Stage. The Magazine of After Dark. June 1938. Awards Issue [In this issue STAGE Awards the Palms]

New York: Stage Publishing Company, Inc, 1938. Magazine Wraps. Very Good Plus. A special issue from the stylish 1930s entertainment monthly magazine, with the pre-Citizen Kane, pre-War of the World's, Orson Welles on the cover, and its awards going to Walt Disney, Lunt and Fontanne, Thornton Wilder, Bette Davis, etc. etc. (And short pieces on each of them.) The things that made the magazine uncommonly classy are all on ample display with this issue -- the striking photography, the caliber of contributors, the panache of every aspect of its production, really. Folio. 32.5 by 25 cm. 64 pp. The name of the magazine, "Stage", and its description of itself, might suggest that it was concerned only with the live theater, as is generally the case with theater magazines, but this issue gives lie to such a narrow focus, as the magazine obviously covered film especially and other performing arts such as classical music -- Toscanini is a recipient of an award, the piece on him, written by well-known future novelist Marcia Davenport, who was on the editorial board of the magazine. And right it should, as these mediums cross-fertilized, and obviously actors could and did perform in film and the stage. So among the many tidbits that could tweak the theater buff, for example, is a photo of young actresses with recent successes that grouped Martha Scott, Julie Haydon and Frances Farmer. A few other big names to be highlighted include Charles Boyer, Ed Wynn, Charlie McCarthy the dummy (Edgar Bergen off the side), Lillian Gish, Beatrice Lillie, etc. Among the variety of pieces there is light-hearted fare as well, with cartoonish illustrations. While photography for the editorial content is entirely in black and white, there are a good number of ads in full color, and some of these ads have truly arresting graphics. The ads tend to be for luxury and high status goods -- Packard and Chrysler, for example -- which informs us a bit about the demographic of readership. This wasn't a mere trade paper, nor a crass gossip rag. We would note that the magazine shouldn't be confused with other magazines bearing the same name that have arisen in more recent times. In our view, this is a special issue of a special magazine. Our copy has light wear but is exceptionally well preserved.