Hilarious Old Hollywood Glamour at the Brown Derby in Beverly Hills, 1940...

Tom Lyle and his custom Packard Victoria

My 16 year father, Bill Williams along with his uncle Tom Lyle Williams and Emery Shaver, pulled up to the valet at the famous Brown Derby in Beverly Hills in TL's new 1940 Packard Victoria,

 just as Mae West and W.C. Fields pulled up in a flashy white Rolls Royce. 

West and Fields, dressed in full regalia for publicity shots, posed for photographers before entering the restaurant, while Tom Lyle and Bill turned in time to see Starstruck Emery slam into a pole and land flat on his rear.

To embarrassed to go back, they sauntered into the Derby, trying not to laugh and waited for Emery to pull himself together and meet them at  the booth.  It was a true W.C. Fields pratfall and one they never let 
Emery forget.

Tom Lyle and Emery at The Villa Valentino

Read more about Tom Lyle and Emery, during Old Hollywood's Glamorous Heyday, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  

Tom Lyle did his best taking over being "dad," while running his growing Maybelline Company.

Tom Lyle  enjoyed his time with his nephew, swimming in The Villa Valentino's Olympic-size pool, playing badminton, dropping dimes in the slot machine in the game room - decorated like the Hawaiian Islands,

or listening to Bing Crosby sing Sweet Leilani, from the film Waikiki Wedding.  When Unk Ile was busy Bill  listened to  The Green Hornet, - Fibber McGee and Molly and curled up on the sofa till he fell asleep.

For Christmas that year Tom Lyle had the Villa decorated  with a 15 foot tree and strung colored lights on some of the trees surrounding the The Villa.

They were a family now, Bill, Evelyn and Tom Lyle and on Dec. 21, when the premier of Walt Disney’s first feature length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs came out, Unk Ile drove them to the Cathay Circle theater is Los Angles, to see it, with dinner at Brown Derby afterwards.

On Christmas Day Unk Ile brought out a little basket with a beautiful Cocker Spaniel puppy in it, named "Lady."   Bill finally got his wish - a dog of his own. 

Be sure to visit my new Blog, Saffrons Rule at http://saffronsrule.com/

Buy my book at http://www.maybellinebook.com/p/buy-my-book.html

Hollywood - Where dreams really did come ture.

Tom Lyle Williams and Emery Shaver, found true happiness in Hollywood, for over 35 years.

Tom Lyle and Emery at the entrance to the Villa Valentino, with TL's niece's,
 Salle Allen and (Noel's daughter,) Annette Williams, 1946.

Together for over 25 years by 1946, Tom Lyle and Emery continued to be the driving force behind Maybelline's spectacular advertisements.  While TL's brother Noel, handled the day to day, running of the Maybelline Company, and Rag's Ragland steered the Marketing division in Chicago, TL and Emery contracted Hollywood stars to appear in full color, glossy ads, in Hollywood. 

Though Tom Lyle was never enamored by stardom, Emery loved every inch of it.  My father once told me a funny story about Emery and his fascination with Hollywood celebrities.

TL, Emery and 13 year old Bill pulled up in front of the famous Brown Derby, got out of the Packard, and headed into the restaurant.  Just then, Mae West and W.C. Fields pulled up behind them in a Rolls Royce, dressed in full regalia for publicity shots.  TL and Bill turned around to see what all the excitement was about, just in time to see starstruck Emery, head straight into a poll, bump his head and fall right on his butt.  A true W.C. Fields pratfall, and one they never let Emery forget.

Mae West and W. C. Fields.

Read more about Tom Lyle and Emery, during Hollywood's heyday, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It. 

Be sure to order signed copies for the Holiday's at http://www.maybellinebook.com/.

Maybelline founder Tom Lyle Williams believed in a strong work ethic before having fun.

Tom Lyle Williams with Sallee Allen, Emery Shaver, his niece Annette Louise Williams (Corbett) (his brother Noel and Frances Williams second child) and Arnold Anderson in front of the Villa Valentino in the Hollywood Hills, 1945.

Annette Louise Williams, Tom Lyle's brother Noel's, second daughter worked for the Maybelline Company as a secretary for many years - one of the few cousins who ever worked for the company for any length of time. 

As a young girl Annette learned the value of having a strong work ethic  from her uncle Tom Lyle and her father Noel, the two brothers who built the Maybelline Company from the ground up. But when she and her cousin Salle Allen, visited her uncle Tom Lyle at the Villa Valentino in the Hollywood Hills Annette also learned the value of playing hard as well. 

Dinners at The Brown Derby, a boat trip to Catalina Island and tickets to Grauman's Chinese Theater were special treats for visiting relatives from Chicago and though Annette may have worked hard at the Maybelline Company- in California she learned to kick up her heals and have the time of her life.

Working hard was a common thread that ran through Tom Lyle's life and he passed that value on, to all his nieces and nephews.  He believed that when there's a job to be done, fun must be put on hold until it's finished, but when the work is done, there's no limit to the fun that can be had. 

No wonder once the Maybelline Co. sold, Annette, with her husband and daughter,  moved to Montecito, Santa Barbara, California, and never looked back.  Like Tom Lyle, she couldn't resist the sunshine, beautiful beaches and laid back lifestyle that came with living on the Gold Coast.

Read more about Tom Lyle's dedication to hard work that made the Maybelline Company the most successful cosmetic company in the world.