The collection of Paramount Pictures set stills that is being offered in this auction is an extraordinary historical archive from the late 1920s to the early 1970s. Sets stills were taken for continuity purposes and to document the arrangements of the sets and props, etc, during the making of a film. Not only does this collection photographically document the changes in filmmaking through the decades, it details the changing styles of architecture, interior design (the Art Deco sets from the 1930s are astonishingly beautiful), fashion, cars, and more. In the cases of location shooting, one can see the evolution of various southern California towns and landmarks, from the tony nightspots of Hollywood to the open spaces of Brentwood to the artistry of the Paramount Ranch. The photos give a unique behind-the-scenes look at the stars during filming; some vamp for the camera while others avoid it, some study their scripts or confer with the director, and some look incredibly bored. Equally interesting is the appearance of the stars' lookalike stand-ins and famous extras such as Bess Flowers. The unsung heroes of filmmaking, the crews, are seen as well, holding the booms, adjusting the lights, holding the clapper boards, and waiting, waiting, waiting. And speaking of unsung heroes, the talent, imagination, style, and creativity of the art directors and set decorators for these films cannot be overstated. Most of the fashion designers of the 1930s and '40s, such as Edith Head, are recognized for their contributions, as well they should be; however, the set decorators and art directors are grossly overlooked. Masters of their profession such as Hans Dreier, Robert Usher, William Flannery, Hal Pereira, Ernst Fegte, Sam Comer, Walter H. Tyler, A. Earl Hedrick, and so many others, deserve their place in the sun, and hopefully, the future owners of these historic photographs will appreciate their artistry.
The Carpetbaggers is a 1964 American drama film directed by Edward Dmytryk, based on the best-selling 1961 novel The Carpetbaggers by Harold Robbins and starring George Peppard as Jonas Cord, a character based loosely on Howard Hughes, and Alan Ladd in his last role as Nevada Smith, a former Western gunslinger turned actor. The supporting cast features Carroll Baker as a character extremely loosely based on Jean Harlow as well as Martha Hyer, Bob Cummings, Elizabeth Ashley, Lew Ayres, Ralph Taeger, Leif Erickson, Archie Moore and Tom Tully.
The film is a landmark of the sexual revolution of the 1960s, venturing further than most films of the period with its heated sexual embraces, innuendo, and sadism between men and women, much like the novel, where author Dawn Sova asserts "there is sex and/or sadism every 17 pages"
Cast
George Peppard as Jonas Cord
Alan Ladd as Nevada Smith
Carroll Baker as Rina Marlowe
Bob Cummings as Dan Pierce
Martha Hyer as Jennie Denton
Elizabeth Ashley as Monica Winthrop
Lew Ayres as "Mac" McAllister
Martin Balsam as Bernard B. Norman
Ralph Taeger as Buzz Dalton
Archie Moore as Jedediah
Leif Erickson as Jonas Cord Sr.
Arthur Franz as Morrissey, airplane designer at Jonas' company
Tom Tully as Amos Winthrop, Monica's father and Jonas' business rival
Audrey Totter as middle-aged prostitute attending to Jonas' week-long drinking binge
Anthony Warde as Moroni, president of Pioneer National Trust Company of Los Angeles
Charles Lane as Eugene Denby, Jonas Cord Sr.'s secretary
Tom Lowell as David Woolf, Bernard Norman's nephew and assistant
John Conte as Ed Ellis, director of Rina's film at Norman Studio
Vaughn Taylor as doctor certifying the death of Jonas Cord Sr.
Francesca Bellini as Cynthia Randall, Norman's mistress and star at Norman Studio
Victoria Jean as Jo Ann, daughter of Jonas and Monica