Maybelline - Queen of the Drug Store in the 1930s

Vintage Drug Store Advertising Banner announcing Maybelline sold in it's original 75 cent box.

The original Maybelline box was sold only through classifieds in newspapers and magazines and wrapped in brown paper to protect a woman's reputation between 1915 and 1933.

Today this original Maybellne box is almost
 100 years old.

Maybelline brought a new flux of young customers into Drug Store's hoping to be discovered in Hollywood.

Maybelline was positioned at the front door of the drug store to encourage impulse buying.

Another drug store strategy was to place a carton of Maybelline boxes on the lunch counter and near the cash register to encourage ladies to grab it before they left the store.

A vintage Maybelline sign found in early drug stores.

The original Maybelline brush fit perfectly in the
 little red box.

During the Depression, the price of Maybelline was dropped to 10 cents and packaged in a much smaller box than the 75 cent version.  Now every woman could afford a box of maybelline and have beautiful eyes.

The Maybelline Girl now on carded merchandise, was introduced in the early 1930's at the drug store.

Color was added in the late 1930's.

A 10 cent Depression size brass tin of Maybellne Eye Shadow, featuring the original Maybelline Girl.

It was the beautiful advertising that brought the crowds of women into their local drug store for a box of Maybelline in 1932.

Maybellilne's Before and After Ad's were first seen in vertical  advertising found in news papers and magazines in the early 1930s.

The Film Cleopatra staring Claudette Colbert, inspired this before and after ad in 1934. 

Big Stars like Jean Harlow along with the Good Housekeeping seal of approval expanded Maybellines credibility in the 1930
http://www.maybellinebook.com/2011/07/maybelline-targeted-average-housewife.html


While your browsing, why don't you check out my new hilarious Blog called Saffrons Rule at  http://saffronsrule.com/

NICHE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2013 FEATURES LEONARDO DECAPRIO'S THE GREAT GATSBY, AS WELL AS SHARRIE WILLIAMS CELEBRITY COLUMN

NICHE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2013 

Turn to page 64 to see my column.

Look for my column on page 64

  

***FOURTEEN*** The Crash of 1929

While he didn't let on, Tom Lyle was having problems of his own. Despite the crash of 1929, it took two years for the Maybelline Company to feel its true effects. Although sales slowed, and the family fortune dwindled, it wasn't until 1931 that Tom Lyle received the worst possible news. The president of Chicago Guaranty Trust called him personally and told him that his ship had sunk. On paper at least, Tom Lyle was no better off than the guys selling apples on the street corner. He was broke.

The prosperity and opulence of the roaring ’20s were gone, as were the vamps who purchased Maybelline’s seventy-five-cent mascara. Tom Lyle realized that to save his company, he would have to rethink his marketing plan and come up with an idea that would put his product in the public eye at a price women could afford. The flashy, flapper look was being replaced with a more demure look fit for the times. Movie stars and socialites alike favored understated eye makeup. Only one out of five women now used Maybelline mascara, while four out of five women continued to use powders and skin creams.

Tom Lyle tried to market cheaper sizes of his products, but fashion magazines began to characterize makeup products “fit only for tarts from the wrong side of the tracks.” Major film studios, such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Brothers, and Paramount, jettisoned mascara and eyeliner altogether. It didn't help that the reigning empress of MGM, Norma Shearer, called eye makeup “the province of whores.” While Ponds Cold Cream and Helena Rubenstein’s makeup appealed to the rich and the upper middle class, Maybelline’s darkly colored lashes now only appealed to “the lower class.” While Tom Lyle made a quality product affordable and accessible to women, Emery created a logo to fit the times. “Quality yet sensibly priced” was printed on every advertisement page, and became the spirit of Maybelline’s campaign.

Tom Lyle saw his dream going up in smoke, and the Maybelline Company nearly went bankrupt. It occurred to him that to continue selling through mail-order was futile. He needed to put his products where women could purchase them cheaply and on demand—Maybelline was offered in dime stores, but at a very small as needed supply, and Preston and his drinking problem, failing health and poor relationship with Evelyn made him almost useless as a sales representative. He had to do something fast or sell the company before it failed all together. Rather than focus on an upscale market, he knew he’d still be able to sell his product to the working classes by making his products available cheaply and at retail. But to do that would take backing, and he was nearly broke. He asked his friend Rory Kirkland for a loan. Kirkland lent him enough money to keep Maybelline afloat until they could figure out what to do next. 

