Maybelline discovers "Miss Typical America" Eleanor Fisher in 1938

Here is an example of how the Hollywood Studio/Star System worked in the 1930's.  Paramount Studio's promoted True Confession, a 1937 screwball comedy film starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, and John Barrymore, by running a "Miss Typical America" contest in a Maybelline advertisement.  The winner, Eleanor Fisher is given a small part in the film and the big teen story is splashed in True Confession magazine.

Eleanor Fisher, now Miss True Confession as well as Miss Typical America has not only become a Maybelline Model, she has a chance of becoming a Movie Star.

Eleanor Fisher and Fred MacMurray in a publicity shot for True Confessions magazine, promoting themselves, the film,  Paramount Studios, Carole Lombard and director Wesley Ruggles, which is a what it's all about in Hollywood.

This article in True Confessions Magazine, promotes make-up artist Max Factor, transforming Eleanor Fisher, from a simple school girl into a glamorous actress ready for her closeup with Carole Lombard.

 Carole Lombard and Eleanor Fisher in a scene from True Confession

Lombard's career had been flying high since the release of Twentieth Century in 1934, which had begun her friendship with Barrymore. Although Barrymore, by 1937, had become an uncontrollable alcoholic and his career was severely fumbling, Lombard personally requested him for the role of Charley Jasper.

 Helen and Ken are a pretty strange couple. She is a pathological liar, and he is a scrupulously honest (and therefore unsuccessful) lawyer... See full summary »

A straight arrow lawyer has his hands full when his wife implicates herself in a murder she didn't commit. When a blackmailer gets involved, the story becomes more comical and convoluted.

 

This poster was painted by the famous Pin-Up artist Zoe Mozart, who's work was known for being glamorous and sexy, it was perfect for ad campaigns for cosmetics such as Maybelline and for Hollywood films. In 1937 Zoe was hired by Paramount Pictures to create this poster for   

 TRUE CONFESSION.

Cover also painted by Zoe Mozart.  Carole Lombard appeared in the February 1938 True Confessions Magazine, which came out at the same time as the film was being shown at neighborhood movie houses.

In the end, the film was not a great success and Eleanor Fisher went back to being anonymous.  However the Hollywood Studio-Star System was great as far as publicity was concerned. Maybelline sold truck loads of mascara, the Stars added more luster to their famous names and Paramount continued to be an ever expanding movie factory. So I guess in this instance, I can't say anything bad about The System, because there's actually no such thing as bad publicity... Why?...

because it's still PUBLICITY.

Remembering Tom Mix, Marjorie Woodworth, Carole Lombard, Zoe Mozert, Elyse Knox and Tom Lyle Williams.

Here are a few of my favorite comments on the Maybelline Book Blog this year.

                             Dear Sharrie.....

I live in Florence AZ where Tom Mix had his accident, there are still local residents who remember seeing the Cord being  towed into town and having a close up look at the vehicle,  there is also one resident who was friends with the coroners  daughter and says it was just as much the steering wheel  as the metal suitcase that killed him. on Maybelline cousins  worship Tom Mix, as little boys   Anonymous Thanks for this fascinating material. I just saw Marjorie  Woodworth in "Broadway Limited" and thought she was  terrific. I had previously seen her in "All American Coed."  Looking at her career, I was surprised that it was so short.  She seems to have suddenly become a star in 1940, and  was in demand in 1941 and 1942, but suddenly she flamed  out in 1943. Hollywood in the Golden Age (1920's-1950's)  was a brutal system. Typically, most women stars started  around 20, rose for four or five years, starred in five-ten  movies from 25-30 and then faded out of the business after  getting smaller and smaller roles for another five years. She  seems to have condensed this arc to 1/3 of its normal life  span. Of course there were the exceptional actresses who  continued in the business their whole lives, like Bettie Davis  and Katherine Hepburn. I am curious why she quit. She  was beautiful and talented and absolutely star material.  Why did she give up such a promising career at 24? I hope  it was not because she got married and her husband  forced her to quit. That happened to many promising  actresses back then.  Maybelline model and actress Marjorie Woodworth -  1941  Jay Raskin

Sharrie, I am grateful to Twitter. Without Twitter, I would never have found you. Your uncle would have ruled the world if he were starting out today. Think about how starved the world is for glamor. He walked, talked and breathed it into existence. I wish I had met him. I truly believe that after I get and read your book, I will feel like part of the family. Ameikins on MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK SEPT 6 - 13 Maybelline New York’s Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara will officially launch in October. Anonymous

