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French postcard, no. 612. Photo: Piaz, Paris.

Josephine Baker (1906-1975) was well-known as a singer and dancer. In 1925, she became an instant success in Paris because of her erotic dance. She also performed in a handful of silent and early sound films, La Sirene des Tropiques (1927), Zouzou (1934) and La princesse TamTam (1935).

Josephine Baker was born Frida Josephine McDonald in 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri, US. Her mother, Carrie McDonald, was a laundress, and her father, Eddie Carson, was a vaudeville drummer. Josephine dropped out of school at age 12 and first danced in public on the streets of St. Louis for nickels and dimes. At 15, she was recruited for the St. Louis Chorus vaudeville show, and she married a Pullman porter named William Howard Baker. Two years later, she left him and ran away from St. Louis, feeling there was too much racial discrimination in the city. She headed to New York City and, during the Harlem Renaissance, performed at the Plantation Club and in the chorus of the popular Broadway revues 'Shuffle Along' (1921) and 'The Chocolate Dandies' (1924). She performed as the last dancer in a chorus line, a position in which the dancer traditionally performed comically, as if they were unable to remember the dance, until the encore. At that point, they would not only perform it correctly but with additional complexity. Josephine Baker was then billed as 'the highest-paid chorus girl in vaudeville.'

In 1925, Josephine Baker opened in Paris in 'La revue negre' at the Théatre des Champs-Élysées, where she became an instant success for her erotic dancing and for appearing practically nude on stage. After a successful tour of Europe, she reneged on her contract and returned to France to star at the Folies Bergères, setting the standard for her future acts. She performed the 'Danse sauvage', wearing a costume consisting of a skirt made of a string of artificial bananas. She quickly became a favourite of the French, and her fame grew. Baker performed in a handful of silent and early sound films, including La Sirene des Tropiques/Siren of the Tropics (Henri Étiévant, Mario Nalpas, 1927) at the side of Pierre Batcheff, Zouzou (Marc Allégret, 1934) opposite Jean Gabin, and La princesse Tam Tam/Princess Tam-Tam (Edmond T. Gréville, 1935) with Albert Préjean. At this time, she also scored her greatest song hit, 'J'ai deux amours' (1931). In 1937, she renounced her American citizenship and became a French citizen. During World War II, she served in the French Resistance for which she would receive the highest French military honour, the Croix de Guerre.

Josephine Baker had many ups and downs during her career. Although based in France, Baker supported the American Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s. In 1951, the Stork Club in New York City refused to serve her because she was black. This led to a confrontation with columnist Walter Winchell. Later, she was falsely accused of being a communist sympathiser, and the FBI started a file on her. During the McCarthy era, she was told that she was no longer welcome in the United States. In France, she was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, France's highest honour, in 1961. In the late 1960s, she began having financial difficulties and stopped performing in 1968. Princess Grace offered her a home in Monaco when she learned of Josephine's financial problems. At the request of Princess Grace, she performed at Monaco's summer ball in 1974 and was a great success. That same year, she staged a week of performances in New York and called the show An Evening with Josephine Baker. Baker had just begun a Paris revue celebrating her half-century on the stage when, on 10 April 1975, she was stricken and went into a coma. She died without regaining consciousness. Her funeral was held in Paris, and she was buried in Monaco. Josephine Baker adopted 12 children, partly because she couldn't have any of her own and partly because she believed in equality for all, no matter what nationality, religion, or race.

Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.

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Truus, Bob & Jan too! posted a photo:

British postcard in the Famous Cinema Stars series by Beagles, no. 104-B. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.

On 30 April 2026, the new La Collectionneuse post at European Film Star Postcards will feature American silent film star Clara Kimball Young.

More than 201,000 people took part in Hong Kong’s annual Cinema Day on Saturday, enjoying discounted HK$30 tickets at theatres citywide.

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau hailed the event as a “great success.”

