Maybelline Model Rochelle Hudson, 1930's actress who's star faded to soon

  Rochelle Hudson - March 6, 1916 – January 17, 1972.

 Wild Boys of the Road (1933), 

playing Cosette in Les Misérables (1935),

 playing Mary Blair, the older sister of Shirley Temple's character in Curly Top, 

and for playing Natalie Wood's mother in Rebel Without a Cause (1955).

 Rochelle was the girl-next-door during her heyday, but faded as the times changed and films became more sophisticated.  Many Maybelline models, are not remembered today, because their stardom faded so soon. 

Merry Christmas from Author, Sharrie Williams. Here are some of my favorite vintage Christmas pictures

Tom Lyle Williams was Unk Ile to the family and never failed to remember every single one of his siblings, their children and their children's children on Christmas.  My sisters, brother and I, couldn't wait for our shiny $10.00 bill inside a money-card, that said Merry Christmas, Lots of love from Unk Ile.

Some of my favorite pictures

Sharrie and Donna Williams, 1949

Sharrie and Donna, 1952,

Tom Lyle Williams with Billee, Christmas, 1959.

Donna, Sharrie and Billee Williams, 1959.

Bill Williams with his uncle, Tom Lyle Williams, 1959.



Tom Lyle and Bill Williams, with Billee in the background, 1959

Tom Lyle with googley eye glasses, 1959.

my baby brother Preston 1960

Read about the founding of the Maybelline Company in 1915 to it's sale in 1967 in my book The Maybelline Story. You will meet it's founder and owner, Tom Lyle Williams, and his family.  I think you will enjoy reading about the family behind the name that became an American Institution. 

Vintage Merry Christmas 1943 during WW11

Christmas poker game with Noel J,  Dick,  Neppy, Frances and antie Ida, (Frances sister.) Chicago

  

Noel J, with two of his four children, 23 year old, Neppy and 11 year old Dick Williams.



Dick Williams, playing with one of his Christmas presents, a toy, WW ll, bomber plane.  Dick was fascinated with speed and was the first kid in school, to have a motorcycle, when he was only 14 years old.  

 

Christmas 1965, Evelyn Williams, Nana, my dad, Bill, me, and Unk Ile,
 (TL Williams.)

 

Unk Ile and Nana, 1966.

Sharrie, Bill, Unk Ile, Billee, my mother, Pauline, Donna and Nana, Christmas, 1967.

Bill, Vince Aiken, Charlie Lewis as Santa, my mother, Pauline and Billee, 1967.

Debby Angel, Preston as Santa, and Billee, 1968.

 Christmas, 1969, Lido Isle, Newport Beach, California.

Nana at my dad's home in Palm Springs, California, 1973.

My Baby Georgia, with Santa, 1978.

 Christmas Past with some of my Maybelline Family Cousins

Cousin Ann Louise Williams-Corbett, with Jimmy, Nancy, Chuck and and their father, Noel A. Williams, Christmas 1961.

Noel A. Williams Christmas, 1967.

Chuck Williams BB1, 1967



Chuck and his mother, Jean Williams, Christmas, 1970.

Some of my Maybelline cousins.  Top row, Ann Louise Williams-Corbett, Christine Williams-Huber, Nancy Williams, Chuck Williams, James Williams-Huber, Julee Williams-Huber, Jimmy Williams.  Christmas, Montecito,  California, 1970.

Nancy and Chuck Williams with cousin Ann Louise Williams-Corbett, 1970.

Maybelline's Power to change women's lives through Advertising.

The Maybelline Story starts 101 years ago. it takes the reader though the fascinating rags to riches life of founder, Tom Lyle Williams, and his fascinating family.  The reader will be enthralled from page one, as the story crisscrosses the country, from gangland Chicago to Star studded Hollywood.

Read how a simple product became an international sensation, changing women's perception of themselves.   Also, follow the Williams family through their ups and downs as their lives change in the most unusual and fascinating ways.  

