Asides - Luise and Anita

Short and sweet.

Happy Birthday to back to back Oscar winner Luise Rainer, who turns 100 on January 12. What a remarkable career.

Cigarette Cards
Click on the image for a larger view.

Born the same year, Anita Page left us at age 98 in 2008. However, in 1993, she gave a wonderful interview on her early days in film and Hollywood. She is sharp as a tack. I didn't pick the interviewer, but so glad this was recorded.

Asides - Happy Holidays

For the last post of the year, here are some December movie magazine covers from 1917 (!) to 1935. We also have some interior photos that celebrate the season, and a couple of gift suggestion ads for you last minute shoppers. Enjoy, happy holidays, and peace to you all.

Click on the images for a larger view.

Motion Picture Magazine, December 1917 - Cover Artist: Leo Sielke

Photoplay, December 1927 - Cover Artist: Charles Sheldon

Motion Picture Classic, December 1930 - Cover Artist: Marland Stone

Screenland, December 1933 - Cover Artist: Charles Sheldon

Screenland, December 1934 - Cover Artist: Charles Sheldon

Motion Picture, December 1935 - Cover Artist: If you can figure out the signature, let me know. There is no inside credit, but here is a close-up.

That was quick. Thanks to Vanwall (see comments), the artist is Morris "Morr" Kusnet.

Cine-Mundial, December 1935 - Cover Artist: Unknown

Clara, Jocelyn and Norma, all in the holiday spirit.

And now a couple of ads from our sponsors.

Iphone, Zune, CD player, who needs them? Give your loved one or family the modern way to listen to music. You can't go wrong with a Victrola XVII, from Victor and his master's voice.

If you enjoy a good smoke, you can't beat Helmar Turkish cigarettes, especially when they are wrapped in gay Christmas packaging .

Both ads from the December 1917 edition of Motion Picture Magazine.

Support our sponsors.

Asides - Tis A Puzzlement

This week, as I switch machines and deal with all the puzzles that process presents, I figured I may as well give visitors some things to puzzle about as well. Presented for your pleasure are three crossword puzzles that appeared in Movie Mirror (1931), Movie Classic (1934), and Movie Story (1938). The covers are also shown, but give no hints as to the answers, that would be cheating. The puzzles were scanned in high resolution and should print out the same size as they appeared if Blogger doesn't mess with the original files. Hope you enjoy solving these.

Click on the images for a larger view.

Movie Mirror, December 1931 - Cover artist: John Ralston Carke

If you can find a copy of Movie Mirror, January 1932, you will be all set.

Movie Classic, April 1934 - Cover artist: Marland Stone

Before Will Shortz there was L. Roy Russell.

Movie Story Magazine, February 1938 - Cover artist: Zoe Mozert
Zoe was one of the few female glamour/pin-up artists of the period.

Good luck to all.

Asides: Stop Thief!

Since the turn of the twentieth century and even earlier, publishers realized the reading public would always be ready for a good true crime story. In the 20's and 30's, dozens of true crime magazines crowded the newsstand. The Police Gazette, True Crime, Crime Stories and True Detective Mysteries were some of the titles. This week's post features the true crime story of the Douglas Fairbanks - Mary Pickford (see, an early movie star actress tie-in) hold-up as told to True Detective Mysteries reporter Emerson Gaze.

When I saw this magazine for sale, I couldn't pass it up. Loved the cover, and knew my blog readers would want the full scoop on this Hollywood crime. The article is about 15 pages of text, and goes into so much detail I couldn't include it all. However, the first two pages are shown to give you a sense of the melodramatic writing style, and the rest of the post highlights the article's imagery, including the daring escape route photo-illustration, complete with a dotted line to help you follow along.

Some things never change, and the two ads that close this post show us that the problems of 1931 are still problems now, and there is always someone willing to sell you a solution.

Click on the images for a larger view.

True Detective Mysteries, August 1931
Cover Artist: Dalton Stevens

Table of Contents
You might also want to pick up this issue for the exciting story, The Murder on the Cannon Ball Express, or perhaps The Hell Valley Cistern Mystery.

Our true crime story begins - page 1 of a 2 page spread.

The perpetrators.

Exciting photo of doorway.

Doug and Mary weren't the only ones whose joint was cased.

Location of the shoot-out and capture of the bandits.

The car used in the "carnival of crime." Love that phrase.

Heroes.

But it wasn't over yet as a daring escape was tried...and failed.

1931 0r 2009, you decide.

Snake oil then and snake oil now. No dieting, no exercise, no drugs...and no results.

Asides: Photoplay July 1933

I was recently scanning an image from the July 1933 issue of Photoplay for a future post. Like all issues, it is filled with photos, stories, film reviews, etc., and of course, ads. I decided to pick a few typical items for your viewing pleasure. Like almost every issue of Photoplay there is a fashion section, but I have featured a number of those in the past, so I'm skipping it this time around. I hope you enjoy and get a sense of the scope of the publication.

Click on the images for a larger view.

The First Lady of the American Theatre was featured on the cover. She appeared in 21 films and was one of only ten people to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award. The cover artist is Earl Christy.

Here is what you would find within the 116 pages.


This is the first of three cigarette ads that appeared in the issue. You tell me how convoluted this Camel ad is.

Toward the front is this wonderful two-page spread ad for Gold Diggers of 1933.

For a number of issues during 1933, Photoplay experimented with a "color" process. They eventually abandoned it, and personally I think that was a wise choice. However, Ginger looks just fine.

I find this ad for College Humor interesting. Mary Carlisle is the lead featured actress, but she isn't shown. That is Lona Andre with the ukulele.

Dorothy Mackaill, to be featured in a future post.

The copy cracks me up. "The office? Who cares. Shopping to do? Who cares." Lung disease? Who cares when you can smoke a mentholated Spud on a summer afternoon with your significant other and your pooch.

Each issue of Photoplay contained reviews of the current releases. These are the first three pages of the July reviews. Just recently watched The Circus Queen Murder with a very alluring Greta Nissen.

Helen Twelvetrees in another "color" photo.

This is the back cover ad - pretty easy to find a few double meanings in this enticement to light up a Lucky.

Asides - Fall Fashion Fun

Fall is upon us, and it was upon the film community in the early thirties. This post features fashions from two magazines, one from September 1930 and the other from November 1932. We also have another advertising sponsor who promises that selling their product can make you big money in your spare time - possibly electrocuting the users, but that's after the sale, not your problem.

Click on the images for a larger view.

Photoplay, September 1930 - Artist: Earl Christy

The spread features Jeanette MacDonald, Bebe Daniels, Irene Rich, Ann Harding, Natalie Moorehead, Alice White and Marion Davies. We see that a number of the outfits will be seen in upcoming pictures, so keep a sharp eye out while at the cinema.

Motion Picture, November 1932 - Artist: Marland Stone

Greta Nissen, Frances Dee, and Myrna Loy

Marjorie Gateson (don't really know much about her, but she had over 100 film and television appearances) and Adrienne Ames

British born actress Jill Esmond - married to Laurence Oliver from 1930 to 1940

Mary Brian, always pert.

Finally, an ad from our sponsor, Terminal Products. You decide if the company is aptly named.

Screen Book magazine, September 1931