Asides - Covers From The Silent 20's

Some of the best artists and illustrators of the twentieth century produced cover illustrations for the leading film publications. The images in this post cover each year from 1920 to 1929, and are excellent examples of their work. I have also included a few inside pages and one ad to help pay for this blog - so be sure to contact the advertiser and say you saw it here.

Double click on the images for a larger view.

Picture Play-October, 1920
Artist: Unknown
Picture Play did not always credit the artist.
Cover: Constance Binney

Photoplay-November 1920
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
Cover: Anna Q. Nilsson

Photoplay-December 1920

Artist: Rolf Armstrong
Cover: Anita Stewart

Photoplay-October 1921
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
Cover: Agnes Ayres

Photoplay-October 1921
Marie Prevost, in the latest swimwear.

Photoplay-January 1922
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
Cover: Corinne Griffith

Picture Play-October 1921
Artist: Henry Clive
Cover: Lila Lee

Photoplay-July 1923
Artist: J. Knowles Hare
Cover: Pauline Garon

Photoplay-August 1923
Artist: J. Knowles Hare
Cover: Marion Davies

Picture Play-November 1924
Artist:Unknown
Cover: Mae Murray

Picture Play-November 1924
Jetta Goudal - publicity still for Open All Night, which is available on DVD.

Picture Play-November 1924
Artist: White Studios, NY
This may be the same studio known for its photography of Broadway productions.
Cover: Betty Bronson

Picture Play-September 1925
Artist: Hal Phyfe
Hal is best remembered as a Hollywood portrait photographer, but began his career as an artist and illustrator.
Cover: Renee Adoree

Picture Play-September 1925
The great profile, along with Mary Astor in a film that was never made or released.

Photoplay-December 1925
Artist: Livingston Geer
I cannot locate any bio on Mr. Geer.
Cover: Georgia Hale

Photoplay-December 1925
La Boheme was released in 1926 and also starred Renee Adoree.

Photoplay-December 1925
Bille Dove in her 23rd film, available on DVD.

Photoplay-December 1925
Esther Ralston, The American Venus.

Photoplay-August 1926

Artist: C(K)arl Van Buskirk
Best info I can find dates him from 1887-1930
Cover: Doris Kenyon

Photoplay-June 1927
Artist: Charles Sheldon
Cover: Mary Brian

Photoplay-September 1928
Artist: Charles Sheldon
Cover: Gloria Swanson

Screenland-December 1928
Artist: Georgia Warren
I cannot locate any bio on Ms. Warren.
Cover: Nancy Carroll

Picture Play-September 1929
Artist: Modest Stein
Cover: Baclanova -Olga to her friends.

Picture Play-September 1929
Beautiful portrait of Joan Bennett

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Jean Harlow

Born March 3, 1911, and gone June 7, 1937, at age 26, Elton John could have written "your candle burned out long before your legend ever did" for Jean Harlow. She remains a legend to this day and her performances, comedic, dramatic, naughty, or nice, are a joy to watch. There is so much written about her that I will not spend time reviewing her career, you can find information here and her images are all over the web.

I have always thought that some images of Jean didn't do her justice. Her facial structures were made overly harsh when using the dramatic and stark lighting popular at the time. However, when done right...

Because there are so many images available, I have tried to post ones that may be less well known. You may have seen some of them, but hopefully there will be a few that are new to viewers.

Click on the images for a larger view.

Screen Play magazine, February 1931

Picture Play magazine, February 1931

British postcard

Publicity photo

Movie Classic magazine, September 1932
This picture, as I see it, suffers from the lighting.


Photoplay magazine, August 1932 - Artist: Earl Christie


Movie Classic magazine, September 1932 - Artist: Marland Stone


Photoplay magazine, July 1933
More Photoplay 1933 duotone experiments

Publicity still.


German postcard

Publicity still for Dinner at Eight (1933)

Screen Play magazine, January 1934

Cigarette card from the 1935 Gallaher Film Partners series.

Reckless (1935) publicity still

Movie Classic, November 1935 - Artist: Charles Sheldon
Also in my cover post of April 2008, but worth posting again - love this image.

Publicity still

Jean Harlow - What do you think - Allure?

Myrna Loy

Myrna Loy (Myrna Adele Williams) - What can I say that hasn't already been said in hundreds of articles, reviews, books and biographies over the years. Born in Montana on August 2, 1905, she was early on the exotic femme fatale in films like The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), then the witty sophisticate in the Thin Man series in the mid-thirties, and next the straight dramatic actress in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Between 1925 and 1982 she appeared in over 135 film and television productions. Personally, I have enjoyed every film of hers I have had the chance to view. If you are not fully familiar with Myrna's work, let me point you to the Wikipedia and IMDB entries for details.

