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More than 100,000 readers throughout Greater Baltimore
A life filled with shooting stars
FEBRUARY 2012
I N S I D E …
PHOTO BY CONNIE GEORGE
By Connie George Bill Kobrin spent several hours snapping pictures of Marilyn Monroe in her underwear one steamy summer night, but had no idea it was going to make him famous. The photographer responsible for Monroe’s most iconic image — standing atop a breezy subway tunnel vent with her skirt billowing up above her panties — recently reflected on a 60-year career that began with pictures of babies and weddings and culminated in decades spent capturing hundreds of famous show business faces. The journey took him to Harlem and Korea before landing him in Hollywood, and through work for the Associated Press, Look magazine, 20th Century Fox, CBS and ABC. It also taught him to think quickly on his feet and, as importantly, the vital skills necessary to cultivate working relationships with those in the entertainment business, where such associations are frequently unpredictable. “To be a successful celebrity photojournalist you have to be part psychiatrist, part psychologist, part philosopher, and above all you have to be charming and likeable,” Kobrin said. “Now that’s easy for some celebrities and photographers, but it is not easy for some.” It’s also a tall order on a daily basis, he acknowledged, but getting off on the right foot with his big-name subjects was critical when his livelihood was based on photographing men and women protective of their images who did not like being caught unaware by a photo shoot. “You’ve got 30 seconds to make an impression,” he explained. “So when you had an assignment that was the case of ‘Surprise, surprise, I’m here,’ then you’ve got a problem. But sometimes when you hit it off right and both parties get along and kind of dig each other, then it’s alright.” Kobrin, who has since retired to the Palm Springs area, excelled at getting the needed cooperation, as can be seen from his favorite photos, which have been compiled in a book, Bill Kobrin’s Stars and Celebrities. From candid studio images to formal headshots, the book features the most popular television, motion picture and music stars of their era, from Cary
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LEISURE & TRAVEL
A watery wonderland in the Everglades; plus, whether the euro’s fall is a boon or a worry for travelers page 23
ARTS & STYLE Celebrity photojournalist Bill Kobrin is shown with his well-used Nikon and recently published book, Bill Kobrin’s Stars and Celebrities, featuring photos of the famous he shot over six decades. The book is open to an image taken the same night as his best-known photo — of Marilyn Monroe standing over a breezy New York subway grate.
Grant to Grace Kelly, from Eartha Kitt to George Michael. “This is no boast,” Kobrin said, “but I would imagine — being involved with AP, Look, CBS and ABC — that every major star or celebrity that ever existed between 1941 and 1990 I have photographed in one way or another.”
The road to Hollywood The Brooklyn-born Kobrin took up photography in his teens, scoring a few small-scale freelance jobs before landing a position in the darkroom at New York’s Associated Press office in 1942 when he was 20.
Though he hadn’t been hired as a lensman, he was asked one night to cover a massive race riot in Harlem because the staff photographers had other assignments. At the time, Kobrin said, “Harlem was a tinderbox and kind of scary,” but he was game to prove his worth to AP. So he headed out to the neighborhood by subway at 3:30 a.m., snapped shots of riot victims at a local hospital, and then ventured out into the streets at daybreak to capture images of looting and fires. The riot lasted two or three days, he recalled, and made national headlines. His See SHOOTING STARS, page 21
Murder and madness in Arsenic and Old Lace; plus a local journalist’s book about life in Baltimore during World War II page 27
FITNESS & HEALTH k A pill that lessens wrinkles k The best brain games
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LAW & MONEY k Stocks to own in 2012 k Be a better bond buyer
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VOLUNTEERS & CAREERS k Big Bro, Big Sis
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PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACON BITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE