ALFRED CHENEY JOHNSTON+BOOK OF NUDES

ZIEGFELD GIRLS ZIEGFELD FOLLIES 1907 - 1931 VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALFRED CHENEY JOHNSTON *Alfred Cheney Johnston was a New York City-based photographer known for his partraits of Ziegfeld Follies showgirls. In approcimately 1917, Johnston was hired by famed New York City live-theater showman and producer Florenz Ziegfeld as a contracted photographer, and was affliated with the Ziegfeld Follies for the next fifteen years or so.”

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A poster of Billie Burke advertising the Ziegfeld Follies of 1934, "Glorifying the American Girl",n which opened in New York in January 1934 (first tryout performance was in Boston in November 1933). Billie leased the name Ziegfeld Follies to the Schubert Brothers for the 1934 edition after Ziegfeld died in July 1932. Pictured below is not Billie Burke but a a Ziegfeld Follies Girl in the Fillies of 1934.

Key Production Details

• New York Opening: January 4, 1934 (ran for 182 performances until June 9, 1934).

• Tryout Run: Premiered in Boston in November 1933.

• Location: Winter Garden Theatre in New York City.

• Notable Talent: Headlined by Fanny Brice (who debuted her "Baby Snooks" character), Eve Arden, Willie & Eugene Howard, and Jane Froman.

• Music & Lyrics: Featured scores and songs by Vernon Duke, E.Y. Harburg, and Fred Allen.

Biography of Billie Burke

Born Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke in 1884, Billie Burke was a celebrated stage and screen actress. Best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, her life and career were heavily defined by her marriage to Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, whom she wed in 1913. @jacksonupperco.com +4

After Ziegfeld's death in July 1932, Burke found herself in significant debt. To protect her late husband's legacy and capitalize on the legendary brand, she authorized the Shuberts to produce new versions of the Ziegfeld Follies in 1934 and 1936. Her involvement in producing these revues led to a resurgence in her career, subsequently propelling her into a highly successful character actress in 1930s and 1940s Hollywood.

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Myrna Darby had a short career in the theatre, and as a Ziegfeld Girl - she was in fact discovered by Flo Ziegfeld himself.

Her Broadway resume included:

* “No Foolin’” (1926); 108 performances at The Globe Theatre (now the Lunt-Fontanne).

* "Rio Rita" (1927/28); 494 performances at three different venues: Ziegfeld Theatre (demolished 1966); Lyric Theatre (renovated 1996); The Majestic (still open).

* "Rosalie" (1928); 335 performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre (still open).

* "Three Musketeers” (1928); 315 performances at the Lyric Theatre.

* "Whoopee" (1928/29); 407 performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

Darby appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1927.

She also modeled, and appeared with fellow Ziegfeld Girls Muriel Finlay, Blanche Satchel and Jean Ackerman in magazine ads for Lucky Strike cigarettes.

She was considered one of the sweetest and nicest young women in the business (she would bring homemade cookies to the theatre for the staff and crew), and her future looked bright. However, Darby was diagnosed with heart problems, and after swimming one day, it’s believed that she suffered a sunstroke-induced heart infection.

Sadly, Myrna Darby died on Sept. 28th in NY City in 1929. She was only 21 (Photo of Myrna Darby by Alfred Cheney Johnston, 1927).

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Jaqueline Schalley, ca. 1927 (October 31, 1908 - December 1, 1991). French actress and dancer. In 1926, she was voted "Most Beautiful Woman in France". In 1927, she embarked for America. Photo by Alfred Cheney Johnston.

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Corona / Corrine Paynter, ca. 1922. (January 15, 1898 - July 29, 1986). Corona Paynter was born on 15 January 1898 in Vancouver, Washington, USA. She was an actress, known for Every Mother's Son (1918). She was married to Morris Green. She died on 29 July 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA. she later married to Morris Green, the producer of the Greenwich Village Follies.

#CorrinePaynter #AlfredCheneyJohnston #Colorized #FricPic

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Dorothy Britton .. "Ziegfeld Girl," (1929) "the Most Beautiful Showgirl in the World!." Dorothy won 'Miss United States' then onto the 2nd 'Miss Universe' (as Miss New York) Beauty Pageant in 1927 as the winner. Was a Ziegfeld Girl, Earl Carroll's Sketchbook and Earl Carroll’s Vanities featured star.⭐️ Photo by Alfred Cheney Johnston

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Patricia "Boots" Mallory (1913–1958) was a New Orleans-born Ziegfeld Follies girl, WAMPAS Baby Star (1932), and early talkies actress discovered by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Known for her roles in films like Humanity and Powder Smoke Range, she was married to producer William Cagney and later actor Herbert Marshall, passing away from cancer at age 45.

