Maybelline presented a image of the the American woman in 1924...

    1924 Vogue cover, with a beautifully made-up face.

Illustration of "IT GIRL"  Clara Bow.

MGM, formed in 1924, becoming the dominant studio during Hollywood's Golden Age and influencing images of girls around the world. 

Maybelline's Illustration of Vamp, Louise Brooks.

Tom Lyle Williams, contributed to the Hollywood Star System by featuring Stars in Maybelline ads, in movie and fashion magazines, newspapers and radio shows.

Mabel with her brother-in-law, Chester Arthur Haines, at his wedding to her sister Eva, in 1924.  

Mabel may have put  the "M" in Maybelline, but, she had no interest in being just another "It Girl," or "Vamp."  She was a traditional, 32 year old, Southern Lady, waiting for her man to come along.  

Unbeknownst to her, Chester Randolph Hewes, was living in Chicago and working at Montgomery Wards, in the automotive, advertising department.

At the time Chester, was involved with an English girl he'd met in England, while in the Navy, during
WW l.  He had said goodbye to her and her family after his stint was over and headed back to the US, got a job and was busy working.  When all of a sudden, Connie, her mother and several grown brothers showed up on his doorstep.

He told her he did not want to marry her, but being a gentleman, arranged for an apartment for the family and  jobs for her brothers.  After awhile she realized Chester, just wasn't that into her, so, packed up her family and sadly, headed back to England.

Mabel met Chester, through his sister Bonnie when he came to pick up Bonnie at a bridal shower given at the home of Chester's then girlfriend.  Mabel was also a guest and after Chester met her, he told a friend, Mabel was the girl he was going to marry.

Story by Chet and Mabel's daughter, Shirley Hughes, who passed away recently at 95 years if age.

Maybelline founder, Tom Lyle Williams, fondly remembered by his young nephew, Bob Haines, in the 1940s

Tony Williams, with Bobby and his father,
Ches Haines.

 Bob Haines, remembers a few telling stories about his uncle


The story goes:  Tom Lyle thought the plain mahogany paneling behind his ornate, hand carved mahogany desk, with it's red leather executive chair, looked too plain.  He complained about it to his brother Noel, who took the intuitive and called in a craftsman to cover it with 24K Gold Leaf.  When Tom Lyle returned from California, he walked into his office and was thrilled that his office looked like a showplace.  After all Maybelline colors were red and gold? 

Bob also remembers when The Villa Valentino was taken in eminent domain, for the Hollywood freeway and Tom Lyle bought the lot at the top of Bel Air, to build his steel and glass estate. 

The story goes.  Emery, Tom Lyle's partner,  asked TL to go to Hawaii, while the new Bel Air home was being finished, because it was too stressful on TL to work with contractors.  When he returned, rested and tan, Emery couldn't wait to show him the finished product.  Tom Lyle took one look at the steel beams, between the panes of plate glass, and wrinkled his nose.  "it looks terrible" he said, "I can't  live with it."  Emery was perplexed and didn't know what to do.  Tom Lyle knew exactly what to do and had them 24K Gold plated.

Bob's favorite memory of his uncle took place in Chicago, when he was 15 years old and just got a learners permit to drive a car.  

The story goes:  Tom Lyle pulled up in front of the Haines home in a new cream colored, 1940 Packard Victoria Convertible, while Bob, was sitting on the porch.  He ran down the steps to examine the car, when Tom Lyle, handed him  the key's and said, "why not take it for a spin around the block." Bob's parents, Eva and Ches ran out of the house, yelling "no it's too risky."  But uncle Lyle insisted Bob be allowed to have the thrill of his life.  


Read more interesting and entertaining stories, in my book The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Behind It. 

Maybelline might have been named Evaline rather than Maybelline

People have asked me why I didn't put more pictures in my book so they could see the different family members as they went from children to old age.  Well I was only allowed 13 pictures and it was a hard choice as you can imagine.

