OSSI OSWALDA: BEAUTIFUL GERMAN SILENT FILM STAR

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The beautiful actress seen in the top vintage real photo postcard is named Ossi Oswalda (1897-1947). She was born in Germany and appeared predominately in silent films. She was a leading lady, popular comedienne,  dancer, and singer. Due to her popularity, she  was known as “the German Mary Pickford”. Ossi began her career as a ballerina and she danced in a chorus line for a theater in Berlin. She made her film debute in “Night of Horrors” (1916) and was noticed by actor/screenwriter Hanns Kraly, who introduced her to director Ernst Lubitsch. Oswalda’s early career began with appearances in several Lubitsch films. In 1921, she and her husband started a film production company that produced four films over four years, all starring Miss Oswalda. After 1925, she was under contract to UFA, a German film company. After the transition to “talkies”, Oswalda joined the ranks of actresses and actors, who’s career took a nose dive. She only acted in two sound films. Her final screen appearance was in “The Star of Valencia”. She then began acting on the stage. She appeared in operettas in Germany and Vienna. When the National Socialists took power in Germany, she emigrated to Prague with her “Jewish life partner”, Julius Aubenberg. In 1943, she wrote a story for a Czechoslovakian film. In summarizing Ossi’s career, the IMDb credits her with 51 film appearances,  producing 5 films, and 1 screen writing credit. It is reported that she frequently played child-like spoiled women. She appeared in drag in at least one film. Oswalda’s first marriage (1919-1925) was to a Hungarian baron. After her divorce, the actress began a highly publicized romantic relationship with Crown Prince Willhelm (1882-1951). Simultaneously, the actress Lily Damita, was having an affair with the Prince’s son. The royal family put a kibosh to both “inappropriate” relationships. In 1947, she died in Prague at age 48, bankrupt and suffering from multiple health problems. This German real photo postcard is published by Ross Verlag soemetime between 1919 and 1924. The photograph of Miss Oswalda was taken by Becker & Maass of Berlin. Note her pretty hat and fan. Hopefully, she wasn’t allergic to feathers. Oswalda was young when this photograph was taken. She was beautiful and no older than 27 years of age. The YouTube clip below features Ossie Oswalda in the “The Doll” (1919), directed by Ernst Lubitsch.               

Postcard 2 features Miss Oswalda in a very skimpy costume. Her feathered hat is quite showy . She has a wonderful smile and pretty eyes. This risque postcard was part of  a series (no. 1050/2) and published by Ross Verlag of Berlin, Germany. The logo of UFA, a German film company, appears on the lower right hand corner of the postcard. The reverse of the postcard reveals that that the photographer is Strobl J. Nandor of Budapest, Hungary. This postcard is in very good condition (see scans).

  Postcard 3 is a German real photo postcard that was published by Ross Verlag. Miss Oswalda’s photo was taken by celebrity photographer Alex Binder.   (SOLD)

POSTCARD 3

Published in: on January 24, 2023 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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BEAUTIFUL ANGLO-GERMAN FILM ACTRESS LILLIAN HARVEY

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This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is lillian-harvey-10194_0001.jpgPOSTCARD 8  (SOLD)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is lilian-harvey-50162_0003.jpgPOSTCARD 9

A young girl, buttoned up in her fur trimmed winter jacket, poses with her sled in front of a painted winter scene. She is wearing a cute cap with a tassel and is pulling her sled by a rope. The photographer of this image is S. J. Dixon. Dixon’s Electric Light Photo Gallery  was located in Toronto, Canada. The studio was established in 1872. Dixon was very involved in the Photographic Association of Canada, holding a number of offices on the executive committee. He became the organization’s President in 1889. Dixon was a noted athlete and acrobat. The Photographic Times (1891) reported that he walked a three quarter-inch wire stretched across the Whirlpool Rapids at Niagara. “The cable was from 300 to 400 feet above the torrent, and stretched about 400 feet in length”. He completed the “perilous journey” in about 17 minutes. During his tight rope walk, he performed various antics, including lying at full length across the wire. Not surprisingly, Mr. Dixon insured that his feat would be recorded for posterity. J. C. Hemment, a well known instantaneous photographer, photographed Dixon during his mid-air walk.