Key Facts and Biography -

Early Life & Career: Born October 22, 1913, she moved from Alabama to New York to become a vaudeville dancer before joining the Ziegfeld Follies.

Film Career: According to IMDb, she was a 1932 WAMPAS Baby Star and appeared in various films and shorts, often cited for her roles in the 1930s.

Modeling: She was a prominent model, with Pillar to Post noting she likely posed for the cover of the 1931 Follies and did pin-up work for artist Rolf Armstrong.

Personal Life: She was married to William Cagney (1933–1940s, two children) and later actor Herbert Marshall from 1947 until her death.

Death: She passed away from cancer on December 1, 1958, in Santa Monica, California.

Her career encompassed modeling, vaudeville, and Hollywood, solidifying her status as a notable Ziegfeld girl and actress. Photo of Patricia “Boots”Mallory by: #RolfArmstrong #PatriciaBootsMallory #ZiegfeldFollies1931 #WampasBabyStar1932 #ProminentModel #PinUpStar #RolfArmstrong #WilliamCagney #HerbertMarshall #Actress #Dancer #Colorized #FricPic #AlfredCheneyJohnston

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Virginia Biddle (1910-2003) was an American revue performer and showgirl. Biddle was a regular performer in Florenz Ziegfeld's "Follies" shows until 1931.

In July 1931, Biddle sustained burns to her feet and ankles in the explosion of Harry Richman's yacht Chevalier II. Her friend and fellow cast member in the 1931 Follies, Helen Walsh, was killed. Although she played the benefit performance of the Follies in Walsh's memory, Biddle ended her career on the stage in the wake of the accident, and her injuries also forced her to abandon dancing. She sued Richman for $50,000 damages but received only $50.

Biddle married twice and had three children, later forging a career as a realtor in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. In 2003 she suffered injuries in a car accident and died shortly afterwards. Photo by De Barron

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Stunning chorus girl who tried Hollywood and decided it was not for her, Georgia Lerch was somehow different. She was much lauded by her contemporaries and by the papers, and it seems that even outside movies, her career was going to go upwards. However all the promising future fell away in a daze of alcohol.

Georgia Lerch was born on August 14, 1906 in Fulton, New York, the second child of John D. Lerch and Eloise Brockway. Her older brother John was born in 1904, but sadly died before Georgia was born. Her father was a wholesale cigar merchant.

Georgia grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where the family moved in the 1910s.

She took dancing lessons and as a child, and developed a passion for appearing on the stage.

After graduating from high school, she decided to become a professional dancer, and looked for work in the theater circuit.

In 1926, Georgia scored work in one of the best places to be as a chorine - George White's Scandals! She was a chorine from 1926 until 1932. In 1930, she went with the other chorines to appear in Whooppe as a chorus girl, and there she went!

Georgia appeared in only one movie - Whoopee!, an Eddie Cantor vehicle considerably cut down from the original Broadway show. But what can I say, it's a typical Cantor movie, anyone who loves Cantor and that 1920s humor style will love it. Cantor plays Henry Williams, a nervous hypochondriac who goes west looking for a cure for his myriad of ailments and get involved in trouble along the way. There are a few good supporting players (Ethel Shutta, Paul Gregory, Jack Rutherford). While not the bottom of the barrel, the movie didn't age well at all, since, sadly, it's a typical product of its time in relation to blackface and racial stereotypes. That was it from Georgia!

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Peggy Hopkins Joyce (1893-1957) was a famous American actress, model, and socialite known for her glamorous lifestyle and multiple marriages to wealthy men, inspiring characters like Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and performing in shows like the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917 and Miss 1917, noted for her vivacious personality and appearances with producer Florenz Ziegfeld. She was a fixture in gossip columns, known for wealth, diamonds, and scandals, eventually becoming an inspiration for songs and even a film, but faded from the spotlight, dying of cancer. •

Key Details:

• Born: May 26, 1893 (or 1895, sources vary).

• Died: June 12, 1957.

• Career Highlights:

• Ziegfeld Follies (1917, 1925).

• Miss 1917.

• International House (1933).

• Inspiration for figures like Lorelei Lee.

• Known For: Marrying rich men, collecting jewels (like the Portuguese Diamond), and a "mercenary" approach to life.

• Legacy: Her life was the subject of books, songs (Cole Porter), and inspired film characters, embodying the "gold digger" archetype, notes Find a Grave.

