Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Barrymore (Ethel Mae Blythe, 1879-1959), four times nominated for an Academy Award, winner of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART(1944).

Joseph Schildkraut

Joseph Schildkraut (1896-1964) by Muray Studios. 

Schildkraut’s father was the character actor Rudolph Schildkraut (1862-1930). Joseph won an Academy Award as Alfred Dreyfus in THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA (1937), and he would win a Golden Globe as Otto Frank in THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (1959).

Holmes Herbert

Holmes Herbert (Horace Edward Jenner, 1882-1956) by Muray Studios.

Herbert’s first wife was the character actress Beryl Mercer; his second was Elinor Kershaw Ince, widow of the producer Thomas H. Ince.

Margaret Vale

Margaret Vale appeared in two Broadway shows between 1914 and 1916. She was also featured in films from 1915; a Margaret Vale was still working, perhaps uncredited, as late as 1937, in Reginald Denny’s SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE TROCADERO.

Ballet Doris Niles

Doris Niles (Doris Jones, 1905-1998, at the back in the center, holding the guitar) with members of Ballet Doris Niles; in 1929 the company was based in Steinway Hall on West Fifty-seventh Street in Manhattan.

In this period Muray’s studio was located nearby at the new Park Central Hotel.

Nickolas Muray Day

“Alan Dinehart, who plays opposite Florence Reed in THE MIRAGE [1920-21], Edgar Selwyn’s much discussed play in the Times Square Theatre.” 

Photo by Nickolas Muray (Miklós Mandl, 1892-1965)

Juxtaposition is everything

Gloves

Rings

Gary Cooper and Marion Davies in OPERATOR 13 (1934)

More CDVs

“Rue Castiglione,” looking at the Place Vendôme in Paris.

Cabinet card by Debitte & Hervé at 170 and 174 Rue de Rivoli.

More first impressions

To wrap up my occasional series on first appearances in early AMG albums, here are some of the most prominent of those débuts. 

Bob Delmonteque was still active in the 2010s.

Wally Shillcutt and Tabby Anderson were photographed by many studios — perhaps it was Kovert of Hollywood which led them to Athletic Model Guild.

Henry Lenz was Mr. Muscle Beach in 1952, a year or so after his work for AMG was published.

Like some of the others on this list, Rupert Edmund Holovchik — Ed Fury (1928-2023) — worked with other photographers. As was true of Mizer’s first model, Fury’s sessions with AMG spanned years.

Sandy

Reading party

Just dates

August 1938 

Blowing Rock, 12 October 1941

“Taken in the tent,” 16 July 1945

July 1947

September 1947 

June 1953

More Andy Kozak

The first two images appear to be from sessions photographed by Bob Mizer and sold (at least initially) by Kozak himself.

What to make of this dual, which looks like it was taken at Kozak’s new home in Carmel?

Andy Kozak by three photographers

I have lots of images of Andy Kozak, with some of the photographers identified — others seem likely based on style or dress. This one is by Denny Denfield.

I attribute this photo to Kovert of Hollywood — the setting bears a resemblance to shots in Kozak’s P catalogue at AMG.

This photo is by Spartan of Hollywood.

Still more Marion Davies

Photo attributed to George Hurrell (1904-1992), Ruth Harriet Louise’s successor at MGM

I think this photo shows Marion Davies at the beach house she shared with William Randolph Hearst in Santa Monica — when they weren’t staying at (and entertaining in) one of a half dozen other residences.

More Marion Davies

Photo by Geisler & Andrews Studio [Frank E. Geisler (1867-1935) and Mae Andrews, partners 1917-21]

Marion Davies was the top female star in films in 1922, as well as “Queen of the Screen,” after the artistic triumph of the heavily-promoted WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER (1922), about which Will Rogers duly noted that her next picture would be called WHEN ELECTRIC LIGHT WAS IN POWER.

Joe Leitel in films

Bruce Reid, Alan Parker, and Joe Leitel in BEN HURRY

Joe Leitel, Kelly Mangum, and Walt Bowman in I WAS A TEENAGE BUM