Alice White

During the late 1920s, sexy and bubbly Alice White (1904-1983) was one of Hollywood's most popular stars who received more than 30,000 fan letters a month. She was Warner Bros' blonde answer to Clara Bow, and among her film hits were Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1928) and Show Girl (1928). Tabloid reports about a violent love triangle seriously damaged her reputation and her career.


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 376.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3389/1, 1928-1929. Photo: Paramount Pictures. Alice White in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Malcolm St. Clair, 1928). Costume by Travis Banton. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


Dutch postcard, no. 388.


Dutch postcard, no. 389. Alice White in Showgirl in Hollywood (Mervyn LeRoy, 1930).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 4475/1, 1929-1930. Photo: First National / Defina.


French postcard by Europe, no. 652. Photo: First National / Arta Film.

A bubbly, vivacious blonde

Alice White was born Alva Violet White in 1904 in Paterson, New Jersey, to French and Italian parents. Her mother was Catherine 'Kate' Alexander, a chorus girl, and her father was Audley White, a paper salesman. Audley abandoned the family when she was a baby, and Catherine died in 1915. Alice was raised by her Italian grandparents in New Haven, Connecticut. Her grandfather owned a fruit business. When Alice was a teenager, they moved to California, where she attended Hollywood High School. After leaving school, White started to work as a secretary, but lost several jobs for being too "sexy". She also worked as a switchboard operator at the Hollywood Writers' Club and as a script girl for director Josef von Sternberg. After clashing with von Sternberg, White left to work for Charlie Chaplin, who decided before long to place her in front of the camera.

Elizabeth Ann at IMDb: "Her short blonde hair and big lips would become her trademark. Audiences fell in love with Alice, but critics were rarely impressed with her acting. It was also rumoured that her singing voice was being dubbed." Her bubbly and vivacious persona led to comparisons with Clara Bow, and she dyed her hair blonde to stop these comparisons. In his book 'Silent Films, 1877-1996: A Critical Guide to 646 Movies', Robert K. Klepper wrote: "Some critics have said that Ms. White was a second-string Clara Bow. In actuality, Ms. White had her own type of charm and was a delightful actress in her own, unique way. Whereas Clara Bow played the quintessential, flaming redheaded flapper, Alice White was more of a bubbly, vivacious blonde."

After playing a succession of flappers and gold diggers, she attracted the attention of director and producer Mervyn LeRoy, who saw potential in her. Her screen debut was in The Sea Tiger (John Francis Dillon, 1927) with Milton Sills. She appeared as brunette Dorothy Shaw opposite Ruth Taylor's Lorelei Lee in the silent comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Mal St. Clair, 1928), co-written by Anita Loos based on her novel.

Her other early films included Show Girl (Alfred Santell, 1928), which had Vitaphone musical accompaniment but no dialogue, and its musical sequel Show Girl in Hollywood (Mervyn LeRoy, 1930), both released by Warner Brothers and both based on novels by J.P. McEvoy. In these two films, White appeared as Dixie Dugan. In October 1929, McEvoy started the comic strip Dixie Dugan with the character Dixie having a 'helmet' hairstyle and appearance similar to actress Louise Brooks.

White was featured in The Girl from Woolworth's (William Beaudine, 1929), having the role of a singing clerk in the music department of a Woolworth's store. Karen Plunkett-Powell wrote in her book 'Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-and-Dime': "First National Pictures produced this 60-minute musical as a showcase for up-and-coming actress Alice White." White was one of Hollywood's most popular actresses, and according to IMDb, received more than 30,000 fan letters a month.


French postcard by Europe, no. 653. Photo: First National / Arta Film.

Spanish leaflet by Films Selectos, Suplemento Artistico, no. 115, 24.12.'32.


British postcard in the Film Shots series by Film Weekly. Photo: Paramount. Alice White and Henry Wadsworth in Luxury Liner (Lothar Mendes, 1933).

