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.

DeeAnna in the Easter Parade

DeeAnna Denton is modeling a few choices of “bonnets” for the Easter Parade. Sadly, the Tonner hats just do not look right on our beautiful gal. I spent a lot of time in Photoshop trying to get the “Spot On” hat to look normal in the first shot. Below, DeeAnna gives up and just takes it off.



“Favorite to Win” is a cute outfit, but once again, the execution of the hat is not up to the level that DeeAnna deserves.



Trying to artfully disguise the hat:



Once again, DeeAnna gives up and takes it off. Much better!



See more DeeAnna Denton doll photos at my website.

DeeAnna Denton: Plum Royale

Those with the collector gene (as in DNA/RNA and all that good stuff) understand the desire to have a particular doll in every different hair color, even if the sculpt is the same. Thus, my eventual acquisition of Miss DeeAnna Denton wearing Plum Royale with a gorgeous mane of raven hair.



The outfit seems like a lavender homage to Marilyn Monroe’s costume as she sang “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend.” Just not quite as memorable.



As with most Tonner dolls, the jewelry seems a bit cheap looking, like something put together from the sale bin at Michael’s Craft Store. Still, I was very happy to acquire this particular DeeAnna, even if her articulation (like the rest of the ones I own) is clunky at best.

Here’s a little teaser for my next DeeAnna post. No…this is not an outfit from Tonner.



Stay tuned for the full story.

See more DeeAnna Denton doll photos at my main website.

Falling For DeeAnna

My latest obsession in the doll world is DeeAnna Denton. Not the 16" version, but the 17" sculpt. Amazing what a difference one inch can make! Of course Tonner is now defunct, but thanks to ebay, every now and then a DeeAnna comes up for sale. If only I had fallen for her while she was still being made! First up is Bye Bye Baby, which I am guessing was a not-so-veiled tribute to Marilyn. DeeAnna is standing in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, waving “Bye Bye” to her fans.

The second doll shown is known as Falling For Her. The outfit is so-so for me. The hat appears to have been made out of pillow foam. Seriously. I may attempt to mimic it, but use feathers instead. The purse is a faux gold leather that is already disintegrating. But DeeAnna herself...stunning with her curly auburn hair.



Cherry Cordial is my favorite DeeAnna so far; she looks great as a brunette. It has been suggested that her inspiration was Deanna Durbin, and this particular doll would highly support that theory. She is shown entering the Chateau Marmont just in time to see their Christmas decor.



This DeeAnna I believe is Vivaciously Vintage. I have dressed her in the Spot On outfit. Again, she is at her best as a brunette!



Here DeeAnna takes a well-deserved rest.



Overall critique on DeeAnna: LOVE the face sculpt and paint. Probably one of my favorite vintage-style fashion dolls of all time. The negatives: let's start with the hands. Good Lord they are huge. Even the gloves that come with the doll do not fit over the sprawl of fingers. The body is curvaceous which I very much like; but the articulation is extremely limited. However she has been put together, there is just not a lot of movement. One would think it would be easier to have a larger doll balance and stand on its own; not so with DeeAnna. Tonner did not take the time to engineer the shoes to make that possible. This doll is pretty much dependent on a stand if you want her to pose for photos. The verdict: she’s a winner in my book! Still looking for a raven DeeAnna to round out the collection!

See more Robert Tonner doll photos at my main 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.

Who Wears it Better?

Cleo was a character in the film "The Big Broadcast of 1938" portrayed by Shirley Ross. Although most today have probably never heard of the film, dollmaker Robert Tonner created a porcelain doll honoring Cleo as part of his Edith Head collection.



I thought Gene Marshall would look darn good in this outfit, too, so I decided to let her try it on including the wig.



As you can see, it fits just right! The earring posts are a bit big for a resin Gene, so they would need to be filed down. I let Photoshop fix it for now!



One thing from the movie that many people DO remember is the song "Thanks for the Memory" which became Bob Hope's theme song.

See more Gene Marshall photos at my website.

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Deja Vu: Dramatic Entrance

I was pleasantly surprised by this Tonner outfit for their Deja Vu line. It actually looks as good in person as the photos. Other than the typical white stitching on black fabric, I found very little to nitpick over. Black Lipstick Gene Marshall models the 1920's era dress and coat which is very reminiscent of Cruella de Vil.



The location is West Hollywood's historic 1929 El Mirador Apartments. These shots could not be duplicated today, as the place is all boarded up.



If you are interested in buying this outfit from Tonner, just be aware that the dress is a bit tight in back. I was able to get it to button, but it took a lot of stretching.

See more Gene Marshall photos on my regular website.

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More Tonner GWTW

Today, the Tonner Doll Company released some preview images of their upcoming 2015 Mainline Collection. The ones I was most interested in were the two "Gone with the Wind" dolls. And then I saw the photos. The doll titled "I'll Never Be Hungry Again" is a rehash of the Franklin Mint Muslin Battlefield doll, which now fetches very good prices on ebay.



On the Tonner version, the pattern of the dress is out of scale as well as the size of the dress itself. Just too much darn fabric. This seems to be a consistent issue with most of the Scarlett releases I have seen from Tonner.



The doll used in the preview photos looks as if it is wearing a wig, despite the fact that the description says it has rooted hair. Wig or rooted, it is ghastly.



Here's what the dress looks like in the movie:



…and how the Franklin Mint interpreted it.



A+ for Franklin Mint for scale as well as matching the pattern. D+ for Tonner. No thanks; I'll save my $200 for this limited edition of 500.

Next up is "Shanty Town," also a limited edition of 500, but this one goes for $215.



The doll and hair look MUCH better; the dress isn't bad, either.



Until you look at the detailed shots, showing the faux buttons that serve no purpose:



Compare with FM's version, with buttons that actually fasten the top together.





This time, the Tonner Doll wins, but once again, FM walks away with the best outfit.

See more "Gone with the Wind" Doll photos on my regular website.

Tonner Sewing Circle

For their 2014 Fall Release, the Tonner Doll company has added another Scarlett O'Hara to their "Gone with the Wind" collection. Once again, my wallet is breathing a heavy sigh of relief. Based on the outfit Scarlett wore in the sewing circle scene, it is very plain.



I am really curious if Tonner sells many of these; are doll collectors that crazy about having each doll/outfit to fork over $200?



Franklin Mint created this outfit for their vinyl doll line many years ago. In comparison to Tonner's, the fabrics seem more appropriate and this outfit also included a little embroidery hoop. Very nice touch.



A screen shot from the actual movie scene:



A publicity still:



with a detailed view of Vivien Leigh wearing the Sewing Circle outfit. Neither Tonner or the Franklin Mint chose to include the shawl that Scarlett had in this scene.



There are so many other interesting outfits that Scarlett wore in the movie that I can't figure out why Tonner chose this one, other than because it would be easy to manufacture.

See more "Gone with the Wind" Doll photos on my regular website.

Tonner 75th Glinda

Today's post shows my prize for the People's Choice Wizard of Oz Photography Contest, a 19" Glinda 75th Anniversary Wizard of Oz doll. As you can see, she is absolutely gorgeous.



Blue painted eyes with applied eyelashes, strawberry rooted hair, and an articulated Wilde Imagination's Evangeline body.



She poses very well as the photos here show.



I could have done without the glitter shoes; pink satin would have been just as pretty, and wouldn't have left a tell-tale trail all over the place.



My doll was signed by Tonner himself.



She arrived with a certificate attesting to my win:



As well as a signed artist proof by Tonner.



Thanks to all who voted; it is very much appreciated!

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 Wizard of Oz Doll photos on my regular website.