Hi everyone, I am curious if anyone on here could shed some light on this old photo i am restoring /re framing at the moment.
The badge on the side of the car seems to say alpine? and i am guessing 1950s America?? maybe celebs?

Any help would be welcome thanks.

Think that says alpina on the side which means it could be a BMW maybe

Defo not an alpina, the alpina was founded in 1964 this car is older.

Just googled early sunbeam alpine, I would say that is what it is looking at the google images.

Just had a thought, the couple could be my mum and dad, they had an alpine. Oh no sorry that was an alpine pop wagon

Is this it?

Sunbeam Alpine convertable

That is what i was thinking too ... maybe a mk1 Sunbeam alpine ???

there is a much larger version of this pic on my flikr feed with more detail

https://www.flickr.com/photos/25837525@N06/16698106026/

Yay ! It certainly looks like it - i didnt realise the old Sunbeams were so big ... is the background Washington ?

Or it could be Florence Italy in the background

It looks like a view down the Tuscany valley from the Piazzale Michelangelo towards the cathedral, Il Duomo di Firenze. Which is basically what Tonif said - sorry, didnt notice your post till I checked mine.

The Cathedral is almost certainly St Peter's in Rome

Nice one Diggin' its almost from the same angle.

They look like a pair of film stars. Maybe Rude could ask granddad, he may know.

I am really impressed that "diggingdeeper" found not only the location but also a picture from almost the exact same place ...

Thanks for help !

Its a disease - I can't resist a challenge, you've no idea how annoyed/frustrated I am that I haven't identified the individuals as yet, both of them are celebrities I recognise. I've checked all the Eva Gardener and Susan Hayward pictures to see if they had a slightly different "look" at some time, both have similarities but this girl has a bit of SE Europe look (imho)

I'm a bit concerned at that Sunbeam being in Italy, it would be a very rare event in the 1950's so the picture may be an overlay.

Yeah they both look familiar to me as old movie stars. The man has the look of William Holden but maybe not tall enough, whilst the woman maybe Gina Lollobrigida perhaps....

I don't see William Holden but I do see why you thought Gina Lollobrigida. I wonder if its her from when she filmed Woman in Rome in around 1954? It would make sense that she was there.

I have tried enlarging the pic on here ... the original photo is almost 8 inches high.

I definitely don't think it's William Holden as this guy doesn't have a dimple in his chin as per Mr H, now that i've seen the image close up I also have doubts about Ms Lollobrigida.

Now I see it close up like this deffo not who I said. My friend says she does not think they anybody in particular just 2 glamorous continentals.

Good try though Cools

Wow cools, You mentioning William Holden I thought it could be, plus his ears match !! One on his left is very slightly more sticky outy. His left eye is also slightly bigger than his right one. His hair parted on his left, was also curly at times when not greased down.
His wife Brenda Marshall... was much smaller than he, this one looks about 8" taller. Definitely not Gina . Maybe the boobs could be a clue !
His face is recognizable though and it's driving me potty.

There was a Venice Film Festival Special Award for Ensemble Acting, form which he received an award in 1954 for Executive Suite.

1954 would have made him 36yrs. but they always looked older apart from when on screen, making it a tricky one.
I don't think they are just any old locals.


Another nomination for that award was:

Three Coins in the Fountain is a 1954 American romantic comedy film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters, Louis Jourdan, Rossano Brazzi, and Maggie McNamara. Written by John Patrick, the film is about three American women working in Rome who dream of finding romance in the Eternal City.[4]

No Granny I really don't think its him now the photo has been made bigger. It's a brain teaser isn't it?

Sunbeam Alpine pre 1956. According to my 'contact'. Badge on the side denotes that.
Could the lady be actress Brigitte Auber ?

. [youtube]8MXrd4C8lhI[/youtube]

Hi Granny, If you are relating the car to the movie and to Brigitte Auber of the same period, I think you will find she sported the shorter hair style much like the insert.

She could have had her hair cut for filming, or be wearing a wig in car picture. You don't have to agree, I thought there was a similarity, particularly the left cheek when smiling slightly. Just an idea.
This picture is taken from another film.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1322037760/nm0041270?ref_=nmmi_mi_all_sf_1#

You sounded a little touchy there Granny, I was only offering an opinion. Don't worry, i'm not aggrieved but just letting you know how it appears. Have a nice day

Maybe this is better for an idea. Last post.

Could it be Dorothy Lamour?

Don,t think so Snowy. I've been through all the make and female movie stars of the 50s and con,t come up with anybody else , so like Granny think I will throw in the towel and give up. Hope someone can tell us who they are....

You sounded a little touchy there Granny, I was only offering an opinion. Don't worry, i'm not aggrieved but just letting you know how it appears. No offence meant and non taken.

