Veronica Lake's signature peek-a-boo hair style captured America's imagination in the early 1940's.
Besides entertainment, movies are precious time capsules. They allow us a glimpse into the past where we can view fashions and attitudes that seem distant yet achingly familiar.
When Veronica Lake (b. Constance Frances Marie Ockelman) and her peek-a-boo hair burst on the scene in I Wanted Wings, 1941—her distinctive look stole the movie—the public frenzy was nearly instantaneous. Women tried to emulate the Lake look while men smiled indulgently even as they dreamed of being on the receiving end of a sultry one-eyed glance.
The public had no idea that Veronica Lake was a deeply troubled and troublesome young woman—to her fellow actors she was known as “The Bitch”—an alcoholic in the grip of bipolar disorder which destroyed three marriages, Lake’s relationship with her children, her career, and eventually her liver.
The only danger of which the public was aware came after America’s entry into the war when women flooded into heavy industry and discovered that their long hair could get caught in machinery.
Like so many in Hollywood during World War II, Veronica Lake pitched in with this fashion pitch:
Ariel Chaim Avrech, ZT'L, May His Righteous Memory be a Blessing.
5 Comments
The public had no idea that Veronica Lake was a deeply troubled and troublesome young woman
The studios protected images of the stars as mentioned in your post last Friday. Today we get all the crazies the stars can give us (Lohan, Sheen etc) and there is no studio to reign them in.
As a kid I had no idea who Veronica Lake was but I was aware of her image from Bugs Bunny cartoons and of course later with Who Framed Roger Rabbit. A little thing like this spot is a reminder of the cooperation the government got from so many people during WWII. Reading the censored letters my dad sent from Europe I shake my head to imagine what they accepted in the pursuit of victory.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
Knowing full well that appearances reveal absolutely nothing about the soul, or about kindness, or motherliness, or even marital skills, what is the first, and for many, the most important thing that attracts us to a woman?
I once did research for a paper on the benefit of seeing testimony live. Many jurors and jurists believe that seeing the witness helps you decide on his veracity. As a 1991 study by Eckman and O’Sullivan showed, the only group that is able to detect lies by observation is the Secret Service. There is an anecdote about an asylum for mentally handicapped individuals that was watching a television broadcast of President Reagan, and they were all laughing. They explained that the intentional falsehoods he was saying made his sincere manner hilarious.
And yet, we all think we can judge people by looking at them.
Like or Dislike:
2 
2
Barzilai – it has long been a belief of mine that when it comes to the opposite sex men and women usually have blinders on. How many have you known when a friend of the intended says “I don’t know what he/she sees in him/her? Or the rest of us can see a bum when the object of the bum’s attention can’t see?
We see what we want to see which is why the studio system was so effective.
As far as Reagan I just finished a great small book on him – written by the Secret Service Agent – John Barletta – who, because of his ability to ride a horse (seemingly alone in the Secret Service) became Reagan’s personal protector and over 20 years became friends.
Everything I have read about Reagan indicates that he believed what he said.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Yah, I heard from a very liberal professor of law, which means it may never have happened or that it involved some other president. But I seem to remember hearing from a reputable source that certain damage to speech centers enhances reliance on visual cues.
I’ll bet that this doesn’t work on dates either.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
I got to know Veronica in I Married A Witch The movie that I would assume gave the idea for Bewitched. Count me as one of those males who, without knowing her, would want to be on the receiving end but having known her would run as fast as I could – in the other direction
From imdb: (in I married a Witch)
Many scenes had to be reshot because of the unprofessional behavior of Veronica Lake.Fredric March, her co-star, found her annoying and started to call the movie “I Married a Bitch”. Other Lake co-stars held her in the same low esteem.
On the women working in the factories, today, of course, is the 70th anniversary of the cataclysmic event that changed America.
And Hollywood, at the time, changed along with America.
I think of Marlene Dietrich dancing with a Private at the Hollywood Canteen.
Or Marilyn Monroe (not yet a star) working in a Los Angeles defense plant.
Like or Dislike:
1 
1