 Real photo postcard #1 features Anglo-German actress and singer, Lillian Harvey (1906-1968). Her acting base was in Germany. Harvey was born in Hornsey, England to an English mother and a German father. During World War I her family was “trapped” in Magdeburg, Germany and Harvey was sent to live with her Swiss aunt. After the war she finished school in Berlin and than studied voice and dance at the Berlin State Opera. In 1924 she earned a role as a revue dancer in Vienna. This was followed by her first movie role which was in an Austrian film named “The Curse”. Thereafter, she starred in multiple silent films. Her first leading role was in “The Passion” (1925). Because of her voice training, Harvey was able to make the transition into “talkies”. She and actor Willy Fritsch became the “dream couple” of German movies. The pair acted together in eleven movies. In the 1930’s Harvey’s films appeared in both German and English and she became popular outside of Germany. She went to Hollywood and made four movies for the Fox Film Corporation (this postcard is from that period). In 1935, Harvey returned to Germany. She appeared in several more films and soon she was under the watchful eye of the Gestapo. Harvey had many Jewish friends in the film industry  and she was supportive of them. By 1939, Miss Harvey was forced to leave Germany, leaving behind valuable real estate holdings. She went to France where, in 1940, she made two movies for director Jean Boyer. In 1943 she was stripped of her German citizenship because she had performed for French troops. When southern France was occupied by the Nazis in 1942, she emigrated to the United States. During the war she did some theatre acting and also worked as a homeside volunteer nurse. After the war, Harvey relocated to Paris. She went on a world tour as a singer and in 1949 made appearances in West Germany. She spent her retirement on the French Riviera (Antibes) where she had a souvenir shop and raised snails for escargot. Harvey was married one time. Her four year marriage to theater director Hartvig Valeur-Larsen ended in divorce. Eventually she settled down with her female partner Else Pitty Wirth (1907-2007). Interestingly, the two women are buried together in Antibes. The imdb gives Harvey 54 acting credits between 1925 and 1940. Interestingly, Lillian Harvey’s name is mentioned in Quentin Tarantino’s film  “Inglorious Bastards” (2009). One of her songs is played on a phonograph and in addition one of the characters in the film mentions liking Harvey’s performance in a film and Joseph Goebbels becomes angry and insists her name never be mentioned in his presence. Click on the link below to hear the Lillian Harvey/Willy Fritsch duet used in the Tarantino movie. The 1936 song is titled “Ich Wollt Ich War Ein Huhn” (I Wish I Was A Chicken). Now would be a good time to discuss this postcard portrait of Miss Harvey. She is looking quite decorated in this photograph. She is wearing a garland of leaves in her hair, a very ornate necklace, a number of large bracelets, two giant rings, and a jeweled clasp on her dress near her cleavage. Note her very notable eye lashes. She is wearing a somewhat provocative dress and it is clear that the aim of the photographer is to emphasize Miss Harvey’s sexiness. The photographer and Miss Harvey succeeded in accomplishing this goal. The postcard was published by the German firm Ross Verlag and was part of a series (no. 8679/1). The postcard credits Fox films.                                                 SOLD                                                                                                                                                                          

The second postcard (postcard 2) features Miss Harvey in a risque costume. She is showing a “lot of leg” which is quite provocative for her time. It is likely that this image captures her in one of her film roles. The postcard was published by Argenta, which was located in Munich, Bavaria.                                                                                                                  SOLD        

The third postcard (postcard 3) presents Miss Harvey is a sexy pose. Note her dark gloves and large hoop earrings. The postcard was published by Ross Verlag and is part of a series (no. 4288/1). Note the advertising logo for the German film company UFA, located on the bottom right hand corner of the image.

