Here’s a sample pulled from my collection of movie stills, a lovely picture of Marsha Hunt and Margaret O’Brien in Lost Angel (1943).
Lost Angel was one of O’Brien’s earliest major roles, in which she plays a little girl who’s been raised to be a genius.
At the time I bought the still, it was purchased mainly because of O’Brien, but in the intervening years I’ve become a huge fan of Marsha Hunt. I was thrilled when I recently sorted through my collection and rediscovered this beautiful photo of her.
The scan really doesn’t do the photo justice. It’s an original photo on heavy stock, dating from 1943, and the quality is amazingly crisp.
The back of Laura’s “Lost Angel” still
A bit of trivia: MGM stills typically have the film’s production number written in a lower corner in white ink. Lost Angel was No. 1296.
For those who don’t collect stills themselves, the “approved” stamp on the back dates the still as an “original” dating from the film’s release. Original stills of this era were typically on heavier stock than stills which are simply reprints and don’t bear the “approved” stamp.
I began collecting stills when I was around 11 years old, after my parents gave me a half-dozen for Christmas, and today I own a few hundred. I have a particularly large collection from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, as I’ve attempted to collect as many stills as possible from MGM’s Production No. 1643.
Do you have a favorite film collectible or a piece of movie merchandise that you cherish? If so, be sure to let us know in the comments!
Laura G. is a proofreader and homeschooling parent who is a lifelong film enthusiast. Laura’s thoughts on classic films, Disney, and other topics can be found at Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, established in 2005. Visit her website at http://www.laurasmiscmusings.blogspot.com.