CLARA BOW : AMERICAN SILENT FILM ACTRESS : “THE IT GIRL” : RISQUE 

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

This uncommon vintage real photo postcard (Postcard 1) features silent film icon, Clara Bow (1905-1965 ). She successfully made the transition to talkies in 1929. Bow appeared in 46 silent movies and 11 talkies. She was known as the “It Girl” during the golden age of Hollywood. She was known for her vivacious energy, mesmerizing on-screen presence, and her impressive talent. She was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in the borough’s tenements. Both of her parents had mental health issues and she grew up in an unstable and chaotic environment. She was a resilient and determined child and she took on a caretaker role for her younger siblings. She was responsible and mature beyond her years. Despite her humble background, she became a very influential figure in cinema history. Her rise from poverty to stardom, and her groundbreaking portrayals of independent and liberated women, helped her gain an enduring legend of the silver screen. Clara Bow was discovered in 1922 when she participated in a magazine contest searching for new talent. Her photographs were seen by film producer B. P. Schulberg who saw her potential and offered her a screen test. Her screen presence was impressive and she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures. In her earliest films, her versatility was was obvious as she transitioned effortlessly between dramatic and comedic roles. It was the 1927 film, “It” that made Clara Bow a superstar and earned her the nickname of “The It Girl”. She was viewed as modern, charismatic, and sexually liberated. Bow was also successful in “talkie” films, despite her Brooklyn accent. While Bow was successful professionally, her personal life was a “hot mess”. She had a long term troubled marriage to actor Rex Bell (m.1931) and she battled her own mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. In 1933, Bow retired from acting and became a rancher. This vintage real photo postcard was published by Ross Verlag (Germany) as part of a series (No.3394/1). Bow is wearing a grass skirt, a Hawaiian Lei, and holding a ukulele. She is showing her bare legs. The card is risque for it’s era. The logo for Paramount Pictures can be found in the images bottom right hand corner.  SOLD

Postcard 2 was published by Ross Verlag (Germany) as part of a series (No.4480/1). Bow is wearing a short skirt. She is showing her bare legs. The card is risque for it’s era. The logo for Paramount Pictures can be found in the images bottom right hand corner.  SOLD

POSTCARD 1

POSTCARD 2

Published in: on May 7, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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CAROL OHMART : FILM AND TELEVISION ACTRESS : THE NEXT MARILYN MONROE : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features American actress and model, Carol Ohmart (1927-2002). She appeared in many films and television shows from the early 1950’s until the 1970’s.  She appeared in a number of well known horror films. She was born to a Mormon family in Utah. In 1946 she competed for and won the title of Miss Utah. She placed fourth in the Miss America contest. She then launched a modelling career. Paramount Pictures signed her in 1955 and promoted her as “the next Marilyn Monroe”. This postcard portrait, produced for Paramount in 1956, clearly is an example of Paramount’s attempt to market Ohmart’s resemblance to Marilyn Monroe. She made her film debut in “The Scarlet Hour” (1956). She then began appearing in television shows and in several horror films including “House on Haunted Hill” (1959). Her last film appearance was in 1974. In 1973, while filming for “Barnaby Jones”, she was attacked on the street by three men. She sustained significant injuries for which she was prescribed painkillers. This led to a several year struggle with addiction to prescription drugs. After acting, she studied New Age philosophy and spiritualism, and wrote poetry and short stories. Ohmart was married three times. She was married for only two years in both her first and second marriages. Her third marriage had a duration of 22 years and ended upon her death. This postcard was published by Kores, a French company. The card is part of a series (#786). The series is comprised of 100 postcard portraits. (SOLD)

Published in: on February 24, 2024 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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FLORENCE VIDOR : SILENT FILM ACTRESS : WIFE OF FILM DIRECTOR KING VIDOR 

POSTCARD 1 (SOLD)

POSTCARD 2 (SOLD)

Postcard 1 is a vintage real photo postcard featuring silent film actress Florence Vidor (1895-1977). Florence was born in Houston, Texas. She began working in silent films due to the influence of her husband, King Vidor. He was a film director, film producer, and screenwriter. The pair married in 1915. Her first film contract was with Vitagraph Studios in 1916. She became a well known actress after her appearance in “Hail the Woman” (1921). Florence was noted to be one of early Hollywood’s great beauties. During the 1920’s, she was a major star for Paramount Pictures. She was the leading lady to actors Sessue Hayakawa and “drag star”, Julian Eltinge. She also acted for director Cecil B. DeMille. Sound films brought about the end of her performing career. In fact, she had so much difficulty with sound films, that she retired from acting before finishing the movie in which she was appearing. Florence divorced her husband in 1924. She married the talented and popular classical violinist, Jascha Heifetz in 1928. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1945. This photo portrait postcard can be found in the collection of the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian Institute). This vintage postcard is uncommon. SOLD

