rita hayworth | Crazy4Me - The Modern Bombshell Lifestyle by: Yasmina Greco

We receive many inquiries from folks about Rita Hayworth collectibles and although we currently do not have any available items, we thought it would be fun to share some fun-facts and information with our readers about just how much in demand Rita Hayworth has remained for all these years.

Rita Hayworth is one of the most beautiful and famous pin-up girls of the 1940’s. She was born in 1918 as Margarita del Carmen Cansino and began her career as a dancer. Rita Hayworth’s father was from Seville, Spain and a flamenco dancer and her mother was of English and Irish decent. Rita’s grandfather, Antonio Cansino was a famous dancer in Spain and had a renowned studio is Madrid where Rita received her first introduction into the world of dance. Rita originally had a head full of black hair and it is said that when she signed with Columbia Pictures at age 19 she was given a complete transformation that involved electrolysis to remove 2 inches of hair from her hairline and it was then colored a rich red and her name was changed to Rita Hayworth. Rita appeared in over 61 films and had four husbands; she passed away at age 68 in 1987.

Rita Hayworth is still today a very collectible icon of the golden age of Hollywood. It is something so special for a collector to obtain a costume, movie, or photos to name a few items of their favorite actress, and Rita Hayworth is one of the top stars whose memorabilia is in huge demand today and commands top dollar.

1. The world famous Bob Landry picture of Rita Hayworth that appeared in Life Magazine in August 1941, p. 33, made her the number 2 soldier pin-up of World War II, just behind Betty Grable. Rita’s photo sold over five million copies.

2. The blush satin with black lace trim nightgown Rita wore in the famous WWII pin up photo taken by Bob Landry for Life was sold in an auction by Planet Hollywood for the sum of $22,500.00.

3. Rita Hayworth appeared on the cover of Life Magazine 5 times.

4. Some legends say the Margarita cocktail was named for her when she was dancing under her real name in a Mexico nightclub.

5. The 15” inch Rita Hayworth as Carmen doll, composition, socket head, blue eyes, red lips, red hair, red gown commands upwards of $700 today.

6. A collector paid over $33,000 for a highly coveted 1946 Gilda movie poster.

7. The gorgeous gown that Rita Hayworth wore in the movie Gilda went on the auction block not too long ago and was estimated to bring $30,000-$50,000.

8. Rita Hayworth Paper Doll book of Carmen averages $75.

9. On eBay right now there is a Rita Hayworth GILDA ORIG FILM NOIR MOVIE POSTER 1946 for just under $10,000!

10. On eBay right now there is a very interesting item of memorabilia and it is Rita “THE LOVE GODDESS” Hayworth – SIGNED CONTRACT for around $4,500. Rita Hayworth signs a document with William Morris Agency to represent her for one year.

Recommended: A great article with tips for those interested in collecting Hollywood Memorabilia. Read Here.

The “come back” of the Pin Up Girl can be attributed to the desire people seem to have with admiring “pretty girls”, “Hollywood’s-good-ol-days”, and the nostalgia of yester year as all things Vintage and Retro are hotter than ever. We can also thank mainstream television with shows like L.A. Ink and Miami Ink as it seems a majority of the episodes showed men and women having Pin Up Girl tattoos done on various parts of their bodies by the very talented tattoo artists these particular tattoo studios have.

How Pin Up Girls Originated
Pin-Ups date back to prehistoric days, ancient Greece as well as the Renaissance as each of these civilizations and periods had their version of images of well-endowed women on cave drawings, sculpture, and paintings. Early American influences in magazines and print illustrations include Howard Pyle (1853-1911), his Brandywine school and students such as N. C. Wyeth (1882-1945), Harvey Dunn (1884-1952), Frank Schoonover (1877-1972) and Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966). Dean Cornwell (1892-1960), John La Gatta (1894 – 1976) and Andrew Loomis (1892-1959) were also major forces in magazine and advertising illustration. The Arts and Crafts and decorative Art Nouveau movements in Europe also contributed to the artistry and styles of the times.

We are probably most familiar with the World War Two, pin-ups that accompanied G.I.s and these pin-ups were movie stars that were considered sex symbols. Photos of Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, and Ava Gardener to name a few.

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