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 • Marilyn Monroe Joan Crawford Ava Gardner

Making a star • Through his personal, handwritten letters, diary entries and candid photos, a new book posthumously released by photographer and long-time confidant Sam Shaw reveals the hidden side of the blonde bombshell. We publish an exclusive extract here.

The enduring star

A second coming • In 1982, the former femme fatale was returning to the screen in a new project. And as she waited to receive the audiences’ reaction, she sat down with The Weekly to discuss her life at 59, and memories of her Tinseltown past.

Stars AT PLAY • Stars reading newspapers Hollywood Pantages Theatre

Read all about it! • STARS READING NEWSPAPERSWhether they were making the press, eagerly awaiting a review or catching up on the latest news, the stars of the Golden Age were never far from a newspaper.

Where stars were born • HOLLYWOOD PANTAGES THEATREMore than just a building, this Art Deco masterpiece was an integral part of Hollywood’s most glittering era, reports Claire Isaac.

SCANDALS & tragedy • Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier Edie Sedgwick James Dean & George Stevens

A fateful voyage • While their 1948 tour Down Under was triumphant, behind the glittering galas and their dazzling smiles a fateful meeting and an unseen mental health battle would prove the beginning of the end for this glamorous couple. Sarah Rodrigues reports.

Poor little rich girl • She blazed like a shooting star, a pivotal figure of the 1960s New York scene. Muse to Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan, Edie’s spark flamed hot and fast but, writes Bronwyn Phillips, burned out when she was just 28.

Clash of the titans • When the hot shot young actor and veteran director locked horns on the set of Texas cattle ranch epic Giant, the result would become a stunning cinema landmark, writes Tim Gill.

YOUNG & famous

The golden team • MGM’s dream duo filmed 10 successful movies and grew up together in the studio system, forging a unique bond that saw them through to the end.

The dimpled saviour • When America was plunged into the depths of the Great Depression during the 1930s, one star became the cuteness, trust and cheer that was needed by many … and she saved a Hollywood studio in the process, as Nicole Hickson discovers.

LEADING men

The gambler • Deciding to take charge of his own creative destiny, the typecast actor bought a discarded script in a quest to make a masterpiece. But far from the act of vanity his detractors thought would emerge, what happened next changed the face of Hollywood. Georgia Moore revisits the incredible tale of how Bonnie and Clyde came to life.

Jack of all trades • In a career spanning five decades, the versatile actor became one of Hollywood’s most beloved and accomplished performers, never losing the love for his craft both on stage and screen.

Man of reinvention • He would transform a series of personal tragedies into a five-decade career as one of Hollywood’s most dignified leading men. Sarah Rodrigues revisits an extraordinary career.

THE STYLE makers

Pioneering spirit • With to-die-for designs and an uncanny instinct for divining the next great trend, one man would elevate the Hollywood aesthetic into a shimmering force to rival Paris couture, as Tim Gill reports.

An eye for beauty • It’s a look that has evolved throughout the decades on the silver screen. Tiffany Dunk retraces the...