Luxury Liner (Lothar Mendes, 1933) is a kind of Grand Hotel, a multi-story drama, but now on the high seas. The film, based on a 1932 novel by Gina Kaus, is an entertaining and multifaceted look into the various classes of cruise liner society with a very talented cast. Like Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding, 1932), this pre-code drama includes birth and death, lots of sexual innuendo and a combination of comedy that drives the plot and drama that is often poignant.


British postcard in the Film Shots series by Film Weekly. Photo: Paramount. Alice White in Luxury Liner (Lothar Mendes, 1933).


Dutch flyer, part 1. Photo: Warner Bros / First National Pictures. Alice White in Employees' Entrance (Roy Del Ruth, 1933).


Dutch flyer, part 2. Photo: Warner Bros / First National Pictures. Loretta Young, Warren William and Alice White in Employees' Entrance (Roy Del Ruth, 1933).

At the bottom of the cast lists

Alice White left films in 1931 to improve her acting abilities. The studio claimed that she was unhappy with her salary and had become difficult to work with. White toured the Vaudeville circuit. In 1933, she returned on screen in Employees' Entrance (Roy Del Ruth, 1933) with Warren William and Loretta Young. White's supporting role garnered good reviews and sent her on the comeback trail, but her career was hurt by a scandal. In 1933, Alice and her fiancé, American screenwriter Sidney 'Sy' Bartlett, were accused of arranging the beating of British actor John Warburton. Alice and Warburton had a love affair that ended when he beat her so badly she required cosmetic surgery.

Warburton told the press that Alice and Sy hired thugs to disfigure him. A grand jury in Los Angeles decided not to charge Bartlett or White; however, the bad publicity hurt Alice's career. Although White married Sidney Bartlett in 1933, her reputation was tarnished, and she appeared only in supporting roles after this.

She appeared the next year in the comedy-crime film Jimmy the Gent (Michael Curtiz, 1934), starring James Cagney and Bette Davis. In one scene, White was famously slapped by Cagney. Jimmy the Gent did well at the box office, and the critical response was positive as well. In 1936, she suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalised for two months. In 1937, she filed for divorce from Bartlett, claiming he "stayed away from home" and was awarded $65 per week in alimony.

By 1938, her name was at the bottom of the cast lists. White married film writer John Roberts in 1940. They divorced in 1949 in Los Angeles. In court, she said he "threw things and wasn't very nice". The following year, she sued him over unpaid alimony. White made her final film appearance in the Film Noir Flamingo Road (Michael Curtiz, 1949), starring Joan Crawford and Zachary Scott. Eventually, White resumed working as a secretary.

For many years, she lived with musician William Hinshaw. She never had any children. In 1957, she fell off a ladder and landed on a pair of scissors. This freak accident left her blinded for several months. When she recovered, she was offered a small role on The Ann Sothern Show. From then on, White stayed out of the spotlight, but she continued to answer the fan mail she received. In 1983, Alice White died of complications from a stroke in Los Angeles at age 78. She was buried at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. White has a star at 1511 Vine Street in the Motion Pictures section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


Austrian postcard by Iris Verlag, no. 6700. Photo: Warner Bros. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


British postcard in the Film Weekly Series, London.


French postcard by Cinémagazine-Edition, Paris, no. 468. Photo: First National.


Small, British collectors card in the Film Stars series by Player's Cigarettes, no. 48. Photo: Warner - First National. Text on the back side of the card: "Alice White was born in Patterson, New Jersey, on July 25th, 1907, of French and Italian parents. Her mother, a former chorus girl, died when Alice was only three years of age. After her education at Roanoke College in Virginia, Alice White took a secretarial course at Hollywood High School and later obtained a job as a script clerk in a studio. She obtained an engagement, making her film debut in The Sea Tiger. She won stardom, then for a time was not seen on the screen. She returned in Employees' Entrance, and her latest successes include Jimmy the Gent, A Very Honourable Guy and Gift of Gab."


British postcard by Sarony Cigarettes, no. 13 of a third series of 50 Cinema Stars.

Modern postcard by Swiftsure, no. 94/10.