The posters and magazine covers of the beautiful young models and starlets painted by Zoe Mozert, are very glamorous! Maybelline had such a presence in the Era of Elegance! Today Maybelline New York remains the No. 1 brand globally and that includes my home too! on 1930's Maybelline ad painted by Zoë Mozert, the most famous female pin-up artist of her day Shellyfire04

It seems like a pretty ruthless system doesn't it? There must have many beautiful & sometimes talented young girls that were shot into the glamorous world of Hollywood only to be cast aside 5 minutes later ,it must have been hard for a lot them to return to the normal world after all that promise & excitement. I can't believe how dashing Fred McMurray is,quite different from My 3 Sons. Carol Lombard is just beautiful ,it is so sad that she died the way she did. I adore those Maybelline ads ,i am on a mission to collect as many as i can:) on Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray star in 1938 film, True Confession, introducing "Miss Typical America" Eleanor Fisher.  Mrs. Cleaver


She certainly was a beautiful girl.It's sad that her fame was so fleeting.I hope she had a good life after all that,I'll have to look it up. Hi Sharrie,i hope you are well.My apologies for my absence,things have just been very busy as usual with my family. I wanted to tell you that i am now the proud owner of a 1930's?(i think) box of Maybelline.It still has the brush and mascara,the mascara has been used a few times.I was so thrilled when i bought it on ebay i think the seller thought i was a little odd lol! I am also looking at purchasing a Maybelline ad featuring Elyse Knox. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! :) on SEXY GLAMOR SHOT OF MAYBELLINE MODEL MARJORIE WOODWORTH - HAND SIGNED BY HER - HAL ROACH PLAYER  Mrs Cleaver

Wasn't Mark's Mother originally from KY. My mother always told me about them being friends before she went to Hollywood. Mother knew her from Fleming or Mason County, I think & they were friends. I would love to be able to contact Mark to see if he had ever heard of my mother, who would probably at that time have been called Doug (Douglas) Royce, Her "given name was Lola Douglas Royce... then she married & her last name was Fawns. When her first husband died during the war, she married my father, Oscar P Whitton, (Buster). I am Doris Whitton  on MARK HARMON'S MOTHER, MAYBELLINE MODEL, ELYSE KNOX DIES AT 94  

MULTI MILLION DOLLAR CAR...Clark Gable and Carole Lombard fell in love in his '35 Duesenberg.

Clark Gable was the original owner of this beautiful 1935 Duesenberg JN with custom coachwork by Bohman and Schwartz.


Gable, Lombard and a '35 Duesenberg

By JERRY GARRETT / The New York Times

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/auto-news/gable-lombard-and-a-35-duesenberg-647560/#ixzz24UpTV4Hb 

Clark Gables 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe  by Gooding & Company was up for auction last weekend in Pebble Beach, California at the Concours d' Elegance.  Bidding went as high as $6.4 million but that wasn't high enough to meet the seller's predetermined "reserve" price, so this Duesenberg didn't sell.

The glamours Duesenberg played a part in Gable's famous relationship with Carole Lombard. The two met at a party after which they went for a long drive...and the rest is Hollywood history.

Of course all this talk about Hollywood glamour makes me think about my great uncle Tom Lyle Williams and his 1940 Packard Victoria, coachwork by Bohman and Schwartz.. Here it is today in this video.

Maybelline Founder Tom Lyle Williams, standing next to his 1940 Packard Victoria at his Villa Valentino in the Hollywood HIlls. 

Tom Lyle Williams, Packard Victoria restored by Steve Snyder's father, Bill Snyder, owner of the car today.

http://vimeo.com/29981530   Speaking of classic romantic cars, check out this video of my father Bill Williams Clenet Series 1, number 13.....which placed second in the Neo-Classic category.  The 5th annual Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance, was held February 17 – 26, 2012, at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort in Rancho Mirage, California. Hailed by Der Spiegel magazine as one of the "Top Ten Classic Car Shows in the World."   

Want to know more about Tom Lyle Williams 1940 Packard Victoria or his nephew Bill Williams 1977 Clenet made by Clenet Coachworks in Santa Barbara, or anything about Chuck Williams-BB1, Steve Snyder Donna Williams or me, Sharrie Williams, just click on our names.

Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray star in 1938 film, True Confession, introducing "Miss Typical America" Eleanor Fisher.

Here is an example of how the Hollywood Studio/Star System worked in the 1930's.  Paramount Studio's promoted True Confession, a 1937 screwball comedy film starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, and John Barrymore, by running a "Miss Typical America" contest in a Maybelline advertisement.  The winner, Eleanor Fisher is given a small part in the film and the big teen story is splashed in True Confession magazine.

Eleanor Fisher, now Miss True Confession as well as Miss Typical America has not only become a Maybelline Model, she has a chance of becoming a Movie Star.

Eleanor Fisher and Fred MacMurray in a publicity shot for True Confessions magazine, promoting themselves, the film,  Paramount Studios, Carole Lombard and director Wesley Ruggles, which is a what it's all about in Hollywood.

This article in True Confessions Magazine, promotes make-up artist Max Factor, transforming Eleanor Fisher, from a simple school girl into a glamorous actress ready for her closeup with Carole Lombard. 

Carole Lombard and Eleanor Fisher in a scene from

 True Confession.

Lombard's career had been flying high since the release of Twentieth Century in 1934, which had begun her friendship with Barrymore. Although Barrymore, by 1937, had become an uncontrollable alcoholic and his career was severely fumbling, Lombard personally requested him for the role of Charley Jasper.

Helen and Ken are a pretty strange couple. She is a pathological liar, and he is a scrupulously honest (and therefore unsuccessful) lawyer... See full summary »

A straight arrow lawyer has his hands full when his wife implicates herself in a murder she didn't commit. When a blackmailer gets involved, the story becomes more comical and convoluted.

This poster was painted by the famous Pin-Up artist Zoe Mozart, who's work was known for being glamorous and sexy, it was perfect for ad campaigns for cosmetics such as Maybelline and for Hollywood films. In 1937 Zoe was hired by Paramount Pictures to create this poster for   

 TRUE CONFESSION. 

Cover also painted by Zoe Mozart.  Carole Lombard appeared in the February 1938 True Confessions Magazine, which came out at the same time as the film was being shown at neighborhood movie houses.

In the end, the film was not a great success and Eleanor Fisher went back to being anonymous.  However the Hollywood Studio-Star System was great as far as publicity was concerned. Maybelline sold truck loads of mascara, the Stars added more luster to their famous names and Paramount continued to be an ever expanding movie factory. So I guess in this instance, I can't say anything bad about The System, because there's actually no such thing as bad publicity... Why?...

because it's still PUBLICITY.

PAUL HESSE STARS ON PARADE.

Here some of the Hollywood Stars photographed by Paul Hesse. Many of them also appeared in Maybelline Advertisements in the 1940's.

Carole Lombard cover by Paul Hesse 

Anne Sheridan by Paul Hesse.

Joan Leslie by Paul Hesse.

Marlene Dietrich by Paul Hesse.

Gene Tierney by Paul Hesse. "Carbro from John Lloyd Lovell collection."

  Maria Montez by Paul Hesse. "Carbro from John Lloyd Lovell collection." 

                                           Lucille Ball by Paul Hesse.

Ava Gardner by Paul Hesse.

Loretta Young by Paul Hesse. 

One of the biggest discoveries by Paul Hesse was little Margaret O'Brien. seen here in 1946.  She however never appeared in a Maybelline advertisement.

So ends my series on Hollywood's Ziegfeld of Photography, Paul Hesse.  Check out this video from the show, Love That Bob.  Bob Cummings plays a bachelor Hollywood photographer in the 1950s.  It has been said that Bob's character was molded after Paul Hesse.

Hollywood photographer, Carlyle Blackwell Jr. gives new expression to the Stars in the late 40's and 50's.  Check in tomorrow to see what I mean......

Reflection of Maybelline Eyes.

 What is more beautiful than the reflection of Maybelline Eyes? 

Ann Sheridan 

 Anita Page

 Barbara Stanwyck

Carole Lombard 

Claudette Colbert

Colleen Moore

                                                      Deanna Durbin

Joan Crawford

Greta Garbo

                                       Mae Clarke

                                      Marsha Hunt

Norma Shear

                                                       Veronica Lake

Read more about the Hollywood Stars who represented the face of Maybelline, during the Golden Age of Films, in The Maybelline Story. 

Purchase a signed copy at http://www.maybellinestory/.