"It all began with the "eyes." 100 years ago

Maybelline Mascara Super Model Joan Crawford taken in 1946.  Photograped by Paul Hesse, Hollywood.


"It all began with the "eyes." In the book, The Maybelline Story, by Sharrie Williams, with Bettie Youngs, she tells the fascinating account of the early beginnings of her family in rural Kentucky, from 1911, to their glory days in Hollywood with Joan Crawford appearing in Maybelline print ads in the late 1940's, to the 1970's as fortune affected the family.

By 1953, the cosmetics company was known throughout the world for their print ads of gorgeous flirty models catching everyone's attention with their Maybelline mascara eyes. Williams' great uncle is Tom Lyle Williams, a marketing genius who built a billion dollar cosmetics empire over many years from just $500. he borrowed from his older brother, Noel.

The Beginning of Maybelline Mascara

Tom Lyle loved movies. As a fifteen-year-old who ran the projector room at the local nickelodeon, he was mesmerized by starlet Mary Pickford's eyes, as she flirted with them in her movie, Sultan's Garden. What made her so alluring? A very motivated, self-starter, Tom Lyle began finding out ways to make money by figuring out what people wanted.

He left the family farm in Morganfield, Kentucky, when he was still just a teenager, to join his brother, Noel, 23, who was working as a bookkeeper for Illinois Central Railroad in Chicago. The year was 1912. Chicago's population was 1.7 million. The brothers lived in Noel's boarding house near a slum of overcrowded tenement buildings.

It was in this environment that the brothers, driven by Tom Lyle's passionate courage, began a mail-order business. Tom Lyle sacrificed. He invested every penny he could scrape together. By 1914, at the age of 18, he was making serious money with his novelty-catalog business. In 1915, he had asked his sister, Mabel, to join them. He put her to work counting orders. The business was making $36,500. a year, which is the equivalent of over a half a million dollars today.

Mabel's Accident Births a Maybelline Mascara Fortune

Tom Lyle's sister insisted on cooking for her brothers. While Mabel was making cake frosting one morning by melting sugar in a pan, the liquid got too hot. Flames shot up and singed Mabel's eyebrows and eyelashes. She looked like a bare-faced mannequin. But, Mabel was not deterred, either. She had been secretly reading movie star magazines. She had read that these starlets, like Gloria Swanson, used a concoction called, "harem secret," to make their eyes beautiful.

Mabel mixed ash from cork she burned, with coal dust, and blended this mixture by using petroleum jelly. She dabbed this goo onto her eyebrows and the tips of her eyelashes. The transformation was amazing. Mabel's eyes were stunning. Then, an idea struck Tom Lyle like a bolt of lightening. Of course, it wasn't the clothes or smiles that made Hollywood goddesses glamorous. It was their "eyes." Mascara was born. The name Maybelline came from Mabel and the Vaseline mixture.

Miss Maybelline and Mascara's Destiny

By the time the 1920's came roaring into Chicago, women had claimed the right to vote, hold hands with men in public, smoke cigarettes, and a whole lot more. They took full advantage of their new-found freedom. Tom Lyle's entire family was in Chicago at this time, helping in the business of making Maybelline mascara. Tom Lyle's younger brother, Preston, incredibly handsome, a WWI hero, was watching a Memorial Day Parade when he and Evelyn Boecher spotted each other. Evelyn also spotted Tom Lyle.

"She fell in love with both brothers on the same day," says Sharrie Williams, of her grandmother, Evelyn Boucher. Evelyn was one of three daughters of John Boucher, a wealthy plumber, who spoiled his girls rotten. Always dressed in fine clothes, refined by music lessons, Evelyn, Bunny and Verona defined elegance. It was Evelyn, however, who became Tom Lyle's muse, and helped catapult Maybelline into the mascara cosmetics market. Sharrie relates in her book, The Maybelline Story: "Destiny arrived right on time, in the form of Evelyn Boucher."

Miss Maybelline Stops Traffic

Evelyn married Preston, but she continued to be the eyes and ears for Tom Lyle when it came to women and what they wanted. She contributed many ideas for the Maybelline mascara ads that put the company on the map around the world.

"Nana had very good insight, " says Sharrie. "She was an observer, a people-watcher. She loved to go to public places. She'd watch what women were wearing, what they talked about, laughed about. She would take it all in, then she would be able to condense this information and tell Tom Lyle. They would have dinner together and she would let him know - this is what women are looking for. This is what they want."

One day, Tom Lyle asked Evelyn to pick up some flyers from the printers, that he was going to mail to dime stores around the country. This was the time when Al Capone and other gangsters practically owned Chicago. Drive-by shootings and loud-mouthed gangsters were part of the city's fabric. Clutching an arm-load of flyers, Evelyn was almost to the Maybelline building when a car backfired. Everybody ducked, thinking it was gunshot. Evelyn jumped and threw her arms into the air, releasing the flyers, which were picked up by the wind.

