Hertha Feller

Born in Vienna in 1916, very little information is available about Hertha Feller (Feiler). She made 34 films beginning in the 1930's. What does follow is a brief NYT review of a film she appeared in. Other than that, all we know is that she died in 1970.

NYT review - "Austrian audiences never seemed to tire of escapist operettas, and director Ernst Marischka never tired of grinding 'em out. Based on the popular stage attraction of the same name, Opera Ball stars Johannes Heesters as faithful family man Georg Dannhauser. Georg's wife Elisabeth (Hertha Feller) trusts her husband implicity--but just to be on the safe side, she orchestrates an elaborate ruse to test his fidelity. To this end, Elisabeth enlists the aid of handsome Paul Hollinger (Josef Meinrad), who can best be described as a sexual adventurer. The outcome of the story is as predictable as the musical score is delightful."

Hertha Feller - What do you think? Allure?

Dorothy Lee

Born in 1911, Marjorie Millsap changed her name after finishing high school, went into vaudeville, sang with Fred Waring's orchestra and made her feature debut in the film "Syncoptation (1929)". In her second film, "Rio Rita", she was teamed with comedians Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, and appeared in almost all their movies. After the teaming with Wheeler and Woolsey, her career drifted away and she retired first in 1939, returned for some roles in the early 40s, and then finally quit working in films after 33 movies. Dorothy died in 1999.

No idea whats going on with the outfit.
Dorothy Lee - What do you think? Allure?

Anna May Wong - (Third of 3 postings)

Anna May Wong

For Anna's bio highlights, see the first of her posts. There is much information about Anna on the net - her battle with the descrimination in Hollywood (and the U.S.) never got her down, although she was denied many parts due to her Asian heritage. To close, it's said that

her friend Eric Maschwitz wrote the dreamy lyrics to the pop standard

These Foolish Things (an American classic) in Wong's honor.

Anna May Wong - What do you think? Allure?

Anna May Wong - (Second of 3 postings)

Anna May Wong

For Anna's bio highlights, see the previous post. Here is another aspect of life she had to deal with. Her genuine romances typically were with Caucasian men, but California law forbade marriage between Asians and Caucasians until 1948! One of her lovers offered to marry her in Mexico, but their intentions became known and he backed off when his Hollywood career was jeopardized. Wong once mused about marrying a Chinese man, but the Chinese culture held actresses to be on par with prostitutes, which made her suspect marriage material.

Anna May Wong - What do you think? Allure?

Anna May Wong - (First of 3 postings)

Anna May Wong

Anna May Wong was born Wong Liu Tsong on January 3, 1905, in Los Angeles, California. As the famous James Wong Howe's cousin, she was fascinated with the movie industry at a young age. Anna's big break came when she landed the role of a Mongol slave girl in The Thief of Bagdad (1924)starring Douglas Faribanks. This film put her in the position of being the first (and for a long time, the only) Chinese-American to become a bona fide movie star. Anna's talent and beauty carried her through a successful transition into talkies, where she was a hit in 1932's Shanghai Express, the von Sternberg opus starring Marlene Dietrich. Anna made over 50 films before her death in 1961. Her fame lives on, four decades after her death. She is a part of American popular consciousness, chosen as one of the first movie stars to be featured on a postage stamp. This is the first of 3 pages featuring images of this wonderful actress.

Anna May Wong - What do you think? Allure?

La Jana

La Jana

The actress La Jana was born in 1905 Vienna. She began her career in childhood with ballet troupe of the Frankfurter Opera. Later she worked in cabarets and revues, appearing primarily as a dancer. La Jana made her film debut in 1925 and made about 25 films, mostly in dancing roles, and as the pictures indicate, wearing exotic costumes. She died prematurely in 1940 due to pneumonia and pleurisy which she caught during a Christmas tour in 1939.

La Jana - What do you think? Allure?

Constance Bennett

Constance Bennett

Born in 1904, Constance was the first of the Bennett sisters to enter films, her initial appearance was in 1916. She then went on to make another 53 films and was in a fair number of television programs. Considered to be the most attractive of the Bennetts', she she may best be remembered today as the lead actress opposite Cary Grant in 1937's Topper. She also shines in 1932's What Price Hollwwood. Her 1931 contract with Warner Brothers, $300,000 for 2 films, made her the highest-paid film player up to that time and reportedly inspired tax legislation aimed at the film industry. Dying unexpectedly at age 60, she is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in recognition of her work for the Berlin Airlift.

Constance Bennett- What do you think? Allure?

Mystery Guest

Mystery Guest

So, for a little change, lets see if anyone can identify this actress. I'll give you a few hints, but this won't be easy, a real test for those interested in films of the twenties and thirties. Our mystery guest was in 43 films from 1924 through 1935. Short comedies were a speciality, but she was also in a few features. Her birth name was Tibbets when she arrived in 1908, and she left with that name when she died in 2000.

Mystery Guest - What do you think? Allure?