# Famous Hollywood Brunettes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508 "2004-10-27T18:22:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/1 "2004-10-27T18:22:17Z")
Here’s the list as originally done: Ava Gardner Elizabeth Taylor Vivien Leigh Greta Garbo Joan Crawford Natalie Wood Rosalind Russell Ingrid Bergman Sophia Loren Lillian Gish Dorothy Lamour Ingrid Bergman? :dubious: She definitely comes off the list – and I’m not sure Lillian Gish is a good choice either. Who would you add? ---
**Author:** ![ElectricZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@ElectricZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElectricZ)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/2 "2004-10-27T20:43:00Z")
Rita Hayworth. /swoon! EZ ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/3 "2004-10-27T20:50:43Z")
She wasn’t a redhead? All I’m coming up with is Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin – neither one exactly a femme fatale… (And Annette Funicello, but she’s a little later.) Oh I know! Raquel Welsh! ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/4 "2004-10-27T21:16:43Z")
That’s WelCh. I’d add Jane Russell, for starters. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/5 "2004-10-27T21:20:32Z")
> [@pseudotriton ruber ruber](#): > > That’s WelCh. :smack: I knew that – I was on IM with a friend surnamed Welsh at the same time. No, really. And Jane Russell is a good one. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/6 "2004-10-28T04:54:21Z")
Audrey Hepburn Betty Paige (Did I butcher that spelling?) Clara Bow ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/7 "2004-10-28T05:00:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Betty Paige (Did I butcher that spelling?) Do you mean Bettie Page? She appeared in several movies but most of them were only eight minutes long. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/8 "2004-10-28T05:07:17Z")
I taught in the high school that Bettie Paige graduated from. (No! I was not _there_ at the time!) I would add Hedy Lamarr and Gene Tierney. Rita Hayworth had a Spanish background, I think. She was definitely a natural brunette and her natural hairline was much lower and shaped differently. She looked terrific either way. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/9 "2004-10-28T13:40:26Z")
excuse the lower-case, i’m typing with one hand in a brace – if we’re talking glamour girls/sex symbols – theda bara nita naldi colleen moore kay francis gene tierney hedy lamarr barbara la marr norma talmadge carmen miranda dorothy dandridge olive thomas cyd charisse lillian gish was a blonde; clara bow and rita hayworth were redheads – well, during their careers, anyway – ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/10 "2004-10-28T13:52:24Z")
Thanks, **eve** – I didn’t dare hope you’d come off the disabled list to straighten me out on this! ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/11 "2004-10-28T15:10:25Z")
What are the criteria? It seems one needs to be, um, of a certain age, to make the list. Are current celebs ineligible? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/12 "2004-10-28T15:24:38Z")
I went with “certain age,” and also tossed Sophia Loren as not of the right era. The final list looked like this: Ava Gardner Elizabeth Taylor Vivien Leigh Greta Garbo Joan Crawford Natalie Wood Jane Russell Dorothy Lamour Hedy Lamarr Gene Tierney Norma Talmadge (It’s for a puzzle – it will appear with Ava Gardner as the example and the other ten as an encoded list, so I liked the Lamour/Lamarr thing. That’ll give 'em something to think about!) Who would you add if we wanted to go contemporary? Julia Roberts? Neither Christina Ricci nor Janeane Garofolo is exactly va-va-voom material… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/13 "2004-10-28T15:26:51Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Neither Christina Ricci nor Janeane Garofolo is exactly va-va-voom material… I think some people would strenuously object to the first half of that statement. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/14 "2004-10-28T15:32:24Z")
“That’s Hedley!” ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/15 "2004-10-28T15:43:49Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Who would you add if we wanted to go contemporary? Julia Roberts? Neither Christina Ricci nor Janeane Garofolo is exactly va-va-voom material… Halle Berry? Selma Hayek? Lucy Liu? Kate Beckinsale? Gong Li? Juliette Binoche? Liv Tyler? I have a bit of a thing for brunettes, so I could go on for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/16 "2004-10-28T15:58:13Z")
[Greta Garbo](http://home.hiwaay.net/~oliver/garbointro.htm) wasn’t dark haired. A few [magazine covers](http://home.hiwaay.net/~oliver/garbomag.htm) can show you that. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/17 "2004-10-28T16:01:19Z")
Dammit! I thought about that, but figured **eve** would have corrected me. Thanks, **Walloon**! Another embarrassing blooper caught before it made it into print! ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/18 "2004-10-28T16:03:34Z")
How about Jennifer Connelly? Most definitely va va voom material, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/19 "2004-10-28T16:32:30Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I went with “certain age,” and also tossed Sophia Loren as not of the right era. The final list looked like this: > > Ava Gardner > Elizabeth Taylor > Vivien Leigh > Greta Garbo > Joan Crawford > Natalie Wood > Jane Russell > Dorothy Lamour > Hedy Lamarr > Gene Tierney > Norma Talmadge odd list, then – why only one silent star – everyone else is 30s - 50s. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508/20 "2004-10-28T16:37:02Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > odd list, then – why only one silent star – everyone else is 30s - 50s. Oops – let’s dump Norma Talmadge then. (Who was I thinking of?) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-brunettes/271508.md?page=2)