Barbie as Mad Men’s Joan Holloway

There are many great characters on AMC’s “Mad Men,” but few have caused as much water cooler buzz as the curvy Joan Holloway. Portrayed by Christina Hendricks, she steps right out of the 1960’s and into your living room every week, perfectly coifed & ready to do business with the ad execs of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Here is Robert Best’s interpretation of the cool yet full of fire Joan Holloway à la Barbie.





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Gene Marshall: Town & Country

This one makes me think of Department Stores the way they used to be: swanky places to do shopping with out-of-this-world customer service. In addition, they were a hub of social activity; ladies would meet there for luncheons, fashion shows, and more. Today in this world of short attention spans and a craving to get everything faster and cheaper, the art of the original department store is dead. Thanks to Gene Marshall, the look lives on!



Here, Gene finds herself inside the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California, awaiting a lunch date at the Steakhouse 55 restaurant. It seemed like the perfect place to put Gene, as it gives more than a nod to old Hollywood glamour.



Excerpt from the “TOWN AND COUNTRY,” by Kirk Swenk as told by Mel Odom:

Asked to spearhead the Cos Cob Public Park Renewal Program, Gene took the reins with gusto, running things from her “headquarters” in her New York penthouse. As each event occurred, Gene would travel via limousine to Cos Cob to oversee each fundraiser. In the midst of it all, she became close friends with her limo driver, Satch. On one particular night, Satch was in a chatty mood.

FADE IN

EXTERIOR—GENE’S APARTMENT BUILDING LATE AFTERNOON

Gene Marshall is standing under the canopy of her apartment building as a limo pulls up out front. She waves, and the building doorman opens the limo door. Gene gets in.

GENE: Thanks, Lorenzo! See you tomorrow evening late! I’ll be spending the nigt with my parents in Cos Cob. Keep an eye out—I’m expecting a messenger with a script.

LORENZO: Very good, Miss Marshall—I’ll sign for it for you! Have a good time!

He closes the door.

CUT TO INTERIOR LIMO

GENE: Well, well. Here we go again, Satch! You must be getting the hang of the route to Cos Cob by now!

SATCH: Y’know, Miss M.—Ol’ Bessie here and me value the miles because it’s like we’re on a flying carpet whenever we have you in the car.

GENE: Why, Satch—how poetic!

SATCH: Yeah, well, all these nice conversations with has inspired me to take a night course in Creative Writing down to the community college. I’m really getting good—the teacher said I should think about submitting some of my stories about my riders to the New Yorker soon!

GENE: Stach, that’s wonderful—and I’ll bet you have some stories to tell!

SATCH: Boy, you can say THAT again—not everybody who sits in that seat is as nice as you! So why are you going to Cos Cob tonight? You look like you’re dressed up for a night on the town, not a trip to the country!

GENE: Tonight is the big gala for our Park Renewal Project. Everyone who’s anyone that is from Cos Cob will be there. We’ve asked all those people who have meant so much to the area to come in from town and visit the little country park they grew up playing in.



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Gene as Marceline

When I first a photo of the Gene Marshall doll “Marceline” I assumed it must have had something to do with Marceline, Missouri. Since Marceline was Walt Disney’s hometown (and the outfit was pretty cool, too!), this doll found its way onto my wanted list. When I did finally get Marceline, I was surprised to read the story card, as there was no correlation to the midwest town. She’s still tops in my book, and I decided to photograph her with vintage trains, as her traveling outfit seemed perfectly suited for that.

Excerpt from the “Gene Marshall: May The Love Never End,” by Mel Odom:

Chapter 24: La Petite Colombe. When the opportunity to play French cabaret star Marceline Marcette presenteed itself, Gene Marshall practically flew to Reuben Lillienthal's office. The lift of “La petite colombe” (the little dove) had been an incredible one—a girl of poor beginnings who scaled the heights of the entertainment world in France. That life was filled with glittering parties, romantic intrigue…and an important part in the French Resistance in World War II, it had just been revealed! And now, Mademoiselle Marceline had expressed an interest in having one Miss Gene portray her in a biographical picture—with full access to all the facts. Gene could not have been more honored.



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Chris Stoeckel & A Star is Born!

Thanks to Kathy and her fantastic doll salon, this Gene is my new fave! The newest outfit she is modeling is a faithful recreation of a design worn by Judy Garland in the 1954 classic “A Star is Born.”

Gene looks amazing in this beautiful gown, don’t you think? Many thanks to the talented Chris Stoeckel who did an outstanding job of making this dress come to life for Gene.







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