Tippi Hedren modeling a Jacques Fath dress in 1954

I love to waste time flipping through old women’s magazines. There’s something strangely appealing about the vintage advertisements and forgotten articles that told women how they should dress and explained how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey. It’s easy to imagine my own grandmother or mother taking fashion notes or cutting out recipes so they could plan their next family gathering while reading these dusty publications. Now that so many magazines seem to be going out of print and readers are more likely to search for recipes and beauty tips online, there’s something vaguely comforting about loosing myself in the past for a few hours while reading an old issue of McCall’s or Better Homes & Gardens.

As a movie lover I also enjoy coming across celebrity endorsements for a products such as Van Heussen dress shirts being sold by Peter Lorre or Charlton Heston. My fellow Morlock Richard Harland Smith recently wrote a wonderful piece about these celebrity advertisements that I find so fascinating. But even more surprising is coming across ads that feature celebrities when they were complete unknowns. Just like today, many classic Hollywood stars began their careers as nameless models selling beauty products or soda pop to housewives and teenage girls. Sometimes these future stars aren’t instantly recognizable and it can take me a minute or two to place a name to the fresh face trying to sell me toothpaste, but that’s part of the fun! I get a thrill when I finally figure out that the young model I’m looking at would go on to become a popular movie star in the near future.

One of my favorite actresses to spot in ads is the elegant Tippi Hedren who became well-known after starring in two of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films; The Birds (1963) with Rod Taylor and Marnie (1964) alongside Sean Connery. Before Tippi Hedren became a recognizable actress she worked as a model in New York and appeared in many advertisements. Hitchcock first spotted the beautiful blond while she was doing an ad spot for a diet drink on The Johnny Carson show. He was immediately impressed by Hedren’s sophisticated good looks and graceful self-assurance. The rest, as they say, is history.

Top: Tippi Hedren modeling dresses (1954)
Bottom: Tippi Hedren in an ad for Gleem toothpaste (1958)

The lovely Carol Lynley began acting in Broadway plays during the 1950s before appearing in television programs like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and finally getting starring roles in films such as José Ferrer’s Return to Peyton Place (1961) and Otto Preminger’s Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965). I’ve always admired Lynley’s acting abilities so I found it fascinating to discover that she began her career modeling Girl Scout uniforms in the early ‘50s and posing for Coca-Cola ads. I had no idea that the actress had done some modeling early in her career until I was flipping through an old magazine and came across her smiling face trying to convince me that I needed to buy Dorothy Gray face soap.

Top: Carol Lynley appeared in many Coca-Cola ads (1956)
Bottom: Carol Lynley modeling for Dorothy Gray (1957)

Tuesday Weld also began modeling in the 1950s. After Weld’s father died in 1947 her family faced an uncertain financial future so her mother encouraged her to start modeling in order to help contribute to the household funds. Her acting career really took off in the ‘60s after she appeared with Elvis Presley in Wild in the Country (1961) and alongside Carol Lynley in Return to Peyton Place (1961). The cute blond starlet developed a sexy and dangerous side later in life but in her early modeling photos she seems incredibly youthful and innocent.

Top: Tuesday Weld modeling for Mum deodorant (1957)
Bottom: Tuesday Weld in an ad for 7-Up (1957)

Another actress I enjoy spotting in advertisements is the earthy beauty Ali MacGraw who married actor Steve McQueen after they appeared together in Sam Peckinpah’s terrific heist film The Getaway (1972). MacGraw started working as a photographic assistant after she graduated college but she also did some modeling before starring in the hugely popular romantic drama Love Story (1970) with Ryan O’Neal. With her large dark eyes and tan skin, MacGraw seemed to posses a particular kind of natural glamor that appealed to lots of people in the early ‘70s and she continued to have a successful modeling career after she became an accomplished actress.

Top: Ali MacGraw in an ad for Colgate toothpaste (1959)
Bottom: Ali MacGraw modeling for Johnson’s Baby Oil (1971)

There are many other actresses who began their careers working as models but these are just a few of my favorite discoveries in recent years. If and when I stumble upon any others that surprise me I’ll share the evidence here.