Rita Hayworth And A Smoking Penguin

Sometimes we run across photographs with no logical explanation. When there is no news slug we are left to speculate – what is going on here? This is one of those cases.

Besides being identified on the rear as Rita Hayworth and a United Press International photo, there was nothing else written identifying the action or location.

Fortunately entering “Rita Hayworth” and Penguin in a search engine can solve a mystery.

The Gettyimages / Bettmann archive has this uncropped photograph in their database and the slug.

The original caption reads:

Rita Hayworth and Patricia Farr Strolling with Penguin
Opening California Swimming Season. This cigarette smoking penguin was accompanied by Rita Hayworth, left, and Patricia Farr, when he recently ventured forth to test the water at Hermosa Beach, California. Having dunked his toes, he pronounced the temperature good, and declared the bathing season open. April 11, 1937

Why the penguin has a cigarette in his mouth just adds to the bizarreness of this publicity photograph.

Our guess is that the smoking penguin is a marketing ploy by Brown and Williamson tobacco.  Kool cigarettes, Introduced in 1931 had a penguin as its advertising symbol until the 1960s.

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