Betty Boop

Betty Boop is one of the most enduring and recognisable animated characters in film history, a true icon of the Jazz Age. Created by Grim Natwick at the request of Max Fleischer, she appeared in 90 animated films between 1930 and 1939. 'La Boop' quickly became known as 'The Queen of the Animated Screen.' She is the first fully human, all-female animated character, rising from a supporting role to star in her own popular series, produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 661-003. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Rockin' Boop.


Spanish card, no. 8, in the "Dibujos animados" series. Betty Boop, Koko and Bimbo. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


Spanish postcard by Ediciones ARFA, Barcelona, no. 51/8. Betty Boop and Mickey Rooney. Caption: "A trip to Niagara". Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


Spanish postcard in the Series Estrellas del cinema, no. 67. Photo: Paramount Film.

Helen Kane (1904-1966) was an American singer and actress, whose signature song 'I Wanna Be Loved by You' (1928) was featured in the 1928 stage musical Good Boy. Kane's voice and appearance were thought to be a source for Fleischer Studios animators when creating Betty Boop. In early 1929, she signed an $8,000-a-week contract with Paramount for seven musical films, made between 1929 and 1931.

From an incidental human-dog crossbreed to a fully human female character

Betty Boop made her screen debut on 9 August 1930, in the Talkartoon short Dizzy Dishes (Grim Natwick, Ted Sears, 1930).

She was originally conceived as an anthropomorphic French poodle and a girlfriend for the studio's star, Bimbo.

The character was modelled on the popular flapper style of the 1920s, with singer Helen Kane often cited as the primary inspiration—particularly for the signature 'Boop Oop a Doop' line.

Over the course of her early appearances, Betty was also sometimes called 'Nancy Lee' or 'Nan McGrew.'

Her transformation from an incidental human-dog crossbreed to a fully human female character was complete by the release of Any Rags? (Willard Bowsky, Thomas Bonfiglio, 1932), where her floppy poodle ears had become hoop earrings and her black canine nose a button-like human nose.




Spanish cardboard figurines to assemble. You had three different parts to insert one into another: the head, the body, and the legs. You could combine them, as there were several variations of each part, so you could have different versions of Betty Boop. To give you an example, we show you the same figurine adorning two versions of the head. To make the figurine stand upright, you had to fold the two flaps down below. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 661-041. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Cracker Smacks Boop.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 661-001. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Hooray for Hollywood.

A flirtatious sex symbol known for her large eyes, pin curls, and trademark garter

By 1932, Betty Boop’s popularity had surpassed that of Bimbo, and she was crowned the star of her own animated series, beginning with Stopping the Show (Dave Fleischer, Roland Crandall, 1932).

This peak era produced some of her most famous and surreal shorts, cementing her image as a flirtatious sex symbol known for her large eyes, pin curls, and trademark garter.

Notable films from this creative period, listed among the series' best, include the groundbreaking short Snow White (Dave Fleischer, Roland Crandall, 1933), which featured a surreal visual style.

Another highlight is Minnie the Moocher (Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky, 1932), which featured a famous appearance by musician Cab Calloway.

In 1934, Betty made her only cinematic appearance in colour in Poor Cinderella (Seymour Kneitel, Roland Crandall, William Henning, 1934), where she was, unusually, depicted with red hair.


French postcard by Editions Dalix, no. 25. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give A Boop!


French postcard by Editions Dalix, no. 25. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Don't Play with my Heart.


French postcard by Editions Dalix, no. 25. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Trade your alarm clock for a cuddly wake-up call.


French postcard by Editions Dalix, no. 28. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: You can see that I'm waiting for you.

The attention of censors

Betty Boop's provocative style and suggestive storylines eventually drew the attention of censors.

With the Hays Code (Production Code) coming into full effect for animation around 1935, Betty's character underwent significant changes.

Her plots evolved from exciting and outlandish adventures to more domestic and demure scenarios. Visually, she was drawn taller and older, and her dresses were lengthened to hide her trademark garter.

