With the Academy Awards only weeks away, now is a great time to take a look at some notable female actors who have visited North Texas.
The following photographs are part the Dallas Public Library’s Dallas History and Archives Collection and many are available through the library’s online catalog.
Among the images are a visit to Bishop College by multi-talented singer songwriter Oscar nominated actress and activist Eartha Kitt. Decades later, I can still recall the awe I felt as a small child in the 1980s, watching Kitt’s portrayal of Catwoman in reruns of the 1960s Batman television series. Actress May Wynn was photographed on a jet at Dallas Naval Air Station (Hensley Field) to promote a film opening in 1954.
There are images of Casablanca star Ingrid Bergman. Tina Turner and Gladys Knight visited Dallas in 1962 and 1968. Vertigo star Kim Novak was once spotted at Union Station around 1956. Horror legends Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, and Morticia Adams were all here, too.
So take a look at the gallery and see a few times Hollywood came to Dallas.
Brandon Murray, a librarian and archivist in the Dallas Public Library’s Dallas History & Archives Division, writes about North Texas history for D Magazine. See more of this series here.
The Dallas Public Library has many other images related to women in the entertainment industry and beyond, spanning decades. You can learn more by searching online in the catalog. Go to “Advanced” and use the “Limit By” option to select “Digital Archive” then type in your topic.