FAY COMPTON : ENGLISH STAGE & FILM ACTRESS – SHE ADVOCATES “TAKING OFF A LITTLE BIT” TO ATTRACT A MAN

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Fay Compton (1894-1978) is the subject of this vintage real photo postcard. Compton was an English actress who appeared in many films, but was best known for her stage performances. She was a versatile actress who appeared in Shakespeare, Modern Drama, Comedy, and Classics (ie Ibsen and Chekhov. She appeared on  stage in Britain, and toured the United States and Australia. Compton was born in London. Her father, mother, brother, and grandfather were all actors. She was the younger sister of actress Viola Comton. Compton’s stage debut was in 1911 with Pelissier’s Follies which was produced by H. G. Pelissier. Though still a teenager, she married Mr. Pelissier who died soon thereafter, leaving her with a child. She quickly married singer Lauri de Frece. Compton’s first American appearance was in 1914 and occurred at the Shubert Theatre in New York. In 1917, she played the title role in the London performances of Peter Pan. In the 1920’s and 1930’s she performed in many of Shakespeare’s plays. She also played in a number of plays written by J. M. Barrie. Barrie wrote the play, “Mary Rose” especially for her. Her second husband died in 1921 and in 1923, she married actor Leon Quartermaine. During the 1930’s she played in both West End plays and Shakespeare. The 1940’s and 1950’s found Compton continuing to play in Shakespeare productions, and other roles including Noel Cowards “Blithe Spirit”, “The Importance of Being Earnest”, “Uncle Vanya”, and “What Every Woman Knows”. In 1942, her third marriage failed and she married actor Ralph Michael. Their marriage dissolved after four years. Compton also appeared in films. Her IMDb filmography reveals that she appeared in 82 films between 1914 and 1970. The IBDb indicates that she performed in three Broadway shows between 1915 and 1959. At one point, Compton had her own drama school. One of her students was actor Alec Guinness.

Postcard 1  Miss Compton’s portrait on this postcard was taken by Rita Martin, a well known celebrity photographer. The card was published by J. Beagles Postcards as part of a series (no.258.8). The company produced a variety of postcards including an extensive catalog of celebrity (stage and screen) portrait postcards. The company closed in 1939. The card was postmarked in 1920. The postcard is in very good condition (see scans).

Postcard 2 was printed in Britain and was part of the Lilywhite Photographic Series (no. L 4). Miss Compton looks absolutely beautiful . She is wearing a pretty dress and a beaded necklace (pearls?). The publisher, Lilywhite Ltd, Halifax (L.L.H.), was founded by Arthur Frederick Sergeant. He also was the founder of Halifax Photographic Company which was based in Halifax, England. Lilywhite began publishing postcards in 1910; and in the 1920’s, the company took over Arrow Series Postcards. The company then published postcards under both the Arrow and Lilywhite names.   SOLD

 

Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3712

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$18.39

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MISS MAY TAVERNER : STAGE ACTRESS : “WRENCH SERIES” : VINTAGE POSTCARD : (1904)

This vintage postcard features stage actress, Miss May Taverner. Information about this early nineteenth century stage actress is not easily accessible. Deeper research will be needed to uncover biographical information about her life. Taverner was a successful enough actress to have seven of her portraits in the National Portrait Gallery. I found a  vintage photo postcard of Miss Taverner and Marion Terry as they appeared in the play “Quality Street”. The play, a comedy, was written by “Peter Pan” writer, J. M. Barrie. The original production, on Broadway, opened in 1901 and ran for 64 performances. In 1902, the London production of Quality Street became a hit. It ran for 459 performances. Headlining the cast was Seymour Hicks and Ellaline Terriss. It appears that Taverner had a minor role. The photographer cited on this postcard is from the “Biograph Studio). This card is part of the “Wrench Series (no.4703)”. Why is the word “Wrench” meaning in this context? The series is named after (John) Evelyn Leslie Wrench. The series was published from 1900 through 1906. Wrench went on to become a newspaperman. He was knighted in 1932.This postcard has a 1904 English postmark. The message on the card is interesting. The writer indicates that she is sending this card for the addressees postcard collection. This postcard is in fair condition and priced accordingly. Note the stain on the left margin of the card. See scans for condition. 

Buy this original Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3593

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BETTY BRONSON: BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS BEST KNOWN FOR PLAYING PETER PAN IN THE 1924 SILENT FILM

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This vintage real photo postcard features American actress Betty Bronson (1906-1971).She began her career in silent films and later appeared in sound films and television. This postcard was published by Ross Verlag and is part of a series (1095/1). At the time when this postcard was released, Miss Bronson was working for Paramount Film. She appears to be quite young when she sat for this portrait. She moved to California as a teenager determined to start an film acting career. She landed a bit part at age 16 and a year later she was interviewed by the author of  Peter Pan (J M Barrie) and chosen to play the lead role in the film version which was released in 1924. Gaining this part was quite an accomplishment considering more seasoned actresses including Gloria Swanson and Mary Pickford sought the role. She became became lifelong friends with two members of the Peter Pan cast (Mary Brian and Esther Ralson). Miss Bronson had major roles in the silent films Ben Hur (1925) and a Kiss for Cinderella (1925). Betty Bronson made a successful transition into talkies. She co-starred with Al Jolson in the sound film, The Singing Fool (1928). In 1933 she took about a four year break from actingto marry a wealthy North Carolinian named Ludwig Lauerhass. While she was filming Peter Pan, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. developed a crush on her. The IMDb reports that Bronson had 41 film and television appearances during her career (1922-1971). Included in her television career were roles in Run For Your Life and My Three Sons. Overall, it is reported that Betty Bronson never lived up to her original promise. She was expected to be a major competitor to Mary Pickford but it is thought that her roles after Peter Pan were not effective vehicles to showcase her talent and to help her rise to superstardom. The YouTube clip below shows Miss Bronson in her role as Peter Pan.                                                                                                             The second postcard offers another portrait of Betty Bronson. The postcard was published by Ross Verlag and has the logo of Paramount Pictures. This postcard shows her in a movie role but the movie title is unidentified.                                                                                                            The third postcard is a portrait of Miss Bronson that was published by Iris Verlag as part of a series (#504). Iris Verlag was the most important Austrian publisher of film star postcards. It operated from Vienna during the 1920’s and 1930’s. The film star looks quite beautiful and is wearing a fancy dress, long white gloves, and a tiara. Imbedded in the photo of the actress is a logo for “Fanamet Films”.  Fanamet was an Austrian film distribution company.

     Postcard 4 features a portrait of Betty Bronson published by Picturegoer as part of Series 88 (no.207b). The company was based in London. Picturegoer was a British fan magazine focussing on contemporary films and the actors and actresses who performed in them. Picturegoer also published postcards. In fact, they produced over 6500 different real photo postcards of 2000 actors and actresses.

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