
April 02, 2018
Ava Gardner poses as Kitty Collins with co-star Burt Lancaster as The Swede in a publicity shoot for "The Killers."
Kick off the spring season with a trip to North Carolina and visit the museum that honors the life and career of local Hollywood legend Ava Gardner. The Ava Gardner Museum is home to an incredible collection including original scripts, photos, costumes, and personal effects of screen legend Ava Gardner—a true Hollywood “Cinderella” story.
The exterior of the Ava Gardner Museum.Johnston County Visitors Bureau/for PhillyVoice
Mark your calendar for a brand-new exhibit on Ava’s break-out role in the 1946 classic The Killers, coming May 2018! Ava starred opposite Burt Lancaster as lounge singer Kitty Collins; her sultry look in the film launched her career and led some to exclaim she was the most beautiful woman to ever work in Hollywood. The Killers also marked the start of Ava’s ties to Ernest Hemingway - whose short story the film was based on.
One of the permanent displays in the museum highlights the deep and ongoing friendship between Ava and Gregory Peck – they starred together in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” also a Hemingway adaptation.Johnston County Visitors Bureau/for PhillyVoice
Ava poses with Ernst Hemingway for a photo, her vivacious personality on full display.Johnston County Visitors Bureau/for PhillyVoice