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the bureau said that this year’s Cinema Day drew 201,519 moviegoers, with 1,694 screenings held across 52 cinemas in the city.

Saturday’s attendance was up around three per cent compared with last year, when around 195,000 people went to the cinema for discounted tickets.

Among the popular movies attracting cinemagoers on Saturday was Night King, a local comedy that came out last year but was re-released as a director’s cut this month.

Local media reported that some Shenzhen residents travelled to Hong Kong to watch films at discounted prices.

Fourth Cinema Day

Hong Kong held its fourth Cinema Day amid years of box office slumps and theatre closures.

This year’s Cinema Day saw a record high occupancy rate of 81 per cent, compared with 67 to 77 per cent in previous years.

However, the total number of cinema seats has fallen from almost 43,000 at the end of 2020 to around 36,800 in July 2025.

Cinema Day was introduced in 2023 as part of the government’s “Happy Hong Kong” campaign to boost the city’s economy, as years-long Covid-19 measures dampened sectors from tourism to entertainment.

The 2023 event attracted over 221,400 filmgoers – the highest so far.

According to a government statement earlier this month, Cinema Day attracts over three times as many admissions as on a usual day. Cinema Days from 2023 to 2025 saw over 600,000 moviegoers purchase discounted movie tickets, the statement read.

Cinema Day is sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.

Truus, Bob & Jan too! posted a photo:

Vintage Spanish collector's card. Reclam Films, Mallorca. Card 5 of 6. Scene from Les larmes du pardon (René Leprince; Ferdinand Zecca, Pathé Frères 1914), starring Gabriel Signoret (here on the left) and Gabrielle Robinne.

Gabriel Signoret aka Signoret (1878 - 1937) was a French actor and director who played in some 85 films, mostly silent ones.

Truus, Bob & Jan too! posted a photo:

British postcard in the Film Weekly Series, London.

In 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.

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.

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.

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

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Truus, Bob & Jan too! posted a photo:

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

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).

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 being listed 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.

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 respectfully, but not enthusiastically, received by the critics. Ultimately, Les Misérables turned in an extremely modest profit and put an end to 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.

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. 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.

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

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Film fans believe that a key plot point in Zendaya's and Robert Pattinson's new movie The Drama was inspired by photographer Lindsay McCrum's 2011 book Chicks with Guns.

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Truus, Bob & Jan too! posted a photo:

Vintage French collector's card. Scene from L'Exode des fées (Gaston Velle, Pathé Frères 1911). Velle also scripted the film.

Plot: The fairies, having enchanted the childhoods of past generations, have turned their backs on today’s youth—positive and skeptical. Paul, who doesn’t believe in fairy tales, tries to destroy the enthusiastic faith of his little sister Jeanne, who loves to read them. The fairies, scorned, leave the earth; but they will no longer send children their beautiful dreams of yesteryear, and Paul, plagued by terrible nightmares, recalls those he had spoken ill of. And Melusine, Morgane, Urgèle, Viviane, the White Lady, witches, sylphs, and wood spirits return to fill the peaceful nights and joyful evenings of little children with happy dreams.

To celebrate the cult movie director’s 80th birthday, we bring you our interview with John Waters from Hi-Fructose Isssue 69. You can still get a copy in print of this issue here. Happy Birthday to The King of Puke! ABOVE: Portrait of John Waters, photo by Greg Gorman, © Academy Museum Foundation Early on in the […]

The post Happy 80th Birthday to The Pope of Trash: An Interview With John Waters first appeared on Hi-Fructose Magazine.

GoPro unveiled the oft-teased Mission 1, Mission 1 Pro, and Mission 1 Pro ILS cameras last week, although the company didn't announce pricing. That mystery has quickly been solved.

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Viltrox has introduced two new additions to its Evo lineup: the AF 35mm f/1.8 Evo and AF 55mm f/1.8 Evo. Announced at NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas, the lenses are available for both Sony FE mount and Nikon Z mount systems.

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