Postcard 2 was published by Alfred Noyer as part of a series (No.351). Note the logo for Paramount Films in the bottom right hand corner of the image. SOLD 

POSTCARD 1

POSTCARD 2

Published in: on October 28, 2023 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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THE MUMMY AND THE HUMMINGBIRD : JULES MURRY COMPANY : ORGAN GRINDER : (1915)

This undivided vintage theatrical postcard features advertising for the play, “The Mummy And The Hummingbird”.The play was performed by the Jules Murry Company. Murry’s obituary appears in the New York Times (12/31/39). The newspaper reports that Murry was in charge of booking for the Shubert theatrical enterprises. He was born in Germany but lived in the United States for 50 years. HIs show business career began with his working as an independent manager and producer. He then joined the Shuberts. “The Mummy And The Hummingbird” was also a silent film. It was released in 1915 by Paramount Pictures. This vintage theatrical postcard is in good condition (see scans). (SOLD)

Published in: on November 24, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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BARBARA DARROW : FILM AND TELEVISION ACTRESS : SCI FI

This vintage real photo postcard features film and television actress, Barbara Darrow (1931-2018). Geography and Genetics must have made it Darrow’s destiny to be an actress. Her father was a motion-picture landscape artist and her mother was a former silent film actress. In addition, she was born in Hollywood and graduated from Hollywood High School. Barbara was a model and that work led to her receiving film contract offers. In 1950, she signed a seven year contract with RKO studios. She made mainly B movies during the 1950’s decade. These movies included “The Monster that Challenged the World” and “Queen of Outer Space”. She also appeared in episodes of popular television shows of the 50’s. In 1956, she married Thomas David Tannenbaum. He was a talent agent at MGM, and later, became the founding president of Viacom. One of her children was married to Bobby Darrin’s son. Barbara’s sister was a model and married tennis great, Pancho Gonzalez. The IMDB credits Barbara with 27 television and movie appearances between 1950 and 1977. This postcard was published by Kores and is part of a series of 100 portraits published for Paramount Pictures in 1956.  SOLD

Published in: on August 13, 2021 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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ESTHER RALSTON: TALENTED FILM AND EARLY TELEVISION ACTRESS

This vintage real photo postcard features beautiful actress Esther Ralston (1902-1994). She was born in Bar Harbor, Maine and was active in acting between 1915 an 1962. Her career started while she was still a child. She appeared in a family vaudeville act called “The Ralston Family with Baby Esther, America’s Youngest Juliet”. By the time she was 18, she was appearing in silent films including “Huckleberry Finn” (1920) and “Peter Pan” (1924). In the late 1920’s she appeared in many films for Paramount Pictures. She was successful enough to earn as much as eight thousand dollars per week Although she received good reviews for dramatic roles, Ralston primarily appeared in comedies, often in the role of spirited society girls. Esther’s image was initially “wholesome and fun-loving”. Florenz Ziegfeld Jr repackaged her as “The American Venus” after she appeared in the role of a beauty queen in the film, “American Venus” (1926). Miss Ralston made a successful transition to sound pictures but by the mid 1930’s she was usually appearing in supporting roles. Her final starring role was in “To the Last Man (1933) and her final film was “Tin Pan Alley (1940). That same year she retired from film and focused on stage and radio through the 1940’s. With the advent of television, Ralston spent time appearing in this new medium. Esther Ralston was married three times and divorced three times. All of her husbands worked in the entertainment industry. The imdb lists Ralston as having 108 credits as an actress. She certainly made an impact in the entertainment world and this is reflected by the fact that she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Esther Ralston’s obituary can be found at the web site of  “The Independent”. The obituary states that she was a “captivating blond beauty with an engaging sense of humor”. The article tells the story of Ralston’s reaction to co-starring with Clara Bow and Gary Cooper in “Children of Divorce” (1927) while Bow and Cooper were having an affair. In regard to Clara Bow, Ralston stated “I didn’t really dislike her, but she was pretty loose and I’d been brought up differently”. This photo postcard was pubished by Ross Verlag, a postcard publishing company based in Berlin, Germany. The postcard was produced for Paramount Pictures and is part of a series (No. 3393/1).

Published in: on May 26, 2017 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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