Designer Double-Dip: To "Dynasty" with "Love!"

Many of my readers love posts of this sort, wherein costume re-usage is highlighted, and I like to think I have an eye for such a thing. But in this case I can't claim credit for the discovery... A faithful reader went and dug up the bones, bringing them to me with an ear-to-ear grin so that I can share them with you! This one is a bit of a giggle and I hope you enjoy it as I did.  

For those who may not be fully up on it, Dynasty premiered in January of 1981 with an abbreviated first season. While its ratings were middle of the road (though the type that would make any network exec salivate now!), it really didn't take off until the fall when the highly manipulative character of Alexis arrived (in the form of Dame Joan Collins.) Another key cast addition that year was Heather Locklear.

Locklear was brought on as leading lady Linda ("Krystle") Evans' niece from the wrong side of the tracks, Sammy Jo. Her short-shorts-wearing, banister-sliding, junk-food-eating tart was a thorn in the side to many of the wealthy inhabitants at the Carrington mansion. This became even more of an issue when she up and married Steven Carrington (played by Al Corley) who had heretofore been gay except for a brief foray with a married lady (Pamela Bellwood's "Claudia.")

For Lockear's first big party at the mansion, she was given a fluffy, demure confection, appropriate for a young newlywed making her social debut.

Trouble was, this look was more of what her Auntie Krystle wanted for her than what she'd have preferred. And a glass or two (or three!) of bubbly wasn't likely to soothe the pain.

So instead, when it's time for her to emerge and join the fun, she's had a full-on makeover!

She's sporting sultrier hair, a far more revealing gown and her sister-in-law Fallon's (played by Pamela Sue Martin) necklace, borrowed without permission! Aunt Krystle looks on in stunned shock.

Then she sidles up to the orchestra leader and makes a special request, which he soon begins. It's a hooty, disco riff on the theme from Peter Gunn!

This hilarious moment has become the stuff of legend. There's a clip on YT of the sequence, there's a music video for "Get The Party Started" (!) using footage of it and at least one .gif of Locklear's gyrating.

Work it, girl!

This whole scene does NOT sit well with Locklear's new mother-in-law La Collins.

So the impromptu performance is brought to an immediate close. (For those who may be interested, Joan's stand-in and good friend, Judy Bryer, can be spotted over Locklear's shoulder on the right. She often appeared in group scenes after her duties for lighting purposes were taken care of.)

Locklear is left humiliated in front of the guests. Note the hilarious braids that she'd somehow managed to work into her "Farrah" 'do in the short amount of time between switching looks! But I know... You're wondering. When in the hell is he going to get to the point of the post??!

Well, here is part of it, finally. Locklear's sexy dress is a reworking of one that The Love Boat's cruise director Julie McCoy (played by Lauren Tewes) wore over three years earlier in a 1978 episode.

I say reworking because while it may not the very same dress, it's the same pattern. On Tewes, the decolletage is more understated, the slit is far lower and the material looks a shinier, truer white. Locklear's has low cleavage, a thigh-high slit and seems made from a clingy, off-white jersey knit. But the overall design is the same. (I say this with the caveat that it may very well be the same dress because, as you'll see, the fabric in question changes hue somewhat based on the lighting. Someone may have just snipped some of the stitching and altered it to make it more revealing.)

And it stands to reason, since Dynasty and The Love Boat, like many Aaron Spelling productions, shared the same head costume designer, Nolan Miller. But this isn't the end.

A year and a half after Locklear did her little number on the dance floor, this dress appeared back on The Love Boat! And it was worn by a different "Krystle," Crystal Bernard!

This time, Bernard is the one with the big slit and expanded neckline as her man Dean Butler salivates.

Bernard also seems to have borrowed Locklear's hairstyle and perhaps a pose or two of hers. But, wait, there's more!

If the sisterhood of the traveling gown wasn't doing it for you as a Designer Double-Dip, consider this. Even Locklear's first dress, the one gifted to her by Auntie Krystle, was :::gasp::: second hand!

The Love Boat guest star Berlinda Tolbert (of The Jeffersons) had been seen wearing that one only six months prior! Tolbert was spotted in the confection walking with the ship's bartender Ted ("Isaac") Lange. Lockler didn't inherit the hair baubles to go with, however.

So there you have it, a trip through Nolan Miller's closet, though I'm sure that many other such examples exist. Special shout out to my pal Timothy for his expert detective work for this installment.

