Maybelline founder Tom Lyle Williams

Showing posts with label magazine True Confessions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label magazine True Confessions. Show all posts

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 LombardFred 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. 

 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 »


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   


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.

Maybelline Story excerpt with pictures of Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray and Eleanor Fisher.

Excerpt from The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.


BILL WANTS TOM LYLE TO INTRODUCE HIM TO MISS TYPICAL AMERICA.

Tom Lyle continued to take Bill with him when they visited actress Hedy Lamarr, Joan Crawford and Carole Lombard, but nothing was more exciting for him than meeting the newly crowned "Miss Typical America, Eleanor Fisher," who won a chance to appear with Carole Lombard in her final film at Paramount "True Confession." Taken from the top selling magazine "True Confessions," that held the contest that Eleanor Fisher won.


The Magazine was a top selling magazine for teenage girls and it struck a deal with Paramount and Maybelline to do a sweeping marketing campaign to bring in a larger audience of youth.

Paramount gave Eleanor a small part in their film staring Lombard and Fred MacMurray, while Maybelline splashed full page color pictures of her in magazines across the country saying Eleanor Fisher had been chosen from thousands of America’s most dazzling beauties in a great magazine’s nationwide search for ‘Miss typical America!"

The ad continued, saying "of supreme importance in helping her to win, were Miss Fisher’s beautiful eyes, framed with the glamour of long, romantic lashes. The charm of beautiful eyes, with natural-appearing long, dark, luxuriant lashes can be yours too, instantly, with but a few simple brush strokes of Maybelline Mascara."

The Ad, combined with the film and True Confessions magazine audience expanded Maybellines scope and increased their teenage market to a new level. It was a win win for everyone and young Bill now  fourteen, was introduced to one of the many beauties who would usher him into the "the girl-crazy" part of his life. 
Carole Lombard and Eleanor Fisher, in True Confessions.

Bill begged Tom Lyle to get him car for his fifteenth Birthday, so he'd be popular at school with all the guys and especially the girls.

Tom Lyle told him he’d think about it.

"I promise I’ll help mom do errands around town," he said, trying to convince his uncle to see it from his perspective.


Did Tom Lyle break down and get his nephew a car?  You can scroll down to earlier posts to find out - or you can read The Maybelline Story and get the whole scoop.