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Catherine Dale Owen

Biography:

(1903-1965)

A Kentuckian educated at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Catherine Dale Owen combined superlative beauty with a graceful stage manner. As an eighteen-year-old student, Owen became the special project of Mrs. Frank Gilmore, the executive secretary of Actors Equity, who engineered her Broadway launch in 1921's "Happy Go Lucky." An ingenue, Owen quickly made her mark, appearing in "The Bootleggers" (1922) and "The Whole Town's Talking" (1923). In 1925 she was named one of the ten most beautiful women in the world.

Owen's stage career climaxed in the Ferenc Molnar hit, "The Play's the Thing" (1926-1927). From 1924 until 1928 she made repeated screen tests without being signed as a lead. The coming of sound made her refined speaking style an advantage. John Gilbert lobbied to obtain her as lead for "His Glorious Night." Gilbert's first sound feature became one of the infamous films of the era of the transition to sound, a stilted costume drama that killed his career. Though Owen's acting in the film is curiously lifeless, she was sufficiently photogenic to survive for two years in Hollywood, appearing in seven further features, mediocre items with high culture overtones. The best of these is the now lost operetta, "The Rogue Song," that marked the film premiere of singer Lawrence Tibbett.

She married stock broker Milton F. Davis, Jr. in 1934, divorced him in 1937, and remarried advertising executive Homer Metzger. David S. Shields/ALS. Photo by Alfred Cheney Johnston.

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August 3, 1903, Adrienne Ames was born in Fort Worth, Texas. She grew up with Southern charm. She moved to New York in her teens.

She studied dance and drama. She debuted on Broadway in 1924. Ziegfeld Follies from 1920-1924. She signed with Paramount in 1929. She starred in musicals and comedies.

She embraced the age of sound . She witnessed radio's rise alongside film. She recorded live broadcasts. She toured vaudeville circuits. She saw the Hays Code take effect in 1934. She felt its moral strictures on costume and script. She spoke out in letters to trade papers. She helped shape early union talks for bit players. She warned colleagues about nitrate film fires.

She toured a projection plant in 1932. She lectured on set safety at USC. She critiqued overused closeups in essays. She argued mise-en-scène mattered. She lived through the Great Depression. She lost her first contract in 1933. She fought rumors of an affair with a studio boss. She refused casting-couch advances. She was quietly blacklisted by one producer. She backed a petition to limit child labor on sets. She juggled scripts and night classes in accounting. She invested in real estate before the 1929 crash. She lost her ranch in the slump. She rebounded by starring in war-bond 8 shorts. She visited the Pentagon in 1942. She filmed newsreels for troops. She compared studio hierarchies to army ranks.

She applied new leadership skills to her own production pitch in 1939.

She left Hollywood in 1945. She battled chronic heart disease. She collapsed on set in 1946. She hid her illness from studios. She underwent surgery for a heart murmur. She accused a ease. She collapsed on set in 1946. She hid her illness from a studio doctor accused of negligence in private notes. She threatened a lawsuit. She accepted a small settlement in secret. She feared gossip. She turned to faith for strength. She taught Sunday school in Fort Worth. She bought a horse ranch near home. She bred quarter horses for wounded veterans. She donated her remaining films to a local archive. She warned of film decay. She campaigned for early preservation tactics. She spoke at a state library in 1947. She died that year at forty-three. She left no will and heavy debts. She owed back taxes and hush money to a columnist.

Studios seized her assets. Her costumes sold for pennies at auction.

Her scrapbook was lost in a fire. Her name faded from history. A 1990 restoration of a 1931 print surfaced in France. Archivists found a reel in a private vault. The rediscovery sparked articles and a 2005 biography.

It highlighted her role as a pioneer behind the scenes. It restored Adrienne Ames to her rightful place in Hollywood lore. #Wikipedia #AdrienneAmes #AlfredCheneyJohnston #ZiegfeldFollies(1920-24) #Colorized #FricPic #Vaudeville #Paramount #GeorgeWhiteScandals1934 #MyArt #IBDBcom

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Luce, Claire: [ACJ] (October 15, 1903 - August 31, 1989) Claire Luce performed in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1927 and in Ziegfeld's Revue 'No Foolin' (1926). According to the theatre program, she also performed in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1925 (Jan 1926, Forrest Theatre, Phil PA).

