enthralled
It's Carole Lombard in glorious (for the time) two-strip Technicolor, in a scene from her final short for Mack Sennett (not to mention her final film without sound), "Matchmaking Mamma," released in March 1929 but likely filmed near the end of 1928. The above is a screengrab, as in those days publicity stills weren't issued in color. But they were made in black and white, and a stunning (and rare) example from that film has surfaced on eBay:
The "sheik" who tried to steal a kiss from Carole has been unmasked, as Lombard and Daphne Pollard stand over him. Here's a better view of Lombard at age 20, when she was known as "Carole of the curves":
And in this closeup of the lower left-hand corner, get a glimpse of part of Lombard's shapely leg at extreme right:
On the back of the image is a stamp, where the movie is incorrectly titled "Matchmaking Mama" (elsewhere, it's been wrongly labeled "Matchmaking Mamas"):
There are more than a few stills from Carole's Sennett movies on auction sites, but this is the first time I've come across this image. Making this 8" x 10" all the more attractive is that it's in very fine condition -- not bad for a pic that's 84 years old.
The good news is that the opening bid on this is a mere $4.95, surprisingly low for something of this rarity. The bad news is that it almost certainly won't sell so cheaply, as bidding won't conclude until 9:59 p.m. (Eastern) June 30 -- so if you're going to bid on this, prepare to re-bid, possibly multiple times. Bid, or learn more, by going to http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-1929-EARLY-CAROLE-LOMBARD-RARE-PIN-UP-PHOTOGRAPH-MATCHMAKING-MAMA-SILENT-/231002785900?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item35c8d6c86c.
It's an uncharacteristically pensive Lombard in our latest Live Journal header, Paramount p1202-125.
