Catch the magic of Old Hollywood at the West Baton Rouge Museum in Port Allen with this weekend’s opening of “Backstage Hollywood: The Photographs of Bob Willoughby,” a collection of images of stars on set by one of the country’s most accomplished 20th century photographers. The exhibit runs Sept. 7 to Oct. 20 in the museum’s Whitehead Gallery.
“We thought it would be kind of exciting to have a backstage look at Hollywood, because people are just naturally curious about the lives of celebrities and the glamour of Hollywood,” says West Baton Rouge Museum Collections Manager Lauren Hawthorne. “We’re always looking for new ways to draw a crowd to the museum, and this subject matter has broad appeal.”
The West Baton Rouge Museum has had the Willoughby show on the books since 2021, typical of the lengthy process by which museums schedule visiting exhibits, Hawthorne says.
|
|
|
The show features 17 of Willoughby’s famed images, including Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, director Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Marnie, Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby, Marilyn Monroe in Let’s Make Love and others. The images offer a look at famed figures not posing on the red carpet, but on the sets of some of Tinsel Town’s most iconic films.
Willoughby is considered a pioneer in capturing celebrities in a photojournalistic style that also preserves the period’s allure and mystery, according to his photo archives website. His decades-long career took off in 1954, when Life magazine published candid photos he took of Judy Garland working on the set of A Star is Born, which premiered that year.
This backstage perspective defined Willoughby’s style, his images peeling back the curtain on movie making. Willoughby even created new camera technologies that ensured he could take pictures silently while on set. His works are featured in the permanent collections of The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., The National Portrait Gallery in London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and many other high-profile institutions.
Drop by the West Baton Rouge Museum during its normal hours to see the exhibit, as well as the museum’s permanent collections, which include Louisiana’s only exhibit on the complex history of the state’s sugar industry. Or plan to attend an upcoming special event. On Friday, Sept. 20, 6-8 p.m., the museum will hold its monthly Historical Happy Hour, with live jazz from the Florida Street Blowhards in front of the museum’s outdoor Juke Joint exhibit. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own beverages, picnic supper and lawn chairs.
|
|
|
A companion lecture to Backstage Hollywood takes place Sunday, Sept. 22, at 2:30 p.m., featuring film and television actor John Mese, a Baton Rouge native who has worked as an actor, writer, director and producer in both Los Angeles and New York for the past 35 years. Among other projects, Mese had recurring roles opposite Mariska Hargitay, Ally Walker and Marlee Matlin, and he worked under Tom Hanks and Lili Zanuck on HBO’s From the Earth to the Moon. Mese has also worked with fellow Baton Rouge native and director Steven Soderbergh on the short film Winston, the full-length film Schizopolis, and on episodes of the Showtime TV series Fallen Angels.
The lecture, followed by a reception, takes place at the museum and is part of the West Baton Rouge Historical Association’s Ethel Claiborne Dameron Lecture Series.
The West Baton Rouge Museum is at 845 N. Jefferson Ave. in Port Allen. For more information, call 225-336-2422.