Her sidekicks also changed to accommodate the new tone, with Bimbo being swapped out for a cuddly puppy named Pudgy, and Koko the Clown replaced by the eccentric inventor Grampy.

Her later filmography included more innocuous films such as A Little Soap and Water (Dave Fleischer, Myron Waldman, 1935) and Service With a Smile (Dave Fleischer, Dave Tendlar, 1937). Her popularity declined, and the original Betty Boop series was discontinued in 1939.


Swedish card by Allers Familj-Journal, no. 55, in the "Stjärnparaden" series. The magazine started in 1879 and became "Allers Familj-Journal" in 1894. At the end of the 1930s, the name was shortened to 'Allers". The magazine published movie star cards in the 1930s. We don't know why Betty Boop has blonde hair on this card. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, Inc, no. 661-035. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc / Fleischer Studios, Inc. Caption: Hulla Boop Betty Boop.


Dutch postcard by Loeb, uitgevers bv. Image: Leslie Cabarga / King Features Syndicate Inc, 1985. Caption: Happy Birthday. Leslie Cabarga is an American author, illustrator, cartoonist, animator, font designer, and publication designer. A participant in the underground comix movement in the early 1970s, he has since gone on to write and/or edit over 40 books. His art style evokes images from the 1920s and 1930s, and over the years, Cabarga has created many products associated with Betty Boop.


French postcard by Dix et Demi Quinze. Image: Fleischer Studios. French poster by Films sans frontières. Betty Boop in Betty Boop Confidential (1998). A collection of 13 Betty Boop shorts. The French title was Le journal intime de Betty Boop. Caption: Boop Boop I Doo!

Sources: The Origins of Betty Boop (YouTube), Wikipedia (English, French and Dutch) and IMDb.

Skandia Film

The success of the pioneering Swedish film studio Svenska Biografteatern AB during and after the First World War inspired others. Skandia Film in Stockholm was the most successful competitor. Like Svenska Bio, Skandia relied on the Nordic landscape and literature for its silent films. Skandia's main director was John Wilhelm Brunius, who was also an actor and scriptwriter. Other staff directors were Einar Rudd (or Ruud) and Rune Carlsten. Nils Bouveng, the manager of Skandia, had previously been the manager of Hasselblad studios, where Rune Carlsten had also been under the producer's supervision. Among the stars of Skandia Film were Gösta Ekman, Anders De Wahl and actress-director Pauline Brunius, the wife of John W. Brunius. Brunius also gave the salesgirl Greta Gustafsson her first acting chance: the future Greta Garbo appeared as an extra in his film En Lyckoriddare / Soldiers of Fortune (1921). This film and many Skandia productions are presumed lost now. But some postcards of the Skandia films have survived, although they are rare. Ivo Blom shared his collection for this post.


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 1194. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman and Carlo Keil-Möller in the romantic film Mästerkatten i stövlar / Puss in boots (John W. Brunius, 1918). It was John W. Brunius's directorial debut and an international success.


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 105. Photo Skandiafilm, 1918. Karin Molander in Surrogatet (Einar Brunn, 1918-1919).


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 127. Photo: Skandiafilm. Still for Synnöve Solbakken / The Girl from Solbakken (John W. Brunius, 1919) with Lars Hanson and Karin Molander. Sent by mail in Norway in 1920. Synnöve Solbakken was based on the novel written by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1857. The assistant director of the film was Einar Brunn, and it was filmed in Sweden and Norway by photographers Hugo Edlund and Arthur Thorell.


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, no. 133. Photo: Skandia Film. Palle Brunius and Solveig Hedengran in Synnöve Solbakken / The Girl from Solbakken (John W. Brunius, 1919).