I can see exactly what you mean with that double take, its very difficult to judge depth and contour from the car photo but i'm not sure if the face angles are the same...frustrating and I think I will file it away in file 13 (the bin)

Very well done, it is indeed Dorothy Lamour maybe with Clyde Tolson (J Edgar Hoover was her lover and Clyde Tolson was his right hand man - and possible lover!).

Well there you go, well done Snowshoes. I got my Snows mixed up before sorry . I was surprised because she does look different to the pics I was looking at, her eyebrows quite thick on photo but on movie pics always very thin. Anyway I,m glad that puts that mystery to bed..

Where is Abby off NCIS with her facial recognition software when you need her? I can't see her as Dorothy Lamour either. But if you guys are happy with that it's great, i'm more than happy to agree to disagree.

Ha - why didn't I think of that.

Putting the girl's picture into face recognition software it came up with the following

Lisa Stansfield (too young)
Joan Crawford (probably too old)
Monica Bellucci (too young)
Kajol (too young)
Amisha Patel (too young)
Ava Gardner (Had her on my original list but spelt name wrong AVA)
Melina Mercouri
Aishwarya Rai (too young)

On a second run it also picked up Salma Hayek (too young)

Thanks for every one taking the time to identify the people in the photo... Pretty impressive work if your correct!

As soon as i have time i will search the internet for more info and images of these two and compare pics.

Thanks everyone!

Still think it could be this one...trouble is, after a while they all look the same ! No wonder there were so many divorces

http://photos.famousfix.com/tpx_51056/brigitte-auber/photos

Let's talk about the 'car'. This is very interesting.The car used in filming has never been located. Maybe this is the missing car !
Maybe the scene is a backdrop and they didn't have one of Cannes for the studio photo shoot?
The trim on the film car looks as if it's cream leather, what about yours. I can't make it out.
Get this right petzl and you could solve a 60yr old puzzle. At a cost, of course.

http://www.motortrend.com/classic/f...pine_classic_drive/to_catch_a_thief.html

Wow how interesting ! The mystery deepens. That car is a beauty the one in to catch a thief , so is that the same model in our pic. granny what gave you started now!....

Wouldn't you love to open an old lock-up and find it sitting there?

Oh yeah that would be great Gee, storage hunters be advised....

I cant tell what colour the interior is sorry but the reflection in the wheel hubs seems to indicate that the car was filmed in the real location i think.... but very interesting info you have dug up.

This has been bothering for so long. Let's try again.

Could this person be Elaine Stewart ? At one point she was married to Bill (William) Carter from West Derby !

I'm sticking with Dorothy Lamour and Clyde Tolson. It ties up with location and why the couple are together .... but not too close together.

Oh Granny what have you done, it will drive us all crazy again, lol. I really dont think it is Dorothy L'Amour as seemed to be the consensus last time. It certainly does look very like your lady I've never heard of her though, was she a movie star?

Bill Carter married Elaine Stewart in 1961.

In 1961 he was in a film called Battle of the Worlds ...an Italian science fiction film ! He would have been 43 yrs old at the time. Elaine Stewart was 31 yrs of age.

Note hair parting, type of hair, shape of mouth. Not saying this is him, just a possibility if you add 20 yrs to the pics.
Your shout folks.

Just looked her up she was beautiful and to me Granny I think you're right. Surprised I've never heard of her though in any movies I've watched, I love the old ones. I can't see Dorothy L'Amour at all DD.

Ha ha...we need a bit of spirit back. Yes, she was a movie star, Cools. The difficult thing is all these stars are posed for their photos with the best possible view and plastered with make-up, so they rarely look the same in any two pics. I did think the connection of Italy film,(pic in Rome) Bill Carter and West Derby could have a connection to Pitzl . I don't think its Dorothy L'Amour either, but let's see what DD shows us, he may find a better example.

I'll concede to the fact it is Elaine Stewart but I'm not buying Bill Carter .... yet

How about Richard Anderson - who was one of Elaine Stewart's boyfriends.

Difficult to find a picture of him at that age without a big smile on his face.

Have you seen a picture of Richard Anderson ,DD ?

Come on granny....we all know its you in your prime.

Could be DD he does have that look, what do you think Granny?

Heck ! No , I can't see it, Cools.

I just thought he had that brooding look have to be alot older than that pic I know. Oh well Granny I give up, as they say in The Apprentice " the search continues "...

Well Cools, I seem to have exhauster every avenue. I think the Richard chap's face is too long and narrow.
Anyway, I think I'll agree with you and give up, before it drives us mad.


Fish, thanks for the compliment. If it is Elaine Stewart , that would make me almost 90 yrs.

We eventually get to know who our friends are !

Fish, thanks for the compliment. If it is Elaine Stewart , that would make me almost 90 yrs.

