tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post3248407736155282144..comments2024-03-28T11:30:13.457-04:00Comments on Poseidon's Underworld: Designer Double-Dip: Something BorrowedPoseidon3http://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-16178012333349320902020-09-02T08:08:55.639-04:002020-09-02T08:08:55.639-04:00Paper. I wonder if Tippi's green suit was made...Paper. I wonder if Tippi's green suit was made of paper and all the birds wanted was an attractive place to doo-doo. Ha ha! Like I say, the man CLAIMED it cost that much, multiple times. I haven't declared that it actually did. Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-14505060555477969772020-08-31T15:48:20.268-04:002020-08-31T15:48:20.268-04:00There is no way that any hat or costume could cost...There is no way that any hat or costume could cost $20,000 in 1939! That would cover almost the entire cost of the whole film's wardrobe! Keep in mind that the final negative cost of GWTW was about $4,000,000 (a huge sum in 1939). Hollywood has a habit of inflating figures in order to make them sound more impressive, so they should all be taken with a grain of salt. <br />I read somewhere that the most expensive costume in GWTW was Belle Watling's gold satin gown, which is only seen for a few minutes onscreen. Selznick was a stickler for detail, and he insisted that the female's underwear was also authentic, even though it is only seen for a few seconds onscreen in the bedroom scene where the debs are taking their afternoon naps. <br />Also keep in mind that film costumes are not as durable as those made for regular wear, since they are used perhaps once or twice and then discarded. Some of them are even made of paper.<br />It would be interesting to find out what happened to Delilah's peacock feather gown from SAMSON AND DELILAH, and many other famous costumes. I think some of them are in the Hollywood museum, or other museums. Anyone know? ldanv99@gmail.comLaurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02747996958766100034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-64180161923972131052017-04-13T15:01:43.882-04:002017-04-13T15:01:43.882-04:00I agree with your reaction, Dave, but I can only t...I agree with your reaction, Dave, but I can only tell you what he said himself on the program. Mr. John was his name, of John-Frederics milliners. More than once, the price of the hat was noted as being $20,000. Source material on GWTW, though, shows that most of Scarlett's hats were made for under $50.00 each (+ a daily labor fee), though the Paris original bonnet, custom made to fit her head, wasn't among the ones listed that I saw. I can tell you, though, that this ancedote about the hat and its price is noted in a hat collecting book called Hatatorium:<br /><br />https://books.google.com/books?id=HLEK49A-LUAC&pg=PA130&lpg=PA130&dq=%22john+frederics%22+hat+gone+with+wind&source=bl&ots=cN5eEYPYbT&sig=TKXkgrFTxgWMY9HH9n01ZqpSd84&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihqK3xjKLTAhXFeSYKHXckAoUQ6AEISDAI#v=onepage&q=%22john%20frederics%22%20hat%20gone%20with%20wind&f=false<br />Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-36836400898137181982017-04-13T13:35:18.815-04:002017-04-13T13:35:18.815-04:00How could any hat cost $20,000 dollars in 1939?! ...How could any hat cost $20,000 dollars in 1939?! Would that be half a million bucks now? What was it made of, endangered species?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10845967694366470260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-895274476425335452017-04-10T21:25:44.904-04:002017-04-10T21:25:44.904-04:00hsc, thank you! I am in complete accord. I love to...hsc, thank you! I am in complete accord. I love to see costumes popping up again. I've also seen various traveling exhibits with movie costumes. Usually, the most remarkable thing to me is how TINY they are...!<br /><br />Gingerguy, I agree with you about everything (wow... surprise!) I don't ALWAYS love watching Joan Fontaine, but I thought she was wonderful in "Rebecca" (along with some others.) She had that winsome, weak-postured sort of insecurity that was such a great contrast to the stern, upright Mrs. Danvers! And I can't help it, but I've just always pictured Leigh as Rebecca de Winter for some reason.<br /><br />Hi Dave! I agree that Vivien was a good enough actress to play practically anything, but I think this came off better with Joan. Add in Larry Olivier's barely concealed resentment at not getting Vivien as a costar and it only adds to her discomfort. You are right about the Oscar, though if they'd allowed "Suspicion" its original, intended ending, Joan would likely have come off better. The way it wound up, she seemed somehow foolish and that wasn't fair. The audience also got cheated to some degree. As for the scarlet dress... well, Walter Plunkett just outdid himself on this movie. <br /><br />BTW, all, I have been watching a 1968 talk show that Joan Rivers once had (called "That Show") and she had on the milliner who made Scarlett's bonnet that Rhett buys her and he said that in 1939 it cost $20,000!!!! But David O' Selznick wanted it. The money that man spent to realize his vision..! Wow.Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-61796134115250104592017-04-10T13:20:38.991-04:002017-04-10T13:20:38.991-04:00Rebecca is one of my favorite movies and I always ...Rebecca is one of my favorite movies and I always think that Joan Fontaine won her Oscar as a catch-up for this movie. I also think of Rebecca as very similar to Scarlett O'Hara in temperament, so I think they did the right thing in casting Joan. Of course Vivien could have played mousy and been great, but the movie itself might have been derailed by her magnetism.<br /><br />That red dress is probably only second to the "green curtains" dress in movie history impact. It's funny to think of anyone else wearing it for any other reason.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10845967694366470260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-50819336225446465022017-04-07T14:30:40.873-04:002017-04-07T14:30:40.873-04:00p.s. totally thought of you when I recently visite...p.s. totally thought of you when I recently visited an estate sale shop in Palm Springs CA. There was a huge framed photo of Linda Darnell, to die for. I wondered whose house it came from. I bet there was a story there.Gingerguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17989371210392669145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-3717645950148158412017-04-07T14:26:28.312-04:002017-04-07T14:26:28.312-04:00I found this delightful, and that is not an expres...I found this delightful, and that is not an expression I throw around lightly. Scarlett becomes Mrs. Charles Hamilton in that dress I believe. It's actually a prettier dress in the test shots, and I must say Vivien is really good at establishing character in a posed photograph.<br />I loved that red dress! worn with lots of rouge. Both photos of Joan being swallowed by those costumes are really great. Noone played mousy as well as her. Even her silence was simpering.<br />So different in b&w, it makes you realize how skilled the costumers were, as they could suggest the color to your imagination.<br />The connection to "Rebecca" is fascinating. I think Joan is well cast, and always pictured a sharp beauty with dark hair exactly like Vivien Leigh as the first Mrs. DeWinter. This was so fun, thanks Poseidon.Gingerguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17989371210392669145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4006108502645191096.post-57573541281142457882017-04-07T13:18:31.774-04:002017-04-07T13:18:31.774-04:00Even if it was only in screen tests and not in ano...Even if it was only in screen tests and not in another movie, I love seeing costumes and props resurfacing for later use!<br /><br />I particularly enjoyed the shots of the costumes as they appear today. It's a good thing that these were so carefully maintained; so many of the costumes available in the Profiles in History auction have aged so badly-- discoloration, trim falling off or deliberately removed, alterations for reuse-- that they barely resemble what was seen onscreen.<br /><br />Thanks for posting this, and belated congrats on your recent milestone!hschttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788554330108647969noreply@blogger.com