Happy Birthday, Marilyn!

Had she lived, today would have been the 88th birthday of the legendary Marilyn Monroe. The Franklin Mint vinyl Marilyn is probably one of the best likenesses of Marilyn created in a doll. First up is the "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" outfit that Marilyn wore in the film's opening number, "Little Rock."

This outfit is known as "Walk of Fame," and was worn by Marilyn when she and Jane Russell were immortalized in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theater.





The Franklin Mint's version of the outfit Marilyn wore when she entertained the troops in Korea:





One more of the Little Rock outfit:



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New Marilyn and Scarlett From Tonner

New photos from Tonner's Fall 2013 collection have been released; two definitely appeal to me. The first is a new Marilyn Monroe doll called Shipboard Wedding, based on an outfit that Marilyn wore in the final sequence from the 1953 film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."



The new 16" vinyl doll sells for $224.99 on the Tonner site (link above); $99.99 for outfit only and includes applied black eyelashes.



The doll comes with a rhinestone ring & necklace (neither is included in outfit only package) and is being released in a limited edition of 300. It looks like the finger has a hole so that the ring can be pushed into it.





Based on the photos, it looks like Tonner has done a fantastic job of re-creating the outfit worn by Marilyn:



The new Scarlett O'Hara "Gone With The Wind" release is only being shown so far in sketch form, but is titled Peachtree Street Stroll:



The 16" dressed doll will retail for $234.99 (link to Tonner site above) and includes pink and black stripe cotton dress with a black and gold brooch, pink satin skirt, pink crinkle chiffon under sleeves and collar, and black velvet attached belt, white cotton petticoat, black and gold earrings, black straw hat with a pink satin sash, black stretch knit gloves, and pink satin shoes. No mention of a purse, which was included in the Franklin Mint's release. Tonner is putting this one out in a limited edition of 300.

Here's a photo of the Franklin Mint version:



A photo from the movie, showing the sequence that the outfit is based on. Scarlett strolls down Peachtree Street with husband Rhett and daughter Bonnie Blue. They are attempting to woo the "fat old cats" who have been appalled by Scarlett's greedy behavior in the past.



I'm on the fence about Marilyn, but the Scarlett...with each new release Tonner has shown improvements in the face paint and Vivien Leigh likeness...I may have to pick this one up.

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Diamonds: Who Wears Them Better?

Today it's Gene vs. Marilyn; who do you think wears diamonds better?



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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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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.



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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...



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Tonner's Take On Marilyn: UPDATE

For month's, I have been anxiously awaiting photos of Robert Tonner's upcoming Marilyn Monroe doll. I had a few hopes for it:

1. That she would be 16" and that she could wear clothes from The Franklin Mint.

2. That she actually looked like Marilyn!

3. That she was articulated, had rooted hair, and applied eyelashes.

Finally, the photos are out! Well, one or two at least. For me, the jury is still out, but that's mainly because I don't think the photos released are really doing a very good job of capturing the doll (or maybe they are).

After seeing the official publicity photo (above), I thought my wallet was going to be very happy. It neither captured Marilyn's face nor her body shape. The doll is too thin, missing all of the voluptuous curves that were Marilyn's signature. She looked more like Nicole Kidman than Marilyn Monroe.

On top of that, the doll is a whopping 22" high. No sharing of clothes with this gal! But then I saw a second photo on the Tonner Facebook page (which is now defunct). This one was of an actual centerpiece doll. Although it's only a cellphone photo and the resolution is not real great, the resemblance on this doll to Marilyn seems much better.



I am still on the fence about this one; the 22" size is a huge buzzkill for me. World Doll's vinyl Marilyn is still the best resemblance, with the Franklin Mint's vinyl coming in at second. As for Tonner's version, I will wait to see additional photos before deciding what to do.

UPDATE:

Tonner has just released photos of a second Marilyn at their convention:





Wearing an outfit from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," this doll is (happily) the 16" size. There is hope that my Marilyn clothing collection can now be used on an articulated Marilyn! I can't say I'm crazy about the face sculpt (the 22" actually seems closer to Marilyn!), but I am happy at the accuracy of the outfit; much better than Ashton Drake's version that they created for Gene, which went a little crazy with the beads:



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Happy 85th, Marilyn!

In honor of what would have been Marilyn Monroe's 85th birthday, I am posting a recent shoot I did of the Franklin Mint Marilyn, wearing an outfit from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."



Marilyn wore this outfit as she and Jane Russell slinked into the stateroom for dinner, while the male guests dropped their jaws in lust.





Kudos to the Mint for an excellent sculpt that captures the innocent beauty of Marilyn.



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