 So I'm doing a picture-bio of the main characters - starting with Tom Lyle's youngest sister Eva.  Here she is with her brother Preston, my grandfather, on their Morganfield Farm in in 1908, dressed for church I bet.  Don't you love the big bow in her hair and the posing?   Eva and Preston were very close playmates all their lives and she once told me how they loved to roam the woods around the old homestead, exploring and seeking adventure.  When young Preston got in trouble and their father Sheriff TJ locked him in jail to teach him a lesson, it was Eva who snuck in dime novels to keep him busy while he learned his big lesson.

When the family moved off the farm and into their first little warehouse/office in Chicago -with an apartment upstairs - they all helped Tom Lyle get his little Maybelline company off the ground.  Fifteen year old Eva's job was to be the "go-for" girl. When anyone needed something it was Eva who ran down the block to get it.

She once told me how when the family wanted a milk shake she gladly took a quarter for 5 drinks and ran down the street to the soda fountain, where she quickly drank her shake before slowly making her way back home so the shakes wouldn't spill.  Sometimes the walk home took so long she got thirsty and sipped a little from each siplings drink.  By the time she returned, you can just hear the flack she got from her brothers and sister, however Eva was a spitfire with a sharp wit and had a darn good reason for sipping those drinks I'm sure.

I  love this picture of my grandfather Preston and auntie E, as my dad called her.  She and Preston remained devoted even when mmgrandmother was at her wits end with his endless trouble making.  When my grandmother kicked him out of the house Eva gladly welcomed him into hers and there was nothing I mean nothing she wouldn't do for her darling brother.

Look at those beautiful Maybelline eyes with a twinkle like no others.  This picture was taken in 1924 for her sweetheart Ches Haines whom she married Oct 11th of that year.  Auntie E once told me that it could have easily been her who concocted the ingredients that gave her brother Tom Lyle the idea for Maybelline.  She was serious when she said it made her a little jealous that her sister Mabel got the credit, but then laughed at the idea of Maybelline being called Evaline.  Not quite the impact Tom Lyle was going for I'm sure.

Here is my glamorous Auntie E at her daughter June's wedding in the late 1940's.  She seemed to get more gorgeous the older she got and that quick wit made her a star in the family.  Don't you just love that feather in her hat?

 Uncle Ches the father of the bride, on the left next to June and her new husband John Gary.

 Here is a picture of Eva with her daughter Marilyn, (Ditty) taken in 1966 at Tom Lyle's estate in Bel Air California.  Eva is 65 in this picture, a beautiful, elegant lady with all the style and glamour of anyone of Maybelline's models.  Tom Lyle is sitting on the floor with Miss Snoop E. Williams and Sparkie.  He once told me chuckling, that the E in Snoop's name stood for his sister Eva.  I wonder what he meant? 

Eva is a colorful character in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  I think you will fall in love with her just like I did.  She was one of a kind.

 I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with my cousin Jerry Westhouse, Eva's grandson, while he was in California, visiting from Chicago. The love my grandfather, Preston had for his sister Eva, and my father had for Jerry's mother Marilyn, is still is alive and well in our generation. Maybe it's our history or Maybe it's Maybelline, but, no matter what we plan to keep the magic of the family story going as long as we're alive.



 Meet Jerry Westhouse

My Daredevil Maybelline Cousin, Jerry Westhouse...a real ...

I like to brag about my Maybelline family, when ever I get the chance... as you can see from the Blog Posts I've done featuring my cousin Jerry Westhouse, below. Jerry is an accomplished race car driver, who is still connected ...

clipped from Google - 10/2015

Maybelline Heir - RACE CAR DRIVER - Jerry Westhouse

Eva and Ches Haines, with their first grandchild, Jerry Westhouse, in the 1970's. Ches continued his love for beautiful automobiles until the end of his life and passed on his legacy to his grandson, Jerry. After the Maybelline ...

