Bebe Daniels - Photoplay

As promised, again a short break from the photo postcard realm, this post features a cover illustration of Bebe Daniels (see my 7/23/06 post) for the October 1930 edition of Photoplay magazine. The artist in this case is the very prolific Earl Christy. Christy created magazine covers, illustrations, and advertisements. Movie and entertainment publications he contributed to included Modern Screen, Photoplay, Pictorial Review, Popular Songs, Radio Stars, Screen Album, Screen Romances, and Shadowplay. His distinctive signature is always front and center.

As a side note, one of the strange things about Photoplay magazine, at least with the issues I have, is that the person featured on the cover, isn't covered at all in the issue!

Anyway, here is Bebe Daniels in full illustrated color - captured so well by Christy.

Bebe Daniels - What do you think? Allure?

Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford, AKA Baby Gladys, "The Girl with the Golden Hair" ,"The Glad Girl", America's Sweetheart (abroad, The World's Sweetheart), Little Mary was was born in Toronto in 1892 and began her acting career at the age of six. She made her first of 249 films in 1909 and her final film in 1933. Married to Douglas Fairbanks, she was one of the founders of United Artists Pictures. She was also one of 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Without a doubt, Mary Pickford was the most popular stars in the silent era, if not of all time. She died in 1979 at the age of 87.

Mary Pickford- What do you think? Allure?

BTW - Another beautiful Beagle card - hand tinted

Bebe Daniels

Bebe Daniels

Bebe Daniels was was born in Dallas in 1901 and hit the stage at the age of four in a production of Richard III. That was the beginning of a very successful career that included 234 (!) films. In 1931 she starred along with Ricardo Cortez in the first version of "The Maltese Falcon", also known as "Dangerous Female". She also is remembered for her starring role in 1933's "42nd Street".

And a bit of Bebe trivia. While in Chicago, several thousand dollars' worth of jewelry was stolen from her hotel suite. Al Capone, a longtime Daniels fan, put out the word that whoever stole the jewelry had 24 hours to return it. The jewelry was returned the next day.

Along with the film roles, she also had a successful career on the London stage, in radio and on early TV.

You think maybe Cher saw this card at some point?

Bebe Daniels - What do you think? Allure?

Lupe Velez and Camilla Horn Revisited

Lupe and Camilla

I just received two wonderful Ross cards (thanks Saskia) of actresses I have already profiled in earlier posts. Lupe was covered on May 31 and Camilla on June 13, both with bios and images. However, these two new images definitely deserve to be featured because in my opinion they both fit the definition of Allure. Enjoy.

Agree?

Lya Mara

Lya Mara

In 36 films from 1915 to 1931, Lya was born in Riga in 1897 and began her public life as a ballet dancer, became very popular and was named prima ballerina in 1913. A screen test in 1915 secured her a film career. She married director Friedrich Zelnik in 1918. The couple became a popular hub for other filmworkers who met often at the Zelnik household. She was one of the first actresses to star as Anna Karenina. Talkies ended her film life and after her husband died in 1950 all traces of Lya vanished.

Lya Mara - What do you think? Allure?

Esther Ralston

Esther Ralston

Leading lady Esther Ralston was renowned as "The American Venus" after appearing in the 1926 film of that title. Born in 1902 to a show business family, she was part of their traveling act at the rip old age of two. Esther appeared in 95 films from 1915 until 1940. Her leaving film while still in her thirties was partly because after working in England in 1932, she returned to Hollywood the following year and was put under contract to MGM. Because she rejected Louis B. Mayer's advances, she was loaned out for "B" pictures and her film career declined. She worked outside of the industry except for a few small parts in early television. Esther died in 1994.

Esther Ralston - What do you think? Allure?

Gloria Stuart

Gloria Stuart

Celebrating her 96th birthday just a few days ago on July 4, Gloria is today best known for her role as old Rose in Titantic. In 73 films from 1932 to 2004, Gloria got her start in theater and then was signed with Universal. Personally, I remember her best in two James Whale films, The Old Dark House (1932) and The Invisible Man (1933), that film starring Claude Rains. In the mid-'40s she retired from acting, took up painting and had one-woman shows in New York, Austria and Italy. In the 1970s, she returned to acting. But as mentioned above, she will now be remembered as the oldest actress to be nominated for an Oscar for her Titanic role.

Gloria Stuart - What do you think? Allure?

Quick Note #3

Several people have asked me where I find the postcards you see here. About ten percent have come from postcard shows (like the big show held twice a year in NYC). Virtually all the others come from auctions on Ebay, and at least ninety percent of those come from overseas. Part of the fun has been receiving cards from sellers in England, Italy, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Estonia, and Romania. And to answer an other common question, they range in price from $4 to $20 and before Paypal was established in those countries, I sent cash. It always got through! Lastly, let me give an unsolicited plug to two of my long time favorite sellers - Hahnco and Leapme, both on Ebay, and both in The Netherlands.

Tullulah Bankhead

Tullulah Bankhead

An actress whose name may perhaps be more familiar than those so far featured here, Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was born on January 31, 1902 in Huntsville, Alabama. She began her career on the stage, starting in New York and then in 1923, headed to London. For the next several years she was the most popular actress of London's famed West End, the British equivalent of Broadway. In the late twenties and early thirties she tried her hand at film and with only marginal success, headed back to the stage until the forties where she was recognized for her work in Hitchcock's 1944 film, Lifeboat. Of course for those who know anything about Tullulah, it was her off stage and screen persona that is best remembered today. Read her (ribald) autobiography for that side of her life. Today her phrase, "Hello, Dahling" is known throughout the entertainment world. Tullulah's last role was in 1966 as the "Black Widow" on the camp TV Series Batman. She died in New York in 1968.

Tullulah Bankhead - What do you think? Allure?