Mary Nolan

Mary Imogene Robertson was born in 1905 and began her career as a teenage model. At an early age Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. signed the blond beauty for his Follies, beginning Mary's dubiously illuminated career. A jazz-age party girl by nature, Mary had already earned the somewhat dubious nickname of "Bubbles" while working in New York, but then made the fatal mistake of involving herself with married Ziegfeld comedian Frank Tinney. Thus began a long and abusive relationship which would culminate in her being hospitalized for injuries he inflicted on her during one of many heated arguments. Because Tinney was married, the affair caused a scandal and Mary ending up moving to Germany for two years. While there she made several films, and it paved the way for the newly christened "Mary Nolan" to get her start in Hollywood.

Mary secured a number of leading lady roles in notable films including West of Zanzibar (1928) with Lon Chaney, and Outside the Law (1930), opposite Edward G. Robinson. Interestingly, both films were directed by Tod Browning. Unfortunately, dwindling roles led a probably always unstable Mary to rekindle herself destructive behavior, ending with heroin addiction. She was 42 and weighed only 90 pounds when she died in a small stucco bungalow at 1504 South Mansfield Avenue, Los Angeles, California. Her apartment was simply furnished except for a single possession. There was a huge antique piano formerly owned by Rudolph Valentino, which almost filled her living room. She bought it from the possessions which were once a part of Falcon's Lair, Valentino's home. Nolan revered the Valentino and kept his photo on the music rack.

No postcard images, but another beautiful cover by Marland Stone - this one the June 1930 edition of Motion Picture magazine (another Ebay find). As I have mentioned before with most of the movie magazines of the time, the person featured on the cover isn't once mentioned throughout the entire magazine - I still find that so strange. Click the image for a larger view.

Mary Nolan - What do you think - Allure?

Courtesy of Operator99.