In Synnöve Solbakken (John W. Brunius, 1919), Palle Brunius and Solveig Hedengran play the same characters as the stars, Karin Molander and Lars Hanson, but then in their childhood. Palle Brunius (1909-1976) was the son of the director, John W. Brunius. He would only pay a handful of child roles in films by his father, and another handful in those of his mother. Solveig Hedengran (1910-1956) instead acted in some 28 films, mostly Swedish sound films and often in supporting parts. Synnöve Solbakken was her first film.


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstforlag, Stockholm, no 141. Photo: Skandia Film, Stockholm. Lars Hanson and Gull Cronvall in Ett farligt frieri / A Dangerous Proposal (Rune Carlsten, 1919).

The story of Ett farligt frieri / A Dangerous Proposal (Rune Carlsten 1919) deals with Tore, a smallholder's son (Lars Hanson), in love with Aslaug, a farmer's daughter (Gull Cronvall) whose father Knut (Theodor Blich) has ambitious plans to marry her to the son of the wealthiest farmer around. Even after Knut and Aslaug's brothers have beaten Tore black and blue, he persists in visiting Aslaug, even climbing a giant wall of rock...


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 154. Photo: Skandia Film. Ernst Rolf, Mary Gräber, and Erik Lindholm in Åh i morron kväll / Oh Tomorrow Night (John W. Brunius, 1919).

In the silent comedy Åh i morron kväll / Oh Tomorrow Night (John W. Brunius, 1919), Ernst Rolf is married to Josefina, a once sweet woman who has become a shrew and nag. He fantasizes about other women and if given the opportunity, will he act upon the temptation to cheat on his wife? The film premiered on 8 December 1919, in Gothenburg and Stockholm. Cinema musicians were given suggestions to play famous songs from Rolf's repertory.


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 159. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman as an agricultural student in the Swedish silent comedy Bomben / The Bomb (Rune Carlsten, 1920).


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 166. Photo: Skandia Film. Still for Bomben / The Bomb (Rune Carlsten, 1920), starring Karin Molander. Caption: Elsa Vendel's first morning amidst her own possessions.


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 185. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman and Mary Johnson in the comedy Familjens traditioner (Rune Carlsten, 1920).


Swedish postcard by Verlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1095/7. Photo: Skandia Film. Pauline Brunius and Jessie Wessel in Thora van Deken (John W. Brunius, 1920). The film was an adaptation of a novel written by Henrik K. Pontoppidan.


Swedish postcard by Verlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1095/9. Photo: Skandia Film. Pauline Brunius, Gösta Ekman, Jessie Wessel and Oscar Johansson in Thora van Deken (John W. Brunius, 1920).


Swedish postcard by Forlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1096/1. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman in Gyurkovicsarna / Lieutenant Tophat (John W. Brunius, 1920).


Swedish postcard by Forlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1096/2. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman and Pauline Brunius in Gyurkovicsarna / Lieutenant Tophat (John W. Brunius, 1920).


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1115/1. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman in En lyckoriddare / A Fortune Hunter (John W. Brunius, 1921).

In En lyckoriddare / A Fortune Hunter (John W. Brunius, 1921), Gösta Ekman plays a lackey who pretends to be an elegant Swedish count, thus fooling the pompous, boorish father (Axel Ringvall) of the beautiful Gertrud (Mary Johnson). He marries Gertrud, signing the documents as the count, but then the real count (Carlo Keil-Möller) shows up...


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 193. Photo: Skandia Film. Anders de Wahl in Kvarnen / The Windmill (John W. Brunius, 1921).

Kvarnen / The Windmill (John W. Brunius, 1921) was shot at the Skandia studio at Lidingö and with exteriors shot at Sjöbo and Skåne by Hugo Edlund. The basis for the film was the novel 'Møllen' (The Mill, 1896) by Karl Gjellerup. During filming in Sjöbo, a real old mill burned down right in front of the camera. The Swedish Film Institute's film archive holds a restored print of the film. Tommy Gustafsson, in his article 'Travellers as a Threat in Swedish Cinema of the 1920s', in the volume Swedish Film: An Introduction and Reader (2010), indicates that Kvarnen was the first Swedish film on miscegenation. Though he has promised his wife on her deathbed not to remarry against the will of his son Hans, miller Jacob (Anders de Wahl) is attracted by the lustful, devious and gypsy-like farm's maid Lise (Klara Kjellblad). Instead, Hans hates Lise and prefers the pure sister of the forester, Anna. Indeed, the flimsy and dirty Lise is only after Jacob's money and his mill, while keeping an affair with the farmhand on the side. Jacob and the farmhand are in the palm of Lise's hand, but when Jacob finally catches the couple, he avenges himself by having the mill's millstone crush the lovers.