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The fourth postcard (postcard 4) showcases Lillian Harvey’s beautiful smile. Miss Harvey’s not quite plunging neckline was clearly aimed to add a bit of a risque element to the photograph. This postcard was published by Ross Verlag (Berlin) and is part of a series (no. 1019/2). This portrait was taken by the talented photographer, Alex Binder. The photographer of this terrific image was Alexander Binder (1888-1929). He had the largest photo studio in Europe during the late 1920’s and the 1930’s. Many of his entertainment star portraits appear on Ross Verlag postards. It is thought that Binder was of Swiss origin. He was of the Jewish faith. He studied engineering but did not complete his studies. From 1908 to 1910 he studied photography at a school in Munich, Germany. After the completion of his photography studies, he went to Berlin and in 1913 opened his first photography studio. Before long, he became one of the premier photographers in Berlin.  He primarily focussed on fashion and celebrity photography. Since Berlin was the capital of the European film industry, Binder photographed all the stars of the European film industry including, Lilian Harvey, Conrad Veidt, and Lya De Putti. Many of his images were used in popular film portrait postcards. His photographs could be seen in postcards published by Ross Verlag and Photochemie. Binder died in 1929 but new photo cards bearing his signature continued to be published until 1937. 

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The fifth real photo postcard (postcard 5) features Miss Harvey wearing a bathing suit and sitting in a beach chair. Her shoes and stockings don’t seem very appropriate for the beach so it is a good thing that she is actually in a photographer’s studio and sitting in front of a beach backdrop. Obviously, the mission of the photographer was not to convince viewers that Miss Harvey was at the beach. The intent of photographer Alexander Binder was to present Lilian Harvey in a provocative and sexy pose. Mr. Binder certainly succeeded in accomplishing his goal. This photo postcard was published by Ross Verlag.  (SOLD)

Postcard #6 features a hand colored portrait of Miss Harvey published by Ross Verlag. The postcard is part of a series (no. 3543/4). She looks fantastic wearing her print dress and plaid long scarf. I’m not convinced the dress and scarf are matching, but her beauty overcomes any mismatch. As in Postcard #3, the logo for the German film company UFA, can be seen on the lower right hand corner of the image. This photo postcard is from the 1930’s and is in very good condition (see scans).

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Postcard #7 features Lillian Harvey leaning forward as she looks into a hanging bird cage. The photographer likely chose this pose to inject some sexuality into the image. The pose reveals a small amount of the actress’s cleavage. She is wearing a relatively low-cut dress for this time period. Print on the reverse of the postcard reveals that the photograph of Miss Harvey comes from the film “Congress Dances” (1931). Her costar in the film was Willy Fritsch. The postcard was published by Ross Verlag and is part of a series (no. 6738/1). On the right hand bottom corner of the postcard is the logo for “UFA”, a German film company. This postcard is in excellent condition.

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Postcard 8  was photographed by Alexander Binder and published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (no.1019/4). Ballerini & Fratini (Florence, Italy) are credited on the reverse of this postcard.   (SOLD)

Postcard 9 offers a pretty portrait of Lilian Harvey that was published by Ross Verlag as part of a series (no.5016/2). Note the logo for UFA, the German film company, in the bottom right hand corner of the image. This vintage postcard is in very good conditon (see scans).

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POSTCARD 8

POSTCARD 9

Published in: on November 2, 2022 at 11:47 pm  Comments (1)  
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MARINA VON DITMAR GERMAN FILM ACTRESS

This real photo postcards feature German film actress Marina von Ditmar (1914-2014), a leading lady of the 1930’s and 40’s. . She was born in the Russia Empire and was of Baltic German descent. When she moved to Germany she studied acting. Her first roles were appearances at Schauspielhaus, Bremen, and the Altes Theater (Leipzig). In 1937 she joined the ensemble at the Volksbuhne in Berlin and by 1940, she was a permanent actress at this venue. Her first major movie success was in “The Csardas Princess” (1934). In 1943, she starred in “Muchhausen”, a film that had great commercial success. Von Ditmar was also well known for her role in “The Big Shadow” (1942). She appeared in several Nazi propaganda film including Stukas (1941). She married D. Hans-Georg Dehnhardt (1913-2001), a leading physician and owner of a sanitarium,  Soon after her marriage, she retired from acting. The IMDB credits Miss von Ditmar with thirty film roles. This postcard was published by Film-Forto-Verlag and was part of a series (A 3622/1). The photographer was Baumann and there is an advertising logo for the German film company UFA. Film-Foto-Verlag published this postcard. The company became known for it’s postcard portraits of film stars of the German and Italian cinema. The company was formerly known as Ross Verlag but changed it’s name in 1941.This postcard is in excellent condition (see scans). 

