Allure

Lillian Roth

2008-07-20T09:35:00.007-04:00

Born Lillian Rutstein on December 13, 1910 in Boston, Massachusetts, Lillian was six years old when her mother took her to Educational Pictures, where she became the company's trademark, symbolized by a living statue holding a lamp of knowledge. The following year
she made her Broadway debut in The Inner Man. Together with her younger sister Ann, she toured as "Lillian Roth and Co." when and wherever permitted by the Gerry Society. At seventeen, Lillian made the first of three Earl Carroll Vanities. This was soon followed by Midnight Frolics, a Flo Ziegfeld production.

Her Ziegfeld performance led to Ernst Lubitsch's invitation to Hollywood for his musical The Love Parade (1929) with Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. Then Paramount cast her in Honey (1930), in which she debuted her signature standard "Sing You Sinners." Other roles included Trixie in Cecil B. DeMille's Madam Satan (1930) and as Margaret Dumont’s daughter in the Marx Brothers' Animal Crackers (1930). She occasionally made films for other studios, such as Warner’s Ladies They Talk About (1933) with Barbara Stanwyck. Unfortunately, the sudden death of her fiancé in the early 30's devastated Lillian and fairly quickly led her to a lifetime of alcohol addiction.

While tragic endings were often the case with so many young actresses of the time, Lillian was eventually able to pull herself back up from the depths of alcoholism and mental illness when, in the late 40’s, she met and married former alcoholic T. Burt McGuire, Jr., who introduced her to AA. With his support, Lillian revived her career and began singing again, receiving glowing reviews and making a number of recordings.

Her searing autobiography “I'll Cry Tomorrow” (1954) was made into a hit film the following year starring Susan Hayward, who was nominated for an Academy Award. Lillian continued to work on and off, including stints on Broadway, until her death in 1980 due to a stroke.

The inscription on her marker in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Westchester County, New York, reads: "As bad as it was it was good."

Click on images for a larger view.

Stars of the Photoplay 1930

Photoplay magazine - May 1930

Undated photo still by Seymour

The Love Parade (1929)

Publicity still for Honey (1930)

Animal Crackers (1930)

Madam Satan (1930)

Publicity still for Madam Satan

Lillian Roth - What do you think - Allure?

Claire Windsor

2008-07-13T08:23:00.008-04:00

Claire Windsor was born Clara Viola Cronk in 1897 (though some records show 1892) in Marvin, Kansas. In her late teens (after a short lived marriage that produced a son) she moved to Seattle with her parents where she entered and won a beauty contest. She then headed to Hollywood in the hopes of launching a film career.

Claire's credited film debut was in To Please One Woman (1920) following four uncredited roles. Her break came when she was spotted by Paramount's director and producer Lois Weber, who signed her to co-star with Louis Calhern in The Blot (1921). Then in 1922 the newly formed Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers named Claire a WAMPAS baby star. That same year she signed a contract with Goldwyn Pictures Corporation.

Throughout the twenties, Claire's career progressed rapidly and she was often cast as a denizen of high society. Interestingly, this is in stark contrast to her role in The Blot as the daughter of a lowly paid professor living on the poorer side of town. She was cited for her sophisticated fashion sense, and became a trend-setter of twenties fashion. Her films included Born Rich (1924) and A Son of the Sahara (1924), both co-starring Bert Lytell, whom Claire would marry in 1925 and divorce two years later, Dance Madness (1926) with Conrad Nagel, and as a jewel thief opposite Victor Mclaglen in Captain Lash (1929). Unfortunately, Claire did not fair well with the advent of talkies. Of her 58 films, only seven were made after 1930, with none to any acclaim. In her later years, Claire devoted herself to painting.

Claire died in 1972 Los Angeles, California. She has a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.

Photoplay magazine - May 1922

Frame captures from The Blot

Photoplay magazine - June 1927

A bit ironic to see Claire hawking wedding rings the year of her second divorce.

Stars of the Photoplay - 1930

Undated postcard

Undated publicity photo

Claire Windsor - What do you think - Allure?

