European Film Star Postcards: Postcards from Rommy's godmother

09 May 2025

Postcards from Rommy's godmother

Recently, Ivo Blom said goodbye as a lecturer at the Free University. One of the presents was a cigar box full of old postcards from his good friend, Rommy Albers, head of the Dutch film department at Eye Filmmuseum. The cards came from the estate of Rommy's late godmother, Nel Klaasman (1913-2015). The cards date from the late 1920s and early 1930s and Nel received most cards from friends for her birthday. Rommy, many thanks for this special gift.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5613/1, 1930-1931. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Mary Ann Jackson (1923-2003) was an American child actress who appeared in the Our Gang (aka The Little Rascals) short subjects series from 1928 to 1931. She was born and died in Los Angeles, California.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 4678/2, 1929-1930. Photo: Paramount. Harold Lloyd and Babe Ruth in Speedy (Ted Wilde, 1928).

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5055/1, 1930-1931. Photo: United Artists. Lillian Gish.

Austrian postcard by Iris Verlag, no. 5691. Photo: Fox-Film.

Josephine Dunn (1906-1983) was an American film actress of the 1920s and 1930s, who peaked at Paramount, Warner and MGM in the late 1920s. In 1930, Josephine Dunn made a successful transition, unlike many silent stars, to sound films. She starred in sixteen films through 1932, and at the peak of her career in 1933, she played vamps and mercenary wives. That same year, she married Eugene J. Lewis, whom she divorced in 1935 to marry Carroll Case, son of the owner of the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. Dunn retired from acting in 1938 and remained with Case for the remainder of his life.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5586/2, 1929-1930. Photo: First National / Defina.

Stunningly beautiful and highly photogenic Billie Dove (1903-1997) was one of the most popular Hollywood actresses of the 1920s. She was dubbed 'The American Beauty', after the title of one of her films.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5081/1, 1929-1930. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Norma Shearer.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 6779/1, 1931-1932. Photo: Vogel-Sandau, Berlin. Anna Sten.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5741/2, 1930-1931. Photo: Paramount. Nancy Carroll.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 8903/1, 1933-1934. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Joan Crawford.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 8758/1, 1933-1934. Photo: Aafa Film.

Austrian actor and director Hans Thimig (1900-1991) was the youngest child of Burgtheater actor Hugo Thimig and his wife, Franziska. Helene Thimig and Hermann Thimig, his brother and sister, eleven and ten years older, were also actors. During the 1920s, Thimig acted in various Austrian films, including his debut Kleider machen Leute (1921), Der Taugenichts (1922), Michael Curtiz's epics Sodom und Gomorrha (1922) and Die Sklavenkönigin (1924). In the 1930s, he acted in German-Austrian coproductions such as Geld auf der Straße. All in all, Thimig acted in 70 films and TV movies. He also directed 11 films.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 585. Photo: Ufa. Käthe von Nagy in Le capitaine Craddock (Hanns Schwarz, Max de Vaucorbeil, 1931), the alternate French version of Bomben auf Monte Carlo (Hanns Schwarz, 1931).

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 560. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Greta Garbo in Romance (Clarence Brown, 1930), adapted from the stage play of Edward Sheldon.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, No. 590. Photo: Paramount. James Hall.

French postcard by Europe, no. 696. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

The Duncan Sisters were an American vaudeville duo active mainly from 1910 to 1930. It was formed by two sisters: Rosetta Duncan (1894-1959) and Vivian Duncan (1897-1986). In 1929, MGM produced its first sound musical, The Broadway Melody, starring Bessie Love and Anita Page in the fictional roles of the Mahoney sisters. It was a great success, and MGM decided to produce a similar film with the Duncan Sisters in the lead roles. It's a Great Life (Sam Wood, 1929) features three sequences filmed in Technicolour. The Duncan Sisters perform two of their most popular songs, 'I'm Following You' and 'Hoosier Hop'. Unfortunately, the film failed at the box office and contributed to shortening the film career of the Duncans

French postcard by Europe, no. 848. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Greta Garbo in the German version of Anna Christie (Jacques Feyder, 1930).

French postcard by Europe, no. 595. Photo: Super-Film. Maria Paudler.

British postcard in the Colourgraph Series, no. C16. Sue Carol.

British postcard in the Autograph Series, no. A23. Claudette Colbert.

Dutch postcard, no. 120. Photo: Paramount.

Jackie Searl (1921-1991) portrayed bratty kids in several Hollywood films, such as Robin Figg in Strictly Dynamite (1934). His film debut was in Daughters of Desire (1929), followed by Tom Sawyer (1930) with Jackie Coogan and Mitzi Green, and Huckleberry Finn (1931). Among his otable films are Skippy (1931), High Gear (1933), Peck's Bad Boy (1934), Great Expectations (1934), and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936). In the 1940s, he had some supporting character roles before disappearing for nearly a decade. In the early 1960s, Searl returned as a supporting villain on television.

Dutch postcard, no. 531. Photo: Meteor Film. Dickie Moore in Oliver Twist (William J. Cowen, 1933).

Dutch postcard, no. 657. Photo: Universal. Margaret Sullavan.

Dutch postcard, no. 631. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Jean Harlow photographed by Clarence Sinclair Bull at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, 1932.