nostalgic
Shadoplay, the budget subsidiary to the far more successful Photoplay, wasn't too much longer for this world when Carole Lombard and Gary Cooper graced the cover of its September 1934 issue. The magazine ended its run the following year, having made little impact either editorially or on the newsstand.
This issue currently is available on eBay, and the seller not only provided prospective buyers with the cover, but a glimpse of what was inside. See that headline at the bottom of the cover -- "Hollywood's Happiest Woman"? Well, it doesn't refer to Lombard, but to another popular blonde beauty, hard-working Warners mainstay Joan Blondell:
On the other hand, there was a sad story on teenage Paramount starlet Dorothy Dell, who had died in an auto accident in June. (Lombard replaced her as the female lead in "Now And Forever," with Cooper and Shirley Temple.)
There's plenty of other intriguing material in this issue, from a portrait of Madge Evans to ads from Max Factor (with Jean Harlow) and Lux (with Dorothy Jordan) to studio ads hyping "Chained," "Dames" and "Imitation Of Life":
Oh, you say you've never heard of that Harlow film "Born To Be Kissed"? That's because MGM changed the title to "The Girl From Missouri" after the Production Code was more strictly enforced in mid-1934.
The seller writes the issue "is in really good condition. no tears or major wear. All pages are in good condition with very little discoloration."
Bids begin at $40 for this magazine. with bidding scheduled to end at 6:38 p.m. (Eastern) Saturday. Think you'd like to add this to your collection? You can bid, or find out more, by going to http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Shadoplay-Magazine-Sept-1934-Carole-Lombard-Gary-Cooper-/390753657488?pt=Magazines&hash=item5afabba290.