Swedish postcard by Ed. Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 295. Photo: Skandia Film, Stockholm / Svensk Filmindustri. Still for De landsflyktiga / The Emigrants / The Exiles (Mauritz Stiller, 1921), starring Jenny Hasselqvist.

De landsflyktiga / The Emigrants / The Exiles (Mauritz Stiller, 1921) is a lost film, except for a few very short fragments. Already in 1919, Skandia had merged with Svenska Biograph, although Skandia Film continued as a distributor of Swedish films like De landsflyktiga, which was produced by Svensk Filmindustri.


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 304. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman and Jenny Hasselqvist in the Swedish silent drama Vem dömer / Love's Crucible (Victor Sjöström, 1922).


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 305. Photo: Skandia Film. Jenny Hasselqvist, Ivan Hedqvist, Tore Svennberg and Gösta Ekman in Vem dömer / Love's Crucible (Victor Sjöström, 1922). Nils Asther had a small part in this film. He is the man just left of Jenny Hasselqvist.

Vem dömer / Love's Crucible (Victor Sjöström, 1922) is a Renaissance drama about a young woman named Ursula (Jenny Hasselqvist), who is in love with Bertram (Gösta Ekman), the son of the mayor (Tore Svennberg). She is accused of having poisoned her older husband, the sculptor Master Anton (Ivan Hedqvist). She has to prove her virginity through a fire test. The film's title reads: Who judges?


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 323. Photo: Skandia-Film. Pauline Brunius and Gösta Ekman in the silent romantic drama Kärlekens ögon / Med kärlekens ögon / Scarlet Angel (John W. Brunius, 1922).


Swedish postcard by Ed. Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 327. Photo: Skandia Film / Svensk Filminspelning. Postcard for Det omringade huset / The Surrounded House (Victor Sjöström, 1922), starring Meggie Albanesi and Victor Sjöström.


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 329. Photo: Skandiafilm / Svensk Filminspelning. Meggie Albanesi in Det omringade huset / The Surrounded House (Victor Sjöström, 1922).

Sources: Scott Lord (Silent Film: Greta Garbo - Victor Seastöm), Mette Hjort and Ursula Lindqvist (A Companion to Nordic Cinema), David Bret (Greta Garbo: A Divine Star), Mariah Larsson and Anders Marklund (Swedish Film: An Introduction and Reader), Wikipedia and IMDb.

Jackie Chan

Cheeky and lovable Jackie Chan (1954) is an actor, former stuntman, singer and Kung Fu expert from Hong Kong. He is best known for the 'comic Kung Fu film', which he more or less invented. He always performs the acrobatic stunts himself. Chan also directs, writes and produces many of his films himself. He also released several Chinese records as a singer. Worldwide, he has millions of fans and is considered the most successful Chinese actor of all time.


Hong Kong postcard.


Hong Kong postcard.

Cashing in on the success of Bruce Lee

Jackie Chan was born as Fang Shilong (Cantonese: Fôong Sie-Long) 房仕龍 in 1954 on Hong Kong's famous Victoria Peak. He later took the name Chen Jiangsheng (Cantonese: Chan Kwôong-Saang) 陳港生. His parents were Charles and Lee-Lee Chan, and both worked for the French embassy in Hong Kong. In the early 1960s, the family immigrated to Canberra, Australia. The young Jackie was bad at school, so his father sent him back to Hong Kong to attend the rigorous China Drama Academy, one of the Peking Opera schools.