Sources: Elizabeth Ann (IMDb), Wikipedia and IMDb.

Michael Rennie

English film, television, and stage actor Michael Rennie (1909-1971) was best known for his starring role as the space visitor Klaatu in the Science Fiction classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).


British card by Starlyte Studios, Malvern, no. A.3. Photo: Gainsborough.


American postcard by American Postcard, no. F58. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Lock Martin and Michael Rennie in The Day the Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951).

Handsome but hollow

Eric Alexander Rennie was born in Idle, now a Bradford suburb, in 1909 as the son of James Rennie, who operated a century-old wool mill, and Edith Dobby Rennie. His great-great-grandfather, named John Rennie, designed and built New London Bridge. Eric was educated at The Leys, a private school in Cambridge. He worked as a car salesman and manager of his uncle's rope factory before he turned to acting.

In 1935, he adopted the professional name Michael Rennie. “Handsome but hollow”, according to Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Rennie gained experience in acting technique while touring the provinces in British repertory. At the age of 28, he was noticed by Gaumont British, which arranged a screen test. He first appeared onscreen as the stand-in for Robert Young in Secret Agent (Alfred Hitchcock, 1936). Between 1936 and 1940, he appeared in minor unbilled roles in ten additional films.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, the 1.93 m tall Rennie began to receive offers for larger film roles, starting with his first (small-billed) performance in the wartime morale booster The Big Blockade (Charles Frend, 1940), starring Michael Redgrave. Six films later, however, Michael Rennie also had his first film lead. The suspense drama Tower of Terror (Lawrence Huntington, 1941), released shortly after Pearl Harbor, was styled in the manner of a Horror film and starred Wilfrid Lawson as a mad Dutch lighthouse keeper in Nazi-occupied Netherlands, while second-billed Rennie and third-billed Movita had the romantic leads.

His career was interrupted by war service. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1941 and would become a flight instructor for over two years. With the Second World War's end in May 1945, Rennie began to be seen as a potential star as a result of his roles in two vehicles for Britain's most popular star of the era, Margaret Lockwood: the musical I'll Be Your Sweetheart (Val Guest, 1945) and, most prominently, the sensual costume adventure The Wicked Lady (Leslie Arliss, 1945).

The latter turned out to be the year's biggest box-office hit, subsequently ranking ninth on a list of the top ten highest-grossing British films. He also had a single prominent scene as a commander of Roman centurions in Caesar and Cleopatra (Gabriel Pascal, 1946), starring Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains. Second leads and then leads in seven other British films produced between 1946 and 1949 followed.


British postcard. Photo: Gainsborough.


West German leaflet by Illustrierte Film-Bühne, no. 1833. Photos: 20th Century Fox. Debra Paget as Cosette, Cameron Mitchell as Marius, and Michael Rennie as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (Lewis Milestone, 1952). The German release title was Die Legion der Verdammten. Other main actors were Sylvia Sidney as Fantine and Robert Newton as Javert.

Screen immortality

Michael Rennie, along with Jean Simmons and James Mason, was one of several British actors offered Hollywood contracts in 1949–1950 by 20th Century-Fox's studio head, Darryl F. Zanuck. The first film under his new contract was the British-filmed Medieval period adventure The Black Rose (Henry Hathaway, 1950), starring Tyrone Power. Rennie's second Fox film, the Film Noir The 13th Letter (Otto Preminger, 1950), was a remake of the French film Le Corbeau / The Raven (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1943).

His next film gave him first billing and assured him screen immortality. The Day the Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951) was the first post-war ‘A’ Science-Fiction film. According to Wikipedia, it is “A serious, high-minded exploration of humanity's place in the universe and our responsibility to maintain peaceful coexistence, it has remained the gold standard for the genre of the era.”

