MADGE BELLAMY : RISQUE : PROVOCATIVE : TROUBLED FILM STAR : MISS FIRECRACKER : RPPC

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 2

POSTCARD 3 (SOLD)

Postcard 1 is a hand tinted vintage real photo postcard that features Madge Bellamy (1899-1990), an American stage and film actress. She was a popular leading lady in films of the 1920’s and 1930’s. The sound era put the brakes on her career and a romantic scandal in the 1940’s brought it to a total stop. Madge was a Texan. She was born in Hillsboro and was raised in San Antonio and Brownwood. Her father was an English professor at Texas A&M University. As a young child she took dancing lessons but soon, she was interested in becoming an actress. At age 9, she made her stage debut in “Aida”. She and her family moved to Denver, Colorado. She met Carlos Bellamy there and the two married. When Madge decided to leave the state to pursue acting, her marriage ended. Madge went to New York City and worked on Broadway as a dancer. In 1919, she replaced Helen Hayes in Broadway’s “Dear Brutus”, opposite actor, William Gillette. Her career took off thereafter. In 1920, Madge appeared in her first film as a supporting actress to Geraldine Farrar. She then signed a contract with the Triangle Film Corporation. Her “breakout role” was as the title character in Lorna Doone (1922). In 1924 she signed a film contract with Fox Film Corporation. She stayed there five years and during that time she appeared in two films for film director, John Ford. In 1925, she began to have difficulties with fox executives. In 1928, she appeared in Fox’s first talking film, “Mother Knows Best”. In 1928, she married for a second time. The marriage lasted 3 days before she and her husband separated. By 1929, Bellamy’s career entered a tail-spin. She had made poor choices out of her unbridled anger. Fan magazines gave her the nickname of “Miss Firecracker” due to her temperament. In 1929, she also quit her contract with Fox, right after they bought the rights to make a film out of Broadway play. The vehicle was bought with a plan to have Madge be it’s star. Bellamy later admitted she quit over money and added “I got too big for my britches”. She didn’t work again until 1932. She accepted roles in “Poverty Row” (B-movies) films. One of these films was “White Zombie” (1932) in which she appeared opposite Bela Lugosi. Her performance received many poor reviews from film critics. By 1940, Madge basically had no film career. However, she wasn’t done with drama. She was arrested after firing three shots from  a .32 caliber revolver at her former lover of five years. The incident was premeditated. She was angry at her intended victim because he married a model shortly after ending their affair. Fortunately, her aim was poor and she missed. The only casualty was her ex boyfriend’s car which took a couple of shots into it’s body. Bellamy pleaded guilty to a lesser charge (violating gun laws), and received a suspended six month sentence and probation. Madge Bellamy’s IMDb filmography reports 61 credits between 1920 and 1945. This vintage postcard is provocative. This postcard is risque for it’s era. She is showing a lot of bare skin. The postcard was published while Madge was under contract with Fox. Therefore, the postcard is from before 1929. The card was published by J. Beagles and is part of the “Famous Cinema Star Series” (No.210P). (SOLD)

Postcard 2 offers another risque view of Madge Bellamy. Her alluring pose and short skirt qualifies this postcard to be considered provocative. This card was produced while Madge was under contract with Fox Films, sometime before 1929. This postcard was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (No.3907/2). The postcard is in very good condition (see scans).

Postcard 3 is quite provocative. There are shades of Lady Godiva in this photograph. Miss Bellamy is pretty and scantily dressed. This postcard is risque for it’s era. The postcard was published while Madge was under contract with Fox. Therefore, the postcard is from before 1929. The card was published by Alfred Noyer and is part of the “Les Vedettes de Cinema” (The Stars of Film) series (No.200). This postcard is uncommon. (SOLD)

Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #7386

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$24.00

Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes International shipping outside the US) #7386

To purchase this item, click on the Pay with PayPal button below

$34.00

POSTCARD 1

POSTCARD 2

POSTCARD 3

Published in: on November 25, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PEARL WHITE : AMERICAN STAGE AND FILM STAR : PERILS OF PAULINE : RPPC

Pearl White (1889-1938) was an American actress of film and stage. She started her career on the stage at just 6 years old in the play, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. At thirteen years of age she was a bareback rider for a circus. She dropped out of high school to join a touring stage company. Next she worked as a singer in Cuba and South America. She made her appearances in dance halls and casinos. In 1910, her voice began to fail and she began to appear in silent films, including many popular serials. Her nickname was “Queen of the Serials’. She did the majority of her own stunts in these film serials. She is known well for her role in “The Perils of Pauline”. She was often cast in the role of an athletic heroine, rather than the more typical, innocent young woman. As a result of her appearances in “The Perils of Pauline”, she was soon earning $1,750 per week. She increased her star power as she appeared in other serials. In these films she flew airplanes, raced cars, and did other action hero feats. By 1919 White moved on to more dramatic roles. She appeared in ten drama films for Fox Film Corporation. She finished her career by taking roles in European films, and finally, appearing on the European stage. While performing in London, she earned three thousand dollars a week. At the time of her retirement (1924), White had banked two million dollars. She then began investing. Her investments included a hotel, a night club, and a stable of race horses. White was married twice, each time, for short duration to actors. White died of liver failure, possibly due to her history of heavy drinking. Her drinking may have been attributable to her problems with pain stemming from a spinal injury occurring during her stunt days. The IMDb site credits white with 228 film appearances between 1910 and 1924. This real photo film star photo was published by Cinemagazine (Paris Edition). The card is part of the “Les Vedettes de Cinema” (Stars of the Cinema) series (No.,55). White’s postcard photo portrait was taken by the celebrated photographer, Alfred Noyer. (SOLD)

Published in: on March 16, 2023 at 7:41 pm  Leave a Comment  
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LILA LEE : AMERICAN SILENT AND TALKIE FILM STAR : “CUDDLES” : VAUDEVILLE

This vintage real photo postcard features leading lady screen actress, Lila Lee (1905-1973). She performed in both silent and early sound films. She was born in New Jersey and her family were German immigrants. The family relocated to New York City. Her family encouraged her participation in “kiddie review shows”. The energetic and outgoing child was given the nickname of “Cuddles”. The name stuck to her throughout her acting career. Her juvenile acting kept her quite busy and she required private tutors for her education. Lila acted in vaudeville fo an eight year period. In 1918 she was signed by Jesse Lasky (Famous Players) for a film contract. In a short time, the company became Paramount Pictures. Her first feature film performance received much public approval. She was just 13 years old at the time of her film debut. Lila quickly became a leading lady and starred with performers like Conrad Nagel, Gloria Swanson, and Rudolph Valentino.  In 1922, she won the first WAMPAS Baby Star Award. Lila was a very popular leading lady during the 1920’s. Her films were popular with critics and audiences alike. She was one of the few stars that made a successful transition from silent to sound films. In the 1930’s she made some bad career decisions and had bouts of tuberculosis and alcoholism. As a result, her latter film roles were mostly in B movies. In 1936, her film career basically ended as the result of a scandal involving the sucide of a man that she was dating.  Lila Lee lied to the District Attorney when she reported that the victim left no suicide note, when in fact she knew that he did. Lee’s personal life was unstable. She was married and divorced three times. Her son, James Kirkwood became a successful playwright and screenwriter. His credits include “A Chorus Line” and “P.S. Your Cat is Dead”.  The IMDb lists 103 credits in Lee’s filmography (1918-1967). This vintage postcard was published by Alfred Noyer as part of the “Les Vedettes de Cinema” series. The postcard was released while she was employed by Paramount Pictures. The card is of French origin. (SOLD)

Published in: on September 11, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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