Chan excelled at acrobatics, singing and martial arts. Jackie eventually became a member of the Seven Little Fortunes performing troupe and began lifelong friendships with fellow martial artists/actors Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and Biao Yuen. Chan journeyed back and forth to visit his parents and work in Canberra, but eventually he made his way back to Hong Kong as his permanent home. Chan started singing in the 1970s. He is a well-known singer, especially in Asia.

He studied at the Chinese Academy of Dramatic Arts from 1971 to 1973. While still a student, he started working as a stuntman for major film studios such as Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. Interestingly, he appeared in minor roles in two films starring Bruce Lee: Jing wu men / Fist of Fury (Wei Lo, 1972) and the Warner Bros. production Enter the Dragon (Robert Clouse, 1973).

Not long after Lee's untimely death, Chan was often cast in low-budget martial arts films that were churned out at a rapid-fire pace by Hong Kong studios eager to satisfy the early 1970s boom in martial-arts cinema. His films cashed in on the success of Bruce Lee by utilising words like "fist", "fury" or "dragon" in their US release titles. In 1976, he starred in Shao Lin mu ren xiang / Shaolin Wooden Men (Chi-Hwa Chen, 1976).

He scored a breakthrough with the action comedy Jui kuen / Drunken Master (Yuen Woo-Ping, 1978), which has become a cult favourite among martial arts film fans. In this film, he played the historical figure Wong Fei Hung. Drunken Master was a huge success, but also received a lot of criticism: viewers felt that Chan ridiculed the legendary Wong Fei Hung by portraying him as an alcoholic in the film. Drunken Master is a mixture of Kung Fu and slapstick, in which Wong Fei Hung invents a technique that allows him to fight while drunk. Not too long after this, Chan made his directorial debut with Shi di chu ma / The Young Master (Jackie Chan, 1980).


Chinese (Hong Kong) postcard by South China Morning Post, no. 11, Series 3 Leisure.


British postcard by the London Postcard Company, no. JC 5940. Photo: J.S. Library, 2001.


Spanish poster postcard by Memory Card, no. 546. Spanish poster of Jackie Chan in Ging chaat goo si III: Chiu kup ging chaat / Supercop (Stanley Tong, 1992).

Elaborate, dangerous stunts combined with martial arts and slapstick humour

Jackie Chan's popularity soared. Enter the Dragon producer Robert Clouse lured Jackie to the United States for a film planned to break Jackie into the US market. The low-budget action film Battlecreek Brawl (Robert Clouse, 1980) featured Jackie competing in a 'toughest Street fighter' contest set in 1940s Texas. Jackie was unhappy with the result, and the film failed to fire with US audiences. In a further attempt to get his name known in the United States, Jackie was cast alongside Burt Reynolds, Sir Roger Moore and Dean Martin in the car chase film The Cannonball Run (Hal Needham, 1981).

Regrettably, Jackie was cast as a Japanese race driver, and his martial arts skills are only shown in one small sequence near the film's conclusion. Undeterred, he returned to East Asia and directed, produced and starred in 'A' gai wak / Project A (Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, 1983), loaded with amazing stunt work. It became the most successful Hong Kong film that year. It was the official formation of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and established Chan's signature style of elaborate, dangerous stunts combined with martial arts and slapstick humour.

Chan paired again with the dynamic Sammo Kam-Bo Hung to star in Qi mou miao ji: Wu fu xing / Winners & Sinners (Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, 1983), Fai caan che / Wheels on Meals (Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, 1984), Fuk sing go jiu / My Lucky Stars (Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, 1985) aka Winners & Sinners 2, and Xia ri fu xing / Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, 1985) aka Winners & Sinners 3. Chan then journeyed back to the United States for another shot at that market, starring alongside Danny Aiello in The Protector (James Glickenhaus, 1985), filmed in Hong Kong and New York. However, Jackie felt American directors failed to understand his audience appeal, and the film received lukewarm reviews and box-office receipts.