Designer Double-Dip: "Ambushers" Appropriation

Yes, my loves, I'm still with you. I've just been buried by life so far this month. I attempted to come up with posts and watched - are you ready for this? - about 7 different movies, anticipating one to feature, but not a single one warranted such treatment. Anyway... I did come across something, one of my notorious Designer Double-Dips. And in my usual meandering fashion (partly in order to fill out the post beyond merely pointing out the garment's usage) I will proceed to share it with you now. It all starts with 1967's The Ambushers. This was the third of four Matt Helm spy spoofs starring Dean Martin. The flavor of these very-'60s flicks is not for everyone, but they appeal to me for a few reasons. #1 - The first one, The Silencers (1966), costarred a luscious Stella Stevens and a stunning Daliah Lavi and the last one, The Wrecking Crew (1968), featured the gorgeous Sharon Tate. (Martin refused to make the fifth film, which was slated to bring Tate back, when she was ruthlessly murdered.) #2 - They were produced at the height of 1960s mod clothing and hairstyles - which I usually find irresistible. #3 - There are also some bouncy musical themes found within most of these flicks that are also up my alley. The Ambushers is special to me because I LOVE the theme song, there is a fashion show in the movie (I am ALWAYS down for that!) and the movie introduced me to the dazzling Senta Berger, who was one of the earliest people here to be profiled.

It was silly, slick, rather brainless movie roles like this which caused eyebrows to be raised when Dino was cast as an airline pilot in Airport (1970.) As I saw Airport long before I ever witnessed his Matt Helm, I didn't have to undergo that suspension of disbelief the way many did.

Always surrounded by a bevy of curvaceous women, Martin gave offhanded, wink-wink/nudge-nudge performances in these movies and was not above looking right into the camera at times.

Though they were parodies of the more serious James Bond movies, militant feminists would be appalled at the way women are on hand to aid, serve and sometimes service (!) him. (Though Bond certainly wasn't any better on that score at the time.)

No one seems to think very much of the four Matt Helm installments, but if one is in the right frame of mind, they can be diverting or at least interesting to look at.

Appearing in the first three movies as his secretary "Lovey Kravezit" (!) is Beverly Adams.

Here, she sports the most glorious (not to mention steam-proof!) eye makeup. Adams would soon leave the movie biz to become a wife and mother. Her husband, Vidal Sassoon, was a major trendsetter and entrepreneur in the field of hair care and she was given a signature geometric cut and used in the promotion of his (still in existence) products. 

The main part of Martin's mission in this film is to pretend to be on his honeymoon with a fellow agent (played by Janice Rule) who has suffered amnesia following an assault by an enemy operative. They fly to Acapulco, where said enemy runs a beer company.

In Acapulco, an ocean-side fashion show is staged featuring not only an eye-popping assortment of Oleg Cassini clothing, but also set to the hip-swaying strains of captivating Hugo Montenegro music.

The models are actually Martin's cohorts working undercover. There's a long parade of them, of which this is but a sampling. The first time I saw this segment, I knew it would forever be a favorite of mine, even though it isn't that long, is interrupted midway through and doesn't zero in on the outfits in the background that I enjoyed the most.

Not truly part of the show, but whirling around nonetheless, is Senta Berger.

She's decked out in a green and gold peacock-feather patterned dress.

She is a woman of mystery and she invites Martin to her room later.

While his cover is that of a honeymooner, he and Rule aren't truly married, so he isn't against getting to know Berger better.

And like that, they separate. Until later...

I must tell you that when I saw her a bit further on in the movie, in this wafting night ensemble with hair piled high and those earlobe-slaughtering earrings... Well, I was changed forever and became a diehard fan of Ms. Berger.

As the story progresses, she's seen in several other mod get-ups, but this particular look was the one that really got me. (I'm not saying it's the one that was recycled, though. As a matter of fact, it becomes distressed in this scene and wasn't likely to be used further unless it were only certain parts.)

Moving on, we come to Diabolically Yours (1967), which was her next project after The Ambushers. She was costarred with Alain Delon, who we also love.

He plays an accident survivor who wakes up in a hospital with amnesia.

We don't know how, but he's also forgotten about his luminous wife Berger!

We've always enjoyed the work of beguiling Delon (though Purple Noon, 1960) stands head and shoulders above most other things of his we've seen.

And, of course, we cannot get enough of Berger's arresting looks.

Together, they make quite an alluring combination.

During this lengthy two-shot, it's difficult to decide which one to focus on. They're both so physically attractive.

Also, both of these folks knew how to work an eyebrow!

Berger is called upon to display a bit more flesh than her make counterpoint. And she doesn't disappoint. I just wish Delon could have had a shower scene (or something...! There is a bathtub sequence, but it is supporting player Sergio Fantoni who's in the water.)

The twisty tale was directed by the esteemed Julien Duvivier, but he was killed in an auto accident not long after shooting had commenced and it is believed that his inability to advise on the editing wound up compromising the movie.

For one brief scene, Berger sneaks up on Delon and play's "Guess Who?" But for us it was more like "Guess where this dress was seen before!"

Yes, this is the Oleg Cassini gown that Berger wore earlier that year for The Ambushers!

It's among the briefest of her appearances, so it was likely thought that no one would notice that the piece was from her prior motion picture.

'Course there isn't much that gets by us...! In both films, this garment is never shown any further down than her hips. But the way she moved in it made me think it might be longer rather than short.

Thanks to this on-set photo, I was able to figure that out as well.

I don't know if she absconded with it after The Ambushers or if it was deemed custom-made to her figure and given to her, but somehow the dress crossed the pond and wound up in her wardrobe for the French film made just after. Till next time!