Valentino Garavani, simply known as Valentino, the last of the great couturiers who designed for royalty and movie stars alike, died today on January 19, 2026. He was 93. His fashion business came into the world just before the era of La Dolce Vita (1960) and continued till his retirement in 2008. In 2005, Mayor Veltroni of Rome said, “In Italy, there is the Pope — and there is Valentino”.

Guy Madison was born on January 19, 1922. While on leave from the United States Navy In 1944, he was visiting Hollywood when his handsome looks caught the eye of Henry Willson, the head of talent at David O. Selznick's newly formed Vanguard Pictures. Wilson cast him in a small role as a sailor in Selznick's Since You Went Away (1944) and the studio received thousands of letters from fans wanting to know more about him. Madison returned to military service, but when he got out, Selznick assigned his contract to RKO Pictures who cast him in the starring role in Till the End of Time, a successful drama about veterans returning after World War II (1946). He went onto make more films, but his lack of acting experience caused his career to suffer. In 1951 he was cast as the title character in the television series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951–58) and his career was once again on the rise. Madison has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He died in 1996 at the age of 74. 

Glenda Jackson, one of England's greatest actors admired Hollywood actor, Bette Davis and viewed her as a remarkable talent calling her "my idol". The two-shared a mutual respect and a temperamental affinity that drew comparisons to their on-screen intensity. Jackson spoke of how Davis invested intelligence and style into challenging roles, while Davis praised Jackson's performances, particularly her portrayal of Elizabeth I, a role that Davis had played twice in her movie career. 

Oliver Hardy was born on January 18, 1892, and was an American comic actor and one half of the Laurel and Hardy comedy team that began in the era of silent films. He appeared with his comedy partner Stan Laurel in 107 short films, feature films, and cameo roles up until 1957. Hardy had first moved to Los Angeles in 1917 and worked freelance for several Hollywood studios. In 1924 he began working for Hal Roach Studios and in 1927, Laurel and Hardy began appearing together. Roach Studios recognized the favorable audience reaction to the two which led to the start of a Laurel and Hardy series later that year. Hardy died at age 65 from complications of a stroke in 1957. His long-standing comedy partner Laurel was inconsolable by the loss. Advised by his doctor not to attend the funeral due to his own poor health, Laurel agreed, stating that Hardy would understand.

The Gilded Age in New York spanned the period from the 1870s to 1910. Mark Twain first used the term in the title of his novel, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, published in 1873. This postcard with a view of Fifth Avenue, often referred to as Millionaire's Row, is from about 1905.

Bette Davis and Monty Woolley on the set of The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942).  Their chemistry together, he as the demanding Sheridan Whiteside and she as his secretary, the resilient Maggie Cutler, worked well, though their off-screen bond wasn't close. Bette Davis would have preferred John Barrymore in the role, however, the two shared a mutual professional respect, especially as Woolley was a significant Broadway personality whom Davis admired. 

Ethel Merman, the legendary, Broadway singer and actress was born on January 16, 1908. She is remembered as "The First Lady of the Musical Comedy Stage". It was said that her distinctive and powerful voice could reach the last row of the theater without a microphone. Her performance as Mama Rose in the Broadway production of Gypsy which opened in 1959 was a triumph and still remembered by some as one of the greatest Broadway performances ever. Her career as a singer began in the mid-1920s when she began singing in nightclubs. Her first Broadway performance was in Girl Crazy in 1930 and from there she went onto appear in many more Broadway musicals that included, Anything Goes, Red Hot and Blue, Annie Get Your Gun and Call Me Madam, to name a few. She appeared in 17 Broadway shows and appeared in over 15 movies. Merman died in 1984 at the age of 76.

Yvonne De Carlo, featured on the cover of Yank, the Army Weekly in 1944, a magazine published during World War II by the United States military. Intended to boost the morale of military personnel serving overseas, the weekly publication would spotlight a pin-up photograph of some of the most famous actresses, models, and dancers of their time. DeCarlo was a beloved pin-up known for her exotic beauty before she was a famous movie star. Today, she is probably best remembered for her role as Lily Munster in the TV series The Munsters (1964-1966). 

Margaret O'Brien was born on January 15, 1937, making her 89 years old today. Her career began in feature films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at the age of four and she quickly became a popular child star at age 5 with her first major role in Journey for Margaret (1942). O'Brien won wide praise for her very convincing acting style, uncommon for a child so young. She received a Juvenile Academy Award as the outstanding child actress of 1944 for her role in Meet Me in St. Louis. In her later career, she appeared on television, stage, and in supporting film roles. O'Brien is honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures and one for television.

Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor on a break during the shooting of Magnificent Obsession (1935). The film had its New York City premiere at Radio City Music Hall on December 30, 1935, and drew huge crowds and became a major box-office success for Universal Pictures.  The film is notable for making Robert Taylor an international star and he began receiving up to 10,000 fan letters a week. Nineteen years later, Universal would remake the film in 1954 and it became an even larger hit and launched the career of Rock Hudson. 

Henry Fonda and Bette Davis on the set of Jezebel (1938). During the making of this movie, Davis later recalled Fonda passing out cigars one day to celebrate the birth of his daughter Jane, who arrived on December 21, 1937. Fonda had departed filming to go to New York for the birth of his first-born child and many of Bette Davis's close-up scenes that required his character to be present were filmed with her acting opposite a stand-in or, as she recalled in her memoir, a stick with a round piece of wood with a face painted on it.