Convinced that it had a potential leading man under contract, the studio decided to produce a version of Les Misérables (Lewis Milestone, 1952) as a vehicle for him. Rennie's performance was received respectfully but not enthusiastically by the critics. Ultimately, Les Misérables turned in an extremely modest profit and ended any further attempts to promote the 43-year-old Rennie as a future star. He was, however, launched on a thriving career as a top supporting actor. He co-starred with Jean Simmons in the 20th Century-Fox epic The Robe (Henry Koster, 1953) and also appeared in its sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators (Delmer Daves, 1954). Rennie was billed fourth and third, respectively, playing the Apostle Peter, who provides affirmation in the new faith, as Jean and Richard Burton become martyrs for Christianity.

The final film that cast Michael Rennie with Jean Simmons was Desiree (Henry Koster, 1954), with Marlon Brando as Napoleon. As French Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, who becomes King Charles XIV John of Sweden, Rennie marries Jean's Désirée, but her true love always remains with Napoleon.

His career began to decline, film opportunities were less appealing and gradually he slipped away from cinema screens. Among his film roles were The Rains of Ranchipur (Jean Negulesco, 1955) with Lana Turner, and The Lost World (Irwin Allen, 1960), the adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tale of a jungle expedition that finds prehistoric monsters in South America. In 1959, Rennie became a familiar face on television, taking the role of soldier of fortune Harry Lime in 76 episodes of The Third Man (1959-1965), a British-American syndicated TV series very loosely based on the character previously played by Orson Welles.


Italian postcard by Rotalfoto, Milano, no. 367.

Edward D Wood Jr ... move over

During the 1960s, Michael Rennie continued his television career, with guest appearances on such series as The Barbara Stanwyck Show (1961), Route 66 (1961), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962), Perry Mason (1963), Bonanza (1965), Lost in Space (1966), Batman (1966) as the villainous Sandman, I Spy (1967), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1967) and The F.B.I. (1967-1969).

He made his only Broadway appearance in 'Mary, Mary' (1961) playing Dirk Winsten, a jaded movie star. It ran for a very successful 1,572 performances, but Rennie stayed with the play for less than five months. When Warner Brothers cast the film version in 1963, Rennie, along with leading man Barry Nelson and supporting actor Hiram Sherman, were the only Broadway cast members to transfer to the big screen. Debbie Reynolds was given the title role, and Mervyn LeRoy directed the production, which opened at Radio City Music Hall. While the film disappeared from cinemas by the end of 1963, the Broadway version continued for another full year.

Rennie moved from Los Angeles to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1968. His final seven feature films were filmed in Britain, Italy, Spain, and, in the case of The Surabaya Conspiracy (Wray Davis, 1969), the Philippines. His final film was the Spanish-West-German-Italian Sci-Fi Horror film Los monstruos del terror / Assignment Terror (Tulio Demicheli, 1970), of which IMDb-user Noel commented: “Edward D Wood Jr ... move over”.

In 1971, he journeyed to his mother's home in Harrogate, Yorkshire, at a time of family grief following the death of his brother. It was there that he suddenly died of an emphysema-induced heart attack, two months before his 62nd birthday. Two years later, 'The Rocky Horror Show' premiered. Its opening song, 'Science Fiction/Double Feature' starts with the line: 'Michael Rennie was ill the day the Earth stood still'. 

Michael Rennie was married twice: first to Joan England (1938–1945), then to actress Maggie McGrath (1947–1960). Their son, David Rennie, is an English circuit judge in Lewes, Sussex. Both marriages ended in divorce. He had a second son, John Marshall Rennie, with longtime companion Renee Gilbert Taylor. Professionally, his son went by John M. Taylor. In 1958, director Otto Preminger named Rennie as a third party to his countersuit of adultery against his wife during divorce proceedings.


West German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 901. Photo: 20th Century Fox.


Belgian postcard.

Sources: Lyn Hammond (IMDb), Hal Erickson (AllMovie - Page now defunct), Wikipedia, BritMovie.co.uk (Page now defunct) and IMDb.

