1950s Archives - Desperate Living

A mad German sleaze-fest from 1959 that mixes glamour girls, spider monsters and glorious excess.

The anonymous magazine, book and LP appearances of the woman who would later become a pin-up legend.

The hip, witchy cult favourite remains one of the great overlooked films of the 1950s, despite a curiously conservative attitude at its heart.

The art of Alexander Calder and the music of John Cage are combined in a hallucinatory avant-garde film that is the ultimate relaxation aid.

The legendary actor gets the celebrity life story treatment on USTV.

The classic covers from the legendary magazine are recreated in a collection of stylish footwear.

The movie goddess recreates her iconic predecessors for LIFE magazine in 1958.

Hollywood’s greatest sex symbol puts some va-va-voom into the British seaside resort’s illuminations in 1959.

A Swedish science fiction movie that was reconstructed into a rather different American monster movie.

A vital and varied collection of salacious, sinister and silly trad-jazz tunes from the legendary raconteur.

A handful of unexpectedly dramatic and creative films warning of the danger of railroad tracks for workers and the public alike.

The futuristic sounds of the distant past.