Maybelline founder Tom Lyle Williams

Maybelline's Wonder Woman, Linda Carter.

Provocative and Sexy Maybelline's
 Super Hero!!!

best known for being Miss World USA and as the star of the 1970s television series, The New Original Wonder Woman (1975–77) and The New Adventures of Wonder Woman (1977-79).




Maybelline's Wonder Woman, 1984.



Wonder Woman is a warrior Princess of the Amazons (based on the Amazons of Greek mythology) and was created by Marston, an American, as a "distinctly feminist role model whose mission was to bring the Amazon ideals of love, peace, and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men."[2] Known in her homeland as Diana of Themyscira, her powers include superhuman strength, flight ( even though the original Wonder Woman did not have this ability), super-speed, super-stamina, and super-agility. She is highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat and in the art of tactical warfare. She also possesses an animal-like cunning and a natural rapport with animals, which has in the past been presented as an actual ability to communicate with the animal kingdom. She uses her Lasso of Truth, which forces those bound by it to tell the truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets, a tiara which serves as a projectile, and, in some stories, an invisible airplane.


Click on Video to see Linda Carter, Wonder Woman in a 1984, Maybelline commercial.


          Click video to see Wonder Woman in action.

Maybelline's Supermen save the Planet!!!

And so..... Once upon a time, in America, Maybelline - Super Heroes, lived to make the world a better place.


Reading from the Maybelline Story, to an audience of Super Heroes - Author Sharrie Williams, tells them how it all began.  

Superman, Captain America, Spider-Man, Bat Man, the Hulk and many other Super Heroes, were fascinated by the feats of Maybelline Heroes, who used their super-imagination's to create a more beautiful face for the Universe.

Stay tuned tomorrow to meet, Maybelline's original Super Hero,  Wonder Woman, the warrior Princess of the Amazons!!!

Read about the Maybelline Super Heroes, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind Them.  Signed copies for gift giving, available at www.maybellinestory.com

Hedy Lamarr, vintage makeup bags, on their way!!!

Maybelline Heir - RACE CAR DRIVER - Jerry Westhouse and the Indy 500 .

 Like Grandfather like Grandson!  Jerry Westhouse loves anything with wheels.


 Eva and Ches Haines, with their first grandchild, Jerry Westhouse, in the 1970's.  Ches continued his love for beautiful automobiles until the end of his life and passed on his legacy to his grandson, Jerry.  After the Maybelline company sold in 1967, Ches bought matching Rolls Royce's for Eva and himself, with vanity plates that said, Eva and Ches.  Now that's true love!!


 My cousin, Jerry Westhouse racing dirt bikes, in the 1970's, aspired to be a race car driver!! 


                           Jerry Westhouse today.


Jerry Westhouse, still has the racing spirit, and parlayed it into a career, after meeting Paul Newman, the actor and racing enthusiast, in the 1970's.  My cousin Jerry has worked for Paul Newman and Newman/Haas racing for years, and is one of the team players, who helps build Indie 500 race cars.

Newman Haas Racing - Car 2 - Oriol Servia - Las Vegas Parade 2011 - In-Car Video




                                 Jerry Westhouse

Once the car was completed, Westhouse was chosen to drive the new ride, which was shaken down with conventional bodywork. (click below for full story.)
http://www.nhra.com/blog/blog.aspx?BlogAlias=dragster-insider&BlogPostYear=2011&BlogPostMonth=1&BlogPostDay=28&BlogPostAlias=a-bold-yet-frustrating-attempt&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1



Read more about Jerry Westhouse's grandfather Ches Haines, who passed on his love for cars to his grandson in, The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  Get signed copies for the Holidays at www.maybellinestory.com.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex was built in 1909 as a gravel-and-tar track and hosted a smattering of small events, including ones for motorcycles.

Maybelline Super Heroes and Alphas.

No wonder I've always been attracted to dynamic, Charismatic men.  I grew up surrounded by Super Heroes and Alphas!!!!


Sharrie Williams with her great uncle, Ches Haines, 1965.

Between my own Grandfather, Preston Williams, (whom I never met, but know he was a major-Alpha,) 
my father Bill, a Super-Alpha,  
my great-uncle Tom Lyle, well, I rest my case on him, what more can I say about Super Heroes!!! 
 My great uncle Noel, a Super Hero, among        
Super Heroes, and my two great uncle's
 Chet Hewes and Ches Haines, both over the top, Sparkling-Super-Hero-Alphas, it was hard to accept anything less than perfection.... 

These men set the bar so high, nobody could ever really live up to them.  So bitter-sweet as it was, being surrounded by such dynamic, charismatic giants, the only thing I could do, was tell their story, bring them back to life and hope my readers might feel their magic too.  May they inspire you to never give up on your dreams.

 We all have the Super Hero, Alpha-gene, in us, if we just believe!!!! 

Happy Thanksgiving to all my followers in America, and thank you to the 95 countries around the world, who check into the Maybelline Blog everyday.  I hope getting to know my family, touches your lives and gives you the will, to make your dreams a reality. Happy Holidays one and all.

Don't forget to listen to my Super Hero-Alpha, great uncles, Tom Lyle and Ches Haines, recording a vintage Maybelline commercial in 1947. 


ALPHAS trailer.

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.