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Published in: on October 12, 2022 at 12:00 pm  Comments (1)  
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ANNY ONDRA: BEAUTIFUL AND TALENTED ACTRESS AND WIFE OF BOXING CHAMPION MAX SCHMELING

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This risque vintage real photo postcard (Postcard 1) features actress Anny Ondra. The postcard was published by Iris Verlag. The photograph is by Verleih Norbert & Co.. The postcard is part of a series (no. 5446). The photo seen on this postcard captures Ondra in a scene from the movie “Blackmail” (1929). This particular postcard is rare. I have searched extensively and have not been able to locate this particular image elsewhere. Anny Ondra (1903-1987) was a Czech film actress. She was born in Tarnow, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (now Poland). She was active in the movie industry between 1914 and 1957. She acted in Czech, Austrian, and German films in the 1920’s. She appeared in some British dramas, most notably, Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Manxman” (1929) and “Blackmail” (1929). The IMDb credits Ondra with over 90 acting credits between 1914 and 1957. She appeared in more than 40 films in the sound era. However, her career in British films was hurt by her thick accent. Check out the youtube video below. In this “test film”, Hitchcock “interviews” Ondra and makes her visibly uncomfortable and embarrassed by asking her very personal questions. She was married to German boxing champion Max Schmeling between 1933 and 1987. Schmeling was the world champion between 1930 and 1932. He is  well known for his fights with African American fighter, Joe Lewis. Ondra’s father was a Czech, Austro-Hungarian military officer and she grew up in Tarnow, Pula, and Prague. At the early age of seventeen, she acted in the theater as well as in a film. When her family learned that she had acted in a film, they were extremely angry. In fact, she reported that she was given a beating by her father. Post World War I was a time, for many people, that being an actress was akin to being a prostitute. Ondra began to live with her boyfriend (her debut film’s director) but after some time, the relationship ended because she wanted a family and he wanted nothing to do with marriage. In 1933, after a three year romance, Anny married Max Schmeling. She had been in a film with the boxer (“Knock-Out”, 1935). It was a “happy” marriage and the couple remained together until her death in 1987. Ondra and Schmeling were hot names in Nazi Germany. German fascists tried to exploit them in order to popularize their movement. Schmeling was seen as a German superman while Ondra represented the blonde Aryan type. The two celebrities refused to collaborate. Schmeling turned down honors and even helped hide two Jewish children, saving their lives. However, because of Nazi propoganda, many believed that the couple had collaborated. As a result, Schmeling and Ondra suffered financially for their fictional cooperation with the Nazis. Ondra was portrayed in two modern day movies, “Ring of Passion” (1978) and Joe and Max (2002).  (SOLD)

Postcard 2 was published by Ross Verlag. The photograph is from the Hammerer studio.  The logo for UFA, a German film company, can be seen in the right hand bottom corner of the image.   (SOLD)

POSTCARD 1
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Published in: on August 26, 2022 at 7:43 am  Comments (2)  
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SIX PORTRAITS OF PRETTY EUROPEAN STAGE ACTRESS LIANE HAID

