Old Hollywood Glamour at the Star Studded Premiere of... "All This and Heaven Too

  "

Tom Lyle Williams, Jane Allen, Emery Shaver, Annette Williams, Arnold Anderson, 1940 at the Villa Valentino.

Wednesday June 13, 1940

Excerpt from Jane Allen's diary while visiting her uncle at the Villa Valentino. 

This has been one grand day. Annette and I were up at a quarter of ten for an appointment at the hair dressers.

Emery picked us up in time for breakfast at one. At 4:14 we went to Max Factors for make-up. Glamour girls no less.

The big affair of attending the world premier of “All This and Heaven Too,” started about eight o'clock

when a limousine picked up Annette, Arnold, Emery, Tom Lyle and me, and drove over to get Emery's friend, Lona Woolsey.

The whole party were certainly dressed up, all the boys in tuxedos and the girls in formals.

The premiere was at Carthay Circle. The crowds simply jammed the streets as we arrived. The police, both on foot and mounted, were trying to hold the people back, but each person was trying to get a glimpse of the Stars.

The limousine stopped to let us out amid hundreds of lights and lots of cameramen. An announcer with a microphone was in front to announce the different stars as they arrive. They stared at us too, but we fooled them. We were just ordinary people. The long pass way from the front to the entrance of the theater seemed miles, with thousands of people staring, hoping each would be a Star. The walkway was lined with large gorgeous bouquets of flowers. These I didn't see as I walked in because I was so excited and nervous. 

After we were inside the theater, we stood around to see as many stars as possible. We saw Jimmy Stewart with Olivia de Haviland,

Jeffry Lynn,

Andrea Leeds,

Ann Miller,

Preston Foster,

Stewart Erwin,

and Don Ameche.

After walking around for a while we went into the Theater. Carthay Circle Theater is not very large but very beautiful. Furnished without consideration for cost. Carpet was beautiful red velvet and gold curtains.

At intermission we were in the lobby again.

Saw Ken Murray,

 Edgar Bergen,

Charles Boyer,

and more that I just can't remember now. The picture was very good. Was over about Twelve midnight. We had our long walk from the entrance to the driveway again, with lots of spectators looking for stars.

On our way out, we saw Gene Lockhart, 

Elsa Maxwell

and Hedda Hopper.

The announcer gave us a thrill calling Mr. TL Williams' car waiting. We were just like the big shots.

From Carthay Circle we drove to Ciros, the swankiest nightclub in Hollywood. Certainly couldn't have gotten into the place without reservations, as the club was jammed. Ciros is a beautiful place, very modern and very colorful.

Just as we entered we saw Robert Taylor,

Barbara Stanwick,

Jack Benny, Mary Livingston,

Edward Arnold and his wife,

Andrea Leeds and her husband,

Bette Davis and her party sat right next to our table. In fact her chair was bumped right up next to my chair.

Constance Bennett and her party was a table on the other side next to our table.

William Powell and his wife Diana Lewis, had a table behind us.

Across the way was Norma Shearer and her party.

Also saw Geraldine Fitzgerald,

George Jessel with his sixteen year old bride, Lois Andrew,

and Louise Fazenda.

 Most of the stars we saw at the Premiere were also at Circos. Never in my life have I ever seen, heard of or expected to attend such a gala affair It was the height of formality and considered the social occasion of the season in Hollywood. After several drinks, frosted daiquiris, we had something to eat and got home about 3:30 am. Believe our party was the last to leave Ciros. Don't think I ever enjoyed any activity so much in my life. The memory will be something to go over again and again.

Old Hollywood's Heyday was born in Whitley Heights during the Silent Film Era

                 Off of Camrose south of the Hollywood Bowl.

Before there was Beverly Hills, during the silent film days, Whitley Heights was where the famous stars of Hollywood lived. Francis X. Bushman had a large, opulent house, with the first swimming pool built in the area and Rudolph Valentino lived off Wedgwood Place. 
  
  

  
Villa Valentino, 6776 Wedgewood Place, Whitley Heights, built in 1922, this was the site of the home Valentino shared with Natacha Rambova in upscale Whitley Heights just north of Hollywood. In 1951 the state of California paid Tom Lyle Williams, $90,000, intending to demolish it to make way for the Hollywood Freeway. The foundation of the home survives and can still be seen from the freeway.The foundation to the home is still visible from the freeway.

 During the Jazz Age, life was a party, and Whitley Heights was Party Central for the Hollywood set.