Back in Hong Kong, he made Ging chaat goo si / Police Story (Jackie Chan, 1985), filled with large-scale action sequences. The elaborate, dangerous stunts performed by Chan and his stunt team, including car chases, Chan hanging off a speeding bus, parkour-like acrobatics, and a shopping mall fight with shattering glass panes, leading up to Chan sliding down a pole with exploding electric lights as he falls to the ground.

The following year, he broke his own record with Armour of God (Jackie Chan, Eric Tsang, 1986), influenced by Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981). During filming, Jackie mistimed a leap from a wall to a tree on location in Yugoslavia and fell quite a few feet onto his head, causing a skull fracture. Armour of God was the most successful Hong Kong film of that year.


Vintage postcard by CineFilm(s). Jackie Chan in Rush Hour 2 (Brett Ratner, 2001).


Dutch postcard by Young Media Group. Image: Walden Media / Independent Films. Poster for Around the World in 80 Days (Frank Coraci, 2004) with Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan and Cécile de France was based on the novel by Jules Verne.

A bona fide star in the United States

In the years that followed, Jackie Chan founded his own production company, which allowed him to produce his own films independently of the major film studios. Between 1985 and 1993, Chan made more than 40 films, many of which starred Chinese comedian Sammo Hung. For a long time, Chan's work was considered pulp by critics, and Chan wanted to be taken seriously as an actor. He made Pinyin / Miracles (Jackie Chan, 1989), a historical drama in which Chan himself also starred. The film was both a critical and commercial success and is Chan's only film that is not a Kung Fu film.

In 1993, Chan embarked on his second attempt at a Hollywood career, this time with more success: Hung fan kui / Rumble in the Bronx (Stanley Tong, 1995) successfully blended humour and action and brought Chan into the North American mainstream. Chan made his definitive breakthrough with the big-budget action comedy Rush Hour (Brett Ratner, 1998), starring alongside fast-talking comedian Chris Tucker. The film was a bigger hit than Rumble in the Bronx and firmly established Jackie as a bona fide star in the United States.

Jackie then paired up with rising talent Owen Wilson to star in Shanghai Noon (Tom Dey, 2000) and its sequel, Shanghai Knights (David Dobkin, 2003). He re-teamed with Tucker in Rush Hour 2 (Brett Ratner, 2001), as well as starring in The Tuxedo (Kevin Donovan, 2002), The Medallion (Gordon Chan, 2003) and as Passepartout in the delightful Around the World in 80 Days (Frank Coraci, 2004), with Steve Coogan as Phileas Fogg.

Not one to forget his loyal fanbase, Jackie returned to more gritty and traditional fare with San ging chaat goo si / New Police Story (Benny Chan, 2004) and San wa / The Myth (Stanley Tong, 2005). The Forbidden Kingdom (Rob Minkoff, 2008) marked his first collaboration with fellow martial arts star Jet Li. He played martial arts mentor Mr. Han in two Karate Kid films, the remake The Karate Kid (Harald Zwart, 2010) and Karate Kid: Legends (Jonathan Entwistle, 2025) with Ralph Macchio.

Jackie Chan is married and has two children. In 1982, he married Lin Feng-Jiao, an actress from Taiwan. A year later, they had a son, Jaycee Chan, who is now also an actor. In 1999, Chan had a daughter, Etta Ng, with Miss Asia 1990, Elaine Ng Yi-Lei. In China, Chan announced that he would donate half of his fortune after his death to the Gates Foundation, which supports poor children. Chan's fortune was estimated at $350 million in 2015.


Vintage postcard by Art Card, Singapore, no. 445, 2003 (1 in a series of 6 collectable postcards). Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution / Spyglass Entertainment Group / Mediacorp. Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in Shanghai Knights (David Dobkin, 2003).


Vintage postcard by Art Card, Singapore, no. 447, 2003 (1 in a series of 6 collectable postcards). Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution / Spyglass Entertainment Group / Mediacorp. Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in Shanghai Knights (David Dobkin, 2003).


