Asides - Photoplay May 1930 - Spring Fashions

Yes, spring is sprung, though mother nature seems a bit slow on the uptake. In 1930, spring fashions were given their due in the pages of the May edition of Photoplay.

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!

Asides - Post 100!

Yep-I can't believe it, but this is my 100th post. I just want to thank all who have visited and commented and I hope you will continue to drop in from time to time. This post is not specific to any one actresss, but contains 13 newly scanned and cleaned up magazine cover images from our small but slowly expanding collection. Gee, deja vu all over again, we started with a small postcard collection and...

Click on the images for a larger size view.

Enjoy.

Screen Secrets, September, 1929 - Lily Damita. Artist: Edwin Bower Hesser

Picture Play, May, 1932 - Frances Dee. Artist: Modest Stein

Silver Screen, September, 1931 - Marlene Dietrich. Artist: John Rolston Clarke

Motion Picture, October, 1933 - Adrienne Ames. Artist: Marland Stone

Photoplay, April 1932 - Norma Shearer. Artist: Earl Christy

Photoplay, July, 1930 - Jeanette Mac Donald. Artist: Earl Christy

Photoplay, October, 1932 - Irene Dunne. Artist: Earl Christy

Picture Play, March, 1930 - Mary Brian. Artist: Modest Stein

Modern Screen, October, 1932 - Constance Bennett. Artist: Uncredited

Motion Picture, June 1930, - Mary Nolan. Artist: Marland Stone

Hollywood, October, 1931 - Billie Dove. Artist: Edwin Bower Hesser

New Movie Magazine, September, 1931 - Marian Marsh. Artist: Rolf Armstrong

Photoplay, April, 1927 - Lois Wilson. Artist: Carl Van Buskirk

Mary Brian

Mary Brian was born Louise Byrdie Dantzler in Corsicana, Texas, on February 17, 1906. She got her start in pictures when Esther Ralston (on this blog) suggested she be interviewed for a role in Peter Pan (1924), being produced by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. She got the role, and though she was eighteen, the studio claimed she was only sixteen, figuring the public would think eighteen was too old for the role of Wendy. The studio was also behind the name change to Mary Brian.

Mary was dubbed "The Sweetest Girl in Pictures" and was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1926, along with Mary Astor, Dolores Costello, Joan Crawford, Dolores Del Rio, Janet Gaynor, and Fay Wray, not bad company for a twenty year old just breaking into film. Being a Charlie Chan buff, I always enjoy seeing her as Yvette Lamartine in Charlie Chan in Paris (1935), one of the best of the Chan films in my opinion.

Mary was in over 75 films by the time she retired from the screen in 1947. She then devoted herself to her husband's career; George Tomasini worked as film editor for Hitchcock on the classics Rear Window (1954) and Psycho (1960). Mary died at the age of ninety-six in December of 2002.

Mary Brian - What do you think - Allure?