Stars and the Press

Besides reporting on and reviewing films, newspapers and magazines in the 1930s also gave their readers the opportunity to ask questions about foreign or Dutch stars. The magazine Filmwereld had a special section entitled, ‘Questions we received’ in which the answers were published to inquiries about issues such as whether a particular star was married or single, who played in which film and where so-and-so was born.

Picture postcard showing a still from Bleeke Bet (NL, Richard Oswald, 1934), with Fien de la Mar, left, and Jopie Koopman.

Film magazines

Film magazines such as ‘Cinema Revue’ and ‘Film-Revue’ paid a lot of attention to stars, especially foreign, that is, mainly Hollywood stars. There were even adverts that featured film stars. One example is the advert for Lavender-Products by the brand Potter Moore’s Mitcham that was published in the back of the ‘Film-Revue’ in October 1934. In the advertisement it’s mentioned that stars such as Jessie Matthews, John Barry, Connie Bennet, Winifred Shatter and Dorothy Hyson all used the products from this brand.

Scarlett’s party dress

Many American actor and actresses appeared in the 1930s in similar adverts for cosmetic products such as soap, deodorant and perfume. Tino Balio wrote in the fifth volume of the series ‘History of the American Cinema’ (1993) that bras and corsets, hats and scarves, hairnets, jewelry, even wristwatches that were made for the American market at the time were often introduced as ‘inspired by the film’. There was no other item of clothing in the 1930s that was copied as often as Scarlett O’Hara’s barbecue party dress.

Dutch stars

Dutch actors and actresses also received a lot of attention. The Telegraaf published photographs of stars such as Lily Bouwmeester that were shot during her ski holiday in Switzerland. She was asked in advance by the Vereenigde Fotobureaux (‘United Photography Agencies’) in Amsterdam, who took the photos, if she would be so kind as to allow the photographer in question to shoot some pictures of her in the snow.

The monthly magazine Nova regularly published pictures Dutch stars, such as Fien de la Mar, taken in popular entertainment clubs and venues. The photographs were given captions such as ‘the celebrated Dutch actors during teatime in the well-known Astoria in Amsterdam, the centre of art and elegance’.

Trade Journals and Fan Magazines

Around 1907, the first film magazines were published in Britain and Germany. It was not until 1912 that the first film magazine appeared in the Netherlands: 'De Bioscoop-Courant'.

Still from Jubileumfilm 'Vandaag' (NL, Unknown, 1937), on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Cinema Royal.

Still Jubileumfilm Vandaag (1937).

Publicity in the 1930s

‘Cinematography is young; publicity is even younger’, quipped publicity manager Henrik Scholte in his contribution to the ‘Officieel Orgaan van den Nederlandschen Bioscoop-Bond’.