An astute newspaper reporter snapped her photo. The next day, the newspaper printed Evelyn's photo with this title: "Miss Maybelline Stops Traffic." Orders for Maybelline mascara came pouring in. As Sharrie recalls, in her book, The Maybelline Story: "My uncle said to Nana: ' Evelyn, with that one photo you've accomplished more for marketing Maybelline than any flyer ever could."

Copyright Anne Mount. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

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JOAN CRAWFORD - MILDRED PIERCE - HEDY LAMARR - PAUL HESSE HOLLYWOOD - 1945 ACADEMY AWARDS

I'm very excited to show you this private letter from Maybelline ad man, Emery Shaver (Tom Lyle Williams partner for over 50 years) - written from the Villa Valentino, to his sister Elizabeth Shaver, and graciously shared with me by his nephew Floyd Shaver-Welles.  I think you'll enjoy its significant value, especially if you love Vintage Hollywood and pure Advertising genius...... 

1923, from the left, Tom Lyle Williams, Elizabeth Shaver and her brother
  Emery Shaver seated.

April 14, 1946.

Life goes on rather calmly here, as usual.  We had a slight flurry of activity here last week in working on an assignment with Hedy Lamarr for a new ad.  She is a rather temperamental woman, although much more beautiful than she appears on the screen, and it was with some difficulty that we were finally able to pin her down to an appointment with Paul Hesse, Hollywood's leading Photographer, for a color portrait, and then get her to write her promised autographed testimonial.  All this took some diplomacy, but it was finally accomplished.  And from the first black and white proofs, it would appear we are going to have perhaps the most beautiful of all  of our growing list of color ads.  Presume you saw the one we have of Joan Crawford, which is now running currently for us in most of the magazines.  It was most fortunate for us that Miss Crawford was awarded the Academy Award for the Best Actress of 1945 for her picture "Mildred Pierce," just as our ad was first appearing.  Our ad created quite a sensation in the Advertising world and has been generally admired, so now many other Motion Picture Celebrities are eager to have the enormous benefit of such beautiful color ads, and we have more offers than we care to take advantage of.  Nothing succeeds, like success, they say, and this instance proves it. Hope the Lamarr ad gets as much attention and I think it will.

Hedy Lamarr.

Joan Crawford.

The actual letter.

Merle Oberon followed in a Maybelline color ad by Paul Hesse Hollywood.

PLAYMATE PHOTOGRAPHER, CARLYLE BLACKWELL JR.

Photographer Carlyle Blackwell Jr, used the Paul Hesse Studio in Hollywood to perfect his natural color photography.  By the 1950's brilliant color photography was replaced with natural color.

Actress/Singer, Frances Langford in the film So This is the Army, 1943. Photo shot by Carlyle Blackwell Jr.

Maybelline ad shot in 1947 by Carlyle Blackwell Jr.

Norma Christopher, Queen of the 1947 Tournament of Roses. Maybelline ad shot with natural color, by Carlyle Blackwell Jr. Hollywood.

Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc, 1948.  Shot in natural color, by Carlyle BlackWell Jr.

Doris Day, early 1950's, shot by Carlyle Blackwell Jr in natural color.

Jackie Rainbow, Miss September, 1954 Playboy magazine. Photo shot by Carlyle Blackwell Jr. in natural color.

Carlyle Blackwell is best remembered for his natural color pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Italian racing cars, in the 1950's.  Stay tuned the rest of this week to see Blackwell in action!!!!

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......

MERLE OBERON - PAUL HESSE - MAYBELLINE AND THE STUDIO/STAR SYSTEM.

Renowned pioneer advertising Photographer Paul Hesse and exotic Merle Oberon.

Not only a genius when it came to glamour photography, Paul Hesse helped launch many starlets careers in Hollywood by introducing them to the right Studio bosses.  He also photographed the Biggest Stars on the Silver Screen as promotional advertising vehicles for products like Maybelline cosmetics. The combination of Studio, Star, film and product - helped make up 

the Hollywood Star system.  

MY MAKE-UP WOULD NOT BE COMPLETE WITHOUT MAYBELLINE MASCARA, EYEBROW PENCIL AND EYE SHADOW, Signed, Merle Oberon, 1944.

When the full page color Maybelline ad of Merle Oberon appeared on the back cover of 1944 movie magazines,  she was starring in the Gothic horror film Dark Waters.  Paul Hess shot the exotic photo of her as an advertising tool to promote her career, the Studio's name and Maybelline cosmetics.  That's one way the Studio Star/System worked up until the 1950s.

The front cover of a movie magazine would promote the film, the inside story would exploit the Studio and the back cover would display a Maybelline ad, autographed by Merle Oberon, suitable for framing.

It's easy to recognize the quality of color film used by Paul Hesse in the late 1930's and 40's.

