FAY LANPHIER Miss America 1925 ESTHER RALSTON Lost Film 1926 VINTAGE ORIG PHOTO
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:7333974 | Size: 8x10 inches |
| Original/Reproduction: Original |
This is a vintage original photograph from The American Venus, a 1926 silent comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle, starring Esther Ralston, Ford Sterling, Lawrence Gray, Fay Lanphier, Louise Brooks, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
The film is believed to be lost, although pieces of the film's trailer survive and can be viewed on YouTube.
Fay Lanphier (1905 – 1959) was a model, Miss California in 1924 and Miss America in 1925. She performed on stage and appeared in one other... film, the Laurel & Hardy short, Flying Elephants (1928).
Before shooting began, the film became the subject of a minor controversy when the New York Graphic, a newspaper known for its use of yellow journalism, claimed that the film's distributor, Paramount Pictures, had "fixed" the Miss America pageant. In a series of articles, the paper claimed that the eventual winner, Fay Lanphier (Miss California), had been chosen before the pageant because she signed on to star in the film before the pageant was held. Paramount publicly admitted it had been involved with the pageant's promotions and had agreed to pay for pageant's reviewing stand. The studio also agreed to sponsor an "American Venus" contest to be held before the Miss America pageant to determine which of the contestants had the best "photographic possibilities". Lanphier won the American Venus title and was chosen by Famous Players-Lasky then production manager Walter Wanger for a role in the film. (Source: Wikipedia)
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