Today marks my first post featuring Madra; obviously, she is not the focus of my Gene collection, but there are a handful of outfits that I like as well as a few Madra dolls that I think make a nice counterpoint to Ms. Marshall. Portrayed as the rival bee-yotch, Madra still has somewhat of a following. This particular Doug James costume was designed for a circa 1946 Masquerade Ball. I was drawn to "Scorned Woman" because of its similarity to Mae West. Photo #1 shows Madra at the U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego. From the story card:
1946. “Don’t tell me—Gene gets Mr. Right, right?"
Madra was on the phone with her agent, Benny.
"So I won't tell you," he said.
"Story of my life," grumbled Madra.
"What, sweetheart?" I didn't quite catch that," said Benny.
"Oh, nothing—tell me the GOOD part." Madra lay back on her couch and popped a chocolate into her mouth.
"The good part is you get to wear fabulous clothes and the finale is a costume ball where you get to dress up in a turn-of-the-century hussy."
"Ooooh—a turn-of-the-century hussy?" Madra perked up. "Those were the kind of ladies my momma warned me about when I told her I wanted to be an actress! I can't wait to see Momma's face! Of course, I'll take the part—and I'll play this dame with a heart of 24 karat gold and we'll SEE who the audience roots for!"
See more Gene Marshall photos at my regular website.
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