In this ad, American actress Linda Darnell (1923-1965) explains why she switched to Camel cigarettes after supposedly trying them for 30 days: “I found they get along wonderfully with my throat. I especially appreciate Camel’s mildness when I’m making a picture!” Mildness was a code word, the opposite of harshness, meant to implant the notion that the cigarette brand was actually helpful rather than harmful. Darnell arrived in Hollywood at the early age of 15 and became one of the youngest actresses to star in a leading role. At the time this ad was printed, Darnell was struggling in her acting career, which likely prompted this appearance. Three years earlier, at the height of her career, she had provided a testimonial for Raleigh cigarettes, claiming that “No other leading cigarette gives you Less Nicotine, Less Throat Irritants.” At the age of 41, she died from severe burns received during a house fire; it is widely reported that she fell asleep with a lit cigarette while watching her 1940 film Star Dust on television that evening.
Actor, Female, Linda Darnell, Male, Singer, Throat
