1934
This set, Cinema STARS, also known as “Set 6”, includes thirty hand-colored images distributed with the “Army Club” cigarettes by Cavanders in 1934, according to the catalog. However, there are some clues that suggest an earlier date. For example, Vilma Banky was voted the most popular actress in 1927. The first sound films such as “The Jazz Singer” and “The Ghost Train” (1928) are also mentioned. Dolores DelRio was born in 1904 and we are told that she married for the second time at the age of 26, which brings us to 1930. However, we have no other specific clues about the date, except that some important events have been omitted. For example, Bebe Daniels’ prominent role in “42nd Street” is not included in her list. So, based on this information, we venture to guess that this set may date back to around 1932 and certainly pre-October 1933, as no review ever appeared on Card Collectors News, which began publication in that month. An even more curious aspect is that Esther Ralston appears twice in the set, at numbers 10 and 29, both with the same texts but with different portraits. The reason for this duplication is unclear, especially since with such a small set of cards they could have chosen many other actresses. This set leaves many questions unanswered and could offer cinema enthusiasts many research opportunities! The dimensions of the images are 67 x 36 mm. The set was also distributed with a simple sepia-colored back. To see the complete series click on further information, or on the symbol immediately below the year of the series