Lya Mara

Lya Mara

In 36 films from 1915 to 1931, Lya was born in Riga in 1897 and began her public life as a ballet dancer, became very popular and was named prima ballerina in 1913. A screen test in 1915 secured her a film career. She married director Friedrich Zelnik in 1918. The couple became a popular hub for other filmworkers who met often at the Zelnik household. She was one of the first actresses to star as Anna Karenina. Talkies ended her film life and after her husband died in 1950 all traces of Lya vanished.

Lya Mara - What do you think? Allure?

Esther Ralston

Esther Ralston

Leading lady Esther Ralston was renowned as "The American Venus" after appearing in the 1926 film of that title. Born in 1902 to a show business family, she was part of their traveling act at the rip old age of two. Esther appeared in 95 films from 1915 until 1940. Her leaving film while still in her thirties was partly because after working in England in 1932, she returned to Hollywood the following year and was put under contract to MGM. Because she rejected Louis B. Mayer's advances, she was loaned out for "B" pictures and her film career declined. She worked outside of the industry except for a few small parts in early television. Esther died in 1994.

Esther Ralston - What do you think? Allure?

Gloria Stuart

Gloria Stuart

Celebrating her 96th birthday just a few days ago on July 4, Gloria is today best known for her role as old Rose in Titantic. In 73 films from 1932 to 2004, Gloria got her start in theater and then was signed with Universal. Personally, I remember her best in two James Whale films, The Old Dark House (1932) and The Invisible Man (1933), that film starring Claude Rains. In the mid-'40s she retired from acting, took up painting and had one-woman shows in New York, Austria and Italy. In the 1970s, she returned to acting. But as mentioned above, she will now be remembered as the oldest actress to be nominated for an Oscar for her Titanic role.

Gloria Stuart - What do you think? Allure?

Quick Note #3

Several people have asked me where I find the postcards you see here. About ten percent have come from postcard shows (like the big show held twice a year in NYC). Virtually all the others come from auctions on Ebay, and at least ninety percent of those come from overseas. Part of the fun has been receiving cards from sellers in England, Italy, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Estonia, and Romania. And to answer an other common question, they range in price from $4 to $20 and before Paypal was established in those countries, I sent cash. It always got through! Lastly, let me give an unsolicited plug to two of my long time favorite sellers - Hahnco and Leapme, both on Ebay, and both in The Netherlands.

Tullulah Bankhead

Tullulah Bankhead

An actress whose name may perhaps be more familiar than those so far featured here, Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was born on January 31, 1902 in Huntsville, Alabama. She began her career on the stage, starting in New York and then in 1923, headed to London. For the next several years she was the most popular actress of London's famed West End, the British equivalent of Broadway. In the late twenties and early thirties she tried her hand at film and with only marginal success, headed back to the stage until the forties where she was recognized for her work in Hitchcock's 1944 film, Lifeboat. Of course for those who know anything about Tullulah, it was her off stage and screen persona that is best remembered today. Read her (ribald) autobiography for that side of her life. Today her phrase, "Hello, Dahling" is known throughout the entertainment world. Tullulah's last role was in 1966 as the "Black Widow" on the camp TV Series Batman. She died in New York in 1968.

Tullulah Bankhead - What do you think? Allure?