Photo of the day: 'V-J Day in Times Square' by Alfred Eisenstaedt

Times Square (New York), August 14th 1945. WWII is over.

People are simply overwhelmed with happiness and celebrate the big news in the street among smiles, confetti and the sensation of a new beginning. Famous photograph Alfred Eisenstaedt is in Times Square too and takes a lot of pictures.

[V-J Day in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt
Image Source: LIFE]

The most famous? A passionate kiss between a sailor and a young nurse. That photo, published on the 'LIFE's cover, become a legend, by symbolizing peace, hope and victory.

I saw a sailor running along the street grabbing any and every girl in sight. Whether she was a grandmother, stout, thin, old, didn't make a difference. I was running ahead of him with my Leica looking back over my shoulder but none of the pictures that were possible pleased me.
Then suddenly, in a flash, I saw something white being grabbed. I turned around and clicked the moment the sailor kissed the nurse ... I took exactly four pictures. It was done within a few seconds.
Only one is right, on account of the balance. In the others the emphasis is wrong -- the sailor on the left side is either too small or too tall. People tell me that when I am in heaven they will remember this picture.

Alfred Eisenstaedt [1898-1995]
Eisenstaedt on Eisentstaedt

The nurse was Edith Shain, 26 at the time, who died a couple of days ago, on Sunday, at 91.
Ciao, Edith.

Further information:
LIFE Photo gallery - A Sailor, a Nurse, a Legendary Kiss
Nurse in V-J Day kiss photo dies

ps. Thanks for the suggestion, Fra!

Rebel Without a Cause #2. Goodbye to Dennis Hopper, in his own words

Three quotes from Dennis Lee Hopper [1936-2010], best known simply as Dennis Hopper, about himself. Three quotes to say goodbye to the last of the "terrible boys" who rule Hollywood in the Fifties: Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, James Dean, Anthony Perkins, Montgomery Clift, Nick Adams, Sal Mineo... 

I could keep on and on, while remembering them and their unforgettable movies and movie characters and their quirkiness, and yet they are all gone now.

Some of them succeed in becoming a "beautiful corpse", some of them became a great old young spirit, like Dennis, here portrayed by photographer Bruce McBroom:

I should have been dead ten times over.
I've thought about that a lot. I believe in miracles. It's an absolute miracle that I'm still around.