Myrna Loy

You never think of her as the most beautiful 30’s star, nor do you think of her as a siren, but Myrna created one of the most lovable characters in all of film in Nora Charles, wife of detective “thin man” Nick Charles played by William Powell (photo right, the 'thin man' was actually a suspect, not Nick, my review is here: Thin Man Series).
She was deft with comedy, had such a lovable smirk that even when she’s picking on Nick you can still like her. Her wealthy character allows Nick to be a pro 'slacker' and solve crimes as a hobby, so she didn't have to take any guff and called the shots; he called her 'mama'. A definite keeper, I doubt the big screen will ever see such a popular married couple (and dog, in ASTA). Watch the entire box set on dvd, five films and a documentary on “Nick and Nora”, then just try to NOT fall in love with her! I wanted to show some very early shots of Myrna so I shrank these photos drastically – check out the 300 or so of her at Fanpix.

Lena Horne

One of the most striking African-Americans stars ever, Lena was so lightly-complected that she first passed for white in order to get work, then starred in the all-black A Cabin in the Sky for Vincente Minnelli, the first big director to make such a film. Lena had the looks and especially the voice, sultry and smooth, to be a star in films or music, so she combined the two. I’m sure she actually helped break racial boundaries by appealing to fans of all races; I loved her right away when I was a white kid in Georgia. You can tell from her smile that she would be a person you’d like to just hang with, she epitomizes “black is beautiful”, and was apparently ageless, just as gorgeous past middle age. "Goodness knows, honeysuckle rose" (!)

Photos from her website:
Lena Horne