 Issue: Issue Spring 2010 Whitley Heights click here.

By: DH 
Traveling along Franklin Avenue, the east/west thoroughfare north of Hollywood Blvd., you might not notice the most historic enclave of 1920s residences from the Golden Era of silent films and speakeasies, aka The Roaring Twenties, rising above Franklin Avenue. And roar they did in those days of high living, laughter and a new industry that seemed to have no bounds. Ethel Barrymore, Charlie Chaplin, Marion Davies, W.C. Fields, Harold Lloyd, Carole Lombard, Rudolph Valentino and many others lived and held legendary parties that marked an era and the early Hollywood film industry. 

Today the Hollywood Freeway runs through what was once the toast of the Hollywood, in it's Heyday. 

 Before the Hollywood Freeway took Whitley Heights, it was an oasis,of gorgeous landscaping and Italian architecture.

 The arrow points to Tom Lyle Williams, Villa Valentino, in 1935.

 Tom Lyle remodeled the Villa Valentino in 1937.

Tom Lyle Williams on the left, followed by his sister Mabel, her husband Chet Hewes, and his sister Eva and her husband Ches Haines.  Notice the statue, Aspiration in the background.

Read more about Tom Lyle Williams and his love affair with the Villa Valentino, in The Maybelline Story, buy a signed copy today atwww.maybelliestory.com.  

Old Hollywood Glamour 1940 style Tuxedos, False Eyelashes, Daiquiris and Dancing the Conga.

Excerpt from a diary written by Jane Allen, while visiting the Villa Valentino, with Tom Lyle Williams niece, Annette Williams, in June, 1940. Picture left to right.  Tom Lyle Williams, Jane Allen, Emery Shaver, Annette Williams, Arnold Anderson.

We drove to Pasadena to see a sketch of Tom Lyle's new car.  The artist for Packard had sketched it on a blackboard, actual size, to give tom Lyle an idea of dimensions.  Believe it will be some sporty job. The car will be a long convertible, four or five passenger, cream with red leather upholstering.  From the sketch it looks as if this will be the best looking and most unusual car Tom Lyle has had.  We spent the afternoon waiting for Tom Lyle to get all details settled, and stopped at a Drive-in for a sandwich. Rushed home to dress forEarl Carrolls

 Another big night.  Tom Lyle and Arnold dressed in tuxedos again and we wore formals.  I decided to wear false eyelashes and felt like one of the glamour girls.  Evelyn and Bill went with us to Earl Carrolls, so there were six in the party until around eleven when Emery joined the crowd.  Earl Carrolls beautiful night club, much larger than Ciros, with a stage away from the tables for dancing.

 We all had a turn at dancing, but Annette and Arnold did the Conga with the crowd.  The rest of us were sitting at the table and enjoyed the entertainment.  Had a couple of daiquiris around the table and dinner at ten or ten thirty.  The floor show here was gorgeous with loads of beautiful girls.  The stage was revolving, so there were many unusual arrangements in dance. Bert Wheeler was

 master of ceremonies.

Villa Valentino fountain with statue, ASPIRATION.

  Left Earl Carroll's around two, took Evelyn and Bill home, but didn't get to bed until around 4 A.M.  The moon was beautiful when we got home, and Tom Lyle turned on all the flood lights in the garden.  With the fountain, lights, flowers and moon, the garden was gorgeous.

If you love Old Hollywood Glamour, vintage fashion, make up and classic cars, you will love my book.  The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind it.

1940's Maybelline Model, Lenore Aubert, Known for having "The most beautiful eyes in Hollywood,"

Lenore Aubert,  appeared in this beautiful color, glossy, autographed Maybelline ad, in 1948, as well as popular Vampire movies.

 Lenore Aubert,  played many a mysterious foreigner or femme fatale:  she was at her slinky best in  the 1948 horror comedy,  Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

Poster for, Vampires, werewolves and monsters movie,

 featuring Lenore Aubert.

Frankenstein, Lenore Aubert and Count Dracula.

Abbott and Costello with The Wolf-Man, Count Dracula and Frankenstein.

Lenore Aubert, was born in present-day Slovenia, at the time still connected to the Austro-Hungarian Empire (her French name was

 pure Hollywood hokum, designed to make her background more

 exotic - though she did live for some time in Paris).

 Eleanore Maria Leisner was the daughter of an Austrian 

general and spent her formative years in Vienna.