30 Vintage Photos That Will Transport You To A Groovy Place


  Entertainment  
Source:Omglane.com
In an age of TMZ, social media and camera phones, navigating the world of celebrity has never been harder for today's stars. We first saw this when Britney Spears was driven to near-insanity by shaving off her hair and having a very public meltdown because of online gossip rags. And that was before social media was even invented.
Imgur
But whether you were a celebrity or just a hippie getting high on the shores of Cali, in the latter half of the 20th century having fun was the name of the game. Yes, the post-war period spawned a lifestyle that was unheard and it wasn't long before the consumer boom of the 1950s and the sexual liberation movement of the 60s created a whole new way of life.
With that said, here are 20 great vintage photos from the past that will take you back to a much groovier period!
Two models pose at the 1955 launch of the Lincoln Futura 
Twitter
The Lincoln Futura was one of the most groundbreaking car designs of its time when showcased at a 1955 expo. The concept car was designed by Bill Schmidt and John Najjar, before being fine-tuned and hand-built by Ghia in Turin, Italy.
The total production cost of this model was around $250,000 (equivalent to $2,300,000 in today's money). Whilst the model never became a mainstay fixture on American roads, it was selected as the Batmobile in the 1966 Batman movie.

Cybill Shepherd poses for a photoshoot
Reddit
Think of starlets and the first names that spring to mind is your Marilyn Monroes, Sofia Lorens and Brigitte Bardots of this world. However, Cybill Sheperd's stock has only risen over the years, and she, too, has also become an icon, and with photos like these, it isn't hard to see why.
A true beauty. 

George Harrison meats the Jamaican reggae artist Bob Marley, 1975
Imgur
Two legends meet for the first time in this uber-vintage photo of The Beatles' George Harrison and Jamaican artist Bob Marley. Taken in 1975, the photo was captured backstage in Hammersmith, London after a concert.
Recalling the star-studded meeting, Patti Boyd revealed to Ron Wood on his podcast that Marley didn't speak much, and that his room was filled with smoke! What a legend.

American photographer LeRoy Grannis captures surf culture at Hermosa Beach
Reddit
The New York Times described LeRoy "Granny" Grannis as "the godfather of surfphotography" with his vast portfolio reflective of the surfing boom that overtook many American coastal towns in the 60s and 70s. 
In this picture, Grannis returned to his sun-kissed hometown of Hermosa Beach, California to capture the relaxed, feel-good way of life that Grannis always loved.

Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic celebrate a Nirvana Christmas
Riot Fest
If anyone can pull off looking cool with a Christmas hat, it's Kurt Cobain. The rock icon pretty much personified the meaning of cool and would send fans into delirium with just a gentle strum of the guitar.
Here he is in happier times with the Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, who would go onto play in the bands Sweet75 and Eyes Adrift following Kurt's suicide.

Debbie Harry poses in front of a Coney Island roller coaster, 1977
Reddit
Rocker Debbie Harry looks every inch the 70s superstar as she poses in front of a Coney Island attraction. Whilst she is now more of a one-piece act, it was her new wave rock band Blondie that put her on the map, with the rock band being one of the first of its kind find mainstream success with a female singer.
The blonde bombshell, who sold out arenas around the world with smash hits like "Heart of Glass" was one of the first female rockers to grace the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

Muhammad Ali and 6-year-old Patrick Power take part in a sparring session
Twenty-Two Words
One of the greatest boxers of all time is pictured goofing around the ring with starstruck 6-year-old called Patrick Power in the lead-up to his 1963 heavyweight title fight against Henry Cooper.
Two great champs! 
Lynda Carter hangs out with skateboarders on the set of  the TV version of Wonder Woman
Wikimedia
How cool is this? In an episode titled "Skateboard Wiz" the cast pose for a group photo with the star herself in the sweltering California heat in 1978.
The legendary tv series was the first of its kind to have a female superhero and it wasn't until the 2017 movie that the superhero was revived following the show's final episode in 1979. 

A 14-year-old Gwen Stefani asks Sting for an autograph, 1983
Reddit
You don't get names more prominent in the world of pop than Gwen Stefani. The fair-skinned beauty has conquered the world with her unique mishmash of genre-blending pop music, but Stefani was first and foremost a fan and hung around famous artists at a very young age.
Here, we see a 14-year-old Stefani asking Sting of Police fame for his autograph as he looks every inch the rock star on his motorcycle. 