Vintage card, no. 1756.

Source: Wikipedia (Dutch and English) and IMDb.

Jana Brejchová (1940-2026)

Last Friday, 6 February 2026, alluring Czech film actress Jana Brejchová (1940-2026) passed away in Prague. She appeared in more than 70 films since her debut in 1953 at the age of 13. The beautiful blonde actress was married to director Miloš Forman and East German actor Ulrich Thein. She worked with such noted directors as Vojtěch Jasný, Oldřich Lipský and Jiří Weiss, and her films often entered the major European festivals. Jana Brejchová was 86.


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 1011, 1959. Photo: publicity still for Touha / Desire (Vojtech Jasný, 1958).


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 1565, 1961. Photo: DEFA / Pathenheimer. Publicity still for Der Traum des Hauptmann Loy / The Dream of Captain Loy (Kurt Maetzig, 1961).


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 27/71.


Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin, no. 43078.

Jana and Hana

Jana Brejchová was born in 1940 in Prague, Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia (now the Czech Republic). Her younger sister Hana Brejchová (1946) also became an actress who appeared in the Miloš Forman films Lásky jedné plavovlásky / Loves of a Blonde (1965) and Amadeus (1984).

Jana made her film debut at the age of 13 in Olověný chléb / Lead bread (Jirí Sequens, 1953). One of Jana’s next films was Žižkovská romance / A Local Romance (Zbyněk Brynych, 1958) with Hanus Bor. It was entered into the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. Her next film, Touha / Desire (Vojtěch Jasný, 1958), was also entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival.

Another success was Vlcí jáma / Wolf Trap (Jiri Weiss, 1958). The film established director Jiri Weiss as one of the major figures of Czechoslovakia's emerging film industry in the post-war era. It won Weiss the FIPRESCI award at the Venice Film Festival, and the film itself was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

She played a student in the Czech drama Vyšší princip / Higher Principle (Jirí Krejcík, 1960) based on a short story from the book 'Silent Barricade' by Jan Drda. The story, taking place during the Nazi occupation, is about the relationship between students and their elderly teacher of Latin (František Smolík), nicknamed 'Higher Principle' for his frequent quotation of Seneca's moral precepts.

After three of their classmates are killed by Nazis during the murderous hysteria following the assassination of General Heydrich (just because they made fun of Heydrich), the teacher risks his own life but gains the respect of all students, declaring that from the standpoint of higher principles, the killing of a tyrant is not a crime! The film was temporarily banned in West Germany as being an ‘anti-German film’. Also interesting was Jirí Krejcík’s earlier film Morálka paní Dulské / The Morals of Mrs. Dulski (1958).


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 1409, 1961. Photo: Kurt Wunsch.


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 1573/1961. Photo: DEFA / Pathenheimer. Publicity still for Der Traum des Hauptmann Loy / The Dream of Captain Loy (Kurt Maetzig, 1961).


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, Berlin, no. 1740, 1962. Photo: Kurt Wunsch.


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, Berlin, no. 1741, 1962. Photo: Kurt Wunsch.

An atomic bomb blast that causes women to grow beards

Jana Brejchová played Princess Bianca in the Czechoslovak romantic adventure film Baron Prášil / The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (Karel Zeman, 1961), based on the tales about the outrageous Baron Munchausen (Miloš Kopecký). The film combines live-action with various forms of animation and is highly stylised, often evoking the engravings of Gustave Doré.

In East Germany, she played in the thriller Der Traum des Hauptmann Loy / The Dream of Captain Loy (Kurt Maetzig, 1961) with Horst Drinda and Ulrich Thein. The latter would become her second husband.

