A Little Music

You may have noticed that I added some music to the blog.  I love music and so did Madeline.  She adored Frank Sinatra.  So scroll down to the bottom of the home page and play some Sinatra or Dean Martin while you read.  I also added an old school picture of Madeline.  Enjoy! 

Some Very Old Family Photos

Here a few really old family photos I found in a beautiful red velvet covered photo album. It is so old I had to be really careful when I removed the photos for scanning.  Some of the more unusual photos could not be removed without tearing something, so I left them alone.  To my husband's family members:  The captions are just in fun and are my words.

Three Ladies With Hats

 

Boy With Ring

This must be a family ring, unless it was common for babies to wear rings on their fingers in those days. 

 

Happy Lady 

This looks like a young lady who is content with herself.

Back of Happy Lady photo

Man or Woman?

Just asking, today some men wear earrings in both ears.

Woman with an Attitude

Maybe she is thinking Hurry up and take the photo, I have work to do!

Woman With Curls

Very severe look, but she looks at peace with herself.

Since You Went Away

This is a souvenir program from the 1944 movie "Since You Went Away", starring Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, and Shirley Temple.

The program is 20 pages, with full page, autographed photos of the major stars.  In addition to the four mentioned above, Monty Woolley, Lionel Barrymore, and Robert Walker each earn a full page photo.  The page opposite each photo gives a bio of the actors.

These are the middle pages of the program which detail each major scene in the movie and list each cast member in order of appearance.

For more information on this movie, check out this Turner Classic Movie link:  http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=90225

Cuba at the World's Fair (1939)

It's easy to see why this booklet caught my eye as I went through the box.  The graphics and design are meant to attract attention.  This book, as well as many others in Madeline's collection, is in very good condition.  The inside front cover states in large letters "You are Welcome!".  The 30 pages inside are a travel advertisement in words and photos of the island. 

This is the first page.  It starts:  "Cuba invites you to come and visit her.  Not as in '98, with troops and battleships, but just a happy, carefree visit."  If only the same could be said today!  It continues:  "Like good neighbors, we should know each other better."

The following pages cover History, Countryside, Beaches and Harbors, Cuban Highway, Havana, Old Towns, Crops, Customs, Mining, Sports, and Music and Dance.  The last page tells you that you don't have to go to Montecarlo to gamble, all that is legal in Cuba; and if you win big, you can party until dawn at the many nightclubs.  Here is the back cover:

A copy of this booklet was offered online for $40.  It is a nice piece of history.

Jean Harlow Bio Magazine

This is one of many fan magazines that Madeline saved.  The columnist Louella Parsons wrote this bio in 1937, right after Jean Harlow's death from uremic poison.

A typical Jean Harlow pose.  Beautiful gown and fur.  The photo on the ornate chest is of her Mom.

The house she lived in with husband Paul Bern.  Looks like a storybook cottage; however, Bern commited suicide here.

Ad inside front cover for "Modern Screen" magazine.  Selling for 10 cents everywhere.

Back cover advertisement for Maybelline, with Rochelle Hudson, 20th century Fox star.  Solid mascara in a metal vanity sold for 75 cents, with refills selling for 35 cents.  Cream mascara, in black, brown, or blue (!) with a brush and in a zippered pouch, sold for 75 cents. 

Inside back cover ad for Remington typewriter.  The offer was for renting the typewriter for 10 cents a day.  They describe the typewriter as a "noiseless portable".  I'm not afraid to admit that I learned how to type in high school on manual typewriters and they all made a lot of noise!  The ad also offers a free typing course and free carrying case.

I tried to research this bio magazine on the internet and was not too successful; however I did learn that a few sites had it for sale at some time for $50 to $100.  I guess we'll hang on to this one.

Party Book

Today's treasure is a book of party ideas and games.  The colorful cover caught my eye:

Here is the back cover:

"Everybody's Party Book with Indoor Games" is authored by William P. and Bonita Keasbey.  The book was published in 1931 by Whitman Publishing Co., Racine, WI.

You can see they covered all the major holidays and then some!  Looking through the book I am reminded that 1931 was a much simpler time, with no tvs or computers.  I must be an "old soul" because I can easily imagine playing these games with family and friends.  Of course there is no reason in the world why we can't still play these games today.  Madeline gave her review of the book on the front cover:  "Read it.  It's good!".