Diane Wagner's "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"

The Marilyn Monroe movie "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is one of those movies that I consider sheer perfection. I cannot think of a single moment that should be changed. The chemistry between Jane Russell and Monroe is fantabulous, and the supporting cast is no less brilliant. This leopard-trimmed outfit that Monroe wears as she enters the cruise ship is one of my very favorite costumes that she wears in the film. Designed by Travilla, it fits her like a glove and shows off every sensuous curve of her body.



Recently, Diane Wagner did her take on this outfit and I snatched it up. It sure looks beautiful on "Fit For A Queen" Gene Marshall.



I did my best to match the jewelry Monroe wore, but at some point in the future will probably do another photo shoot with pieces that come closer. The "diamond" brooch is from the All About Eve trunk set.



The outfit was barely out of the carton before I was photographing it - I like it that much!





Many thanks to Diane for bringing this outfit to life; she hit another home run as far as I'm concerned!

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Gene is Heartless!

Tim Kennedy's circa 1952 design called "Heartless" was released in 2000 for Madra Lord. I decided to allow Cocoa Crisp Gene Marshall do the honors of modeling it for you. My favorite part of this outfit is the miniature olive that comes with it!

From the story card:

The lead in "Somewhere Summer" seemed like the perfect part for Madra Lord (at least in Madra’s opinion): a young Career Girl who overcomes the machinations of a ruthless Older Woman and wins the day and The Guy.

So when her agent called and told her that Ruben Lilienthal had personally picked her for Somewhere Summer, she dashed to the local Elizabeth Alden for the full treatment. A week later, she arrived at the studio to sign her contract—for the role of the Older Woman.



“What!” she shouted at her agent on the phone. “What was in your mind when you told R.L. I’d do this? The ‘Older Woman’? For this I spent a week at the salon?”

“The stretch will do you good, sweetheart,”cooed Benny, finally getting a word in edgewise. “It’s on location. It’s a high profile picture. And it’s in your contract.”

“All right,” sighed Madra. “But whoever is playing the little ingenue is in for the ride of her life. Who is it?”

“You couldn’t guess?” said Benny, with a slight quaver.



“It’s Gene Marshall, isn’t it?” Benny’s silence confirmed her suspicions. “Well, at least it’s someone I can dish with—and who knows how to take what I dish out.”

Off Madra went to start filming. No one knew how to play a heartless woman with so much heart that audiences actually felt a little sorry when the character got her come-uppance. And when she showed up in the film wearing a smart pea-green and polka dot outfit in one last desperate attempt to hang on to the hero, audiences gasped—maybe she would win out after all. But in losing The Guy, the Older Woman won something else—the audiences’ hearts.



See more Gene Marshall doll photos on my Gene Marshall doll web pages.

Gene Marshall: Sparkling Seduction

Released in 1997, this circa 1948 outfit was designed by Shelley Rinker, a Young Designers of America winner. The doll modeling this faux fur-trimmed outfit is 2001's Lovely In Lace.

From the story card:

One benefit of being a leading Hollywood actress is being able to choose the parts you want to play...and finding characters that bring out aspects of your personality that may not be so obvious to your fans.

So it is that Gene looked forward to her leading role in the film Sparkling Seduction. This is a detective story with a different point of view, because it's Gene, and not some male star in a rumpled trench coat, who is playing the detective!



The plot has many twists, turns, and surprises. At the beginning of the film, Gene is hired by the suspicious wife of a Hollywood studio mogul to investigate his alleged infidelities. But it soon becomes clear that the man is innocent...and targeted for murder! What's more, Gene finds herself falling in love with him as she tries to unravel the murder plot. In one climactic (and memorably romantic!) scene, Gene, keeping a midnight rendezvous, sweeps into the room wearing this magnificent gown and fur-trimmed cape. Her form-fitting sheath sparkles with applied pailettes and cascades into a furled hemline...no film "gumshoe" was ever this glamorous...and the public just loves Gene's portrayal!



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Faves From The Tonner 2013 Mainline Release

The last few lines have left me somewhat lukewarm, while my wallet has been ecstatic. With the 2013 Mainline release from Tonner, the roles have been reversed. Let's dig in, shall we? And first, I will start off the statement that all of these photos are from the official Tonner site.

I have kept my eye on the Deanna Denton line, but since she was a larger size than most 16" vinyl dolls and couldn't easily share clothes, I have avoided her. "Luncheon Date," a new 16" size, could change all that. Rooted hair, applied eyelashes, and a very cool retro outfit - nicely done!









Next up is an outfit for Scarlett O'Hara from the 1939 film "Gone With the Wind." This one has never been done. There are other outfits that fans have been clamoring for, but I can understand why Tonner chose this one. It is simple and most likely an easier one to keep the costs down on. Scarlett wears this in the scene where she tries to get Ashley to join her in the lumber mill business in Atlanta. The doll is simply called "Scarlett."





According to the description, they have replicated the hair ornament ("bronze hair decoration"), but none of the photos show the back of her hairdo, so no idea how well it matches the one from the movie. For comparison's sake, here are a few screen captures:



Looks like the fabrics and design are spot-on. There have been some grumblings about how long the dress is, but the only way to know that would be to see the wardrobe test shots, as the entire dress is never actually seen on-screen.



The hair clip in back seems to be of a plastic/tortoise shell type of material in the movie, whereas the description from Tonner calls it "brass." Will have to wait until photos of the back are actually released.



The hairstyle is similar, but slightly off; nothing to really get upset about, especially for how wonderful the facial painting is. Tonner has come a LOOOOONG way in improving their capture of Vivien Leigh's likeness.





This next one baffles me; there have already been a slew of Glinda dolls from "The Wizard of Oz" released, and even one that did a great job of capturing Billie Burke. Not sure why it's being released again, other than perhaps there is a huge demand for it.



There are a few new Marilyn releases too. I am VERY excited about this one, called "In A Dream" from the movie "How To Marry A Millionaire."



Marilyn wears this outfit during a dream sequence. The face paint on this doll looks better than previous ones, and I also like that they have upgraded the doll to have applied eyelashes.









I don't know what happened with this one called "Lois Laurel"; she looks even less like Marilyn than the previous releases. This doll is supposed to be portraying Marilyn in the movie "Monkey Business."





The last Marilyn of the bunch is an outfit only, representing the film "Niagara."









There are two dolls without photos (so far, pending license approval) that I am very curious to see. One is a depiction of Ralphie from the movie "A Christmas Story" and the other is a 22" version of the bridal Scarlett O'Hara. I haven't been a fan of the 22" versions as the facial sculpt bears no resemblance to Vivien Leigh, but on this one, the description states "new Vivien Leigh portrait sculpt."

Can't wait to see what these gals (and guy) look like once they're released!

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