Ultimately, this exhibition brings to light some of the more serious ironies, such as celebrities who endorsed cigarettes and who ultimately died of lung cancer, including Lucille Ball, Gary Cooper, Betty Grable, Dick Powell, Robert Taylor, and John Wayne. These film stars had an enormous influence as role models and trend-setters.

From leading ladies like Bette Davis, Jean Harlow, and Joan Crawford, to leading men such as James Cagney, Spencer Tracy, and Fred Astaire, smoking and stardom were synonymous.