I decided rather than just bring you the fashion spread, we would also take a look at the cover and a couple of ads. Photoplay was a very substantial publication in the twenties and thirties; this issue hit the news stand at 162 pages, I dare say more than you'll find in almost any magazine today.
Enjoy and remember to click on the images for a larger view.
Photoplay May 1930, featuring Mary Brian on the cover. Artist: Earl Christy
Ad for The Follies of 1930. Interestingly, film ads seem rather scarce in Photoplay and other movie magazines of the day. In this 162 page issue there are ads for only 3 films. Paramount on Parade, another musical comedy, and "The Sensational Talking Picture Triumph", A Lady To Love, starring Vilma Banky, were the other two films advertised.And now a word from another of our advertisers. The following is a two page spread for Lux soap. We all know lines like "4 out of 5 doctors recommend", but Lux really sets the bar (pun intended) by claiming "Of the 521 important actresses in Hollywood, including all stars, 511 are devoted to Lux Toilet Soap." My fuzzy math puts that around 95 percent. Who had the job of interviewing all 521 important actresses?
Joan related The Secret of Facination to Katherine Albert and all Photoplay readers.
Renee, Anita and Carlotta are big Lux fans as well.And now onto the fashions for Spring 1930, where the theme is Color-Color-Color. Unfortunately sepia is the best Photoplay could do.
Jeanette MacDonald and Leila Hyams showing of a full frock and bathing cap respectively.
Here Leila gets a better chance to strut her stuff, Anita looks charming as always, and Lillian fairly conservative, excepting the scarf and hat.
Kay could be on the street today with that outfit, Catherine not so much.
Dorothy certainly has some fashionista sense going, and Kay again looks classic.
Now here is an ad directly tied to the change over from silents to talkies. What I don't understand completely is why Western Electric ran this ad. Did they get a percentage from the studios or theaters based on attendance?Happy Spring!
8 comments:
Nice post - what to wear if you want to be like a star out of the limelight, sorta. Wish they had color, tho.
The Western Electric ad is just like a Goodyear tire ad with a winning race car as a basis - piggybacking on success to toot your own horn over the competition's. Doesn't matter that they were really that much better or not, the hype is the important part.
Technical note - when I linked in from Facebook and clicked on a picture and it went to a new page, clicking the Back Arrow in Firefox didn't work when I wanted to leave - I was mousetrapped, it kept staying on the picture page, so I hadda use the mini-drop-down menu to escape.
Vanwall, thanks for the comments. Yes, agree on the Western Electric, but who knew that branding was already a marketing scam in the 30's. :-)
I have problems with FB links doing that also - not sure whats going on there.
Well I, for one, am sold on that Lux Toilet Soap. Fiat Lux!
Great fashions - wasn't Mary Brian pretty I love her waved hair.
I presented you with the "splash" award on my blog! Cheers,
Tara
http://nothing-elegant.blogspot.com
Tara, Thanks for "Splashing" me. I think those I would splash have already been splashed, but again appreciate the honor.
I've been going back through your blog for the past hour, and it is incredible! May you blog for a thousand years.
God, these are amazing; thanks so much for posting them. I work on digitizing Scribner's Magazine and we are working on the early 20's issues right now -- it is as if film didn't exist; it is rarely mentioned. So bizarre, isn't it? I think they were trying to stay "high-brow," but i'm surprised Photoplay didn't have more. These ensembles are just too divine. I think 20's and 30's fashion is so wearable and classic!
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