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.

More Cocoa Crisp

I wasn't crazy about the Integrity Genes vs. the Ashton-Drake Genes until I saw Cocoa Crisp. By far, she is my very favorite Jason Wu/Mel Odom collaboration, and that goes for both the doll itself and the outfit. I did another shoot with her (it was time to revisit!) last week. Here are the results.







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Diane does Dots!

I was thrilled with this outfit by Diane Wagner, expertly modeled by Cocoa Crisp, but I can't say I am very excited about the photo shoot. Too rushed; poor lighting; and uninspired layout. When I have the time, I will revisit this fantastic fashion, which came complete with the umbrella!





To read about the Diane's inspiration for this polka-dot creation, visit her blog.

See more Diane's work on my Gene Marshall web page.

Gene wears Adrian: A Woman of Means

Barely remembered today, the 1934 MGM movie “Chained” starred Joan Crawford and provided her with a fantastic opportunity to wear a few gorgeous Art Deco creations by designer supreme, Adrian. Crawford plays Diane Lovering, the mistress of Richard Field, a prominent Manhattan businessman. Though she really isn't in love with Field, she feels obligated to marry him when he divorces his wife. By the time the divorce is final, Diane has fallen for wealthy South American rancher Mike Bradley (Clark Gable). Out of loyalty to Field, she cuts off her relationship with Mike. Naturally, the plot resolves with a happy ending for Mike & Diane.

Gene Marshall is modeling the same Adrian creation, thanks to Sandra Stillwell, who worked with Adrian’s son and in partnership with Joan Greene & Lam/Greene design studios. Sandra plans to have future designs available. If interested, you can email her with your inquiry. It is a sumptuous set with intricate details. One note to prospective collectors: I switched out the shoes for this photo shoot, as I preferred this set of pumps to the open-toed shoes that come with it.











See more Gene Marshall and Friends photos at my regular website.

Gene Marshall: Revisiting Cocoa Crisp

Just never really liked my first go at photographing Cocoa Crisp, which is a Jason Wu Gene Marshall doll. So...gave it another shot and I am much happier. This is one of my faves; the outfit, the poseability, the facial paint and hair...a true classic.

To see more Gene Marshall & Friends photos, visit my regular website.

Cocoa Crisp

When Gene transferred over from Ashton Drake to Integrity & Jason Wu, somehow her facial painting or new sculpt appeared to take her out of her vintage world and made her seem more contemporary. At that point, I lost interest in purchasing any of the new dolls. “Cocoa Crisp” was definitely an exception to the rule. Limited Edition 800, I could just picture Gene in this outfit lunching with the ladies at B. Altman’s or any one of the many other fashionable department stores back in the day that had a tea room. Once again, I did a little experimentation of blending my travel photography with a photo of Gene, placing her at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. I can’t say I’m totally happy with this particular shot, which shows that I need to spend more time with the lighting, posing, and blending. Time is something I haven’t had much of lately, so the next few posts will most likely consist of publicity photos.

Instead of storycards, these new dolls came with script excerpts. This particular production is called “Green Eyes,” and is circa August 1956.

Here’s the publicity photo that was released for this doll:



I’ll be back Monday with a new post. To see more Chateau Marmont photos, visit my regular website.

To see more Gene Marshall photos, visit my regular website.