Asides - Some covers and comments

2008-07-03T18:53:00.005-04:00

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.

Joan Bennett

2008-06-22T11:19:00.009-04:00

Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was born in Palisades Park, New Jersey. Her older sisters were actress Constance Bennett and actress/dancer Barbara Bennett. Joan first appeared in The Valley of Decision in 1916. By age 19, she had been featured in Bulldog Drummond starring Ronald Colman, and opposite George Arliss in the biopic Disraeli (both 1929). Joan's performances were positively received and her career was well underway.

Joan appeared in 23 films from 1930 to 1935, including She Wanted a Millionaire (1932) and Me and My Gal (1932), both with Spencer Tracy, Little Women (1933) with Katherine Hepburn, The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (1934) with Claude Rains, and The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo (1935) opposite Ronald Coleman.

In 1938 Joan changed from blonde to brunette and her screen persona evolved into that of a seductive femme fatale. This change manifested itself most notably in Fritz Lang’s acclaimed The Woman in the Window (1944) and Scarlet Street (1945). In fact, she made five films for Lang, more that any other American actor or actress who worked with him.

Continuing to work up through the 1980’s, Joan also appeared in 386 episodes of Dark Shadows, receiving an Emmy Award nomination in 1968 for her role as "The Mistress of Collingwood". Joan ultimately appeared or starred in a total of 93 film and television productions.

Joan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Publicity still from Disraeli

Photoplay, September 1930 - Artist: Earl Christy

Motion Picture Classic May 1930 - Artist: Don Reed

Stars of the Photoplay (1930)

Motion Picture September 1933 - From Arizona to Broadway

Undated postcard from France (including the misspelling)

The iconic still from Scarlet Street

Joan Bennett - What do you think - Allure?

Marian Nixon

2008-06-15T09:56:00.008-04:00

Marian Nixon was born as Marian Nissinen in Superior, Wisconsin, on October 20, 1904. She began her credited movie career in 1923 with the film Cupid's Fireman, directed by William Wellman. Her talent was such that she was much in demand throughout the twenties and made 39 films prior to 1930. In 1924 Marian (sometimes credited as Marion Nixon) was chosen as a WAMPAS Baby Star, along with then starlets Clara Bow and Dorothy Mackaill. Westerns made up the bulk of her early work and she appeared opposite Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, and Buck Jones. However, by the late twenties she was being featured in comedies and more traditional dramas opposite the likes of Reginald Denny, John Barrymore, Richard Barthelmess, and Al Jolson.

Marian had no problem with the transition to the talkies and appeared in another 33 films, including Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1932), Best of Enemies (1933), and We're Rich Again (1934) where she met and married the film's director William Seiter. Marian ended her film career in 1936 and remained married to Seiter until his death in 1964. Interestingly, she married again in 1971 to popular twenties and thirties actor Ben Lyon, the widower of Bebe Daniels.

Marian has a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street in Los Angeles, California. She died in Los Angeles in 1983.

Handtinted British postcard

Stars of the Photoplay - 1930

Publicity still.

Marian Nixon - What do you think - Allure?

Loretta Young

2008-06-08T09:27:00.006-04:00

Loretta was born Gretchen Young in Salt Lake City on January 6, 1913. When she was three years old, her mother took her and her sisters to Hollywood. She was appearing on screen as a child extra by the time she was four, joining her elder sisters, Polly Ann Young and Elizabeth Jane Young, AKA Sally Blane (see Sally Blane post on this blog), as child players.

With seven film appearances behind her, Gretchen Young was rechristened as Loretta Young in the presumably lost The Whip Woman (1928). That same year, at age 14, she co-starred with Lon Chaney in MGM's important film Laugh, Clown, Laugh. The next year, along with sister Sally, she was anointed one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars and was on her way to full-fledged stardom. Between 1930 and 1935 Loretta starred or was featured in 40 films. These include Taxi! (1932) opposite James Cagney, Employees Entrance (1933) with William Warren, Zoo in Budapest (1933), and Shanghai (1935), along side Charles Boyer.

