Clifton Webb and Friends

The man on the right is actor Clifton Webb.  Curiously what's written on the back, "Dave McIntyre Don Larson June 59"  doesn't mention Webb.  Perhaps the writer assumed that  identifying Webb wasn't necessary.  I couldn't find any info on McIntyre and Larson, but for those of you too young and don't watch old movies.....

Webb was born Webb Parmalee Hollenbeck in 1889 in the less than cosmopolitan Indianapolis, Indiana.  As a child he studied voice and dance and was a professional ballroom dancer by his late teens.  His early career was mostly in the theater.  He had the occasional film role, including in silent movies, but didn't become a star until 1944 when he played villain Waldo Lydecker in Otto Preminger's Laura.  In 1948 he starred in Sitting Pretty as Lynn Belvedere an eccentric genius who takes a job as a babysitter.  The movie was so successful that Webb ended up making a series of Mr. Belvedere films.  He was in Titanic opposite Barbara Stanwyck, still my favorite film version of the sinking of the ship.  (Sorry James Cameron.)  Some of his more memorable films,  The Razor's Edge,  The Man Who Wasn't There, Three Coins in a Fountain, Cheaper By the Dozen,  and as Victor Parmalee, in Boy on a Dolphin.  I wonder if he chose the name of the character.  He lived with his overbearing mother Maybelle  until she died in 1960.  He died six years latter in 1966. 

Going by the backdrop, I'm thinking this photo was taken in a television studio. Perhaps he was being interviewed.

Shadows and Light

Flee, flee for your life.  They are coming to get you.

Song Writers

These guys look like Brill Building types before rock and roll completely took over.  I can see these guys writing Dungaree Doll, a hit for Eddie Fisher, but not the type of song that Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote.  On the other hand, maybe they're just tow guys entertaining at a party who work in sales.

On the Phone

She's wearing a name tag, so this had to be taken at some sort of event.  Fund raising for the local school band? 

Playtime

Two older children, disguised as Mexican banditos, capture privileged younger son.  The end is near my dear! 

Woman on Horseback

I got tired of having my desk covered in loose photographs and old postcards, so I bought a plastic box and shoved everything in and was finally able to see wood grain.  True, it's fake wood grain, but small victories.  On the other hand, out of sight, out of mind, so I now find myself having to make time for The New Found Photography.  Just in case anyone was wondering about the slower pace of my efforts.

So, despite the card stock this was printed on, lacking a publishers name and address, this is not a real photo postcard.  Blow it up and take a closer look and the very tiny dots found in mass commercial printing are quite visible.  I can remember, when I worked in photo labs, if we wanted to make a copy negative of something from a magazine we had to use a special filter on the process camera to descreen those images. 

While this postcard was never mailed there is something written on the back.  "Hazel Jester 595 St. Ams Av N. Y. City  Lovingly Nanna 1921"  Anyway, I was pretty sure that there wouldn't be a St. Ams Avenue in New York City, or for that matter anywhere  else.  I figured it must be a hastily written corruption of St. James Ave.  I looked it up, it's in the Elmhurst section of Queens at the corner of St. James and Broadway.  Not the Broadway in Manhattan.

Holiday In Havana

I've long know that postcard publishers often made stereo-cards as well.  This is the fist time I've seen a postcard that is nothing more than half of a stereo-view.   With both an American and Cuban flag I'm guessing this photo was taken during that brief period of time between the U.S. being allies in the liberation of Cuba from Spain and morphing into an occupying army.  No publishers name listed on the card.

The Fairmont Hotel, Atop Nob Hill

Ah, the good old days when ladies and gentlemen dressed for dinner, smoked in restaurants, had cocktails and were served by waitresses dressed somewhere between 19th century Viennese servant and Vegas showgirl.

This postcard was mailed and it does have a message, "July 11, Just had luncheon with Golda Woodworth at the Crown Room-a new edition-very posh!  Heard Fiedler in concert a very fine concert.  Weather cooler again.  Leaving for L.A. the 15th.  Rec'd your nice letter.  Am enjoying my trip such a lot-Love- Florence E."   Mailed to "Mrs. George  Woodward. N. 2418 Pacific Ave., Spokane 43 Wash."  And the caption, "Only the stars are higher than the spectacular Crown Room Cocktail Lounge atop the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.  Soaring 29 floors above the city, scenic ascents may be made via an exciting outside glass-enclosed Sky-lift."  The postmark is pretty much unreadable, but The Crown Room opened in 1961 and, based on a few still visible letters, I'm making a guess that it was mailed from Tiburon.

Well, maybe it wasn't the good old days.  Smoking, cocktails and wearing ties doesn't sound that good to me.  Woodworth and Woodward?

The Millers

It's tempting to write that this photo has to be from the World War 2 era because of all the women in the picture.  But, that sure looks like a cotton bale in the center of the photograph and women have always been a large part of the textile industry.  I'm in my sixties and for about a third of my working life it was legal to smoke at work.  There is a no smoking sign in the background of this image and textile mills were one of the places where smoking was not allowed before work place smoking, in general, was banned.  The cotton dust in the air was highly flammable, and cotton mill fires killed a lot of people.

A Military Confab

Even with my best magnifying glass I can't make out what's printed on the book underneath the desk.  I bought this photo here, in L.A., so I'm guessing those are American uniforms, from around the World War 2 era, though I have to admit that guess has as much to do with the hairdos.  But which branch of the military?  And what is that thing on the desk?  It has a key in it, is the wrong size and shape for a brief case. Is it some sort of code machine?   And yes, I blew up the picture and the woman on the left does have a bit of her finger in her nose.  Military secrets.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Back In the U.S.A.

I started this collection with two postcards from Missouri and I'm ending with  three people sitting in a car with Missouri license plates from 1948.  I can't know if those cards were purchased before this trip or if the photo was taken after but I did think they made nice bookends for Gloria Lee's European trip.   In my last post I noted that one of the photos might have a link for this finale of the collection.  A way off to the side, barely visible, stood a young lady who was probably Gloria Lee.  From that distant semi-profile, is it possible to figure out which of the two young ladies seen here is Gloria Lee Bigewet?  If nothing else there is a chance for some speculation.  My guess, the woman on the right in this picture.

And while we're dealing with guess work, how about the pronunciation of her last name.  I'm guessing it has a French origin and it might begin like bijou and end like Chevrolet.  Bishaway, phonetically?

Click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels to finally see the whole thing.