JOAN BENNETT GLAMOUR GIRL

This wonderful tan velvet and lace heavily beaded period gown was worn by actress Joan Bennett in the 1939 version of the Alexandre Dumas classic “The Man In The Iron Mask”. Bennett portrays the character of Princess Maria Theresa. The film was directed by James Whale who is best known for his direction of film horror classics such as “Frankenstein” and “The Invisible Man”.



William Bridgehouse designed costumes for the film. The film was made at United Artists studios.



This famous costume adventure tells the story of a twin brother of Louis XV kept hidden away in a prison and forced to wear an iron mask to hide his identity. This was the second of five screen versions.

Louis Hayward co-starred with Bennett in the dual roles of Louis and his brother.

Make up for the film was executed by the Max Factor studio. It was not uncommon for make up tests to be conducted together with costume tests for the film. Below is Joan Bennett in costume for her make up test for the film.



A great piece of period film costume history from the year that is always remembered as being the best year in Hollywood history!

ESTHER WILLIAMS DANGEROUS WHEN WET

Esther Williams is best remembered for her swimming films at MGM. Williams however was also a competitive swimmer winning national records.

Williams is best remembered for her series of water musicals of the 1940s and
1950s. Some of her most memorable films at MGM include “Million Dollar Mermaid” and “Dangerous When Wet”.



Here is a wonderful Esther Williams outfit worn by her in the” Duchess of Idaho” MGM 1950. The one-piece jumper is made of beige-colored raw silk with a netted waist. Williams wears this item whilst playing tennis with co-star Van Johnson. The wonderful Helen Rose designed the costumes for the film.







Also worn by Esther Williams is a bright yellow period jumper from “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” MGM 1949. This sleeveless chartreuse dress with floral-pattern trim is worn by Williams in this very entertaining 1949 musical romance and can be seen in one of the musical numbers in the film with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.





The costume also appears heavily in production stills for the release of the film. Helen Rose also designed the costumes for this feature.

MARLON BRANDO WORLDS GREATEST ACTOR

Here is a period frock coat and vest worn by Marlon Brando in his portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1954 Fox film “Desiree”.







Brando who has been referred to as perhaps the worlds greatest performer, is also known for his role as Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire” and his Academy Award performance as Terry Malloy in “On the Waterfront”.



He is of course also remembered for his role as Vito Corleone in “The Godfather”.







Costumes for the film Desiree were designed by Rene Hubert. The film also starred the wonderful Jean Simmons and Merle Oberon.





A great piece of film history, which fits me too! ☺

Also from Desiree is this beautiful period wool gown of royal blue and purple with long train. Jean Simmons played the title role of Desiree as the love interest of Napoleon. Costumes again designed by Rene Hubert. This was a lavish production for 20th Century Fox studios and no expense was spared in this historical epic.