Loretta remained in films throughout the 40's, and reached the pinnacle of her career when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in The Farmer's Daughter (1947). In 1953, Loretta made It Happens Every Thursday, her final screen role. Later that year, she began her own TV series, "Letter to Loretta", and went on to win three Emmy Awards as Best Actress in a TV series.

Loretta died in Los Angeles on August 12, 2000.

Not sure if that's actually a swimming cap, but I like it.

Photoplay, November, 1930 - Artist: Earl Christy

Modern Screen, January 1932

Publicity still from Zoo in Budapest

Publicity still from Shanghai

Movie Stars Parade, Winter 1940

Loretta Young - What do you think - Allure?

Marian Marsh

2008-05-28T10:31:00.006-04:00

The youngest of four children of German and British parents, Marian Marsh was born Violet Ethelred Krauth in Trinidad on October 17, 1913. During the mid 1920's, Marian's sister Jean (Fenwick) became an East coast based Paramount contract player. She subsequently signed with FBO Pictures in Hollywood and the Krauth family moved to California. It was then Jean helped her younger sister break into pictures. Marian began her film career as Marilyn Morgan, but in 1929 Warners' signed the then 16-year-old, and rechristened her Marian Marsh.

After a slow but promising start, Marian won the female lead in Svengali (1931), Warners' film remake of the play "Trilby". According to Marian, she was tested for the role several times before being selected by Barrymore, apparently because she resembled his wife, Dolores Costello. (See this blog's post on Ms. Costello.) The film was a critical and financial success and Marian was on her way.

She was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1931 and a string of successful films at Warner Bros. followed. These include Five Star Final (1931) with Edward G. Robinson, The Mad Genius (1931), again with John Barrymore, and Beauty and the Boss (1932) with Warren William. However, she and the studio ran afoul of each other and she left Warners' and worked overseas for a couple of years before returning and signing with Columbia. It was there she starred in The Black Room (1935) and Von Sternberg's version of Crime and Punishment(1935). After the two year Columbia contract expired, so did Marian's career with the majors. She continued acting until 1942 when at age 30 she left the business to raise her family. She had appeared in 42 films.

In the 1960's Marian founded Desert Beautiful, a non-profit, all-volunteer conservation organization to promote environmental and beautification programs. "We planted palm trees along the West Coast and were the first to plant palms in the lower valley [Coachella] to Palm Springs. If you want to leave something behind, plant a tree!" she told author Dan Van Neste in a 1998 interview.

Marian died on November 9th, 2006 in Palm Desert, California

The New Movie Magazine, September 1931 - Artist: Rolf Armstrong

Picture Play magazine, January 1932

Undated postcard

There is a great chapter and interview with Marian about her role in Svengali in Gregory William Mank's book "Women in Horror Films, 1930's"

Screen captures from The Black Room. Boris is feeling lucky, Marian is not.

Publicity still
Marian Marsh - What do you think - Allure?

Asides - Smoke 'em If Ya Got'em

2008-05-18T10:13:00.006-04:00

Cigarette ads have been a source of magazine revenues since before the turn of the 20th century, and the tobacco companies realized an endorsement from a Hollywood star would be golden. Lucky Strike exploited this like no other brand during the twenties and thirties. The other major brands like Old Gold, Camel, Chesterfield, and Spud were represented in the various movie magazines, but only Lucky Strike regularly featured stars or starlets in their ads. What follows is a sampling of those Hollywood tie-in ads and a couple of others I just think are fun/interesting/bizarre. Click on the images for a larger view - enjoy.

Sally Eilers - Movie Mirror, February 1932
The lower right paragraph notes that Miss Eilers was not paid one cent for this endorsement. I'm wondering of course if wasn't the Fox publicity department that paid The American Tobacco company to feature her.

Edmund Lowe - Photoplay, February 1932

Of possible interest is that Mr. Lowe was also under contract to Fox during this period.

