Maybelline Men and their obsession with style.

Part of the American Dream was owning a beautiful Automobile and for some that became a life long affection. 

Eva Williams-Haines in the the family's new 1930 Pontiac Sedan.  Proud Papa Ches - with his Kodak camera - took this picture of the family, with their daughter's June and Marilyn eagerly looking out the window in the back seat.

Here is Ches Haines with his new, 1940, Pontiac Sedan, now big enough to carry three or four kids in the back seat.  A car like this was a mark of success and while Tom Lyle owned custom Packard's,

Ches Haines was a true, Pontiac man.  

Just Married in 1924, Eva and Ches began a life together that would span over 50 years.  During those years, Ches continued his love for beautiful automobiles and by the 1960's, bought a new one every year or two.

Eva and Ches Haines, in 1940, now had three kids; June, Marilyn and Bobby.  Life was good.  Maybelline continued  skyrocketing to the moon - providing security and prosperity, at the end of the Great Depression.  

     Eva and Ches in 1952, with their first grandchild, Jerry Westhouse, Marilyn's son.  Jerry grew up, influenced by his grandfather's enthusiasm for beautiful automobiles, and would eventually race them in the 1970's, and is still part of the racing world, through Newman/Haas Racing.  

Read more about Eva and Ches in, The Maybelline Story, and be sure to scroll down and listen to Ches Haines sing with his brother in law, Tom Lyle Williams, in a pretend broadcast, of The Maybelline Hour, presenting "Penthouse Serenade."

Also don't forget to try Eva's Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler,   (look under Past Events, for video of Sharrie making it on AZTV.)   The recipe is at the bottom of this web page, just scroll down.       

Signed copies of The Maybelline Story available at http://www.maybellinestory.com/ in time for the Holidays.

Hedy Lamarr vintage makeup bags coming soon.

Tom Lyle's Charismatic Brother In Law, Chester Haines.

Tom Lyle's litter sister, Eva Williams, married Chester Haines, in 1924 and he worked for The Maybelline Company for over 40 years.

Love Birds, Eva and Ches, at Tom Lyle's Summer cabin, in 1923.

 Like all the men in my family, Ches Haines loved beautifully crafted automobiles.  Perhaps that's why Tom Lyle - a car enthusiast himself - put Ches in charge of Maybelline's transportation department - as soon as he and Eva were married of course!! 



Ches was in charge of  transporting cases of Maybelline to post office's and dime stores around Chicago.





Chester Haines with his brand new 1930 Pontiac Sedan.

 Chester Haines, not only had an affinity for beautiful automobiles, he had a killer sense of humor and a singing voice that could charm bird's right out the tree.  In fact, his voice was so smooth, I bet, if circumstances were different, he might have landed a recording contract as a crooner. 

Be sure to listen to Ches Haines, sing "Maybe," and "Your Beautiful Eye's" on the record he made in 1947, with his brother in law, Tom Lyle Williams and Harold W. Ragland, Maybelline's marketing executive - as well as Eva and the rest of the Williams family.   Just scroll down a few post's and click on the video. 

Read more about Eva and Chester Haines, in The Maybelline Story and The Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  Be sure to order signed copies in time for the Holidays.

Maybelline's final Matriarch.

Tom Lyle and his sister Eva Williams-Haines, were the last remaining siblings out of the original six Williams Children.  Here is a letter from TL, to Eva, one year exactly, before his death in 1976.

TL and Eva, 10 years before his death.

Thomas Lyle Williams

900 Airole Way, Bel Air

Los Angeles, California, 90034

September 27, 1975

Dear Sneeve:

Notice the cute nick names TL and Eva, have for each other, and the way he signs his name, Tommy Lyle.  TL, remained devoted to his family until the end of his life. 

Eva carried on the Williams family tradition, as the final Maybelline Matriarch, and was a close confidant of mine, during my quest, to write The Maybelline Story.

Read more about Eva, TL and the rest of the Williams family in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  Get your signed copy of The Maybelline Story at www.maybellinestory.com for the Holiday's.

TL Williams, recording, Penthouse Serenade.

Vintage recording of Maybelline commercial, done by the TL Williams and his family, just having fun at a party.

                                                           Click on Video.
                 T.L Williams (Penthouse Saranade (video).wmv

                               

When Tom Lyle's sister Eva and her husband Ches Haines, bought a new record-making machine, in 1947, the first thing they did was invite the family over to record a pretend Maybelline radio show.  "Penthouse Serenade" is the result. 
 
Listen to Tom Lyle as MC, with Rag's Ragland at the piano and Ches Haines singing, while the rest of the family joins in.  This never before heard recording, has been packed away for over 60 years.  My cousin Jerry Westhouse, Eva's grandson, was kind enough to share it with me, so I could share it with you.  