La Petite Illustration

La Petite Illustration started in 1913 as a weekly literary journal that published about new novels and stage plays, as a supplement to the newspaper L'Illustration. In 1925, La Petite Illustration Cinématographique was introduced, special issues of La Petite Illustration on individual upcoming French silent films. Just in a few cases, the magazine presented other films or had a special on silent Hollywood. One issue treated even four films. While on the cover the magazine presented itself as a weekly ('hebdomadaire'), the film issues only appeared only every three months or so, on a quite irregular basis. From mid-1927, La Petite Illustration Cinématographique was retitled simply as La Petite Illustration and it existed as a film magazine till ca. 1931. La Petite Illustration henceforth presented both cinema specials and general literary issues. In 1939, La Petite Illustration stopped altogether. This post only includes covers and pictures of the film issues from the silent era.


Cover of French magazine La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 1, 4 April 1925. Raquel Meller La Terre promise (Henry Roussel, 1925).


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 1, 4 april 1925, p. 2. Portrait of director Henry Roussel for La Terre promise (Henry Roussel, 1925).


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 1, 4 April 1925, p. 7. Raquel Meller in La Terre promise (Henry Roussel, 1925). Caption: Rabbi Samuel (Sauvejunte) asks his rich brother Moïse (Max Maxudian) to let his daughters Lia (Raquel Meller) and Esther return with him to his humble home, where they should not be ashamed of themselves.


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 1, 4 april 1925, p. 11. La Terre promise (Henry Roussel, 1925), starring Raquel Meller. Caption: "Fire in the pitts!" The flames erupt and black smoke obscures the sky.


Cover of La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 2, 13 June 1925. Gaston Jacquet in Le Bossu (Jean Kemm, 1925), adapted from the novel by Paul Féval.


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 2, 13 June 1925, p. 2. Photo: G.-L. Manuel. Portrait of director Jean Kemm of Le Bossu (Jean Kemm, 1925).


Photos from French magazine La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 2, 13 June 1925, p. 4. Gaston Jacquet in Le Bossu (Jean Kemm, 1925). Top: In a picturesque corner of old Paris, a (friendly) duel takes place between Chevalier de Lagardère (Gaston Jacquet) and Philippe de Lorraine, Duke of Nevers (Jean Lorette). Bottom: dinner in the high room of the castle. The two men are friends, so when Nevers is cowardly killed by the Prince of Gonzaga (Marcel Vibert), 18 years after, Lagardère avenges his friend, masked as an old hunchback.


Cover of La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 3, 19 September 1925. Rolla Norman as Matho and Jeanne de Balzac as Salammbô in the French silent film Salammbô (1925), directed by Pierre Marodon.


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 3, 19 September 1925. Rolla Norman and Jeanne de Balzac in Salammbô (Pierre Marodon, 1925). In Punic Carthage, Matho (Rolla Norman) steals the sacred veil of Tanit. In the background, Salammbô (Jeanne de Balzac).


Cover of La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 4, 18 November 1925. Jean Angelo in Les Aventures de Robert Macaire (Jean Epstein, 1925), by Albatros. During the 1820s, gentleman crook Robert Macaire (Jean Angelo) and his loyal aid Bertrand (Alex Allin), pretending to be two aristocrats, plunder the French countryside, until Macaire helps the real aristocrat Louise de Sermèze (Suzanne Bianchetti), a lady who has fallen from her horse. Louise is totally smitten with Macaire, but her brother has doubts about Robert's true intentions.


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 4, 18 November 1925, p. 2. Portrait of director Jean Epstein by G.-L. Manuel for Les Aventures de Robert Macaire (Jean Epstein, 1925).


Page from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 4, 18 November 1925, p. 11. Still from Les Aventures de Robert Macaire (Jean Epstein, 1925), starring Jean Angelo. Caption: "In a steep and wild place, a man armed with a shotgun was waiting." This is Bertrand in reality, posing as a bandit, menacing Henri.


Cover of La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 5, 20 February 1926. Jeanne Helbling in La Chaussée des géants (Jean Durand, 1926). When he was a child, François Gérard got to know Antiope, a little foreigner, in a Paris park. As an adult, he sees her again in her native country, Mingrelia, which is on the verge of revolution. He is then the host of Count of Antrim, who is also Antiope's father. However, once in the presence of François, the young woman does not seem particularly moved, which somewhat puzzles him.