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These vintage real photo postcards features European film star Liane Haid (1895-2000). In the top postcard she poses holding a tennis racket and wearing a hair band to keep her hair out of her eyes. She is quite beautiful but how can we interpret her facial expression. To me, it looks like she is rolling her eyes as if she is bothered by something. Who is Liane Haid? She was born in Vienna, Austria and received training in both dance and singing. She gained the nickname of “Sweet Viennese Girl”. Haid was a prima ballerina, dancer, singer and stage actress. She worked in Budapest and Vienna as a dancer. Her stage career was mostly in Berlin and Vienna. She became a popular pin-up star through the 1920’s and 1930’s. Her first movie role was in a World War I propaganda film. She was employed by UFA and appeared in a number of comedy films  alongside other movie stars including Willi Forst, Bruno Kastner, and Georg Alexander. UFA was a major German Film producer and distributor that operated between 1917 through the end of World War II. Liane Haid refused a number of Hollywood offers but in 1942, she escaped Nazi Germany and went to Switzerland according to Wikipedia, “because of the regime, because everything was bombed, and because all the good directors had left”. Soon thereafter she got married and retired from films. She was married three times. The IMDB web site states that she has 92 film credits from 1915 through 1953. Notable films include “Lady Hamilton” (1921), “Lucrezia Borgia” (1926), and “The Song is Ended” (1930). The photographer of this terrific image was Alexander Binder (1888-1929). He had the largest photo studio in Europe during the late 1920’s and the 1930’s. Many of his entertainment star portraits appear on Ross Verlag postards. It is thought that Binder was of Swiss origin. He was of the Jewish faith. He studied engineering but did not complete his studies. From 1908 to 1910 he studied photography at a school in Munich, Germany. After the completion of his photography studies, he went to Berlin and in 1913 opened his first photography studio. Before long, he became one of the premier photographers in Berlin.  He primarily focussed on fashion and celebrity photography. Since Berlin was the capital of the European film industry, Binder photographed all the stars of the European film industry including, Lilian Harvey, Conrad Veidt, and Lya De Putti. Many of his images were used in popular film portrait postcards. His photographs could be seen in postcards published by Ross Verlag and Photochemie. Binder died in 1929 but new photo cards bearing his signature continued to be published until 1937. It is thought that the real photographer of these new postcards was Hubs Floeter (1910-1974) who was employed at the studio as an operator. The studio continued to be owned by Binder’s widow, Mrs. Binder Alleman and their two daughters. The studio was managed by the Jewish Elisabeth Baroness Vonhedlis Stengel who was later deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. In 1938 the Nazi’s closed Binder’s studio and it was later taken over by an Aryan photographer, Karl Ludwig Haenchen . Haenchen continued to produce celebrity portraits for postcards. His publishers included Film-Foto-Verlag. After World War II the studio was taken over by the Hasse und Wiese company.               

 The second vintage postcard portrait of Miss Haid was also the work of Alexander Binder. The actress looks beautiful in her art deco lace headdress. Her eyes can be described as spell binding. The postcard was published by Germany’s Ross Verlag and is part of a series (no. 544/4). Also credited for this photograph is “Micco Film”. Before working for Micco Film, Haid was employed by Kunstfilm. She was very successful working for the company but in 1920 she sued the company for physically exploiting her (placing her in dangerous situations) and for making her financially responsible for her own makeup and costuming. Haid’s husband, industrialist Fritz  von Haymerle, built her a studio (Micco-Film) in Vienna to further promote her career.                         

 The third real photo postcard, seen above, was produced by publisher Ross Verlag (Berlin). Once again, Liane Haid appears beautiful in her portrait. The photograph was taken by the Ring studio in Vienna, Austria. A logo for Micco-Film appears in the lower right hand corner of the postcard.  SOLD                                                                                      

Postcard 4 is a vintage real photo postcard featuring  a young and long haired Liane Haid. She is flashing a very sweet smile. The postcard was published by Ross Verlag of Berlin, Germany. It is part of a series (No. 528/2). Miss Haid was photographed by Frieda Riess (1890-1955?), a female Berlin photographer. One of her photographs can be found in Great Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. The postcard has the logo for Micco-Film in the bottom right hand corner and is postmarked 1929. The card was mailed from Denmark to Estonia.  SOLD   

Postcard 5 features a vintage real photo of Miss Haid. As usual, she looks quite pretty. The actress is flashing a lovely smile. She is wearing a string of pearls and a hair band. This photograph was taken by the talented and prolific celebrity photographer, Alexander Binder. The postcard was published by Ross Verlag (Berlin) as part of a series (no. 545/1). The logo for Micco-Film can be seen on the bottom right hand corner of the postcard. The card was postmarked in 1925 and is in very good condition (see scans).                      

