Franchot Tone military jacket worn in "Three Comrades" 1938

This is the first of many MGM costumes that I'll be listing over the coming months... a WWI German military coat worn by Franchot Tone in the 1938 drama "Three Comrades." The movie was based on the book by Erich Maria Remarque with a screenplay co-written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was under contract to MGM during the late 30's and tweaked the scripts of many of the studios films, but this is the only one that he received screen credit for. It tells the story of three German soldiers who were friends in WWI, and the course that each of their lives take after the war, with Robert Taylor and Robert Young playing the other two soldiers.

Franchot Tone was one of the great leading men at MGM in the 1930's and was also married to Joan Crawford from 1935-39. He began his career in the theater, starting in movies in 1932 and becoming a big star early on. His most well known movie is probably "Mutiny on the Bounty" from 1935, co-starring Clark Gable. After he left MGM in 1940 he continued to make movies at other studios as well as in independent productions. One of my favorites is "Dark Waters," a great suspense/thriller from 1944 that he made with Merle Oberon. In the 50's and 60's he continued to work in movies as well as on TV and in the theater. He died of cancer in 1968 at age 63. He had an interesting life and career, it would be great if someone wrote a biography about him. I've always thought he should be more well remembered as a great Hollywood star, as well as a prolific actor.

The jacket is dark green, almost like a greyish green, with red piping and brass buttons. All of the trim has been removed for use in other productions, as is often the case with military pieces. The epaulets, button on the front side, seal underneath the third button, and even the panels with three buttons on each sleeve have all been removed. All of the signs of where the trim was removed is there, even the pinhole where the button was removed from the front. It's nice to see all of that since it shows that the jacket matches to the one he's wearing on screen, even though all of the trim which makes it stand out is unfortunately gone. Military pieces from the movies usually look like this today, since they are typically re-used more than any other type of costume since so many military movies are made. Even the trim is re-used, added to another costume down the line. I'm just glad this piece survived over the years...

 

Here are some images of it with the top button and collar closed as he wears it in the movie. It wouldn't close on the form I took the photos on since it fastens pretty tight around the neck. It must've been uncomfortable to wear, lol. The threads that remain on the collar are from when some other type of pin or patch was added over the years for use in another movie, then removed to be re-used again. The studio wardrobe departments were very thrifty!

 

Here is an image of the MGM label with his name and the production number for the movie -

 

An MGM costume was typically labeled this way, with a printed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer label, along with the actor's name and the production number written in. MGM had a chronological numbering system that they used throughout the years for each movie. For instance, it's well known that "The Wizard of Oz" was production number 1060, which began filming in the fall of 1938, the same year "Three Comrades" was released, and in looking at the two production numbers, it shows that 22 movies were produced between them. It's great that MGM had a chronological number assigned to each movie made. It makes it that much easier to figure out what movie a costume will be from. Other studios like Paramount and Universal for instance didn't always label their costumes with specific production numbers, so it makes finding a costume in a movie more difficult. All in all it's usually a treasure hunt, and thankfully MGM's production numbers and the great way that they labeled their costumes make it a little easier.

Here's an article from NPR about the Warner Archive which mentions the DVD release of the movie... it's great that this and so many other classic movies are finally becoming available!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103229193

Ava Gardner costume worn to the premiere of "That's Entertainment" in 1974

Ava Gardner is legendary as one of the great stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, as well as one its most beautiful. She was married to Frank Sinatra in the 50's and was known to be the love of his life, and was also married to Mickey Rooney and Artie Shaw early in her career. Her private life could've been a movie itself, showcasing her humble beginnings as a girl from North Carolina, her rise to stardom, and then the colorful life she led after she became a star at MGM.

 

 

 

 

When Ava started at the studio in the early 40's it was mostly in bit roles, and gradually she started playing more prominent ones and then became a leading lady by the late 40's. It was in "The Killers" and "One Touch of Venus," that her beauty, talent, and star potential was really showcased, and ironically both of those films were made outside of MGM. By the early 50's she had become a top star, and was cast in leading roles of major films. One of her most famous came in 1953 in "Show Boat," one of the biggest musicals MGM ever made. They decided to overdub her voice for the songs, but fortunately footage survives of her singing "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" and she's really very good, so good that you can see the studio made a mistake in not using her vocals. The footage can be seen in the third "That's Entertainment" movie. Although considered an MGM star, some of her greatest movies were made outside of the studio, among them "The Barefoot Contessa," "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," "The Sun Also Rises," and "On the Beach."

 

 

 

 

 

This piece came from Ava's estate, and she wore it a few times during the early 70's. It's made of white chiffon and is layered in three tiers with full bell sleeves which are also layered. There is a scarf made of the same material that is attached at the neck and is worn draped around the back. It's unlabeled which leads me to believe that Ava had it custom made.

 

As simple as the piece is, Ava really looked like a million in it... below is the footage from the premiere of "That's Entertainment" showing Ava in the piece arriving at the event, and then at the famous gathering of stars at a dinner following the premiere. It was the first and only time that so many stars who worked at MGM were reunited, and they were all welcomed on stage to take a historic photo of the gathering. Luckily it was filmed too, and it's amazing to see all of them together. Ava is standing next to Charlton Heston who she starred with in "Earthquake" that same year. They may have even been filming it around the same time. Notice how Ava gets the biggest ovation :) She deserved it. And it's nice to see her wearing this piece in such a long clip. It begins after the scenes from "Showboat" ...