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 5, 20 February 1926, p. 2. Portrait of director Jean Durand for La Chaussée des géants (Jean Durand, 1926).


La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 5, 20 February 1926, p. 3. Jeanne Helbling in La Chaussée des géants (Jean Durand, 1926), adapted from a novel by Pierre Benoit. Caption: The fine silhouette of Antiope, dressed in white, detached itself from the Gothic woodworks... (Benoit's book, p. 9).


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 5, 20 February 1926, p. 12. Jeanne Helbling in La Chaussée des géants (Jean Durand, 1926), adapted from a novel by Pierre Benoit. Caption: Antiope (Jeanne Helbling) recognises Ralph (Philippe Hériat), blessed in combat.
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Cover for La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 7, 7 August 1926. Ivan Mozzhukhin in Michel Strogoff (Victor Tourjansky, 1926), based on the novel by Jules Verne. While interiors were shot at the studio in Billancourt, exteriors were shot in Latvia and Norway.


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 7, 7 August 1926, p. 8. Ivan Mozzhukhin in Michel Strogoff (Victor Tourjansky, 1926). Caption: The scene of Michel Strogoff's torture. On the right, Ivan Ogareff (Acho Chakatouny) and the evil gypsy woman Sangarre (Tina Meller/ Tina de Yzarduy). Left on her knees, Jeanne Brindeau as Marfa Strogoff.


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 7, 7 August 1926, p. 11. Ivan Mozzhukhin in Michel Strogoff (Victor Tourjansky, 1926).


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 7, 7 August 1926. In addition to the special issue on Michel Strogoff, an extra article was added, entitled 'Hollywood, capitale du cinéma', with photos of the studios, the star villas, and Hollywood Boulevard in the mid-1920s. Caption: Hollywood Boulevard, the main artery of Hollywood, linked with the city of Los Angeles.


Cover for La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 8, 5 February 1927. Charles Dullin as Baron von Kempelen in Le Joueur d'échecs / The Chess Player (Raymond Bernard, 1927), based on a novel by Henry Dupuy-Mazuel. It is a historical drama set in the late 18th century during the Russian domination of Polish Lithuania, and elements of the plot are drawn from the story of the chess-playing automaton known as The Turk.


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 8, 5 February 1927, p. 2. Portrait of the director Raymond Bernard for Le Joueur d'échecs / The Chess Player (Raymond Bernard, 1927).


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 8, 5 February 1927, p. 5. In the foreground, Edith Jéhanne as Sophie and Pierre Blanchar as Boleslas in Le Joueur d'échecs / The Chess Player (Raymond Bernard, 1927). Caption: The oath of allegiance was sworn, while Sophie played the national anthem.


Photo from La Petite Illustration Cinématographique, no. 8, 5 February 1927, p. 12. Camille Bert as Major Nikolaieff in Le Joueur d'échecs / The Chess Player (Raymond Bernard, 1927). Caption: Thus with drawn sword in the hand, the soldiers advanced towards Major Nikolaieff.


Cover for La Petite Illustration, no. 345/ 10, 13 August 1927. Claudia Victrix as Princess Masha in Princesse Masha (René Leprince, 1927).


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 345/ 10, 13 August 1927, p. 5. Claudia Victrix as Princess Masha and André Marnay played Krivoshine in Princesse Masha (René Leprince, 1927). Caption: When Krivoshine heard what had happened, he had no other thought than to send Masha away at all cost, because the love of the general could be disastrous for all.


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 345/ 10, 13 August 1927. Jean Toulout as General Prince Tcherkoff and Claudia Victrix as Princess Masha in La princesse Masha (René Leprince, 1927).


Cover of La Petite Illustration, no. 385/ 12, 9 June 1928. Special on the French silent film Madame Récamier (Gaston Ravel, Tony Lekain, 1928), starring Marie Bell as Juliette Récamier.