The brilliance of Merle Oberon's eyes stand out just as much as the flowers or ruffles on her dress.

Merle Oberon's exotic features allowed her to play various ethnic rolls throughout her career and Paul Hesse captured the magic of dark eyes, red lips and raven hair in this picture of an Indian Princess.

The lighting in this photo captured the sparkle in Oberon's eyes, her smile and the energy she exuded.

During its original airing between 1955 and 1959 and in syndication as Love That Bob, The Bob Cummings Show depicted the exploits and pranks of bachelor Bob Collins, a celebrity photographer of Hollywood stars, and his network of mostly unmarried friends. 

It's been said that Bob Cummings character was taken directly from the famous Paul Hesse, Hollywood's flamboyant Star maker.

Check back tomorrow for the last day of Paul Hesse, his Stars and the Hollywood Studio/Star System.

JOAN CRAWFORD - PAUL HESSE - MAYBELLINE

Paul Hesse clearly understood the power

that an image can have over the public. 

Paul Hesse was the first professional photographer to  create a true-to-life likeness but idealized, glamorized and enhanced by his ground breaking technique of producing only delicious color values.

To Maybelline-The eye make-up I would never be without, signed.....

Hesse designed rear projection screens for creating custom backgrounds that framed his subjects.  The twinkling background in this Maybelline ad made Joan Crawford's eyes sparkle with expression......  Women who wanted that Star Quality chose Maybelline.....
Tom Lyle, contracted Crawford to be Maybelline's official spokesperson between 1946 and 1960.

This Hesse photo of Joan Crawford was so highly stylized and hyper-realistic..... she just leaped off the page.  

Hesse took this photograph of Joan Crawford and gave it a style that captured the hearts and minds of the American public.  He inspired countless celluloid  dreams of beauty, glamour and sex appeal.

He was so admired in Hollywood that the actor Bob Cummings modeled his television character on the popular Bob Cummings Show (1955-1959) after him.


Stay tuned for Merle Oberon, Paul Hess and Maybelline next week.

HEDY LAMARR - PAUL HESSE - MAYBELLINE .

If you wanted glamour and sex appeal, Paul Hesse was the Hollywood Photographer to see.  

Cary Grant and Paul Hesse at a photo shoot.

By the late 1930’s, Hesse had become known as one of the best commercial photographers in New York, and  traveled to Hollywood several times a year to shoot photos of movie stars for Photoplay and for national advertising campaigns for companies like Maybelline.  

This photo of Hedy Lamarr was taken by Paul Hesse.  TO MAYBELLINE.....THE EYE MAKE-UP I FIND AS TRULY FLATTERING.....signed Hedy Lamarr.  Maybelline paid to have a Star's autographed picture placed on the back cover of movie magazines like Photoplay..... suitable for framing. 

Hedy Lamarr, 1950.

Photoplay was a movie fan magazine that was founded in 1911 and reached its peak of popularity in the 1920s and 1930s as fans became increasingly interested in the private lives of celebrities. 

Hedy Lamarr by Paul Hesse.

Photoplay was known for its artwork portraits of film stars on the cover, but once color photography was perfected around 1937, photographs of the stars were used on the covers instead.

                          Old Movies Nostalgia.

A Paul Hesse photo shoot, creating a wholesome image of Hedy Lamarr during World War ll.

Hedy Lamarr the girl next door.

Hesse used color film to create eye popping photos that would sell magazines, Brands and products.

He used lighting, clothes, hair and makeup to create a Hedy Lamar who  looks like she's from Kansas..... except sexy and glamorous even in an apron

Photoplay carried advertisements for makeup, hair, skin products, and fashions. It also contained movie reviews, personal stories about big name stars such as Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, Hedy Lamarr, Merle Oberon, Betty Garble and several vivid color photographs of other movies stars as well.

In this Photoplay article, Hedy Lamarr discusses the value of wearing comfortable shoes in the 1940's..... just like we could expect Paris Hilton discussing shoes she loved today in PEOPLE MAGAZINE, on EXTRA or FASHION POLICE.

Hedy Lamarr may have been a Paul Hesse - Maybelline model, as well as one the most beautiful women in Hollywood, but she was also a Scientist who patented this Secret Communication System in the 1940's a forerunner for electronic communication today.

Read all about it in Hedy Lamarr's new book, Hedy's Folly, by Richard Rhodes.

I have one Hedy Lamarr mini-makeup bag left.  See PayPal box on the right side of this page.

Hedy Lamarr Video

Hedy Lamarr, Extase/Ecstasy by Gustav Machaty, 1933.

ECSTASY - Scandalous 1933 Hedy Lamarr Debut  Click highlighted.

Hedy Lamarr and Bob Cummings on the Love That Bob TV Show.  Cummings character is said to be taken directly from Paul Hesse.

Continued tomorrow with Paul Hesse, Maybelline 

and Joan Crawford.