Jean Harlow - Photoplay, March 1932
Jean states: "It's a real delight to find a Cellophane wrapper that opens without an icepick.

John Gilbert - Photoplay, September 1929
John keeps his masculine physique by reaching for a Lucky instead of a sweet.

Lupe Velez - Photoplay, April 1932
This ad appeared on this blog before under a different context.
Lupe seems to like the Cellophane wrapper as well and was not paid for her endorsement either.

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. - Photoplay, June 1932
Man, what's with that wrapper, it sounds like all other brands were
impossible to open and that is why people HAD to smoke Luckies.

Some nice lady from Bronxville, NY. - Photoplay, August 1931
She hopes you will consider your Adam's Apple.

The New Movie Magazine - December, 1932
It may just be me, but I think Chesterfield was implying that if males smoke their brand, they will grow to almost twice the size of a normal human, or you will attract very small women.

Joan Crawford - Being Clever

2008-05-11T10:18:00.005-04:00

We have featured Joan a few times on this blog, but I thought this four page spread from the Movie Mirror, January 1933, was worth sharing. The spread focuses on Joan's "private life" fashions, and if for nothing else, the line "These are the clothes Joan wears, not in her pictures, but when she is being the clever Mrs. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.", makes this post work for me. I'm guessing the distaff readers have similar leisure wardrobes. Enjoy and click on the pictures for a larger view.

Striking a few poses around the house

A bit severe on the left - don't cross her today Doug

It's all about the neckline

Classic Joan

Here is a recently acquired postcard - She looks pretty clever here too.

Joan Crawford - What do you think - Allure?

Gwili Andre

2008-05-04T13:38:00.005-04:00

Gwili Andre was born Gurli Andresen in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 4, 1908. She got her Hollywood break courtesy of David O. Selznick, who cast her opposite Richard Dix in Roar of the Dragon (1932), her first film. This was followed by Secrets of the French Police (1932). In the NYT review she was characterized as "handsome and quite competent." I should mention that I watched this film earlier this week and would concur. Unfortunately other reviewers and the public weren't particularly impressed with her or either film. Despite the lukewarm reception, she was given support of the studios and was even featured on the cover of the October 1932 issue of The New Movie Magazine. Unfortunately the publicity didn't enhance her popularity. She appeared in only five other films, all in non-starring roles, before giving up her career. Her final role was a minor part in The Falcon's Brother in 1942.

Gwili's death in 1959 was a bizarre suicide fueled by alcoholism and the disillusionment of a promising career that never materialized. Alone in her Venice, California apartment, she gathered together all the publicity stills and promotional material from her early career and set them ablaze, allowing herself to be consumed by the flames. She died later of her injuries.

Photoplay Magazine - February 1933

Screen grabs from Secrets of the French Police.

Movie Mirror Magazine - July 1932

Publicity still from Roar of the Dragon

Publicity Still

Gwili Andre - What do you think - Allure?

Asides - Cover Catch Up

2008-04-26T20:00:00.020-04:00

This post features movie magazine covers with looks generally different than those shown in previous posts. The first major difference is that none of these covers come from Photoplay, the most popular film magazine in the 20's and 30's, and the publication that makes up the bulk of our collection. Enjoy and click on the images for a larger view.

Movie Classic, November 1935 - Artist: Charles Sheldon
I think this is one of the most sophisticated and alluring portraits of Jean Harlow I have ever seen. As covers go, it is unusual as well, because unlike most movie magazine covers of the time that portray the subject in close-up, this and the next two covers provide a fuller length view of their subjects.

Picture Play, March 1932 - Artist Modest Stein
Modest Stein was born in 1871 and became a prolific, if under appreciated commercial artist whose work can be found in and on numerous magazines, books, and advertisements. He died in Flushing, NY, in 1958. See my post on Peggy Shannon for another of his covers.

Picture Play, November 1932 - Artist: Martha Sawyers
Martha Sawyers (1902-1988) designed Broadway Playbills and art work for the theater section of the New York Herald Tribune in the 1930's. She also provided covers for American Liberty and Collier's Magazines. Martha drew illustrations for novelist Pearl Buck, and she is featured with such notables as Norman Rockwell in "Forty Illustrators and How They Work" by Earnest W Watson.