Read more about the radio show, Penthouse Serenade hosted by The Maybelline Hour, with Orchestra leader, Freddy Martin, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  

Maybelline - Are things getting better?

Here is a video from Maybelline New York,  saying "Things are getting better." 

                 What do you think of it. 

I will posting a recording made in 1947, of Tom Lyle and the family, pretending to do a Maybelline Radio commercial.

Behind the scenes with Maybelline New York.

Stay tuned, you can compare, what a long way Maybelline commercials have come from 1915 to today - almost 100 years.

              Maybe She's Born With It! 

The decline of an era, gone with the wind.

How do I love thee, let me count the ways.



Tom Lyle Williams at 70 years of age.

 As handsome and glamorous, as always, Tom Lyle, carried on another 10 years alone, before his death in 1976. 

Life without Emery, left a void in TL's heart, that could never be filled.  The luster, spark and joy, they shared for over 45 years, was now extinguished, but the memories  of those magical Maybelline days, remained a kind compensation. 

Read about the magic between Tom Lyle and Emery, in The Maybelline Story.

Signed copies available for Holiday gifts at www.maybelinestory.com  

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/.

Hollywood - the perfect place to blend in - during, the 1930s.

Tom Lyle and Emery stood out too much in Gangland Chicago, during the Depression. 

My father, Bill Williams with his mother, Evelyn, his uncle Tom Lyle and Emery Shaver in Chicago, 1934.

Tom Lyle's father TJ, concerned about young Bill's safety, asked Tom Lyle and Emery to leave Chicago and move to Hollywood, where they might blend in better.  He worried that the flashy car and fancy clothes, fostered too much attention and endangered the child they were often seen with. 

TL took his father's advise and moved to Whitley Heights in the Hollywood Hills, and bought the Villa Valentino.  The next year, Preston, Evelyn and Bill followed.

Read all about it, in The Maybelline Story and don't forget, the book makes great Holiday gifts.

Fate, brought Maybelline founder Tom Lyle Williams and Emery Shaver together.

Tom Lyle Williams and Emery Shaver, casual yet elegant, living the California Lifestyle in the 1930's.  But how did the meet?

According to TL's sister, Eva Williams-Haines', son, Bob Haines;  Tom Lyle met Emery one night at a party in 1919.  Emery had no place to stay that night, for some reason, so, Tom Lyle brought him home to his family, who were all living in an apartment above the first little Maybelline Company warehouse/office, in Chicago. 

According to TL's, sister Mabel's, granddaughter, Linda Hughes;  TL's father TJ, called Emery, "The man who came to dinner," and I guess never left.  TL and Emery, were together from that day on, until Emery's death at 61 years of age.  Tom Lyle never got over losing Emery. 

Read more about TL and Emery, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It. 

Buy  signed copes for your friends and family.
A stunning piece of nostalgia is the best gift you can give this year, for the Holidays. 

Tom Lyle Williams and Emery Shaver, together in life and death.

Tom Lyle Williams and Emery Shaver..... Family men, and Entrepreneurs. 

Tom Lyle Williams, Emery Shaver's sister and brother, Emery Shaver sitting on the ground with the dog, another sister, Ches Haines and TL's sister, Eva Williams-Haines.
This picture of the Williams and Shaver's, was taken after Tom Lyle bought his new 1921 Packard.  The second outstanding automobile TL would own over his lifetime. 

TL's, first car, was the Paige Detroit, bought in 1916.  The reason he loved his new Packard so much, was because the entire family could squeeze into it for a Sunday drive. 

 I had a picture of my father, Bill Williams as a baby, with his parents, Preston and Evelyn and the whole Williams family, cruising in TL's big black Packard, and it looked a little like the picture below! 

(My picture was lost in the Laguna Beach firestorm, in 1993, when my home was burned to the ground.)

              The Memphis Police Department's 1921

TL's first custom made automobile was the Paige Detroit.  Known as the most beautiful car in the world.

Tom Lyle and Emery were together for nearly 50 years and are entombed together in death. 

Tom Lyle and Emery ran the advertising division of the Maybelline Company, at the Villa Valentino in the Hollywood Hills.  When the Villa was torn down to make room for the Hollywood freeway, in 1949, they moved to a modern stone and glass estate in Bel Air California.

After Emery's sudden death in 1964, Tom Lyle decided to sell the Maybelline Company.  Which he did in December, 1967. 

Read the whole story in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It. 

Be sure to get your signed copies for Christmas gifts, at www.maybellinebook.com.

Maybelline's secret, revealed in Laguna Beach!

My Presentation of The Maybelline Story, for the American Association of University Women, was a smashing success.

In a casual, relaxed manner, surrounded by Laguna Beach locals, I was able to bring, The Maybelline Story, alive through 232 slides of vintage family pictures and Maybelline advertisements.