We eventually get to know who our friends are ! grin


Thought I would knock a few years off ya!

Ears, nose and eyes are correct (Bill Carter's ears are completely wrong). A bit of extra weight and hot weather would puff out the face a bit.

A problem is that Richard Anderson is 6'4" and Elaine Stewart is 5'6�", both seem to have medium heels on in the photo so the guy we are looking at is probably only about 5'5"

Maybe we'll have to settle on Mickey Rooney.

Life and times of Elaine Stewart. Could this add any credence to identity ?

Christmas 60 is on location in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, for the filming of Le Sette sfide, a.k.a. The Seven Challenges. The company moved out of Rome because of rain, and work on the picture was held up two weeks because she had such a violent reaction to a tetanus shot, which she got before going oversees, that she was paralyzed from the waist down. In fact she has to be carried off the plane in Rome.

January 61 her fianc�, Bill Carter, flies to Yugoslavia to be with her

March 61 she and Carter are houseguests of Prince Alfonso Hohenlohe and his mother in Marbella, Spain, while she waits for the starting date of her Italian picture

30 December 61 marries Bill Carter in a civil ceremony in the town hall of Chiavenna, Italy

March 62 will do another Italian movie when she finishes her honeymoon in the Alps with Carter

May 62 her jewels are stolen from their hotel room in Rome the night before she and Carter leave for Beirut, Lebanon

June 62 she and Carter return from Rome. Her husband announces he will produce films with Stanley Rumbaugh, husband of socialite-actress Dina Merrill.

If it's not her, it must be her sister.

Just to stir things up again ... Ruth Roman

Oh DD why did you start this again, it drove me barmy last time but in this heat it will definitely send me over the edge aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!

Basically because its been panning my head in all this time - unfinished business

DD ! What are you doing ? I have to agree with Cools that in this heat it's likely to be a health hazard.

Born in 1922, so according to the details of the car, she would be about 33 yrs old in the picture. It does look like her, but so do all the others at that period in time.

....and we each think we are unique . I bet the chimps in the zoo don't think that !

What about him ?

It was the fella I was trying to sort out when I spotted Ruth. There’s too many women hanging around!

Oh ! It's just simply ' Ruth' now, is it ?



Van Johnson ?

Clifton Webb? He was in the movie 3 coins in a fountain..

Van Johnson looks promising, Spencer Tracy isn't a million miles away either.

I don't think this will ever be solved. Wonder if Petzl found anymore info about the photo? Where did he get it? Most probably we all on the wrong track and they just a very wealthy glamorous couple out for the day. Why can't folk write on the back of photos , who , where , and date ha...

Have you seen his picture Cools ?

The guy might not be anyone.. she seems to be posing and for all we know he might just be her chauffer or make- up artist. However, he does seem to have a familiar face.. does anyone else thing that ?

Definitely.

Can’t believe I’m resurrecting this topic again , apologies but it’s annoying me. While watching a the programme about The Victoria and Albert museum tonight , it featured a collection donated by a wealthy couple who were British but lived in Beverly Hills . They showed photos of this couple and immediately this old post and the dreaded photo jumped into my mind. I have been trying to get their photo up on here but can’t get it to work , could somebody else try and put the two photos of them when they were young and see what everybody thinks. Their names are Sir Arthur Gilbert and Rosalinda. I know you will all curse me for starting this again ha....

I had another look at this just 3 weeks back - its really annoying.

Here is Sir Arthur Gilbert and Rosalinda in about 1940 (I've posted it both ways)

Thanks DD there is another of her in a white dress which I think looks very like our lady..

It doesn't actually say this is Rosalinde just that it is her model show.

Here is a close-up of them.

Oh yes I just assumed that was her as it looks like her from the other photo. Ooooh what have I started again ha...At least it gave me a reprieve from worrying about the horrible situation facing us..

Oh Cools, what have you started again ? But, it is so infuriating . I looked a few months back, and don't even think I need to look at the original photos any longer.. they are imprinted in my head.

I wonder if the OP found any further answers or clues to this. I reckon it will be conquered one day, and in the meantime as you say a nice little distraction to fill in the hours of self isolation .. if that happens for any of us.

I know , couldn’t help myself Granny ha...As I say when I saw that photo on last nights tv it immediately reminded me of our elusive couple and got me going again. Just another one to throw into the mix eh.
Hope you’re looking after yourself with this damned Corona, keep well...

Hi, no i never got any further identifying the people in the photo - the photo is glued to a cardboard backing which has 1009 of 1150 written in pencil meaning it was a limited print i guess

Oh that’s a shame Petzl, it would have been so nice if you had identified them and we could all forget about it ha...and so it continues,,, don’t think we’ll ever find out though.

This might be a red herring but on the back of the photo it might be stamped John Cocchi Archives and/or United Press International. You might be able to see something if you shine a bright light through.