#ClaireLuce#NoFoolin1926#ZiegfeldFollies1925 #FricPic#ZiegfeldFollies1927

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Alice Joyce - Photo by Alfred Cheney Johnston - Silent Screen Star (1910’s - 1920’s)

Alice Joyce (October 1, 1890 - October 9, 1955) was a prominent American actress of the silent film era, appearing in over 200 films and known for her elegant demeanor, earning her the nickname "The Madonna of the Screen". After beginning her career as a photographer's model, she debuted in film in 1910 with Kalem Company and rose to fame with Vitagraph, starring in successful films like Dancing Mothers and Beau Geste. She retired from acting in 1930 after the advent of sound films and was interred at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Cali-fornia.

Early Life and Career:

• Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Joyce worked as a telephone operator and photographer's model before joining Kalem in 1910.

• She was discovered by director Sidney Olcott and made her film debut in The Deacon's Daughter.

• After Kalem was absorbed by Vitagraph, Joyce continued to build her stardom as a leading lady.

Silent Film Stardom:

• Known for her graceful presence, she was nicknamed "The Madonna of the Screen" by magazines like Photoplay Magazine.

• She successfully transitioned from ingénue roles to playing more mature characters, even appearing as Clara Bow's mother in Dancing Mothers (1926).

• Her notable films include The Homemaker (1925), Stella Dallas (1925), The Noose (1928), and Beau Geste (1926).

Retirement and Later Life:

• Joyce made her last film, the sound version of The Green Goddess, in 1930.

• She retired from films and briefly performed on the vaudeville circuit with her ex-husband Tom Moore.

• She died in 1955 at age 65 from complications of a blood and heart ailment.

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Alfred Cheney Johnston was a prominent photographer best known for his glamorous portraits of Florenz Ziegfeld's showgirls and 1920s/30s film stars, including Clara Bow, for promotional purposes. Clara Bow was the iconic "It Girl" and a major silent film star, known for her captivating charm and role as the embodiment of the Jazz Age. While specific details about any individual photo are sparse, Johnston's work captured Bow's public image as a symbol of the era, and his legacy continues through the thousands of photos discovered after his death, as described in Robert Hudovernik's book "Jazz Age Beauties: The Lost Collection of Ziegfeld Photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston".

About Alfred Cheney Johnston

• Career: Hired by Florenz Ziegfeld in 1917, Johnston became the official photographer for the Ziegfeld Follies, capturing the spirit of the "Glorifying the American Girl" productions.

• Artistry: He was known for his mastery of light and shadow, using dramatic lighting to create sensual, glamorous, and theatrical portraits of his subjects.

• Subjects: In addition to showgirls, he photographed many influential figures, including Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson, John Barrymore, and Clara Bow, as well as society figures and commercial products.

• Legacy: He published his own book of artistic nudes, "Enchanting Beauty," and after his death, a treasure trove of thousands of photos from his barn became the basis for the 2006 book,

"Jazz Age Beauties".

About Clara Bow

• "The It Girl": Bow rose to global fame for her starring role in the 1927 film It, which cemented her nickname and her image as a symbol of modern femininity.

• Jazz Age Icon: She embodied the carefree spirit of the Jazz Age, becoming the quintessential flapper and a beloved star adored by audiences.

• Film Career: She starred in over 50 films between 1922 and 1933, helping to define the early days of Hollywood and the archetype of the liberated woman in cinema.

• Retirement: After the transition to sound films proved difficult, Bow retired in 1933 to lead a more private life with her husband, actor Rex Bell.

Their Connection in Photos

• Johnston's photographs of Clara Bow, like many of his other subjects, were used for promotional purposes to highlight the glamour and spirit of the era.

• These photos captured Bow's irresistible charm and captivating energy, helping to solidify her image as the embodiment of 1920s Hollywood and the Jazz Age.

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Marie Hopkins, sporting a sexy and fierce costume for The Ziegfeld Follies in a 1930 photograph by Charles Sinclair Bull. In a strange twist, the photo, at times, has been misidentified as Anita Page.

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Jean Ackerman by Alfred Cheney Johnston Model, c. 20’s -

Jean Ackerman performed for Ziegfeld in the 1927 Follies, “Rosalie” and “Whoopee!” in 1928, “Midnight Frolic” in 1929 and “Smiles” in 1930. At some point during this time, she married Richard “Dick” Ackerman. Little is known about this marriage or the groom. Jean divorced him in January of 1930.

Although her run with the Follies only spanned four years, Jean always looked back on them as the best years of her life. Jean left New York and spent the final years of her life in Florida. She passed away from cancer on November 26, 1960 in Miami-Beach, just two weeks shy of her 57th birthday.