Giving my 45 minute presentation to a packed house.

Laguna Beach Books, was full of friends and family, as well as curious locals who enjoyed the article about The Maybelline Story in the Laguna Beach Magazine and Independent News Paper.

Friends I had not seen in several years showed up to buy my book and put a smile on my face.

Men and women of all ages said the presentation was fascinating and I was asked to do it again next year for the Laguna Beach Women's Club.

If you missed my presentation, you can still experience The Maybelline Story coming alive by reading it yourself.  It is an amazing story about a young entrepreneur, with a great idea, who set the cosmetic world on fire, yet hide from the public, to keep his secret from destroying the Maybelline Company, in the 20th Century.

Long time Laguna Beach friends, Donna Beam, Ceil Sharman, me and Sharrie Yamamoto.

My sister Donna Williams and childhood friend Cheryl Manbeck, both make an appearance in The Maybelline Story.

Watch this very short video and see how - so very simply, with the utmost respect -  I reveal my great uncle's secret.

The Maybelline story is available on Kindle and The Nook, as well as being available at Barnes and Nobel.  You can purchase a signed copy from me at 

The Maybelline Story makes great Holiday gifts for your Mother, Daughter, Sister, Aunts, and friends.  Men say they can't put it down as well.  After all it is the story of advertising in the 20th Century.

Stay tuned next week for more great posts on The Maybelline Blog.

In the Kitchen with Maybelline for the Holidays.

Auntie Frances' Chocolate Icebox Dessert

Part one of the Morning Scramble, on AZTV.

Part two of Sharrie, In the Kitchen with Tonya Mock and Lew Rees.

Click on video so see how this delightful 1930's dessert is made. 

The recipe is at the bottom of this web page.  It is truly out of this world, and nothing you can find anywhere.  Make it for Christmas, with crushed peppermint on top, for a festive, fun, unforgettable taste treat.

Speaking of Christmas, don't forget to order signed copies of The Maybelline Story at www.maybellinestory.com for all the special ladies in your life. 

Check back tomorrow for pictures at video of my presentation in Laguna Beach...

Happy Veterans Day

 On this special Veterans Day.....
God Bless the brave men and women past and present who put their lives on the line for us.

WASHINGTON — Before the United States was born, there was a Marine Corps. For the last 236 years Marines have fought tirelessly to preserve the freedom of the United States and the traditions of the Corps.

Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11. It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War 1. 

Veterans Day has always had special for me, because my grandfather William Preston Williams fought overseas  for his country.  He returned with Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD,) a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma.

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Maybelline's contribution during World War ll, included promoting War Bonds, raising moral and honoring all branches of the Service.

 This Maybelline ad says - Save your money the safest way - Buy U.S. War Bonds Regularly.

Read more about my grandfather, Preston and my father Bill, during the Wars, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It. 

This weekend I will be posting a video of my cooking segment at AZTV, making Frances' Depression Era, Chocolate Icebox Cake last month.

Also stay tuned for video and pictures of my Laguna Beach presentation at Laguna Beach Books hosted by the Association of American University Women last weekend.   

Clenet, the most elegant coach-built automobile ever produced.

The party's over, and Bill Williams classic # 13, Clenet, goes back home until next year!

Bill and Gloria at Casa Guillermo. This picture was used for advertising Clenet Coachworks in 1980.

click on video.

Sharrie Williams and Steve Kouracos, tuck Bill's Clenet back in it's spot, in the garage, until next year.

This particular Clenet is very rare because it was the last car built on a Lincoln Continental running gear and chassis.  After 1977 the running gear on the first series cars changed to a Mercury Cougar chassis with a smaller motor, transmission and suspension.  This particular Clenet has the 400 cubic inch engine with the C6 transmission, large breaks and suspension.  There were many Series 1 cars that were purchased by celebrities and used in filming movies and TV Shows.

After the Series 1 was completed, Clenet then designed and produced the Series ll - a four passenger - and went into production on his Series lll, The ASHA.

This car has 26,000 original miles and has been in storage for the past 6 years.  Recently it went through a preservation by Steve Kouracos.  Kouracos was one of the original craftsmen at Clenet Coachworks.  He set up and managed the body and paint division.  The car is 100% original, including the 35 year old lacquer paint job.  We hope you enjoy viewing this piece
 of automotive history as much as we love showing it.   

Specs:
400 cubic inch 2v v-8 engine
Select shift automatic transmission C6
Four-wheel power disc brakes
2.75 rear axle ratio

Questions, please call:
 Steve Kouracos
949-922-3013 

Read more about Bill Williams and the Maybelline family, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind it! 

Buy a signed copy from his daughter, and author, Sharrie Williams at http://www.maybellinestory.com/.