Classic Hollywood

To the boomer generation, seeing Bob Hope on TV or in the movies was like spending time with cranky relatives. Sure, there were a lot of great memories — the World War II shows, the "Road" movies with Bing Crosby — but it also was a little stale, and the jokes, well, they were...

Bob Hope was a consummate entertainer — a pioneering comedian who navigated an ever-changing media landscape, endured for decades and still found time to entertain thousands of troops in far-flung locales. Eleven years after his death, Hope still stands as a spiritual ancestor to...

In 1957, singer Peggy Lee recorded the Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II tune "The Folks Who Live on the Hill." Though others had performed the song too, Lee's soulful interpretation of the dreamy lyrics connected with audiences.

For 10 years starting in 1946, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were the hottest comedy team in the U.S. They first conquered nightclubs with their frenetic, freewheeling comedy-music act and even appeared on the first installment of "The Toast of the Town," which later became "The Ed Sullivan...

Some films, such as the Oscar-winning 1939 Civil War epic "Gone With the Wind," resonate with audiences on release, but others, such as Frank Capra's 1946 yuletide tale "It's a Wonderful Life," take time to become part of the cultural lexicon.

Tyrone Power was just 22 when he became the toast of Hollywood after his breakout performance in the 1936 historical epic "Lloyd's of London."

Funny man Phil Silvers was the comic relief in countless movie musicals in the 1940s and became the toast of Broadway in 1951 in the comedy "Top Banana," winning a Tony and then reprising his role in the 1954 film. He achieved small-screen stardom in the well-remembered comedy series "The...

After writing such live TV dramas as "Requiem for Heavyweight" and "The Comedian," Rod Serling created the 1959-64 CBS sci-fi anthology series "The Twilight Zone," which he also hosted. Serling won Emmys for his writing on the series, which tackled heavy-duty subjects such as prejudice and...

When Harry Belafonte appeared in mob-controlled Las Vegas in the 1950s at the Thunderbird Hotel, he decided to challenge the racist system that prevented African American performers from staying at hotels on the Strip.

The Hollywood Museum in the historic Max Factor Building is getting its "Boo!" on for Halloween with its new exhibition "Monsters, Mummies and Mayhem: Your Worst Nightmares Comes to Life." The exhibition, which continues through Nov. 11, ranges from Hannibal Lecter's prison cellblock from...