Escenas Selectas de Cinematografìa

In the silent film era, there were many wonderful series of collectors cards in Spain. Often they were a supplement when you bought a box of chocolates or your favourite film magazine. An example is 'Escenas selectas de cinematografìa', a series of mini collectors cards that presented film scenes, which give an interesting view of the American and European film production in the early 1920s. The cards have short descriptions of the film plot on the back and were presented by several manufacturers, including the companies Chocolates Guillèn in Barcelona, and Piera y Brugueras in Tarasa (Barcelona). The latter produced 'Chocolates, Bombones y Caramelos' (Chocolates, candies, and sweets).

Series A

Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series A, no. 1. Raquel Meller and André Roanne (?) in Les Opprimés/Flanders under Philip II (Henry Roussel, 1923), released in Spain as La Rosa de Flandes. It was the first film shot at Hippolyte Kempeneer's Mechelen studios in Belgium.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series A, no. 2, for Chocolate Guillèn. Erich von Stroheim in Foolish Wives (Von Stroheim, 1922). The lady depicted is not Mae Busch but Miss Dupont.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series A, no. 4. Mary Pickford in Through the Back Door (Alfred E. Green, Jack Pickford, 1921). The Spanish title is Por la puerta de servicio.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series A, no. 5, for Chocolates Guillèn, Barcelona. Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro (Fred Niblo, 1920). The woman is probably Marguerite de la Motte and the Spanish title was El signo del zorro.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series A, no. 6. Luciano Albertini, and Lya De Putti in Die Schlucht des Todes/The Ravine of Death (Luciano Albertini, Francis A. Bertoni, 1923). The Spanish release title of the film is El barranco de la muerte.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series A, no. 7. Raquel Meller and André Roanne in Les Opprimés/Flanders under Philip II (Henry Roussel, 1923), released in Spain as 'La Rosa de Flandes'.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series A, no. 8. Charles Ray and Viola Dana (?) in Mirando la luna (Looking at the moon). It's unknown which American film this is. It was shown in Madrid, Spain in November-December 1925.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series A, no. 9. Einar Hanson and Mary Johnson in Gunnar Hedes saga/Snowbound (Mauritz Stiller, 1923). The Spanish title of the film is 'Contra soberbia' (Against Pride). NB As on the card above, Hanson's name is misspelled as Hansson and although Pauline Brunius plays Hede's mother in the film, she is not the woman on the card.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series A, no. 10. Norma Talmadge and Conway Tearle in The Eternal Flame (Frank Lloyd, 1922). The Spanish title of the film is El eterna llama.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series A, no. 12. Harry Carey in Lealtad (Loyalty). Cayena may be a misspelling of Carey's regular character Cheyenne Harry.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series A, no. 13. Sandra Milovanoff, Berthe Jalabert and René Poyen in Le Gamin de Paris/Paris Urchin (Louis Feuillade, 1923). The Spanish release title of the film is El muchacho de Paris. Poyen's comic character Bout-de-Zan at Gaumont - some ten years before this film - was called Minutiyo in Spain.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series A, no. 14. Richard Talmadge in The Cub Reporter (John Francis Dillon, 1922), presented in Spain as Ricardito reporter.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series A, no. 15. Betty Balfour as Tip-Toes and Harry Jonas as the Boy in Love, Life and Laughter (George Pearson, 1923), released in Spain as Risas y lagrimas (Laughter and Tears). Long presumed lost, Love, Life and Laughter (George Pearson, 1923) was found in the Netherlands in 2014 by the Eye Filmmuseum. A copy of the British production was found in the inventory of bioscoop/theater De Vries (cinema/theatre De Vries), a former cinema in Hattem, the Netherlands. The film was listed as one of the British Film Institute's '75 Most Wanted' lost films. Eye restored the film. Plot: Tip-Toes (Balfour) is a chorus girl in a garret. She befriends a lonely young boy who dreams of being a writer, while she dreams of being a music-hall star. They agree to meet at midnight in two years' time in their slum tenement to see which of their dreams has come true.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series A, no. 16. Photo: Norma Talmadge Film. Norma Talmadge, Harrison Ford, and Howard Truesdale in The Wonderful Thing (Herbert Brenon, 1921), presented in Spain as 'La princesita del jamón' (The Ham Princess).


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series A, no. 17. Aimé Simon-Girard, Sandra Milovanoff, and Bernard Derigal in Le fils du flibustier/The buccaneer's son (Louis Feuillade, 1922). The Spanish title of the film is 'El hijo del pirata'.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, Serie A, no. 20. Richard Talmadge in El senor X, probably The Mysterious Stranger (Jack Nelson, 1925).


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series A, no. 21. Although the card indicates that this is Lya De Putti in El paraiso nevado (The Snowy Paradise), we have our doubts. The film was shown in Spain in 1924, but we haven't identified yet its original, probably German title. Marlene Pilaete: "I was puzzled by the “El paraiso nevado” Spanish card on Flickr. I think that the lady on the card doesn’t look like Lya De Putti. Maybe that card has nothing to do with her and is rather related to the 1923 German movie “Das Paradies im Schnee”, directed by Georg Jacoby. The title matches with “El paraiso nevado”. According to the synopsis I found on Wikipedia, there is a carnival scene in it, which may explain the funny costumes worn by the two characters and the presence of what seems to be confetti and streamers. The man could be Bruno Kastner and the lady could be either Lona Schmidt or Elga Brink." We think Marlene is right.