 

 

A little about "That's Entertainment"... it was a big hit when it was released in 1974, showcasing many of the great musical scenes MGM filmed over the years and introduced by some of the great stars of the studio. Since it was made before the days of VCR's, let alone DVD's and other digital media, it was a thrill for people to be able to see these great scenes on the big screen again, and it also introduced them to a new generation. The movie was such a hit that they made a sequel in 1976, and a third installment which included a lot of behind-the-scenes footage in 1993. All three of the movies are on DVD and I highly recommend them. I've watched them many times since I was a kid. They were basically an education for me, learning about these great musicals that MGM made during the glory days of the studio.

 

Here are some great candid shots of Ava wearing the piece... The first one was taken in her home the night of the premiere before she left, and then in a limo...

 

 

 

Here are some shots of her wearing it at another event... and the last photo is a nice one taken by her friend, Roddy McDowell...

 

 

 

  

 

Ruth Hussey in "The Great Gatsby"

Here is another costume from Paramount, worn by the great character actress Ruth Hussey in the 1949 movie "The Great Gatsby." It's really the definitive film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, much better and more true to the book than the lame 1974 version. It starred Alan Ladd as Jay Gatsby, who was perfect in the role, along with Betty Field as Daisy, Ruth Hussey as Jordan, MacDonald Carey as Nick, Barry Sullivan as Tom, and a very young Shelley Winters as Myrtle.

Ruth Hussey is mostly known for her work at MGM, in movies like "The Philadelphia Story," "H.M. Pulham Esq.," and "Susan and God." After her time under contract at MGM she worked freelance at other studios including Paramount, where she made "Gatsby" as well as "The Uninvited" with Ray Milland, which is considered her best movie. She had a refined beauty and a natural elegance about her that she brought to all of the roles she played. She always looked and sounded great on screen and was a delight to watch. Here's a nice article about her career...

http://trueclassics.net/2011/01/09/ruth-hussey/

 

 

 

 

Paramount costumes designed by Edith Head were usually done to a high standard, and the 20's style dresses that she did for this movie all look great on screen. This one is made of black silk with nude chiffon on the upper bodice and with a black chiffon overlay. The skirt is heavily pleated and there is a pleated cumberbund type of wrapping around the waist. These are just amateur photos that I took of it. It really needs to be steamed out and on a form that fits it better, but you can see how nice the style is. It looks very elegant in the movie, complete with the pearls and wide brimmed hat...

 

 

 

Here is the scene in the movie. It starts at the 10:55 mark in the clip...

 

 

 

  

Below is an image of the original studio label with her name. It's sewn into the inner waist of the silk part of the dress -

 

 

I'm glad this dress survived when Paramount liquidated so many of their vintage costumes...

 

Lana Turner costume from "Imitation of Life" designed by Jean Louis

 

Lana Turner wore this great jumper / pantsuit in the 1959 Universal melodrama "Imitation of Life" based on Fannie Hurst's famous novel. It co-starred Sandra Dee, Juanita Moore, John Gavin, and Susan Kohner.

The movie was produced by Ross Hunter and directed by Douglas Sirk, and it has that glossy late 50's / early 60's look that Universal had at that time. Filmed in Technicolor, the sets, music, and costumes all reflect the era in an ultra-glamorous kind of way. Lana's "Portrait in Black" and "Madame X" have the same type of atmosphere, as well as other movies made at Universal and produced by Hunter such as "Pillow Talk" and "Back Street," and those directed by Sirk such as "Magnificent Obsession" and "Written on the Wind."   

The costumes for "Imitation" were designed by the great Jean Louis. He was prolific in the 50's, designing cutting edge, high fashion style pieces for stars like Rita Hayworth, Judy Holliday, and Marilyn Monroe, all of whom he's identified with. He created Hayworth's famous "Gilda" gown, and the "Happy Birthday Mr. President" gown that Marilyn wore when she sang it to JFK. He also created Judy Garland's extensive wardrobe for "A Star is Born." He designed for many great Hollywood beauties and was married to one of the greatest, Loretta Young, for whom he designed for many years, most notably for her TV show.

Jean Louis also designed Lana's costumes for the previously mentioned "Portrait in Black" and "Madame X," and for all three movies his styles made her look elegant but alluring and even sexy at the same time. He had a knack for capturing a style that the character in the movie needed but that also flattered the actress playing the character, so that they always looked like a star. He gave actresses like Rita Hayworth and Judy Holliday a signature look which still makes them stand out today.

Ross Hunter, Lana Turner, and Jean Louis on the set of the movie...

 

The jumper is unique and has a real classic Hollywood look to it. It's worn by Lana in a scene that takes place in the afternoon, when she comes down the stairs from her room to the bar in her house to talk with her daughter, played by Sandra Dee, and her boyfriend, played by John Gavin. She's become a big star at this point in the movie and always looks the part, so it's stylish yet casual at the same time since she's wearing it during the afternoon.

It's made of a tangerine orange raw silk with a satin line down each pant leg and matching bow at the end. Note the interesting cut of the neckline and shoulder area. It also has buttons down the back which, along with the cut of the piece itself, give it an elegant look.The matching belt is also made of the same color silk. It's a miracle that the belt has stayed with the costume all these years, because belts were typically used for other things and didn't necessarily stay with the original costume. The only extra piece she has on with it is a matching silk scarf that is looped behind the belt.

 

 

 

 

Detail of the pant leg -

 

 

The studio label with her name -

 

 

This label was used from the 50's into the early 60's at Universal Studios, when they had merged with International Pictures. I have yet to find out how the costumes were labeled at Universal before this, since I've never seen one of their labels from the 30's or 40's. Very few costumes from that period in their history have ever surfaced. I think the studio may still have many of them. At least I hope they do since it would be nice if they were preserved!