Lighting setup help for full length vintage style portraits

I always find it curious when a "relative newcomer" commits to a project before they have the skills to execute it properly...but that's the fun of learning through failure. Hard lights were indeed used to create the so-called Classic Still Photography of Hollywood. Hard, hot directional lights which could be focused and snooted to perfection...large-format (8 X 10" and bigger) cameras and retouching often done directly on the black & white film negative. Simple, if you were a master of these techniques. Is it possible to emulate these same effects using modern strobe lighting & digital post production. Yes,of course it's possible...if you know what you are doing.