Picture Play, January 1933 - Artist: A.D. Moscon

I can find absolutely no information on artist A.D. Moscon. However, searching the NYT archive I did find a 1968 obituary notice of a Hanna Moscon. It listed her as a distinguished member of the American Society of Contemporary Artists. Quite possibly she is A.D. Moscon because the name itself is quite rare. Anybody with more information, please share.

Shadoplay, April 1933 - Artist: Earl Christy
Well here we are, back at the close up - real close up. Christy's work is all over this blog, but Shadoplay (who came up with that spelling) is really quite rare. This particular issue is Vol. 1, No.2, and I have only seen a couple of other issues, including one from October of 1934, so they had a bit of a run.

Dolores Costello

2008-04-19T19:03:00.012-04:00

Dolores Costello was born on September 17, 1903, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to actors Maurice and Mae Costello. Her father was a most popular matinée idol and gave Dolores and her sister Helene their screen debut in 1911. She was in approximately thirty films prior to 1920, including The Evil Men Do (1915), where she appeared as a boy. She later appeared on the New York stage with her sister in the George White Scandals of 1924. They were then signed by Warner Brothers where she met her future husband, John Barrymore.

Barrymore made Dolores his costar in 1926's The Sea Beast, the same year she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star. Around that time she also acquired the nickname "The Goddess of the Silver Screen." From that film forward, Dolores was the lead actress in fifteen successive productions, including When a Man Loves (1927), again starring Barrymore as the male lead. John and Delores married in 1928 and had two children, DeDe in 1931 and John Drew Barrymore in 1932. At that time Dolores left the film world to raise her children, but after a divorce from John in 1935 due to his increasing alcoholism, she resumed acting at the pleading of her sister.

She returned in 1936 to star in Little Lord Fauntleroy, however her physical appearance had been damaged due to harsh studio make-up used on her face in the early years.This forced Delores into early retirement after only eight additional films, her last in a supporting role in 1943's This Is The Army.

Dolores has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1645 Vine Street and may be best known today as Drew Barrymore's grandmother.

Photoplay - January 1929

Motion Picture Classic - January 1929

Publicity still for Glad Rag Doll

Motion Picture - September 1929

A publicity still for Hearts in Exile

Hearts in Exile publicity still

Publicity still from Madonna of Avenue A (1929)

Motion Picture - August 1928 - Artist Marland Stone

Dolores Costello - What do you think - Allure?

Asides - M and M

2008-04-12T18:55:00.006-04:00

This is of course a blog featuring images of actresses from the twenties and thirties. But I guess a post featuring actors of the era won't cause the earth to shift on its axis. However, I still want to keep the theme focused on "Allure". So, what the heck was it at the time that had so many actors sporting those pencil thin mustaches; I have to presume they or the female movie going audience found they presented a certain allure, or nobody had the nerve to tell them any differently.

The images in this post all come from the 1930 Stars of the Photoplay hardcover book published by Photoplay magazine. The cost of the book, which has individual portraits of 250 stars, sold for $1.25! Under each portrait is a brief bio, at least up to 1930, so double-click on the images for a larger size. Enjoy.

Ronald Coleman

Warner Baxter

William Powell

John Loder

Kenneth McKenna

Ralph Forbes

Rod La Rocque

Conrad Nagel

Edmund Lowe

Gilbert Roland

John Boles

John Gilbert

So what do you think - Men and Mustaches - Alluring?

Sally Blane

2008-04-05T19:50:00.009-04:00

Born July 11, 1910, in Salida, Colorado, Sally (Elizabeth Jane Young ) was one of four actress sisters, the others being Polly Ann, Georgiana and of course, Loretta Young. Interesting side note: Sally was born while her mother was en route by train to the family home in Salt Lake City. The train actually had to make an unscheduled stop so that her mother could give birth.