The family single-handedly held the company together, and everyone took less pay and worked longer hours. Tom Lyle concentrated on advertising, while Noel handled the administration of the company and the employees. Mabel’s husband, Chet, supervised the production of mascara, and Eva’s husband, Ches, managed shipping and the Maybelline trucks that transported products to dime stores and Preston tried to stay sober.

Also started a Blog on Word Press about my 1964 Diary. I will be posting each day of that year so check it out at http://saffronsrule.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/day-1-of-my-1964-diary/

THE ULTRA GATSBY IMAGE ... MAYBELLINE HEIR, BILL WILLIAMS' "CLENET"... 1977 SERIES 1 number 13

I received this email March 11th

Dear Sharrie Williams,

My name is Brandon Dickson and I am a film student at California State University, Northridge. Currently, a group of us are in the preproduction stages of a documentary on Clenet automobiles as our senior thesis. We heard about your family's history with the #13 car and saw a video of you speaking about it and its' involvement in your life. We are really interested in speaking with you and perhaps interviewing you as a subject for our project. Please contact us as we look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,
Brandon Dickson (Executive Producer)
Jennifer Fernandes (Director) --

I agreed to meet with Brandon and Jennifer with their film crew four days later on March 15th, and we shot clips for this mini-documentary.  The thesis being, "Why do Clenet owners still have such passion for their car 35 years later."  Here is the result of our collaboration.

After graduation, this Summer, Brandon and Jennifer plan to expand their film into a full length Documentary and enter in Film Festivals around the Country.

Producers...

Brandon Dickson's childhood fascination with cameras and movies has blossomed into college with honors and a career in film and TV production. He began producing shorts and YouTube videos in 7th grade and hasn't stopped since. His dedication to high production values and interesting subject matter is evident in his work as he continues to produce documentaries, narratives, and photography for all occasions.

Jennifer Fernandes is a self-motivated and hardworking television production student who strives to outdo her expectations for every project she becomes involved in. After spending a year and a half studying biology she realized that her true passion lies in the creative world of television and film. As she eagerly progresses through her courses and gains valuable knowledge, her passion grows. Jennifer continues to work hard with determination towards advancing her career in the professional world ahead.

Steve Kouracos, Clenet's original Fabricator, featured driving the Clenet, 

Trailer...Gatsby will be released May 10, 2013 at theatres everywhere. 

A screen grab of a Buick chasing a Duesenberg from THE GREAT GATSBY (Warner Bros.)

Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan lead the cast. 
The soundtrack for the film was produced by Jay-Z and features his wife Beyonce’

Bill Williams

Want to  know more about Bill Williams and his 1977, Series 1, Gatsby-Clenet, number 13  click on past posts I have done. Click link below.

http://www.maybellinebook.com/2011/10/maybelline-heir-bill-williams-classic.html



THE GREAT GATSBY (1974): Robert Redford was and still is the ultimate best Gatsby in my book.  The class, the sophistication, the looks and the style. This new Gatsby is nothing more than a carnival ride with a beautiful background behind it. 

F.Scott Fitzgerald' - Tales of the Jazz Age!

I've chosen, F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tales of the Jazz Age,  to evoke visions of Flappers and Jazz-Bo's during the 1920's.

Fitzgerald's fascination with wealth, creates a subtle social critique in his 1922 classic.

Written before the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays the casual, elegant, lifestyle of the wealthy during the the 1920, Jazz Age.

When I found my great aunt Bunny's photo album, I was amazed at the stylishly Gatsby lifestyle, she and her husband Harold Cotter lived, during the Jazz Age, in Chicago.  They had no children, so were able to devote themselves to each other like no other couple in my family.

Elegant men's Fashion in the 1920's sparked, a dash of prestige and glamour often seen in my late

 aunt Bunny's pictures.

Harold, looks dashing, in his navy jacket, white slacks, and two toned shoes, hugging a couple of

 elegantly attired Ladies.

Dressed, like he's ready for his close up, Harold poses for the camera, on a trip to Florida.

