Stamps in the News / By Syd Kronish
Legends series honors Hollywood’s best
Hooray For Hollywood! Motion pictures have been the top entertainment vehicle worldwide for more than 100 years.
Recognizing the infatuation with the silver screen, the U. S. Postal Service has immortalized the “best of the best” in its historic “Legends of Hollywood” series of stamps.
The first in the series honored the beautiful Marilyn Monroe in 1995. This was followed by such screen stalwarts as James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Alfred Hitchcock, James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Judy Garland, James Stewart and, this year, Bette Davis.
Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jean Mortensen in Los Angeles on June 1, 1926. Her desire to become an actress and a star was evident from an early age. She had a difficult time at first, with small roles until her first major role in “Ladies of the Chorus” in 1948.
Miss Monroe was labeled a “sex symbol” after her role in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” in 1953. Her last film was “The Misfits” in 1960. She died Aug. 5, 1962.
Cary Grant was the Legends of Hollywood honoree in 2002. This versatile performer was born Archibald Alexander Leach on Jan. 18, 1904, in Bristol, England.
Grant’s top films were “An Affair to Remember” (1957), “The Philadelphia Story” (1940) and “To Catch a Thief” (1955).
He died Nov. 29, 1986. At the time of his death, his estate was valued at $60 million.
Lucille Ball was the 2001 recipient of the series. She was adoringly called “Lucy” by her millions of fans everywhere.
Lucy had no peer in comedy roles, whether on film or TV.
John Wayne, the hero of heroes, specialized in rugged macho roles such as cowboys or soldiers in a career spanning 50 years and 200 films. He was the 2004 honoree of the series.
Wayne was born May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa, as Marion Morrison. In 1913, the family moved to California where he acquired the name “Duke.”
During World War II, he appeared in 13 films, mainly with patriotic backgrounds: “The Sands of Iwo Jima” and the “Longest Day.” Other noted movies were “Red River,” “The Quiet Man,” “The Alamo” and his favorite role in 1939’s “Stagecoach.”
Shortly before his death in 1979, Congress awarded Wayne a special gold medal inscribed “John Wayne, American.”