Ask anyone who has read The book and they will tell you it's irresistible. 

The Maybelline Story has left a lasting impression upon America, yet not many people realize just how vital a role the cosmetic brand has played in shaping idealism for the last century.  The obsession with perfection was widely seen throughout Hollywood in the 1920's, and has reached unimaginable proportions today, with the help of plastic surgery.

Tom Lyle Williams, founder of the Maybelline Co. in 1915, inspiried woman, thorugh his artistic advertising, to embrace glamour and beauty with a simple swish of the eyes.

Maybelline was developed in a time when women were breaking free from oppressive traditon and demanding the right to vote as equals in their society.

The Maybelline story captivates the reader by its incredible survival through economic, social, and personal turmoil.  

The Maybelline Story takes you on a journey through 20^th century America. The memoir paints a picture of a fifty year, family owned business, now owned by L'Oreal Paris. A company that continues to thrive as an Icon on the world stage. 

You will be dazzled!!!

The age of Carmen Miranda movies and music had begun. Chica Chica Boom Chic!

Betty Grable featured in 20th Century Fox Pictures, Down Argentine Way.

“LEARN BETTY’S SECRET FOR BEAUTIFUL EYES,” the ad read.

Arnold had thoroughly retouched the before and after photos—producing illustration more than photography—to convey a smooth and beautiful complexion. The tiny before shot revealed a pretty girl with pale brows and lashes, while the after showed a lushly made-up young beauty. Tiny print mentioned that Betty Grable was featured in the film Down Argentine Way. This way, Tom Lyle reasoned, even if the movie tanked, the ad would still work since it didn't play up the film’s title. In the ad, Betty was quoted as saying, “It’s easy to have lovely alluring eyes…The magic secret is Maybelline eye make-up.” Emery’s copy gave step by step application instructions, ending with: “Then, the joyful climax…when you form your brows in graceful, classic lines with Maybelline smooth-marking Eyebrow Pencil.”

Tom Lyle wasn't the only one taking a risk on the film; so was Daryl Zanuck. Twentieth Century Fox studios had been counting on Alice Faye’s box office power to help solve their financial woes. Would a goofy, light-hearted romp, set in Argentina appeal to Americans in a year when dramatic films like The Philadelphia Story and The Grapes of Wrath would take most of the credits? A few westerns had done well, and Ginger and Fred were still dancing. Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour had starred in the popular Road to Singapore—which had nothing to do with Singapore and was oblivious to Japanese imperialism in the Pacific.

Fox wanted something fresh, and if they couldn’t cavort in Europe or the Pacific, they’d take their fun and games elsewhere. South America seemed like a pretty safe bet. With that lively Brazilian music, movie-goers could transport themselves to a place where war didn’t exist. 

Carmen Miranda

The gamble paid off. In October of 1940, FDR relieved everyone by saying, “I have said this before, and I’ll say it again and again: Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars.”  The film opened that same month, and the public adored Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda in her outrageous costumes. Revelers everywhere, like Evelyn’s crowd at the Biltmore, learned to samba to tunes like “Bambu Bambu.” The age of Carmen Miranda movies and music had begun. Chica Chica Boom Chic!

Alice Faye

At the same time, teens and young women in their twenties identified with Grable’s saucy blond beauty and lively spirit. In droves and busloads they crowded into dime stores to buy Maybelline. Tom Lyle immediately parlayed his new bombshell into another full-page color ad. Alice Faye had worked out her contract differences with Zanuck and signed along with Betty Grable to do Tin Pan Alley, another light-hearted musical, but Alice didn’t want to do business with friends, including Tom Lyle. Arnold got around this by developing an ambiguous photo-illustration that resembled both Alice and Betty. The caption read, “Adorable with Maybelline,” and audiences weren’t sure if the model was Faye or Grable--which was exactly what Tom Lyle wanted.