Now if you compare this card with yesterday`s card the text is really similar, so much so that it must have been based on a press release. The entire first section dealing with his birth and education is word for word. Though this card deletes any mention of Jack Millane, or that he worked for his father. And it uses slightly different wording about the potato boats. However after that we have the fact for the first time that he "...schooled horses for his uncle who bred racers and hunters, then he became a sparring partner in a boxer`s training camp". It says, exactly, about the British film star who gave him his chance and is very similar right up until he goes to Hollywood in 1930. Then it closes with four films, but they are also slightly different - here we get "Her Jungle Love" and "Tropical Holiday" both issued in 1938 which do not appear on the R J :Lea card - plus two that are on both "Men With Wings" and "Say It In French" (also 1938 but later). The Lea card replaces the first two with "Hotel Imperial" (1939) and "Beau Geste" (1939), but neither of those had been released at the time of our John Player card.
There were substantial changes to the life of Ray Milland in the 1930s. Firstly he was now based in America, starting at Metro Goldwyn Mayer, then moving to Warner Brothers. He had also got married, had a son and adopted a daughter. MGM released him suddenly, and he decided to return home to England, leaving his family behind. His wife was a college student, and was hoping to graduate before following. This did not work out too well and he had returned to California in 1933, where he was picked up by Paramount.
So lets start the cartophilic chatter with the first magazine write up of the set, which comes from the London Cigarette Card Company`s "Cigarette Card News" magazine vol.6 no.63, December 1938 - and that says :
"JOHN PLAYER & SON - "Film Stars" Third Series. Fifty small sized cards. A coloured series including a high proportion of British Stars. Well produced and likely to have considerable popularity."
I am slightly surprised at this because though I do like film star cards this set is not one of my favourites. But I am also unable to find the artist though the signature does appear on each of the cards. If I could track them down I might get more excited.
Anyway we are delighted to say that you can see all the cards online, courtesy of ImmortalEphemera/JP3
I have to say that this is quite a simple description but the describing and annotating of this set gets rather confusing later on! Our original John Player Reference Book RB.17 of 1950 lists it as : "Film Stars or Screen Celebrities. Small cards. Fronts in colour. Backs in grey with descriptive text. Special albums issued." It then lists the three series as versions as items 90 to 92 - ours being
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92. 50 Third 50 Subjects with reproduction of autograph on front.
A. Home issue, inscribed "Film Stars Third Series". Adhesive backs with album & I.T.C. Clause. Issued November 1938
B. Channel Islands Issue inscribed "Film Stars Third Series". Adhesive backs with no album clause nor I.T.C. Clause. Issued October 1938
C. Irish issue inscribed "Screen Celebrities". A series of 50. Non adhesive backs, with I.T.C. and Exchange Scheme Clause (large green numerals overprinted on reverse). Issued January 1939.
The book is very well annotated and even includes a link from S for Screen Celebrities back to "See Film Stars, Item 92"
There are some alterations to this by the time of our first World Tobacco Issues Index. The basic Home Issue set appears as P72-162.3 under section 2C and just says it is inscribed "Third Series" (50) See RB.17/92. The Channel Islands version goes in section 3C as P72-218, and is also announced to have been issued in Malta. And the Irish Issue appears in section 2B as P72-131 by merit of the fact that cards with and without adhesive backs are now separated.
By our latest edition of the World Tobacco Issues Index this is much the same, except that the code numbers are now P644-328 (section 2C) for the Home issue, P644-668 (section 4C) for the Channel Islands and Malta, and P644-270 (section 2B) for the Irish issue.