Gone with the Wind tribute

In honor of the 85th anniversary of the premiere of “Gone with the Wind” Atlanta, Georgia, I will be doing a series of posts telling the story of the film using varioius dolls from my collection. The opening image shows heroine Scarlett O’Hara (played by Vivien Leigh) on the steps of her home, Tara. I used a Tonner doll and squeezed her into the Franklin Mint version of the white ruffled dress also viewed in the scene below where she chases after her father to find out if the rumor is true that her beloved, Ashley Wilkes, is going to marry his cousin, Melanie.



Gerald confirms it, so Scarlett prays that evening that once Ashley learns that SHE loves him, that he’ll break off his engagement and marry her instead. Gene Marshall models the white ruffle/evening prayer outfit:



See more “Gone with the Wind” fashion doll photos at my website.

Mary Astor: Piano Concerto No. 1

Ever since I saw the prototype photos over a year ago (!), I have been anxious for this doll to be released. Even though most people today have never heard of the classic Oscar winning beauty Mary Astor, I for one have...and was shocked by how spot-on the sculpt and face paint were. The final execution? Not too bad.



To be upfront, I did accessorize the doll with earrings to match what Mary originally wore in the movie "The Great Lie," which is what Piano Concerto No. 1 was inspired by.



The outfit is pretty incredible; especially the detailing of the cape. I rushed these photos and am looking forward to getting more creative in the near future with this doll. The back of the cape is just as beautiful.



Pros: the sculpt. As Andrew Yang told me, there was a lot of time spent on it and it shows. The cape. The dress. Absolutely beautiful.

Cons: Probably wouldn't be many except I saw the prototype photos. The face paint is much better (but I could probably touch the doll up myself). The dress on the original was more of a cream color, which seems to be a better choice than the bright white which was the final execution. The body of the doll is a great improvement for Tonner articulation, but still doesn't hold a candle to the Integrity Gene Marshall body. And the hair...I see they attempted to mimic the hairstyle from the movie, but it definitely will need to be redone. It just looks like a sculpted/gelled mess. You don't see the shoes, but they are a gold sandal-style pump. Odd choice, since the jewelry is silver. At least they don't show.

Overall: It's a win. I am being picky and I'll be the first to admit it. Kudos to Tonner for bringing Mary Astor to the public and to Andrew Yang for making sure his great-grandmother was honored in such a beautiful way.

See more Tonner doll photos at my website.

Tonner and the Lost BBQ

I can't say I've been enchanted by the "Lost Costume" sub series that Tonner Dolls have created for their "Gone With the Wind" line, but when I saw "The Lost Barbecue," my feelings changed. Based on the watercolor sketch created by costume designer Walter Plunkett, this outfit never made it to the screen. It is an interesting alternative to the BBQ dress that Vivien Leigh ended up wearing in the final movie.

Tonner has done a great job of staying faithful to the original sketch with both the outfit and the hairstyle.



Of course I have a few gripes. It would have been amazing if Tonner had made the dark green border pattern at the hem of the dress out of velvet instead of part of the print.



It also would have been nice if scale had been paid a bit more attention when creating the velvet waist sash, which seems a bit large for the doll.



One will find the usual amount of sloppy construction techniques with this doll, such as the bow for the hat. Sadly, I have just taken this as the norm for Tonner dolls.



Still, overall this one is a win for me.

See more "Gone With the Wind" doll photos on my regular website.

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James Dean by Tonner

Since his tragic death in 1955, James Dean has become more iconic with the passing of each year. Now that they've done Marilyn Monroe, it's not too surprising that Tonner would tackle her 50's male counterpart. Naturally, they chose to do Dean in his classic "Rebel Without a Cause" outfit of the red windbreaker, jeans, and biker boots.



When Tonner released photos yesterday, I will admit I was disappointed. The outfit looks good, so I'll give a plus for that. The waist seems a bit high though, making this cool iconic outfit seem a bit dorky.







The biggest offense is the sculpt of the face.



Dean had a very thin build, and the face on Tonner's Dean is just too wide.



With a little photoshop, you can see a big improvement. I also shortened the sideburns for the sake of accuracy as well. I do give credit for rooted hair vs. a wig, which would really have made this doll look silly.

I just have to wonder who checks the sculpt and paint on these dolls? Comparing photos with the sculpt can't be that hard.



See more Marilyn Monroe doll photos on my Marilyn Monroe doll web page.

Poppy Parker as Sabrina: Isn't It Romantic?

This particular “Sabrina” doll is called “Isn't It Romantic?” This outfit has become a highly coveted design in its previous incarnation by Madame Alexander for 16" dolls.

