KATHARINE HEPBURN “Christopher Columbus…..what riches!”

This period blue check wool day dress was worn by Katharine Hepburn in the original and loved 1933 RKO film version of “Little Women”.

Costume were designed by Walter Plunkett.



Everyone who appreciates and loves classic Hollywood has a favourite Katharine Hepburn film. Little known is that Hepburn herself considered this to be one of her personal favorites and is reported to have one said that she defied anyone to be as good as shoe was in the character of Jo. Hepburn considered her personality to be like hers and that part suited what she described as her exaggerated sense of things.



The costume is worn by Hepburn in the scene where she visits on her neighbour Laurie played by Douglass Montgomery. Hepburn utters the much remembered phrase from the film when she sees the mansion which Laurie resides in with his Grandfather and shouts out “Christopher Columbus…..what riches!” She also fences with Laurie in this scene.





The film Little Women tells the Louisa May Alcott novel of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March growing in Concord, Massachusetts, during the Civil War.



Hepburn plays the tomboyish Jo, who dreams of becoming a famous author.

The film broke theatre attendance records during its first week and Hepburn won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival,



Directed by George Cukor and made at RKO studios, the film also starred Joan Bennett, Paul Lukas and Francis Dee.

There have been a number of film versions made of this classic novel including the MGM version in 1948 with June Allyson, Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Lawford.

This 1933 version remains a personal favourite.

JANE GREER FEMME FATALE

Jane Greer was a film actress who despite making less than 30 films in her career, is remembered for roles in film noir classics and for playing the femme fatale.

The most important of her films are considered to be "Out of the Past" for RKO in 1947, "The Big Steal" in 1949 also with RKO and the "The Prisoner of Zenda" in 1952.



It is a little known fact that Greer suffered from facial palsy as a child and that as result, utilised the expressionless face 'look'in
later years. It has been mentioned that this 'look' is what she became known for in her films. Greer has been referreed to as the woman with the Mona Lisa smile.

The two costume pieces here are worn by Jane Greer in two of her more popular roles.

The first piece is a simple nightgown consisting of a gray cotton fabric with lace design to the neck line and sleeves that was worn in possibly her most memorable film noir roles in Out of the Past for RKO in 1947. Out of the Past was directed by Jacques Tourneur and starred Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film is considered by film historians to be one of if not the best film noir with its complex storyline, flashbacks and cinematography.



Costumes for the film were designed by Edward Stevenson.







This second costume is a wonderful two piece red velvet period gown with lace bodie and trim worn by Greer in the 1952 MGM classic "The Prisoner of Zenda" Costumes for the film were designed by Walter Plunkett who designed for film classics including Gone With The Wind.


Purchased from the Bill Madigan Collection



The film tells the story of an Englishman vacationing in a Ruritarian kingdom and who is asked to impersonate the soon-to-be-crowned king when the real king to be is drugged and kidnapped.



The film also starred Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr and was a remake of the 1934 classic with In later years, Greer took on many television roles including Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Murder, She Wrote.





Greer died at the age of 76 in 2001.

GLORIA GRAHAME QUEEN OF THE NOIR

Grahame was a wonderful actress who worked both in film and theatre. Beginning her career at MGM, she was later moved to RKO where she appeared in various film noir classics. In fact she received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Crossfire (1947) for one such role.

Grahame made her film debut in Blonde Fever (1944). Grahame also starred with Humphrey Bogart in the 1950 film “In a Lonely Place”, a favourite of mine. I also think she was great in “The Man Who Never Was”.

Here is a wonderful circus costume worn by Gloria Grahame in the film “The Greatest Show on Earth” which was another Cecil B. DeMille epic focusing on the lives of circus people in times of both financial and personal hardships.

The red performance outfit with gold lame inserts is highlighted by faux pearls and beading. Gloria Grahame portrays the elephant girl who attracts the unwanted attentions of Lyle Bettger who plays an elephant trainer but secretly pines for Charlton Heston. Costumes were designed by Edith Head and Dorothy Jeakins and Miles White undertaking the circus costumes.

The costume is worn in a great scene involving Grahame and an elephant threatening to crush her. You can see the costume being used in the following video. You can see the costume come in at just over a minute.

The film was nominated and won the Best Picture Oscar for 1952.

Grahame actually won an Oscar for her role in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).

Sadly Grahame became ill with stomach cancer and refusing to accept that she was ill and receive treatment, she passed away in 1981 following complications.

And yes she did marry her own stepson.

GINGER ROGERS SHALL WE DANCE?

Ginger Rogers will always be remembered as one of the true dancing legends of all time and more so as being half of the partnership that will always be considered the most memorable on screen dance partnership of Astaire and Rogers. They danced well together with elegance and style. And as they said, Ginger did everything Fred did on screen…but she had to do it backwards!

Rogers has appeared in many memorable film classics including “Top Hat”,” “Shall We Dance”, “ Black Widow”, “The Barkley’s of Broadway”, “Roxie Hart” and “I'll Be Seeing You”.

This first costume is a two-piece single-breasted brown suit with a cream blouse worn by Ginger Rogers in the 1944 Paramount film “Lady In The Dark”. The film is an adaption of the Kurt Weill stage musical of the same name. Rogers plays Liza Elliott, an unhappy female editor of a fashion magazine, “Allure”, who is undergoing psychoanalysis.

Pictures here show Ms Rogers in costume.

The second costume is a two-piece period gown worn in Rogers last RKO film, “The First Travelling Saleslady” RKO 1956. Edward Stevenson designed the costumes.

The film tells the story of turn of the century Rogers and ex-showbiz friend, Carol Channing who become involved as female steel sellers. When they find themselves unsuccessful selling corsets, they turn to selling barbed wire to Texas cowboys.

The following photo shows the costume as it appears on screen.



Here is a copy of the original Edward Stevenson sketch for the costume.

Miss Rogers also appeared on Broadway and on the London stage in shows such as “Hello Dolly” and “Mame”.

Another much loved film favourite of mine!

KATHARINE HEPBURN CLASSIC ELEGANCE

This is a costume pieces from the very early part of Hepburn's career.







This is a Katharine Hepburn screen worn period gown from "A Woman Rebel's" (RKO 1936). This is truly a remarkable piece of vintage Hollywood history. A purple and pink two piece polka dot period gown worn by the legendary Hepburn in one of her earliest RKO films.
Hepburn portrayed Pamela Thistlewaite, a woman who rebels against the social traditions of Victorian England in the late 1800's. Hepburn's performance as the defiant young woman has been considered the personification of her feminist characterizations of the 1930s. Costumes were designed by the legendary Walter Plunkett who formed a long lasting relationship with Hepburn and designed for many of her RKO films including the classic Little Women. The blouse fastens to the front with hook eye closures. The full length skirt is decorated at the hem with multiple fabric layers to create an intricate pattered design and is highlighted by multiple rows of hand covered buttons which are evident on the entire lower portion of the costume.

The items carries a sewn in label with the handwritten notation "HEPBURN C- 1557"

Costumes of Hepburn's early career are highly sought after.