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...
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...
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...
Gorgeous dress! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much :)
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