Today marks the 100th birthday of two extremely beautiful screen stars of yore, Anita Louise and Fernando Lamas. Anita, born in New York City in 1915 played Titania, Queen of the Fairies in Midsummer Nights Dream (the film that brought Olivia de Havilland into our worlds), when she was just twenty, long before La Pfeiffer got around to shimmering in similarly gauzy long haired Titania fashion in 1999. [More...]
Born on the same day in Argentina, tall dark and handsome Fernando's career started later but he became one of Hollywood's long line of 'Latin Lovers' (a 'type' that seems to have ended abruptly with the reign of Antonio Banderas in the 1990s and the rise of more enlighted diversity onscreen... or attempts at it at least). If there was only room for about one of these men at a time, consider Fernando sandwiched inbetween Ramon Navarro and Ricardo Montalban. Mmmm. sandwiches.
Lamas wasn't just a Latin Lover onscreen and was a famous womanizer offscreen marrying multiple times including to actress co-stars Arlene Dahl and Esther Williams. Lamas seguewayed into directing in the 1960s and died in 1982.
Though neither of these stars are really discussed today, Lamas lives on in popular culture in several ways. He was the inspiration for Billy Crystal's "you look mahvelous" character. His son Lorenzo Lamas went on to his own small screen hunk fame in the 1980s and on to today (sort of - do you count reality shows and Mega Shark tv movies?) after a memorable small part in Grease (dumb jocks used as pawns in the Danny & Sandy romance, this way!) and like his father married multiple times.
Curious timing wise, considering it was just nominated for a costume designers guild award, Fernando Lamas is also reportedly the inspiration for Dos Equis advertising campaign "The Most Interesting Man in the World".
Some of these Lamas images are via A Certain Cinema
glamour shot
with his "Merry Widow" co-star Lana Turner at the premiere of "An American in Paris" in 1951
With Ava Gardner and Lana Turner in 1952
Co-starring with La Liz in "The Girl Who Had Everything" in 1953
with Arlene Dahl in Sangaree (1953). They would marry in 1954 and have Lorenzo Lamas in 1958
Like father, like son. Both Fernando & Lorenzo embraced their beefcake
Louise's career was much shorter. Though she was popular among the Hollywood set in the 30s and regularly starred in movies, she was reportedly not satisfied with the limited range of roles and in the 1940s her career quickly diminished. She found another well loved role on TV as part of the short-lived series "My Friend Flicka" but she died young of a stroke at only 55 years of age.
Some of these Anita pictures via Silver Screen Oasis
Anita Louise, dog, and Errol Flynn in "Green Light" in 1937
Anita's 22nd birthday with Hollywood friends (see Ronald Reagan and John Payne in the back row) in 1937
with Shirley Temple in 1939 for "The Little Princess"
My Friend Flicka (1955)