Stephen King poses for the camera in the only way he knows how
Reddit
The Master of Horror has penned some of the most riveting horror stories that fellow horror writers from the past such as the legendary H.P. Lovecraft would be proud of. Proving that he is more than just your everyday introverted author, King's personality has what made him a superstar in popular culture.
He also appeared in a series of American Express adverts playing a creepy version of himself.

Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno hang out in costume on the TV series The Incredible Hulk
Reddit
Bill Bixby sports a serious figure as 'David Banner' in The Incredible Hulk TV series (1978-82). However, the much-loved series could have had a whole different dimension to it had Bond villain Richard Kiel been cast as 'The Hulk', and not Lou Ferrigno.
He was actually cast in the pilot, but producers did a U-turn and decided he wasn't brawny enough to pull off Hulk's remarkable stature.

Stevie Nicks, David Lee Roth and Bonnie Raitt party on Sunset Strip, 1978
Reddit
Hollywood's Sunset Strip was the celebrity haunt of choice in the 70s and 80s, but few graced the place the way Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, David Lee Roth, and Bonnie Raitt did! The iconic Sunset Boulevard area is famed for its nightclubs, rock clubs, boutiques, and restaurants, with many being among the best in the country.
By the 70s, the area had become a popular meeting point for musicians- both famous and upcoming- of all genres, from punk rock, and metal to new wave music and glam-rock.

Kirk Douglas and a friend plat Brigitte Bardot's hair
Twenty-Two Words
An icon of the 50s and 60s, the original blonde bombshell possessed a beauty that was in keeping with the often overused term 'other-worldly.' Taking away her clear-to-see beauty, Brigitte Bardot oozed class as well as confidence, and her status as a sex symbol in the early 1950s gave her superstardom unheard of for non-English artists at the time. 
One journalist, writing an article for Life Magazine in 1958 entitled, "The Charged Charms of Brigette," gushed, "Not since the Statue of Liberty has a French girl lit such fires in America." Has evidenced by this photo with the American actor  Kirk Douglas, we think that's a pretty accurate assessment.

The Metallica boys ride high on the coattails of success
Reddit
A group shot of the boys of Metallica in 1983. Looking fresh-faced and ready to party, these boys have probably done anything and everything, from the wild parties and hedonistic practices that come with it to selling out sold-out shows around the world.
And some 30 years on, David Mustaine's ginger locks remain as beautiful as ever. 

Bruce Springsteen and his tasty Big Mac
Imgur
Bruce Springsteen or the "The Boss" as his fans call him, has been dominating the rock scene in his homeland for years and also has a sizable following abroad.
His hit songs include "Born in the U.S.A." and "Streets of Philadelphia".

Stanley Kubrick poses for a photograph after his daughter sprays him string 
Twenty-Two Words
Stanley Kubrick paved the way for a new generation of visionary filmmakers that veered away from the typical blueprint of what made a good Hollywood movie.
A man who often let his art take him to dark places, Kubrick is looking far removed from the tortured artist in this photo and is instead enjoying his family time with his daughter who clad her daddy in string.

Pablo Picasso and his fake nose
Imgur
One of the greatest painters of all time, Pablo Picasso gave us some great paintings in his time, many of which hang in the world's most esteemed galleries. 
A name that conjures up the often overused word, "genius" Picasso was the founder of the famous art movement known as Cubism, a style of art that shows the same picture from different angles. 

Stephen Hawking poses with his first wife Jane, 1965
Imgur
Stephen Hawking was a world-renowned physicist who made countless advancements in the esoteric field during his 76 years alive.
A student at Oxford University, it was there that he met his first wife Jane, a moment in Hawking's life chronicled in the Hollywood biopic starring Eddie Redmayne. 

James Dean: The High School Years
Imagekis
The lauded actor and Hollywood icon displayed a much more bookish appearance when he was at high school, proving that the most handsome leading men often peak much later in life.
This photo goes back to the 1940s, less than 10 years before his tragic car accident.
Bill Paxton, Liam Neeson and Patrick Swayze pose for a photograph on the set of their 1989 film, Next of Kin
Imgur
This 1989 movie saw a quad of brilliant actors test their acting chops those being Patrick Swayze, Liam Neeson, Adam Baldwin, and Bill Paxton. Whilst the movie is a stinker, it's famed for being one of Ben Stiller's first forays into the business.
Whilst Stiller is absent in this photo, we can see Paxton, Neeson and Swayze looking like sun-kissed studs in the deep jungle setting.