At age seven, along with older brother Jack, Sally appeared uncredited in Sirens of the Sea (1917). She also had an unbilled part in Rudolph Valentino's The Sheik (1921), as did Loretta and Polly Ann. Her first credited role was as a Floradora Girl in Casey at the Bat (1927). Two films later she was given the female lead in the western Shootin' Irons (1927). That appearance put her in line to appear in several more westerns, including three featuring Tom Mix. Several more female lead roles followed, including playing opposite Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., in Dead Man's Curve (1928). In 1929 both Sally and sister Loretta were named Wampas Baby Stars.

Sally, however, was not totally committed to advancing her career, and seemed content to freelance for such "poverty" studios as Monogram and Chesterfield. Films in the 30's included Once a Sinner (1930), A Dangerous Affair (1930), Arabian Knights (1931), a supporting role (she wanted the female lead role) in the classic I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang (1932), City Limits (1934), Against the Law (1934) and This Is the Life (1935). Much of her career decision had to do with her meeting of (in 1935) and marriage to (in 1937) director Norman Foster, who had once dated her sister Loretta. She wanted to establish a family and raise her children. She and all her sisters, however, did appear together when they were given, at Loretta's insistence, featured roles in The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939). They all played Loretta's sisters. One of Sally's last pictures was in 1939's Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (one of my favorite in the series), directed by her husband. Her nonchalant career attitude notwithstanding, Sally appeared in over 90 films between 1917 and 1939.

Sally died in 1997 at the age of 87.

Sally in Stars of the Photoplay, 1930

Unmistakably Loretta's sister in this image.

Hollywood magazine - April 1933

Publicity still.

Another definite sister lookalike.

Sally Blane - What do you think - Allure?

Nancy Carroll

2008-03-30T18:28:00.009-04:00

Christened Ann Veronica Lahiff in New York City on November 19, 1903, Nancy Carroll began her acting career in Broadway musicals.

Her first film was the silent Ladies Must Dress (1927). Between 1928 and 1929 she made thirteen films including her first talkie, Shopworn Angel, where she says only two words and is heard singing the film's theme song, and Easy Come, Easy Go (1928), co-starring Richard Dix, the film that helped make her a star. In 1930 she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Devil's Holiday. Among her other well liked films are Hot Saturday (1932) with Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, Broken Lullaby (1932) directed by Ernst Lubitsch, and The Kiss Before the Mirror (1933), directed by James Whale.

Nancy was reported to have received more fan mail than any of her Hollywood peers of the same era. However, while under contract to Paramount, Nancy earned a reputation as difficult and temperamental, usually not agreeing with the roles being offered. Consequently, in spite of her ability to successfully handle comedy, melodrama and musicals, as well as garnering considerable praise by the critics and public, she was released by the studio. She joined Columbia in the mid-thirties, but was unable to regain the momentum she had earlier in the decade.

Though I'm certainly not sure her private live shaped her aforementioned attitude, this news item that appeared in the New York Times for September 5 1935, would indicate things were far from stable on the home front.

NANCY CARROLL SUES.
Asks Own Divorce in Nevada From Mallory, Already Re-wed.
CARSON CITY, Nev., Sept. 5 Nancy Carroll, motion-picture star, filed suit for a Nevada divorce here today, charging the already re-married Bolton Mallory with non-support and cruelty. Apparently not completely satisfied as to the legality of the Mexican divorce obtained by Mr. Mallory prior to his recent marriage to 14-year-old Carlota Lobato in Mexico, the actress has resided on a guest ranch south of Reno for the last six weeks, determined to obtain her own divorce decree. Miss Carroll and Mr. Mallory, to whom she was married in January, 1931, have been separated for about a year and a half. Mr. Mallory, former editor of Life, started his divorce proceedings against Miss Carroll in Ometepec, State of Guerrero, Mexico. He alleged incompatibility. He met the present Mrs. Mallory about three months ago in a restaurant owned by her father.

What a charmer he was.