For 100 years, "Maybelline" has been synonymous with "eye cosmetics"-- yet little is known about how a tiny company offering a single product by mail order managed to grow into an international institution.

The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It,  aims to change that.  It could only be written by someone with insider knowledge. Sharrie Williams is the great-niece of Tom Lyle Williams, the charming and creative, yet remarkably secretive man who founded Maybelline along with his tight knit family, including his brothers and sisters -Noel, Preston, Mabel and Eva - catapulting a little mail order business in 1915 into the most successful and famous eye cosmetic company in the world.   

By digging through family documents, her own memories and the memories of the few remaining people intimately familiar with the founders of Maybelline, Sharrie slipped beneath the public facade of the company to reveal the amazing personalities at its heart. This is an exciting and thoughtful book, part memoir, part history, part family saga, that reveals the triumphs and tragedies behind the beautiful public face of Maybelline.

Chet and Mabel (Willliams) Hewes, and Ches and Eva (Williams) Haines, Hollywood, 1938.

Tom Lyle Williams with Mabel, Chet, Ches and Eva at The Villa Valentino - Hollywood, 1938.

Catalina California 1938 - left to right, My father Bill, great uncle, Tom Lyle, my Grandmother Evelyn and my auntie Eva, auntie Mabel and uncle Chet.

Read more about the founding of The Maybelline Company from 1915 to 1968 and beyond in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  Buy a signed copy from Sharrie Williams 

Maybelline Mascara packaging has remained part of it's brilliant marketing strategy for 100 years

Not only was the marketing behind Maybelline brilliant, the handling of the business as a whole was ingenious. 

If you own a business or are starting a business pick up a copy of "The Maybelline Story And The Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It,"  for the many lessons you will learn about ethical and creative smart business practice.  

Through the 53 year history that Tom Lyle Williams and his brother Noel James Williams were at the helm,

Maybelline weathered and overcame some disastrous times in this country and the world and it never folded.

One of Tom Lyle's secrets was he surrounded himself with educated, brilliant people, like Rags Ragland, a marketing genius who helped shoot Maybelline to the moon with his innovation and inventive thinking. 

And when the government considered Maybelline a monopoly and threatened to destroy the company, Tom Lyle divided Maybelline within the family, turning the production of mascara over to his brother in law, Chet Hewes and the transporting of Maybelline over to his brother in law Ches Haines.....to keep it a private, family-owned business.....  

Read all about the ups and downs of the Maybelline Company and the family behind it. 

Buy a signed copy from author Sharrie Williams today.

Visit Sharrie at her hilarious 1964 High School Blog, Saffrons Rule saffronsrule.com
 

 Have you checked out Sharrie Williams new website? http://www.sharriewilliamsauthor.com/ 

Read more about the founding of The Maybelline Company ...1915 to 1968 and beyond

For nearly a century, "Maybelline" has been synonymous with "eye cosmetics"-- yet little is known about how a tiny company offering a single product by mail order managed to grow into an international institution.

The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It,  aims to change that.  It could only be written by someone with insider knowledge. Sharrie Williams is the great-niece of Tom Lyle Williams, the charming and creative, yet remarkably secretive man who founded Maybelline along with his tight knit family, including his brothers and sisters -Noel, Preston, Mabel and Eva - catapulting a little mail order business in 1915 into the most successful and famous eye cosmetic company in the world.   

By digging through family documents, her own memories and the memories of the few remaining people intimately familiar with the founders of Maybelline, Sharrie slipped beneath the public facade of the company to reveal the amazing personalities at its heart. This is an exciting and thoughtful book, part memoir, part history, part family saga, that reveals the triumphs and tragedies behind the beautiful public face of Maybelline.

Chet and Mabel (Willliams) Hewes, and Ches and Eva (Williams) Haines, Hollywood, 1938.

Tom Lyle Williams with Mabel, Chet, Ches and Eva at The Villa Valentino - Hollywood, 1938.