There was a photograph taken yards from this on the same balcony of Linda Christian and Tyrone Power.

Princess Soraya is another in my sights but its the fella that needs nailing. Women can look so different with hair and makeup, it could be any of them from that era.

It obviously keeps coming back to Hepburn for many reasons but for the most photographed woman on the internet (maybe) there isn't one that matches the look to this photo.

I wonder if scenery is just a backdrop in a studio.

Can you see any reflection in the wheel hubs, Petzl ?

looks like just an empty car park in the reflection

The photograph (or background) was taken from the Terrazza Del Pincio. This has been used a number of times, notably Douglas Fairbanks with Mary Pickford, the height difference looks right but their faces don't

https://www.motortrend.com/news/1955-sunbeam-alpine-classic-drive/

Maybe we are looking in the wrong place for the wrong people. This article says the Sunbeam Alpine series III Classic Drive was used in events in Europe. Also used in Hitchcock's ; film "To Catch a Thief," with Grace Kelly . Here's the twist. The car was said to go to Hollywood afterwards, but it disappeared. Never to be traced. However, Prince Rainier collected cars and he had one in his collection. Who did Prince Rainier marry ? Yes, Grace Kelly.


"""Very few of these cars are ever seen on the big screen. However, a sapphire blue Alpine featured prominently in the 1955 Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. More recently, the American PBS show History Detectives tried to verify that an Alpine roadster owned by a private individual was the actual car used in that movie. Although the Technicolor process could "hide" the car's true colour, and knowing that the car was shipped back from Monaco to the US for use in front of a rear projection effect, the car shown on the programme was ultimately proven not to be the film car upon comparison of the vehicle identification numbers. A Mk.I model also appears in the 1957 British horror film Night Of The Demon"""



Maybe we should be looking for racing drivers or similar, because the body language of the guy in the pic certainly says " this is my car", or " I'm in charge here " . She looks too tall for him, and maybe just a companion. I don't know anything about racing driving events, but any info is in the article above .


I can see a resemblance to Cools latest pic. but not convinced. As DD says they all look the same by the time we've finished scouring images.

Ha ,I too have been looking at the car and trying to find out more about it. If I’ve read it right it was used in racing as you suggest and Stirling Moss used one I think, minds going a bit hazy over this . Not sure it looks like Moss though..

That last link has mixed up its facts, it meant Mark III not Series III, they were completely different cars and years.

That fella still looks so familiar which makes this all the more frustrating, I'm sure he's someone big on the scale of Walt Disney or a Crown Prince, I can picture him speaking but not acting.

Yes, the girls all start looking the same, right down to the collar bones.

That really does look like her DD, that’s Gina lol right?

Could be onto something here. Gina Loll aged 27yrs but only 5ft 5ins .. 'Woman of Rome' 1954 (year of the car )

Certainly looks like our lady, been checking out her husband Milko Skofis but he doesn’t look like our guy.
Can’t get photos up ,problem with size or something, , used to be able to do it....

I purposely didn't give the name to see what people thought, its Sophia Loren in 1959. The woman we are looking for looks nothing like Sophia Loren but a bit of make-up and lighting and even Laa-Laa from teletubbies becomes a contender, its a nightmare.

Gina Loll's husband is a fair contender but he's too tall.

Oh really , now you tell me ye had to look at Carlo Ponti see if he looked like our guy but don’t think so ha.They look so alike that pair but think Sophia pips Gina to the post .Ponti was Loren’s husband by the way.

Back on this I'm afraid . Could the car ba an Auburn? Watching tv yesterday American Pickers and they were looking at this classic cars called Auburn. They said they were mostly owned by Hollywood stars , William Holden , James Cagney. I know we've said Holden but perhaps Cagney? It doesn't look a lot like him but he was small in stature.

Meant to put theses up as well.


James Cagney and wife.

The car is definitely a Sunbeam Alpine, that's why it has "Alpine" written on the side.

It just looked like the same car but ye when I look closely again ,,,,all clues lead to nowhere grrrr.

I've been trying to match Ava Gardner with somebody.

.

I really will have to try get this out of my mind , it drives me mad! Little things pop into my head when I'm watching something because I really think unless we actually see that pic somewhere else with details of who they are it will drive us all mad, as you say the women all look alike now. I'm waving the white flag ha ..

Ha ha ! we are back here again. Don't you dare wave the white flag , Cools.

Here is a list of 307 beautiful women of the 50's and 60's. Feast your eyes on them gentlemen.


https://www.imdb.com/list/ls073445240/

Can some smart geezer bring forward the photos to this page. Save all having to flip back and forwards.

Right click this and open in new tab, then you can just switch between tabs

https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/download/Number/111586/filename/005.jpg

John Mills ?

If it wasn't for the parting and the nose