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haid-1     REVERSE OF POSTCARD 2

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 REVERSE OF POSTCARD 3

estonia3REVERSE OF POSTCARD 4

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REVERSE OF POSTCARD 5
POSTCARD 6

Postcard 6 offers another view of Miss Haid. She looks beautiful as always. This photograph was taken by the Becker & Maas studio. The firm was located in Berlin Germany. The publisher of the card was Ross Verlag. The postcard is part of a series (No.4190/1). The postcard is in good condition (see scans). Note the crease in the lower left hand corner. The postcard’s image is unscathed. The card is priced accordingly to condition. (SOLD)

REVERSE OF POSTCARD 6

Published in: on July 26, 2021 at 12:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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LOTTE NEUMANN : PRETTY GERMAN ACTRESS, SCREENWRITER, AND FILM PRODUCER

This vintage real photo postcard features German actress, screenwriter, and producer; Lotte Neumann (1896-1977). She was active in the film industry between 1912 and 1958. Neumann was born in Berlin, Germany. At age 13, she took vocal training and acting lessons. She also studied dance and piano. Neumann also sang in two choirs. She originally desired to be a singer but after some advice from Max Mack, a German screenwriter, silent film producer and director; she chose to pursue a career in film. She made her debut in a short silent film, “Whims of Fate” (1912).  Neumann became a popular actress in Germany. In 1917 she began acting in films which she produced herself. She established her own film company (Lotte-Neumann-Film-GmbH) which operated between 1916 and 1919. In 1919, she began working for UFA, a major German film producer and distributor that was active between 1917 through the end of World War II. In 1920 she starred in two films directed by Ernst Lubitsch. He was a German born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. It was prestigious for Neumann to appear in his productions. She remained popular through the 1920’s but her career declined with the advent of sound film. This was a dreaded fate suffered by many actors and actresses during the transition to talkies. Her final screen appearance was in 1931. After retiring from acting she continued to write screenplays and partnered with her her husband, Walter Wassermann, in creative endeavors. They worked together from 1935 until his death in 1944. The IMDb reports that Neumann appeared in 69 films, wrote 24 films, and produced 14 films. Neumann’s film career accomplishments are very impressive. This vintage postcard was published by Film-Sterne as part of a series (no.194/1). The photographer of Miss Neumann’s photo was the Becker & Maass studio in Berlin. The message on the reverse of the postcard was written in 1918. The stamp box of this postcard has an interesting story. “NBC” (Neue Bromsilber Convention) was a price cartel established in 1909 that continued until the 1930’s. The purpose of the cartel was to ensure that the minimum price charged for postcards was kept at a sufficiently profitable level. A number of postcard publishing companies joined the cartel in an effort to stave off the effect of competition on the pricing of postcards. This postcard is in fair condition. Please note that there are two very thin creases located on the left and center bottom of the card. The photo postcard is priced accordingly.

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Published in: on September 7, 2020 at 7:48 am  Leave a Comment  
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ROSITA SERRANO : “THE CHILEAN NIGHTINGALE” LANDS IN NAZI GERMANY

This vintage real photo postcard features pretty actress and singer, Rosita Serrano (1912-1997 . She is casually dressed and is holding two adorable dachshunds. This photo portrait displays Rosita’s lovely smile. Serrano was a Chilean singer who obtained her major success in Nazi Germany between the 1930’s and the early 1940’s.  Her singing was known for her bell-like voice and her pitch-perfect whistling. She was known by her nickname as “The Chilean Nightingale”. Rosita was born in Chile. Her father was in the diplomatic corps and her mother was a popular opera singer. The family lived in Portugal and France . By 1936, the family moved to Berlin. Serrano’s initial success was in the Wintergarten and the Metropol Theater where she sang Chilean folk songs. This performance earned her a record contract. From that point, she performed in German. Many of her songs became very popular. In 1938, she began to appear in films. When she was between film roles, she toured with two popular dance orchestras. Minister Joseph Goebbels helped het her appearances on a Wehrmacht (military) radio show. In 1940, Serrano’s song “La Paloma”, became very popular throughout Germany. Serrano’s voice style is described as “coloratura soprano”. Her recordings were in German and Spanish. She sang songs in the folk and pop genre. Her songs included flamenco, rumba, tango and mambo. During a Swedish tour in 1943, she did a benefit concert for Jewish refugees. As a result of this performance, she was accused by Germany of being a spy. Rather than return to Germany and face possible arrest, she fled to Chile. Germany than banned her music. She went on tour to the United States but was not well received. It is conjectured that US citizens could not get enthusiastic about hearing Serrano’s German songs, so close to the end of World War II. She returned to West Germany to appear in films in 1951 and 1952. Besides those two movie roles, her German comeback was unsuccessful. She returned to Chile where she lived out her life. She was not welcomed upon her return to her native country. The public in Chile condemned her for performing in Nazi Germany. She died in poverty. It seems to me that Serrano had the unfortunate pattern of consistently being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Poor timing ruined this talented singer’s career. Serrano’s filmography includes 8 films between 1938 and 1952. This postcard was published by Film Foto Verlag, a subsidiary of  UFA Universum Film AG. Note the company’s horse logo on the reverse of the card. The photo was taken by Foto Quick and the postcard is part of a series (no. A3564/1). Check out the video recording of Miss Serrano seen below. This real photo postcard is in very good condition.

Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the US) #3158

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Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes International shipping outside the US) #3158

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Published in: on August 17, 2020 at 12:00 pm  Comments (3)  
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TWO PORTRAITS OF JENNY JUGO : BEAUTIFUL AUSTRIAN ACTRESS (PLAYED ELIZA DOOLITTLE IN PYGMALION)

POSTCARD 1   (SOLD)

jugo3 POSTCARD 2

jugo3 1 POSTCARD 2 (CLOSE-UP)

Jenny Jugo (1904-2001) was an Austrian actress. Her IMDb filmography reveals that she appeared in fifty-three films between 1925 and 1950. Jenny, as is evident in this vintage real photo postcard, was very beautiful. She was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Her father owned a factory. She received her education in a convent. At age sixteen, she married actor Emo Jugo and the pair settled in Berlin, Germany. Their marriage was of short duration (1921-1922). She gave up her husband but not his last name. The German film studio, UFA, signed her to a contract in 1924. She struggled in the dramatic roles that she was given. By the end of the silent era, she was successful in comedies and specialized in that genre through the 1930’s. She often played perky, confident characters. She was often directed by Erich Engel. In 1935, Jugo played Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion. Writer, George Bernard Shaw was so happy with her performance that he invited her to act in all of his plays on the English stage. She made films during the Nazi regime until 1943, when she returned to her Bavarian home. She was in a relationship with film producer Eberhard Klagmann who worked on her final three post-war films. In 1950, she married actor and former co-star, Friedrich Benfer. She retired from acting at age forty-six. She was given a lifetime achievement award for her outstanding contribution to German cinema. The IMDb biography of Jugo describes her as a “lively brunet, dimple-cheeked actress with a tom-boyish, unaffected manner”. The writer of the biography contends that Jenny Jugo flirted with stardom but did not achieve it. This assessment may be too harsh. To view Jenny Jugo acting in a 1931 film, watch the youtube video below.

Postcard 1 was published by Ross Verlag and is part of the Luxusklasse series (no. 614).It is easily identifiable by the gold emblem on the reverse of the card.The postcard is larger than regular sized postcards. This vintage postcard measures about 4″ x 5 3/4″ and is in very good condition.   (SOLD)

 Postcard 2 features Miss Jugo in a risque pose. She is wearing what appears to be skimpy lingerie. Her pose and facial expression projects a “come hither” message. This vintage postcard was published by Iris Verlag as part of series (no. 5383). The photographer of this portrait is Erich Engel of Berlin, Germany. There was also a German film and theatre director named Erich Engel (1891 –1966) . As stated above, Engel directed Jugo many times. Engel is listed on the postcard for either being the photographer, or possibly the director of the film she was working on at the time. The reverse of this post card indicates that it once resided in an album. The card is in very good condition (see scans).

Buy this vintage Real Photo Postcard (includes shipping within the United States) #2942

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$34.71

Buy this Vintage Real Photo Postcard (Includes International Shipping Outside the United States) #2942

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 Max Hansen & Jenny Jugo “Who Takes Love Seriously? (1931)”

POSTCARD 1    (SOLD)

jugo3 3POSTCARD 2

Published in: on December 10, 2019 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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RISQUE PORTRAIT OF GERMAN SILENT FILM ACTRESS DITA PARLO