Series B

Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, serie B, no. 1. Richard Talmadge in El senor X, probably The Mysterious Stranger (Jack Nelson, 1925).


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series B, no. 2, for Juan Garcia, Chocolates Gavilan, Alicante. Thomas Meighan in The Miracle Man (George Loan Tucker, 1919). The woman could be Betty Compson and the Spanish title is El milagro.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series B, no. 3, for Juan Garcia, Chocolates Gavilan, Alicante. Fernand Herrmann and Bernard Derigal in Le fils du flibustier/The buccaneer's son (Louis Feuillade, 1922). The Spanish title is El hijo del pirata.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series B, no. 4, for Juan Garcia, Chocolates Gavilan, Alicante. Georges Biscot in Le fils du flibustier/The buccaneer's son (Louis Feuillade, 1922). The Spanish title is El hijo del pirata.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series B, no. 5. Luciano Albertini and Lya De Putti in Die Schlucht des Todes/The Ravine of Death (Luciano Albertini, Francis A. Bertoni, 1923). The Spanish release title of the film is El barranco de la muerte.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series B, no. 6. Sessue Hayakawa, in En el corazon del barrio chino (In the heart of Chinatown). It probably refers to The Swamp (Colin Campbell, 1921), in which Hayakawa wears the same costume and hairdo.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series B, no. 7. Photo: Constance Talmadge Film. Constance Talmadge and Harrison Ford in Wedding Bells (Chester Withey, 1921), released in Spain as La senorita del pelo corto.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series B, no. 8. Betty Balfour in Love, Life and Laughter (George Pearson, 1923), released in Spain as Risas y lagrimas (Laughter and Tears).


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series B, no. 9. Marguerite Courtot and Lew Cody in Jacqueline, or Blazing Barriers (Dell Henderson, 1923). The Spanish title of the film is El bosque en llamas (The forest in flames).


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series B, no. 10. Dorothy Philips in Man-Woman-Marriage (Alan Holubar, 1921). The Spanish title of the film is La voz de la mujer (The voice of women).


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series B, no. 11, for Chocolates Guillèn, Barcelona. Raquel Meller in Violettes impériales/Imperial violets (Henry Roussel, 1924). To the right of her, André Roanne. Spanish title is Violetas imperiales.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series B, no. 12, for Juan Garcia, Chocolates Gavilan, Alicante. Roscoe Arbuckle in Moonshine (Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, 1918). To the right of him, Al St. John as The Mountain Man. The Spanish title is Fatty aduanero. With thanks to Steve Massa for the identification.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series B, no. 13, for Juan Garcia, Chocolates Gavilan, Alicante. René Poyen (Bout de Zan) as war orphan Joseph (left) in Le gamin de Paris/Paris urchin (Louis Feuillade, 1923). The little girl in Poyen's arms was Bouboule as Gaby, the general was played by Adolphe Candé, and the lady at right, Madame de Mersange, by Renée van Delly. Spanish title is El muchacho de Paris. As a child star, René Poyen was known in France as Bout de Zan and in Spain as Minutiyo.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series B, no. 14. Richard Talmadge in The Cub Reporter (John Francis Dillon, 1922), presented in Spain as Ricardito reporter.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series B, no. 15. Charles Ray in A Tailor-Made Man (Joseph De Grasse, 1922). This comedy was released in Spain in 1923 as Un frac para dos.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series B, no. 16. Norma Talmadge and Conway Tearle in The Eternal Flame (Frank Lloyd, 1922). The Spanish title of the film is El eterna llama.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series, series B, no. 17. Einar Hanson and Mary Johnson in Gunnar Hedes saga/Snowbound (Mauritz Stiller, 1923). The Spanish title of the film is Contra soberbia (Against Pride). Hanson's name is misspelled on the card as Hansson and although Pauline Brunius plays in this film Hede's mother, she is not the woman on this card.


Spanish minicard in the Escenas selectas de cinematografia series by Chocolates Piera y Brugueras, Tarrasa (Barcelona), series B, no. 19. Constance Talmadge and Conway Tearle in A Virtuous Vamp (David Kirkland, 1919). The Spanish title is La coqueta irresistibile. With thanks to Erhanizzet Oncel for the identification.


Spanish collectors card in the Escenas selectas de cinematografía series, series B, no. 20. Photo: Gaumont. Georges Biscot and Fernand Herrmann in Les deux gamines/The two kids (Louis Feuillade, 1921), presented in Spain as Las dos niñas de París.


Spanish collectors card by Escenas selectas de cinematografia, series B, no. 21. Photo: Constance Talmadge Film. Harrison Ford and Constance Talmadge in Wedding Bells (Chester Withey, 1921), released in Spain as La senorita del pelo corto.

Sources: IMDb and Marlene Pilaete.