In West Germany, she starred in the romantic comedy Schloß Gripsholm / The Gripsholm Castle (Kurt Hoffmann, 1963) with Walter Giller, and also appeared in Hoffmann’s drama Das Haus in der Karpfengasse / The House in Karp Lane (Kurt Hoffmann, 1965), which was filmed in Prague. The following year, she played again opposite Walter Giller in Dýmky / The Pipes (Vojtěch Jasný, 1966). The film, also starring Gitte Haenning, was entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.

Jana Brejchová starred in Noc nevesty / The Nun's Night (Karel Kachyna, 1967) as a former nun who starts to run her father’s farm. Then followed the comedy Farářův konec / End of a Priest (Evald Schorm, 1969) with her then-husband, Vlastimil Brodský. With Brodsky, she also co-starred in the Czechoslovak musical Noc na Karlštejně / A Night at Karlstein (Zdeněk Podskalský, 1974), based on an 1884 play by Jaroslav Vrchlický.

Oldrich Lipsky directed her in the Science-Fiction comedy Zabil jsem Einsteina, panove / I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen (1970) about an atomic bomb blast that causes women to grow beards and lose the ability to have children. The decision is made to travel back in time and to murder Albert Einstein so that the atomic bomb never gets invented.


Big Czechoslovakian postcard by Nakladatelstvi Orbis, Praha (Prague), no. F 14-10134. Photo: M. Pešan.


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 2294, 1965. Photo: DEFA / Pathenheimer.


Czech postcard by Pressfoto, Praha (Prague). Photo: publicity still for Kdyby tisic klarinetu / If a Thousand Clarinets (Ján Rohác, Vladimír Svitácek, 1965). Collection: Carla Bosch. Carla: Kdyby tisic klarinetu / If a Thousand Clarinets (Ján Rohác, Vladimír Svitácek, 1965) is a fantasy musical film about a mysterious statue of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach that changes guns into musical instruments. The news spreads and a television station decides to make a documentary film about the subject.


Czech postcard by Pressfoto, Praha (Prague), no. A09*51007. Photo: M. Mirvald. Karel Gott, Hana Hegerova, Pavel Sedláček, Jana Brejchova and Waldemar Matuska in Kdyby tisic klarinetu / If a Thousand Clarinets (Ján Rohác, Vladimír Svitácek, 1965). Collection: Carla Bosch.

The Czech Oscar

Since the 1970s, Jana Brejchová also worked as a theatre actress.

Her later films include the Gothic fairytale Panna a netvor / Beauty and the Beast (Juraj Herz, 1978), Mladý muž a bílá velryba / The Young Man and Moby Dick (Jaromil Jireš, 1979), Zánik samoty Berhof / End of the Lonely Farm Berghof (Jiří Svoboda, 1984), the drama Skalpel, prosím / Scalpel, Please (Jiří Svoboda, 1985), and the drama Početí mého mladšího bratra / The Conception of My Younger Brother (Vladimír Drha, 2000) with Dana Vávrová.

Later, she played a supporting part in the tragicomedy Kráska v nesnázích / Beauty in Trouble (Jan Hřebejk, 2006). For her part in this film, she won the Czech Oscar, the Český lev (the Czech Lion).

In 2009, she won another Český lev for her ‘longstanding artistic contribution to Czech film’.

Jana Brejchová was married four times. Her husbands were director Milos Forman (1958-1962), East German actor Ulrich Thein (1964-1965), actor Vlastimil Brodský (1966-1983), and actor Jirí Zahajský (1997-2007 – his death). With Vlastimil Brodsky, she had a daughter, Tereza Brodska, who also became a successful actress. Jana Brejchová died of natural causes in Prague in 2026 at the age of 86.


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 1.962, 1964. Photo: Ceskolovensky Filmexport, Praha.


Russian postcard, no. M-59698, 1967.


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 57/71. Photo: publicity still for Luk královny Dorotky / Queen Dorothy's Bow (Jan Schmidt, 1971).


East German Starfoto postcard by Progress Film-Verleih, Berlin, no. 45/76, 1976. Photo: Linke.

Sources: Wikipedia (Czech and English), and IMDb.