Before World War 1, men had little variety in their choice of clothing, but after the Jazz age was in full swing, men's fashion exploded into High Fashion

 and big business.

Harold on the right, with a friend, look like their right out of the 1974,  film, The Great Gatsby.  Gatsby was famous for his closet full of beautiful shirts and ties - 
a trademark of an elegant gentleman.

Looking sporty with a wild colored knit sweater, and two toned shoes, Harold has the right look for 1927.

The mark of a fashionable gentleman in the 1920's, included the right hat and overcoat, especially in Chicago, where my family lived during that time.

Nobody, carried off that distinguished silhouette better than my grandfather, William Preston Williams, seen here in a Lama-skin, coat, with his son, and my father, Bill Williams in, 1925.

 The 1920's opened the door for men and women to kick up their heals, call a spade a spade and strut their stuff.

When it came to jazzing it up, Bunny and Harold Cotter,  carried the torch, for fashion, style and elegance, in 1927, seen her, sitting on their sporty convertible.

In full Flapper regalia, Bunny in the middle, with some friends, shows off her legs and short Flapper dress in a vampy pose around 1926.

In a moment of quiet repose, Harold and Bunny (Boecher,) Cotter, relax at the Boecher Summer home, on Lake Zurich in 1927.  Bunny, always the fashion plate, wears a shapeless, dropped waist cotton dress, while Harold, Don's sexy sunglasses, giving them the perfect storybook ending to today's post...

Stay tuned as, Vintage Maybelline Fashion Week, continues tomorrow. 

Old Hollywood Glamour in Newport Beach CA..

A glimpse of Old Hollywood, Art Deco and The Great Gatsby, through the eyes of Maybelline heir, Bill Williams in the 1990s.

My father, Bill Williams, in his late 60s - still handsome, athletic and actively remodeling a stunning, Art Deco, second home in Newport Beach in the late 1980s.

Nothing spelled, Old Hollywood glamour, and turned heads, like Bill and Gloria, cursing down Coast highway, in Newport Beach, with the top down, in Bill's, 1977 Clenet, series 1, # 13. 

When visiting Bill and Gloria, "Aspiration," greeted you at the entry, all lit up, in a running fountain.  

The Art Deco, black and white marble tiles, and Frank Sinatra singing, "Unforgettable" from the surround sound stereo, piped into every room, immediately swept you away to another era.

A glass block bar, with lavender lighting, black marble counter and wall to wall mirror, made the white marble floors look like an ice skating rink at night.

But nothing screamed outrageous, 1930, Hollywood glamour, like the master bath, with it's hand carved, dark green and black, pillar sinks, it's beveled dressing table with Hollywood lights, a tub encased in mirrors, and it's white and black marble floor.


Bill and Gloria in their 70s, at the Condo, hosting  a Christmas, Boat Parade party.

All this splendor looked out at sweeping views of the harbor, from every room, and a veranda where you could sit and have a glass of wine while watching the yachts go by.  The condo included a movie screen that came out of the ceiling, controls that opened blinds, brought down the movie screen, turned on the TV,  surround sound and the recessed lighting that were set on dimmers.  It was a virtual wonderland, that took your breath away, transported you out of your hum drum life and made you feel young, at any age.
Feel the full flavor of this glamorous lifestyle, as it comes to life in my book,  The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  

The Gatsby lifestyle during the 1970s.

 "Can't repeat the past?... Why of course you can!" 

 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.

Noel A. Williams, sitting in his brother Dicks, Excalibur. This picture was taken at Dick and Ann's estate in Boca Raton, Florida in the late 1970s.

Noel A.Williams, during the shooting of, Goodbye Norma Jean, in 1975.  Picture was taken at his cousin Bill Williams estate, Casa de Guillermo, in Palm Springs California.

Noel A. and Jean Williams, in their 1975 Rolls, with Mickey Mouse in the back seat.

Noel A. with his Rolls Royce, a gift to himself for his 50th Birthday.

For the Williams boys, a longing to relive the golden years of the 1920s, 30s and 40s, played out, by creating individual identities, that included luxury automobiles, beautiful estates and the freedom to do what ever they dammed well pleased, during the 1970s.