The Fans -- 11. Advertisements For Movie Star Glamour And Romance -- 12. Self-making With Beauty Tips And 'photoplay Fashions' -- 13. Starring In Photoplay Dream And Story-book Houses -- 14. Advice Columns For Readers In Search Of Romance -- 15. Contests, Gold Medal Awards, Commodity Fetishism, And Southern California Tourism -- Conclusion: The Stars. Sumiko Higashi. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. As the leading fan magazine in the postwar era, Photoplay constructed female stars as social types who embodied a romantic and leisured California lifestyle. Addressing working- and lower-middle-class readers who were prospering in the first mass consumption society, the magazine published not only publicity stories but also beauty secrets, fashion layouts, interior design tips, recipes, advice columns, and vacation guides. Postwar femininity was constructed in terms of access to commodities in suburban houses as the site of family togetherness. As the decade progressed, however, changing social mores regarding female identity and behavior eroded the relationship between idolized stars and worshipful fans. When the magazine adopted tabloid conventions to report sex scandals like the Debbie-Eddie-Liz affair, stars were demystified and fans became scandalmongers. But the construction of female identity based on goods and performance that resulted in unstable, fragmented selves remains a legacy evident in postmodern culture today. As the leading fan magazine in the postwar era, Photoplay constructed female stars as social types who embodied a romantic and leisured California lifestyle. Addressing working and lower-middle class readers who were prospering in the first mass consumption society, the magazine published not only publicity stories but also beauty secrets, fashion layouts, interior design tips, recipes, advice columns, and vacation guides. Postwar femininity was constructed in terms of access to commodities in suburban houses as the site of family togetherness. As the decade progressed, however, changing social mores regarding female identity and behavior eroded the relationship between idolized stars and worshipful fans. When the magazine adopted tabloid conventions to report sex scandals like the Debbie-Eddie-Liz affair, stars were demystified, and fans became scandalmongers. But the construction of female identity based on goods and performance that resulted in unstable, fragmented selves remains a legacy evident in postmodern culture today Front Matter....Pages i-xii General Introduction....Pages 1-12 Front Matter....Pages 13-25 Esther Williams....Pages 27-35 Doris Day....Pages 37-45 Debbie Reynolds....Pages 47-56 Susan Hayward....Pages 57-65 Grace Kelly....Pages 67-74 Audrey Hepburn....Pages 75-81 Marilyn Monroe....Pages 83-95 Kim Novak....Pages 97-105 Natalie Wood....Pages 107-115 Elizabeth Taylor....Pages 117-128 Back Matter....Pages 129-140 Front Matter....Pages 141-149 Advertisements for Movie Star Glamour and Romance....Pages 151-167 Self-Making with Beauty Tips and “Photoplay Fashions”....Pages 169-187 Starring in Photoplay Dream and “Story-Book Houses”....Pages 189-205 Advice Columns for Readers in Search of Romance....Pages 207-223 Contests, Gold Medal Awards, Commodity Fetishism, and Southern California Tourism....Pages 225-242 Back Matter....Pages 243-247 Back Matter....Pages 249-298