Nancy retired from Hollywood in 1938 after 37 films, returned to the stage, and starred in the early television series The Aldrich Family in 1950. While performing on Broadway in 1965, she was found dead of a heart attack after failing to arrive at the theater for a performance.

She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1719 Vine Street.

Photoplay - September, 1929

Motion Picture Classic - April, 1930

Scene postcard from Laughter, 1930

Among the elephants.

They appeared together in five films.

Publicity still from 1928's Manhattan Cocktail.

Nancy Carroll - What do you think - Allure?

Sue Carol

2008-03-22T19:26:00.005-04:00

Sue Carol was born Evelyn Lederer in Chicago on October 30, 1906. One of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1928, Sue made 26 films from 1927 to 1937, a number in starring roles, but never really "hit the big time" during her acting career. Almost none of her films, half of which are silent, are available for viewing today; some are lost films and the others are in private or library hands. The one film readily available is the Amos n' Andy picture Check and Double Check(1930). If you can get past the stereotyping of the day, you can at least get a glimpse of Sue on film. Among the movies in which she appeared are Soft Cushions (1927), her first film, Girls Gone Wild (1929), and The Big Party (1930).

On the personal level, Sue went through a couple of marriages before retiring from the screen to head her own talent agency, the Sue Carol Agency. It was through the agency that she met, managed, and married Alan Ladd in 1942. With Ladd she had a daughter and a son, the successful and still active actor and producer David Ladd, and remained married to Ladd until his death in 1964.

Sue Carol has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1639 N. Vine Street. She died in 1982.

Sue in wonderful deco inspired lounging pajamas,
perfect for mandolin playing.

Sue's page in the 1930 Stars of the Photoplay book.
Read the text for a bit more information on Sue.

A publicity still from what I believe to be Soft Cushions.

Sue Carol - What do you think - Allure?

Sidney Fox

2008-03-14T15:23:00.008-04:00

Sidney Fox, born Sidney Leiffer in New York City on December 10, 1907 (though 1910 was the publicized year), for a time considered studying law, but caught the acting bug instead. She joined a Johnstown, Pennsylvania stock company where she cut her performing teeth.

Her Nov 19, 1929 Broadway debut was in It Never Rains and the New York Times called her "pretty and demure". However, her second play, Lost Sheep, which debuted on May 5, 1930, garnered this from the Times: "As Rhoda, little Sidney Fox won the hearts of the audience at once with her frail, girlish beauty and her pert spirit. Nothing could be more tenderly disarming than the freshness of her acting." And it was film mogul Carl Laemmle, Jr, in the audience of Lost Sheep, who was disarmed and brought Sidney to Hollywood.

She made her film debut in the 1931's The Bad Sister (her role) opposite Conrad Nagel, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart and Zasu Pitts. Bette (in the role of the good sister and her debut also) said over the years that Sidney got the title part because of her "relationship" with Carl. Fox was also named a Wampas Baby Star that year. 1931 also saw her in Preston Sturgess' Strictly Dishonorable where her performance was well received.

However, Sidney is best recalled, and in some cases derided, for her starring role as 'Madamoiselle Camille L'Espanaye' in the 1932's Murders in the Rue Morgue opposite Bela Lugosi. Her last of 14 film appearances would be in the 1934's Down to Their Last Yacht opposite Mary Boland, Polly Moran and Ned Sparks.

It was primarily rumors of her continuing relationship with Carl Jr. and some said even Carl senior, that blunted her career. Then after a rocky, contentious and physically abusive marriage to film writer Charles Beahan, Sidney died of an overdose of sleeping pills which may have been suicide, but was officially ruled as an accidental death, on November 14, 1942.

Cover girl for the January 1933 issue of Modern Screen.

Strictly Dishonorable, a Carl Laemmle, Jr. production.

Picture Play , March 1932

Silver Screen, January 1933

Movie Mirror, January 1933 - Inside back cover
Bonus points to anyone who can identify the actor shown in the picture - I can't.

Publicity Still

Publicity Still

Sidney Fox - What do you think - Allure?