In my post(s) on Dietrich, and with apologies to Bette, I crowned Marlene the true "Divine Miss M."

I now think it is fitting and hereby crown Myrna the "Delightful, Delicious, De-lovely, Miss M." There are hundreds of images on Myrna on the web, but I hope at least some in this post are new to you.

Picture Play magazine February 1929 - Publicity portrait for The Desert Song (1929)

Picture Play magazine April 1930 - Artist: Modest Stein

Picture Play magazine September 1931 - Artist: Modest Stein

Postcard for The Woman in His House. Don't know that film? It is actually the British title for The Animal Kingdom (1932) and this is a British postcard.

Screenland magazine December 1934 - Artist: Charles Sheldon

Two more reasons to smoke Gallaher and Player brands.

Myrna's life as a blonde vamp, late twenties I believe.

Publicity still from The Squall (1929)

Myrna Loy - What do you think - Allure?

Asides - Some covers and comments

Presented in this post are five Photoplay "pre-talkie" covers, one where the portrait painting misses the mark, for me at least. I have also included two letters to the editor I find interesting - both discuss censorship, and show that even 80 years ago some folks weren't afraid to challenge the system. Enjoy - click on the images for a larger view.

Dorothy Gish - Photoplay, April 1922 - Artist: J. Knowles Hare
Known for his drypoint etching portraits and his magazine cover
illustrations, John Knowles Hare (1884-1947) was born in Montclair, New Jersey. He was a member of the Society of Illustrators in New York.

Betty Compson - Photoplay, May 1922 - Artist: J. Knowles Hare

Rene Adoree - Photoplay, November 1926 - Artist: Carl Van Buskirk

A letter to the editor from Elizabeth Van Deusen, New York, N. Y.

I do not agree with the spokesman of the reformers, Canon Chase. To me, pictures are neither moral nor immoral. Human beings are the only ones to whom the word "moral" may be rightly applied.

It is the obvious intention of some producers to subvert motion pictures to a base appeal, and many beholders will see evil in pictures whether or not it is there—we are so apt to find what we look for. But it is a happy fact that such producers and beholders are a small minority.

The hearts of men may need to be purified, but that is the job of the church. I don't believe in censorship, even when called regulation. "All constraint except what wisdom lays on men is evil."

Pictures may not be true to life. They are an escape, a surcease, between life's reality. I cannot imagine filling out one of Canon Chase's score cards. If I tried to write down my analysis of "The Big Parade" I would feel that I was dissecting the body of a friend.

My advice to those—with special emphasis for the co-workers of Canon Chase—who attend motion pictures with the idea of searching for " off " coloring, is—stay away. Pictures can not be worth the price of admission to such people. As regards sex, keep in mind there are only two sexes, and cheer up.

The producers are often mistaken as to "what the public wants," but the public doesn't know seven-eighths of the time. Pictures are the gift of God to the lonely transient, and we are, each one of us, at some time, and some of us at all times, lonely transients.

Dolores Costello - Photoplay, October 1927 - Artist: Charles Sheldon

A letter to the editor from John Irwin Zellner, Greensburg, PA.

I happen to be only one of the thousands of unfortunate movie fans who must live in the State of Pennsylvania. Coming here from Ohio less than a year ago, I soon discovered why the censors of this state are razzed more than those of any other state. Practically every picture shown here is cut to some extent; in fact, I have yet to see one picture in its entirety. If the action is not cut, then the titles are substituted and everyone knows what excellent title writers the censors are!

The first picture I saw here was "Variety," a picture I had looked forward to seeing for a long time. Words fail to express my disgust with the picture I saw. I felt like suing the theater manager for showing such a picture and announcing it as "Variety." But I could not blame him for the hodgepodge I saw. When "Flesh and the Devil" was shown here, it was but another example of what a censor can do. The stars were not allowed one kiss and the action was cut so badly that it was difficult to follow the story.

Recently I saw "Captain Salvation" in Washington, D. C., and I hate to think what the censors will do to it. Why, oh why, must we sit meekly by while a few feeble-minded persons do their best and worst to spoil our taste and lower our respect for the greatest form of amusement in the world?

Joan Crawford - Photoplay, December 1927 - Artist: Charles Sheldon

It is stated in the table of contents that Charles painted this from life, but I have a hard time seeing the young Joan in this picture. Once in a while a quick sideways glance will almost convince me. What do you think, am I just missing something.