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 385/ 12, 9 June 1928. Marie Bell as Juliette Récamier and Françoise Rosay as Madame de Staël in Madame Récamier (Gaston Ravel, Tony Lekain, 1928).


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 385/ 12, 9 June 1928. Scene from Madame Récamier (Gaston Ravel, Tony Lekain), starring Marie Bell as Juliette Récamier. A reception at the Palace of Fontainebleau, at the beginning of the French Empire under Napoleon.


Cover of La Petite Illustration, no. 398/ 13, 8 September 1928. Special issue on the French silent film L'Occident (Henri Fescourt, 1927-1928). A French squadron before the coast of Morocco tries to prevent rebel gangs from attacking the caravans but is afraid to kill loyal citizens by bombing. So Captain Jean Cadière (Lucien Dalsace), who knows the local language and customs, is sent on a secret mission. He also substitutes for his young protégé, Lieutenant Arnaud de Saint-Guil (Jaque Catelain). The next morning, Hassina (Claudia Victrix), a captive of the tribe of Zerreth-Hama, finds Cadière at a well, bitten by a snake. Because of an old prediction, she believes he is her chosen one, so she saves him by sucking out his poison, considers him her master, and brings his papers to the French vessel


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 398/ 13, 8 September 1928, p. 9. Scene from L'Occident (Henri Fescourt, 1927-1928). Caption: A big Oriental party is given at the villa of aunt Aline.


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 398/ 13, 8 September 1928, p. 11. Scene from L'Occident (Henri Fescourt, 1927-1928). Caption: Led by the good Le Goff, Fathima finds comfort.


Cover of La Petite Illustration, no. 408/ 14, 14 November 1928. Albert Préjean in Verdun, visions d'histoire (Léon Poirier, 1928). This issue, titled 'Les épopées françaises à l'écran', presents four films, two WWI films: Verduns, visions d'histoire (1928) by Léon Poirier and the less important La grande épreuve (1928) by André Duges and Alexandre Ryder, and two films about Jeanne d'Arc but with a totally different narrative and style: La merveilleuse vie de Jeanne d'Arc, fille de Lorraine (Marco de Gastyne, 1929), starring Simone Genevois, and La passion de Jeanne d'Arc (Carl Dreyer, 1928), with Renée Falconetti. Remarkable is that the plot description of La grande épreuve in La Petite Illustration completely differs from that on French Wikipedia. Also remarkable is that De Gastyne's Jeanne d'Arc film was released one year after the issue of La Petite Illustration came out, in November 1929.


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 408/ 14, 24 November 1928, p. 4. Photo for Verduns, visions d'histoire (Léon Poirier, 1928). Caption: The Caures Forest, the day before the offensive of 21 February 1916 (the start of The Battle of Verdun).


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 408/ 14, 24 November 1928, p. 7. Photo for Verduns, visions d'histoire (Léon Poirier, 1928). Caption: The surrender of the last defenders ; commander Raynal surrends his sword.


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 408/ 14, 24 November 1928, p. 9. Berthe Jalabert as the mother in La grande épreuve (André Duges, Alexandre Ryder, 1928). Caption: The death of the son.


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 408/ 14, 24 November 1928, p. 12. Photo for La merveilleuse vie de Jeanne d'Arc, fille de Lorraine / Saint Joan the Maid (Marco de Gastyne, 1929). Caption: An episode of the battle at Orléans.


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 408/ 14, 24 November 1928, p. 12. Photo for La merveilleuse vie de Jeanne d'Arc, fille de Lorraine / Saint Joan the Maid (Marco de Gastyne, 1929). Caption: The meeting at Chinon with the Dauphin.


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 408/ 14, 24 November 1928, p. 15. Renée Falconetti in La passion de Jeanne d'Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928). Caption: A British soldier grabs the ring from Jeanne.


Photo from La Petite Illustration, no. 408/ 14, 24 November 1928, p. 15. Photo for La passion de Jeanne d'Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928). The film shows very little of the wonderful sets by Hermann Warm, as the camera mostly stays very close to the actors.