Here are a few shots of Audrey Hepburn, wearing this beautifully crafted gown, designed by Edith Head:





Thumbs up on the doll, hairdo, jewelry, and outfit.



Thumbs down (once again) on Integrity's gloves. With the claw-like fingers, chances are you will snag the gloves when attempting to put them on.



See more Audrey Hepburn doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Poppy As Sabrina: Most Sophisticated

I was able to snap off a few shots of the Poppy Parker as "Sabrina" line last night. Today's post shows a few poses from the "Most Sophisticated" set. I've never seen the movie, but as a lover of classic films, I recognize many of the outfits that Poppy wears in this set from the iconic Audrey Hepburn black and white publicity stills.

On the plus side: the use of the Poppy sculpt is a vast improvement over the face used in the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" line by Integrity. Poppy's sweet and innocent face is a better match to Audrey's image.



The outfits fit perfectly, and the accessories are out of the ballpark. The luggage (which actually opens!), the dog and leash, the purse...wow! So many possibilities for photographs!



I'm not a huge fan of the sculpt for Poppy's hands; the fingers look a little claw like...but on the plus side, I love the way that they can actually hold objects without having to use glue dots. The french manicure is a nice touch too on those tiny nails!

Overall, I highly recommend this set!

Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Audrey Hepburn doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Animal Magnetism Photo Shoot

Tonner's first Marilyn Monroe 16" doll has arrived and now officially been photographed! Based on a scene from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953)...



this doll shows the outfit Marilyn wore when her very young suitor (played by George Winslow) told her, "You’ve got a lot of animal magnetism."



On the plus side...I love the articulation, rooted hair, the outfit, and the jewelry. Wow, the jewelry is amazing and extremely faithful to what Marilyn wore in the film!



Unfortunately, the doll itself just does not capture Marilyn. Here is an unretouched shot of the doll:



And with some retouching; I widened the mouth, raised the eyebrows, and did my best to soften her sculpted face. It seems that Tonner's artists went for a thinner and more sexy Marilyn. A large part of Marilyn's charm was her soft innocent nature.



Another before and after shot:



Even with some retouching, the doll misses the mark. I believe the sculpt would have to be redone to get a closer resemblance.



Before:



After:



The Franklin Mint's Marilyn sculpt perfectly captured Marilyn Monroe's beauty and vulnerability. I love it!



Do be careful if you decide to put the Tonner outfit on Franklin Mint's Marilyn; it is a VERY TIGHT fit. The dress won't hook in the back, and the jacket had to be coaxed to hook in the front.



This gorgeous outfit fits much better on Gene Marshall.





In terms of screen accuracy, the Tonner outfit blows away the version that Ashton Drake did years back for Gene. I do have to give very large kudos to Integrity; the body they did for Gene is one of the best articulated/poseable bodies done. Tonner's doll legs pretty much suck; they don't rotate at all, making model-type poses impossible.



Here's the Tonner version again, mixing the almost fatal drink that Marilyn was mixing up in the film.



Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Marilyn Monroe doll photos on my Marilyn Monroe doll web page.

Marilyn is on her way!

What could be a better way to celebrate Marilyn's birthday (today) than to know that she is on the way to my house?!? Can't wait for her to arrive so that I can photograph her. Wow...my first articulated Marilyn! Stay tuned...



Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Marilyn Monroe doll photos on my Marilyn Monroe doll web page.

Grace Kelly: Royal Honeymoon

Grace Kelly was a stunning beauty who had a brief but glorious career on the silver screen, which she gave up to become the Princess of Monaco. Here is the Franklin Mint portrait doll, wearing a replica of the outfit Grace wore on her Royal Honeymoon. Warning: I retouched the eyes and also shrunk the head a bit to make this doll look more realistic.



See more Grace Kelly portrait doll photos on my Grace Kelly doll web page.

Scarlett on Peachtree Street

In this scene from "Gone with the Wind," Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) & Rhett (Clark Gable) are pushing their daughter, Bonnie Blue Butler, down Peachtree Street in Atlanta. Rhett is determined to gain respectability for his daughter's sake, even if they have to "crawl on our bellies to every fat old cat."



Tonner's "Don't Look Back" is a great model to wear the Franklin Mint ensemble corresponding to what Vivien Leigh wore for this scene.













In this shot, Scarlett looks as if she's putting her troubles off until tomorrow.



Note: Peachtree is an actual street in Atlanta, and also happens to be the street author Margaret Mitchell lived on when she wrote, "Gone With The Wind." Sadly, it was also the street she was killed on when hit by a speeding car in 1949.

See more Scarlett O'Hara doll photos on my GWTW doll web page.