Stunning Behind-the-Scene Photos from the 1950s and 1960s Movies by Bob Willoughby

Bob Willoughby was the first photographer to capture Hollywood in a documentary style. From James Dean to Audrey Hepburn, he had access to the best stars of his day while working for Warner Brothers in the early 1950s. Bob depicted the historical era of filmmaking in his photographs. He captured many of the world’s most acclaimed actors and directors at their most vulnerable and unguarded moments, on and off stage. With his distinctive style, he captured the essence of each film. Bob knew exactly what each publication needed regarding editorial content and design layout regardless of the number of magazines he worked for.

He is also credited with many technical innovations, including the silent blimp popularized for 35mm still photography on film sets. At the time, he was the only film photographer working with radio-controlled cameras, which enabled him to capture photographs in otherwise impossible situations. He had specially built brackets to hold still cameras on and over Panavision cameras.

Hollywood’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored Willoughby by exhibiting his work in a major retrospective. In 2004, he was awarded the Lucie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Still Photography in New York. His photographs are in the permanent collection of Washington, D.C.’s National Portrait Gallery.

Below are some stunning behind-the-scenes photos of the movies from the 1950s and 1960s by Bob Willoughby.

#1 Director Richard Lester on the set of “Petulia” in San Francisco, 1967

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#2 Director Mike Nichols on set of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, 1965

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#3 Elaine May on the Columbia Studios set of “Luv,” 1966

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#4 Mike Nichols on his rehearsal set of “The Graduate,” with cinematographer Robert Surtees, Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross, 1967

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#5 A pensive Goldie Hawn on the Columbia Studios set of “Cactus Flower,” 1969

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#6 Candice Bergen visits the “Catch-22” set in Mexico, photographing Peter Bogdanovich as he interviews cast member Orson Wells; 1969

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#7 Richard Burton in his 20th Century Fox dressing room during filming on “The Desert Rats,” 1953

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#8 Elizabeth Taylor dresses for a scene on MGM’s “Raintree County,” 1956

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#9 Audrey Hepburn feeds her pet deer Ip its morning bottle during a break from filming on MGM’s “Green Mansions,” 1958

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#10 Jean Seberg, before the famous haircut, at her screen test for “Saint Joan,” 1956

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#11 Marlon Brando practices with his singing coach for his role in “Guys and Dolls,” Goldwyn Studios, 1955

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#12 Natalie Wood at a Hollywood charity party, 1951

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#13 Vincente Minnelli high on the Chapman crane, takes his daughter Liza Minnelli for a ride on the MGM set of “Lovely to Look At,” 1951

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#14 Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross make a run for it in “The Graduate,” 1967

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#15 Katharine Ross and Dustin Hoffman in rehearsal for “The Graduate,” 1967

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#16 Jean Seberg and François Moreuil on location in the south of France for “Bonjour Tristesse,” 1957

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#17 Jane Fonda in a New York City garment factory during shooting of “Klute,” 1970

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#18 Susannah York and Bruce Dern on the set of “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”, 1969

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#19 Richard Attenborough sleeping on Disney Ranch location for “Doctor Dolittle,” 1966

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#20 Gregory Peck on set of “Beloved Infidel,” 20th Century Fox, 1959

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#21 Lauren Bacall with daughter Leslie Bogart at home in Beverly Hills, 1958

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#22 Audrey Hepburn in a serene moment on set of MGM’s “Green Mansions,” 1958

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#23 James Garner with Audrey Hepburn at Goldwyn Studios for “The Children’s Hour,” 1961

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#24 Anthony Hopkins in his screen debut as Richard Coeur de Lion in “The Lion in Winter,” 1967

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#25 George C. Scott on cable car in San Francisco for “Petulia,” 1967

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#26 Director Blake Edwards grabs a nap in a golf cart on location in Salzburg, Germany, for “The Great Race,” 1964

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#27 Director Mike Nichols in sunlight shaft on set of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, 1965

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#28 William Holden about to kiss Audrey Hepburn on set of “Paris When It Sizzles” at Boulogne Studios in Paris, 1962

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#29 John Wayne on location in Colorado for “The Cowboys,” 1971

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#30 Richard Burton teaches his daughter Kate to fish on location in Northampton, Massachusetts, during filming of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, 1965

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#31 Jean Seberg during filming of “Bonjour Tristesse” in France, 1957

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#32 Peter O’Toole listens to playback of a scene he has just made as Henry II, in “The Lion in Winter,” France, 1967

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#33 Jean Seberg during filming of “Bonjour Tristesse” at Maxim’s restaurant in Paris, 1957

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#34 Frank Sinatra on the RKO Studios set of “The Man with the Golden Arm,” 1955

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#35 Jean Seberg reads the paper in bed during filming of “Bonjour Tristesse” in France, 1957

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#36 Audrey Hepburn in her hotel room in Los Angeles, on her first trip to Hollywood after filming “Roman Holiday,” 1953

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#37 Julie Christie with script for “Petulia,” 1967

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#38 Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross on the Paramount set of “The Graduate,” 1967

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#39 Marilyn Monroe digests what is proposed on set of “Let’s Make Love” with Yves Montand and husband Arthur Miller, 1960

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#40 Robert and Ethel Kennedy at The Factory in L.A. charity bash, 1967

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#41 Doris Day and Rock Hudson in an advertising shot for “Pillow Talk,” 1959

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#42 Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor on the MGM set of “Raintree County,” 1956

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#43 Montgomery Clift leads Elizabeth Taylor back to bed on the MGM set of “Raintree County,” 1956

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#44 Shirley MacLaine rehearses for “Can-Can” at 20th Century Fox, 1959

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#45 Mickey Rooney and his son Teddy jumping for joy on the MGM lot in Culver City, 1958

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#46 Roman Polanski with Mia Farrow as she discovers her chart on the Paramount set of “Rosemary’s Baby,” 1967

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#47 Peter O’Toole dressed for his role as King Henry II, tries his hand at cricket on the French location for “The Lion in Winter 1967

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#48 Kim Novak on the Columbia Studios set of “The Notorious Landlady,” 1961

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#49 Chet Baker on set of “Summer Flight” (aka “Stolen Hours”), filmed on location in Fowey, Cornwall, 1962

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#50 Audrey Hepburn hangs out with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis at Paramount Studios, 1953

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