JUDY HOLLIDAY NOT BORN YESTERDAY!

Here is a beautiful 1940’s dress worn by Judy Holliday in the 1949 MGM film classic “Adam’s Rib”.





The film was written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin and directed by George Cukor. It starred Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. This was Judy Holliday in her first major film role. The film is considered one of the great classic romantic comedies of the 1940’s.



The film was used by Columbia as her audition for re-creating her role on film of her Broadway success in Born Yesterday. Holliday went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Born Yesterday.





Holliday is also best remembered for her role in Bells Are Ringing which she also performed on Broadway and then reprised her role on film. Holliday also starred in the film ‘The Solid Gold Cadillac”.





Below is the trailer to the film where you can see Judy Holliday in costume:



Holliday passed away from illness in June 1956 far too young at age 43.

JUDY GARLAND THE HARVEY GIRLS

Here is a wonderful wedding gown worn by Judy Garland in the much-loved 1946 MGM musical classic “The Harvey Girls”. The gown is a creme-colored (Hollywood white) silk wedding gown with ornate puffy shoulders, lace sleeves and lace trim on the front.

A handwritten cloth label sewn into the zipper lining reads “1348-9123 Judy Garland”



Garland played Susan Bradley in this film classic that tells the story of a mail order bride who makes her way out west under a mistaken offer of marriage and instead joins a group of young women who are opening a Harvey House in the wild west.





The gown can be seen in two scenes in the film.



The first time it appears is when Garland, lets the Harvey girls know that she is to be married and showing the girls her wedding gown. This scene takes place on the famous Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe.





The gown then appears in the wonderful closing number to the film when Garland finally marries her love, John Hodiak.







Here is a close up of the bodice showing the intricate lace work on the gown.



The gown also appears in the poster art which was used to market the film.



The gown was originally one of the many MGM treasures that appeared in the "Star Wardrobe" portion of the great MGM auction in the 1970's.

Costumes for the film were designed by Helen Rose.

The film also starred some other MGM greats including Angela Lansbury, Cyd Charisse and Marjorie Maine.

Garland was also reunited with her Wizard of Oz yellow brick road partner, Ray Bolger and enjoyed some memorable scenes together.

The most famous of which would have to be the big, eight minute production number "On The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe."

The following costume is a jacket worn by Ray Bolger in this number.







You can see the jacket in the musical number here:



Men’s costumes were designed by Valles for the film.



Also from The Harvey Girls is a nightgown worn by Marjorie Main in a scene where the Harvey Girls are woken up by a bullet hitting a light fitting in order to scare the girls into leaving town. Marjorie Main was a much loved character actress best remembered for her role as Ma Kettle in the Ma and Pa Kettle series.


Purchased from the Bill Madigan Collection

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.