Bob Willoughby (American, 1927 - 2009), Audrey Hepburn on the Eiffel Tower set of ‘Paris When It Sizzles,’ Boulogne Studio, Paramount Pictures, 1962; modern print, ink on paper, 17 x 12 inches; Courtesy of Elliott Gallery. © The Bob Willoughby Photo Archive.
Backstage Hollywood: The Photographs of Bob Willoughby
A Program of Exhibits USA with Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts
Jan. 28–March 16, 2025
J. Wayne Stark Galleries | Memorial Student Center, MSC 1110
Venture backstage into the golden age of Hollywood in this exhibition that explores the photography of Bob Willoughby. Widely recognized as a pioneer of photography in the 20th century, Willoughby was the first outside photographer invited by studios to take photos on film sets.
Willoughby’s career took off in 1954 when Warner Brothers asked him to photograph Judy Garland during the filming of A Star is Born. Life magazine published a feature with over a dozen of Willoughby’s candid photographs of Garland working on set, and a close-up photograph of her appeared on the cover. Willoughby’s career took off, and his photographs became instantly recognizable, featuring naturalistic images of actors and directors in intimate moments of vulnerability.
The magazine Popular Photography has called Willoughby “. . . the man who virtually invented the photojournalistic motion picture still.” Responding to the many logistical challenges of working on film sets, he was a technological innovator, creating the silent blimp for 35mm still cameras so that he could photograph silently on set, capturing intimate moments of the stars.
The exhibition features photographs from the sets of seventeen iconic Hollywood films, including Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Marnie, Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby, and Marilyn Monroe in Let’s Make Love.
Willoughby developed friendships with some of his subjects, including Audrey Hepburn. When speaking of meeting Hepburn, he recalls “She took my hand like…well a princess, and dazzled me with that smile that God designed to melt mortal men’s hearts.”