
Carole Lombard wouldn't be a Hollywood magazine cover subject until October 1932, but the previous year -- the March 1931 issue, to be precise -- the fan mag, via an Otto Dyar portrait, made her part of its inside cavalcade of pics:

The story of her origins doesn't quite hold up (if anyone told Carole to focus on schooling for a few years, it was her mother, and Lombard's time on stage was minimal), but the photo, evoking Pathe's sultry William E. Thomas portraits of a few years before, reveals the sex appeal that helped win her a Paramount contract. The issue also featured another Paramount sex symbol, Clara Bow, whose star was starting to set as Carole's was beginning to rise:

There's a pre-MGM shot of Jean Harlow, who'd had a small role in the Bow vehicle "The Saturday Night Kid" two years before:

Charles "Buddy" Rogers, star of Lombard's first Paramount picture "Safety In Numbers" in 1930, is pictured at home:

Hollywood's most chic teenager, Loretta Young, shows off her style in a two-page pictorial:


That month's cover subject was Marguerite Churchill, taken by Edwin Bower Hesser:

Inside was an ad for Gary Cooper's latest film, "Fighting Caravans," proof that Paramount was attempting to bridge his popularity between women who liked him in romances, such as "I Take This Woman" with Lombard later in the year, and the male-oriented western crowd:

Leggy Anita Page, for whom 1931 would be a year of decline, still had enough star power to illustrate an ad for Hollywood's sister publication from Fawcett, Screen Play:

The 42-page magazine measures 8" x 12" and is in good condition with "some very light ageing," according to the seller. The auction for this item has just begun, with an opening bid of $9.99 and bidding set to end at 7:01 p.m. (Eastern) next Tuesday. If you're interested, find out additional information by going to http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARGUERITE-CHURCHILL-JEAN-HARLOW-CLARA-BOW-CAROL-LOMBARD-LORETTA-YOUNG-/321334560003?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ad1084503.