Catalina California 1938 - left to right, My father Bill,
 great uncle Tom Lyle, my Grandmother Evelyn and my auntie Eva, auntie Mabel and uncle Chet.

Come Visit me at my Hilarious 1964 High School Blogcalled Saffrons Rule at, http://saffronsrule.com/

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Maybelline Heir, Jerry Westhouse, Reunites With Top Fuel Dragster he Raced 40 Years Ago.

This is pretty cool. In 1973 I was working at Traylor Engineering in Palatine. My mentor Bill Traylor was building a streamline Top Fuel dragster. He had parted ways with his driver from the year before and asked me if I wanted to drive his race car. Of course I said yes. We raced the car in the ‘73 season on the UDRA circuit. After Bill passed away in 1976 I lost track of the car. Jump ahead to 1993. A friend told me that the streamline body was in an auto body shop in Prairie View, IL. That’s when I met Tony Zizzo. 

Tony got a call a couple of weeks ago from a guy that wanted to sell him a dragster. He told Tony he thinks that he was a previously owner. Low and behold it’s the original chassis that Bill built in 1973. Tony is going to restore the dragster and run it in some nostalgia races. 

Here are some pictures, one from the day we rolled the dragster out of the trailer (April, 1973) and two from today. It’s unbelievable that I may be able to drive my old dragster again after 41 years.

Jerry Westhouse's Grandmother, Eva Williams Haines was Maybelline founder, Tom Lyle Williams sister.  Here are some great Posts I wrote about him and his family.

Maybelline Heir - RACE CAR DRIVER - Jerry Westhouse and the Indy 500  click to view

 Like Grandfather like Grandson!  Jerry Westhouse loves anything with wheels.

Eva Williams Haines, put the SPARK, in SPARKLE!.

Eva Kay Williams was the youngest of the Williams clan - Always a glamour girl, with a heart for family.

Our Darling "Diddy" rests in the arms of the Angels.

              Marilyn Frances Williams - Haines 
                                 1927 - 2012

Maybelline Men and their obsession with style.

Part of the American Dream was owning a beautiful Automobile and for some that became a life long affection.  

Tom Lyle Williams, recording, Penthouse Serenade.

Vintage recording of Maybelline commercial, done by the TL Williams and his family, just having fun at a party.

Be sure to visit my Hilarious 1964 High School Blog, Saffrons Rule at 

http://saffronsrule.com/

The Man Behind the Curtain... Triumphs and Tragedies Behind the Beautiful Public Face of Maybelline

For nearly a century, "Maybelline" has been synonymous with "eye cosmetics"-- But little is known about how a tiny company offering a single product by mail order managed to grow into an international institution.

The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It,  aims to change that.  It could only be written by someone with insider knowledge. Sharrie Williams is the great-niece of Tom Lyle Williams, the charming and creative, yet remarkably secretive man who founded Maybelline along with his tight knit family, including his brothers and sisters -Noel, Preston, Mabel and Eva - catapulting a little mail order business in 1915 into the most successful and famous eye cosmetic company in the world. 

By digging through family documents, her own memories and the memories of the few remaining people intimately familiar with the founders of Maybelline, Sharrie slipped beneath the public facade of the company to reveal the amazing personalities at its heart. This is an exciting and thoughtful book, part memoir, part history, part family saga, that reveals the triumphs and tragedies behind the beautiful public face of Maybelline.

Chet and Mabel (Willliams) Hewes, and Ches and Eva (Williams) Haines, Hollywood, 1938.

Tom Lyle Williams with Mabel, Chet, Ches and Eva at The Villa Valentino - Hollywood, 1938.

Catalina California 1938 - left to right, My father Bill, great uncleTom Lyle, my Grandmother Evelyn and my auntie Eva, auntie Mabel and uncle Chet.

Read more about the founding of The Maybelline Company from 1915 to 1968 and beyond in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.