A literal description of my state of mind
A literal description of my state of mind
Someone was kind enough to scan and post a whole heap of Players Cigarette cards. This particular set of 85 cards is of Actresses, and were released during the late 1930's (from clues like "her latest film was...").
I'll post one of these every once in a while, with a couple of simple links to IMDB.com or a bio if I can find one. You might be surpirsed at some of the familiar names you'll see. The category is "Star Cards" (over on the right column), and you can click there at any time to see all that I've posted. Hope you enjoy.
(in the extended entry)
(click for superstar size)
Joan Crawford is one of the all-time greats of the silver screen. She won one Best Actress Oscar and was nominated for two others. Today she's perhaps best known as the subject of the tattlebomb Mommy Dearest.
"She's slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie." -- Bette Davis, referring to Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford started her career as a dancer and was discovered while dancing in a chorus line. She did a tap dance in Hollywood Revue of 1929, which was the first-ever tap dance to appear in a talkie. After appearing with Lon Chaney in a film, Joan Crawford was so impressed by his concentration and professionalism that she forever after credited him as being her inspiration to become a better actress. Despite her myriad quirks (she was almost phobic about cleanliness), she also had a heart of gold. She never forgot her humble beginnings and personally answered every fan letter she received, except for those from her college classmates who had teased her for coming from a poor family. When Carol Lombard died in a plane crash while doing a war bond tour, Ms. Crawford was asked to take over her role in They All Kissed the Bride. Joan Crawford then donated all of her salary to the Red Cross (who had found Lombard's body), and promptly fired her agent for taking his usual 10%.
She passed away in 1977 from cancer.
Someone was kind enough to scan and post a whole heap of Players Cigarette cards. This particular set of 85 cards is of Actresses, and were released during the late 1930's (from clues like "her latest film was...").
I'll post one of these every once in a while, with a couple of simple links to IMDB.com or a bio if I can find one. You might be surpirsed at some of the familiar names you'll see. The category is "Star Cards" (over on the right column), and you can click there at any time to see all that I've posted. Hope you enjoy.
(in the extended entry)
(click for superstar size)
Nancy Carroll was the most successful actress to make the adjustment from silent movies to talkies. She started acting on stage at a young age and was working on Broadway when she was "discovered" again and given a film role (she had appeared years before in a forgettable movie and had returned to the stage). Her singing and dancing talents enabled her to become the first talkie superstar, and reportedly she received more fan mail than any other actress in the 1930's. Incredibly versatile, she moved from deep dramatic roles to light comedies with ease. She was nominated for an Oscar in The Devil's Holiday in 1930 and went on to make over twenty more movies during the decade. She then retired from movies and went back to her first love, the stage, and continued to be active there and on television until her death in 1965.
There's a very nice bio site here.
Someone was kind enough to scan and post a whole heap of Players Cigarette cards. This particular set of 85 cards is of Actresses, and were released during the late 1930's (from clues like "her latest film was...").
I'll post one of these every once in a while, with a couple of simple links to IMDB.com or a bio if I can find one. You might be surpirsed at some of the familiar names you'll see. The category is "Star Cards" (over on the right column), and you can click there at any time to see all that I've posted. Hope you enjoy.
(in the extended entry)
(click for superstar size)
Tala Birell was born Natalie Bierl in Romania. She performed as movie double for Marlene Dietrich before coming to the US with the wave of European actresses imported by studios looking for the "next Greta Garbo". She made over 40 movies before fading into obscurity.
Looking over her filmography, I saw that she played in The Monster Maker. I just happen to have that movie but hadn't had a chance to see it yet, so I watched it last night. She was lovely (as expected) and gave a solid performance.
Forty movies, I'd call that a successful career.
Someone was kind enough to scan and post a whole heap of Players Cigarette cards. This particular set of 85 cards is of Actresses, and were released during the late 1930's (from clues like "her latest film was...").
I'll post one of these every once in a while, with a couple of simple links to IMDB.com or a bio if I can find one. You might be surpirsed at some of the familiar names you'll see. The category is "Star Cards" (over on the right column), and you can click there at any time to see all that I've posted. Hope you enjoy.
(in the extended entry)
(click on the card for superstar size)
Miss Carroll earned a college degree in order to become a teacher, but soon left that behind to become an actress. She became a star after appearing in two early Alfred Hitchcock thrillers, and during her career she played opposite leading men Gary Cooper, Ronald Colman, Fred MacMurray (five times!), Bob Hope, and Tyrone Power. She became an American citizen in the early 40's, but returned to her native England during WWII to help with relief efforts (her sister was killed during the blitz). She retired from acting after the war.
Someone was kind enough to scan and post a whole heap of Players Cigarette cards. This particular set of 85 cards is of Actresses, and were released during the late 1930's (from clues like "her latest film was...").
I'll post one of these every once in a while, with a couple of simple links to IMDB.com or a bio if I can find one. You might be surpirsed at some of the familiar names you'll see. The category is "Star Cards" (over on the right column), and you can click there at any time to see all that I've posted. Hope you enjoy.
(in the extended entry)
(click on the card for superstar size)
Joan Bennett had a long career in film and television (60+ years!), including a lead role in the original Dark Shadows.
The card mentions one of her early roles opposite Ronald Colman in Bulldog Drummond, which is a pleasant surprise because I've recently been reacquainting myself with this early action mystery series (Ray Milland also took a turn as Drummond, as did John Howard).
Here's a nice Joan Bennett bio.
I found something interesting while hunting for vintage erotica online.
Someone was kind enough to scan and post a whole heap of Players Cigarette cards. I've since discovered (Google is your friend) that Players has apparently always included some sort of trading card with every pack of cigarettes. The topics have run the range from "wildflowers of Britain" to classic cars to "wonders of the deep" and many many many more. You can see samples of many of these sets on eBay. They're popular collectables and big movers.
This particular set of 85 cards is of Actresses, and were released during the late 1930's (from clues like "her latest film was...").
I'll post one of these every once in a while, with a couple of simple links to IMDB.com or a bio if I can find one. You might be surpirsed at some of the familiar names you'll see. The category is "Star Cards" (over on the right column), and you can click there at any time to see all that I've posted. Hope you enjoy.
To kick it off, here's the first one of the series that I have:
Click on the card for larger size.
Gwili Andre: her IMDB page and a brief bio (tragic). In the picture, notice in the lower left corner the word "Radio". That was the studio she was signed to - RKO - back in the days when each studio kept it's stable of stars under exclusive contract.