Martin Scorsese, Jodie Foster and Robert De Niro promoting Taxi Driver at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival
The History of Cinema
During a 1976 press event for Taxi Driver in Cannes, two legends and an upcoming one by the name of Jodie Foster would introduce a movie that would elevate Martin Scorsese into the upper echelons of Hollywood.
Yes, Taxi Driver was a tour de force in the self-exploration of man, and it remains the New York's native's most esteemed work.

Black Sabbath looking like, well, Black Sabbath, 1982
imgur
Ozzy Osbourne looked mighty different back in this band photo of 1972! Fresh-faced and probably able to speak without drooling every other second, his heavy metal band conquered the world in the 70s and 80s, and their success was arguably at its peak during the time of the Summer of Love.
Leading pioneers of heavy metal music, Ozzy and co offered a darker alternative to the hippie movement that fellow musicians at the time were influenced by.

Charlie Chaplin and Helen Keller meet on the set of the 1919 silent film Sunnyside
Charliechaplin.com
Arguably the first movie star of his kind, Charlie Chaplin's stardom was a unique concept when he first landed on American soil from his native London. As well as starring in a variety of classics such as The Dictator, Chaplin also met with a host of famous people outside the world of show business including Helen Keller.
This touching photo on the set of the 1919 silent film Sunnyside is a truly beautiful moment.

Chevy Chase finds himself embroiled in a pancake fight
Reddit
Despite his precarious surroundings, Chevy Chase remains calm and collected as he poses for the cameras in this brilliant throwback photo from 1978. 
Getting his big break in Hollywood as a writer after writing a one-page spoof for Mission: Impossible, Chase would go onto star as a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live during its very first season in 1975.

25. Alice Cooper plays ping pong with Santa Clause
Imgur
The Aerosmith rocker was pictured playing ping pong alongside Santa Claus during a visit to Alexander's department store in 1972. The famous New York City store was brought to a near standstill and cemented the celebrity status of Alice Cooper as a bonafide rock god.
Today, Cooper prefers to play golf and preach the gospel, though he does occasionally make time for the odd shock rock performance. 

Mixed martial artist Bruce Lee sporting some very dodgy clothing from the 70s
Imgur
His shirt may look like a middle-aged woman's blouse, but Bruce Lee was the king of Golden Harvest cinema so could get away with looking good in anything!  Famed for his performances in the movies Enter the Dragon, First of Fury, and The Game of Death, Lee remains an icon of global cinema.
Not bad for a kid who was raised by immigrant parents in San Francisco's Chinatown.

George Foreman shares a tender moment with his daughter
Wikimedia
George Foreman was a world-beater in the boxing ring, but away from it, he was a family man through and through. Here, he takes a break from sparring to kiss his daughter Mitchy as she visited her daddy training in Marshall, Texas.
Big George was a two-time world heavyweight champion as well as an Olympic gold medalist before going onto sell over 100m units of his famed George Foreman grill.

28. Two free-spirits navigate America with the help of a GPS map
Reddit
Before the GPS navigation system made us incapable of reading the simplest of routes, we had to rely on a good old fashioned map. For those who aren't familiar with the word, a map came in the form of a comprehensive book with tows, cities, and highways all listed in one big guide.
If you made the wrong turn, then you'd have to do what these free-spirits did and stop the car and ask fellow human beings for help. How did they survive?! 

Humphrey Bogart playing with daughter, Leslie
Culture China
Humphrey Bogart was a terrific actor known as much for his movies as his lifelong romance with fellow actress Lauren Bacall. He met the starlet when she was acting alongside him in her first leading role at just 19.
After falling in love on set, they remained together for the rest of their lives until death did them part. At the funeral, Bacall threw a whistle in his coffin in tribute to the film To Have and Have Not. In the scene, she says, "You know how to whistle, don't you? You just put your lips together and blow." Here, Bogart is pictured in his more formative years playing on the swings with his daughter, Leslie. 
Previous Post Next Post