This vintage real photo postcard portrait features German silent film actress, Dita Parlo (1908-1971). She was born in present-day Szczecin, Poland. At the time of her birth, the city was part of Germany. Her father was a forest ranger. She was initially trained as a ballerina but switched to studying acting at the Babelsberg film school. Producer, Erich Pommer, discovered Parlo and signed her to a contract to Ufa. She made her film debut in “Homecoming” (1928) and in short time became a popular actress in Germany. During the 1930’s she appeared in both German and French films and achieved much acclaim. Two of her films in particular are considered among the best in cinema history: “L’Atalante” (1934) and “La Grande Illusion” (1937). During World War II she was deported to Germany but returned to France in 1949 and resumed her career. Parlo made an attempt to establish herself in American films but had limited success. She did appear in a couple of American films and in the late 1930’s and she nearly had a role in the Orson Welles production of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”. Unfortunately, the project did not materialize. The horror! The horror! Oh the horror of disappointment she must have experienced. According to the IMDb, Parlo appeared in 28 films between the years of 1928 and 1966. Parlo was married to a Protestant pastor, Franck Gueutal (1904-1983) and the couple remained married until she died in 1971. An interesting piece of trivia is that Madonna took Parlo’s name for a character she created for her book entitled “Sex”. The singer stated that she was fascinated by Dita Parlo. This portrait postcard was published by Ross Verlag and was part of a series (no. 3972/1). The postcard displays the logo of “Ufa”, a German film company.  The video below shows Miss Parlo in the film  “Au bonheur des dames” (1930). Her co-star in the film was Pierre De Guingand (1885-1964). The movie was based on the romance of French writer Emile Zola.

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Published in: on May 2, 2018 at 7:08 pm  Leave a Comment  
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TWO PORTRAITS OF GERMAN FILM ACTRESS MARINA VON DITMAR

POSTCARD 1   (SOLD)

POSTCARD 2   (SOLD)

These two real photo postcards feature German film actress Marina von Ditmar (1914-2014), a leading lady of the 1930’s and 40’s. . She was born in the Russia Empire and was of Baltic German descent. When she moved to Germany she studied acting. Her first roles were appearances at Schauspielhaus, Bremen, and the Altes Theater (Leipzig). In 1937 she joined the ensemble at the Volksbuhne in Berlin and by 1940, she was a permanent actress at this venue. Her first major movie success was in “The Csardas Princess” (1934). In 1943, she starred in “Muchhausen”, a film that had great commercial success. Von Ditmar was also well known for her role in “The Big Shadow” (1942). She appeared in several Nazi propaganda film including Stukas (1941). She married D. Hans-Georg Dehnhardt (1913-2001), a leading physician and owner of a sanitarium,  Soon after her marriage, she retired from acting. The IMDB credits Miss von Ditmar with thirty film roles. The top postcard was published by Film-Forto-Verlag and was part of a series (A 2622/1). The photographer was Baumann and there is an advertising logo for the German film company UFA. The bottom postcard was also published by Film-Foto-Verlag and was part of a series (no. A 3926/1). The photographer was Binz and there is an advertising logo for Prag Films. The Prag company produced 14 films between 1943 and 1945. Many of the people employed to produce these films were Czechs who were forced by war time German authorities to produce these films. The photographer, Tita Binz (1903-1970), was German and she photographed many film stars of the Third Reich, She also made portraits of the soldiers who earned the Knight’s Cross (the highest military award in Nazi Germany). Binz began her career by apprenticing in Paris between 1928 and 1930. She was an apprentice for her uncle, the celebrated photographer, Leopold Reutlinger whose studio was opened in 1850 and became of the worlds most renowned studios. Binz settled in Berlin and worked for various photo studios until opening her own studio in 1938. She specialized in portrait photography and photographed actors, artists, politicians, and other celebrities. One of her clients was the publisher Film-Foto-Verlag (formerly Ross Verlag). The founder of the company, Heinrich Ross was forced out in 1937 by the National Socialists because he was Jewish and Jews were not allowed to own businesses. Ross Verlag retained it’s name until 1941. Film-Foto-Verlag became known for it’s postcard portraits of film stars of the German and Italian cinema. Today, many of Binz’s photo portraits can be found in the collection owned by the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin.

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Published in: on July 21, 2017 at 4:12 pm  Comments (4)  
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