The Story of a Dress

Visit with Debbie Reynolds, A (1959)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Story of a Dress, The (1964)

*** (out of 4)

These two shorts are certainly going to appeal to Debbie Reynolds fans but films buffs might be interested in them just for history sake as both appear on Turner Classic Movies quite often. A VISIT WITH DEBBIE REYNOLDS features the actress speaking to the camera about the Jimmy Fund, which is a cause many celebrities did shorts for back in the day. Reynolds talks about her own children and then talks about all the sick children who need help for their cancer. THE STORY OF A DRESS is a promotional piece for THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, which features Reynolds, Morton Haack, Charles Walters and many others. Fans of that musical will want to check this out but I think the bigger thing to take notice of here is some of the "how to" in Hollywood. The documentary does a good job at showing how the director, star and costume designer come together to agree on certain outfits and then we get to see how they are made. Both shorts run just over five minutes so if you see them on TCM there's certainly worth watching.

Supposedly this short was about the wardrobe department at MGM studio, however, the focus is almost exclusively on Debbie Reynolds and her upcoming film. It's a shame this was made in black & white, though, as the dresses looked pretty flat--whereas in the feature they were gorgeous in full color. If you are looking to learn more about costuming, however, the short is scant on information.

This short promotional film was included on the DVD for "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". This makes sense, as the film was mostly just publicity for the upcoming feature. However, it's very short and very short on content and so if you do rent or buy the DVD, it's NOT at all imperative that you watch this special feature. In fact, none on the disc are particularly good--which is unusual for a Warner Brothers DVD.

Here's a short subject from MGM released to promote MGM's production of THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN. In an effort to stand out, it approaches the subject in terms of costuming, under the supervision of Morton Haack. He began work in the movies as an assistant to Miles White, and began to be credited in the late 1950s. By the middle of the 1970s, his name had disappeared from the credits, and he died in 1987 at the age of 62.

MOLLY BROWN was one of the road show productions that the big studios used in the 1960s as 'tentpoles' to their production slate. When they worked, as with, say THE SOUND OF MUSIC, they were wildly successful. When they didn't, as with CLEOPATRA a few years before, they nearly sank their studio.

The MGM costume department is shown hard at work working on the red velvet dress that DEBBIE REYNOLDS will be wearing in their upcoming THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN.

We then see producer Lawrence Weingarten conferring with his staff about the costume sketches which are given their final approval by Debbie Reynolds herself who seems pleased with the costume design.

Then we see Miss Reynolds arriving for her early make-up appointment and later emerging from the building in her Molly Brown costume, heading for the set where the filming will begin.

Finally, we see Miss Reynolds and co-star HARVE PRESNELL twirling around the dance floor in what appears to be a test shot for the costume's effectiveness.

Too bad the entire short is filmed in B&W. It would be nice to see what effect the dress has in color.

This six-minute documentary short probably ran with the previews in theaters before "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" was released. In the past, Hollywood studios used such shorts in advance to promote upcoming films. They usually focused on the star or stars and plot. But, sometimes these shorts would have very interesting data and information.

Movie buffs and those who enjoy the history of cinema may find this short of particular interest. How many people today - or then, for that matter, knew the extent of the wardrobe and costume departments of a major studio, such as MGM? How many know much about this segment of the trade at all? Or how many people were employed in this area?

Well, this short provides some answers, and they are fascinating. MGM's wardrobe department alone was then housed in seven buildings. It had more than 500,000 yards of different materials for making dresses and costumes. A bolt of cloth would be 40 to 100 yards long. So, MGM's studio alone had more than 7,000 bolts of material on hand. And, 200 to 300 people worked in the wardrobe department. With all the other crafts and trades they had -- carpentry, electronics, engineering, and others, the studios truly were small cities of their own.

The narrator says, "Here have been created glamorous fashions for the most glamorous women in the world." Over the years, Hollywood has influenced style as much or more than the fashion centers of New York, Paris or Rome. The studio in 1964 still had some of the more elegant of the one million costumes it had made for movies up to that time. It shows the dress that Greta Garbor wore in "Mata Hari," the evening gown worn by Grace Kelly in "High Society," the black dress won by Elizabeth Taylor in "The Last Time I Saw Paris," and the elaborate costume that Lana Turner wore in "The Prodigal."

After the wardrobe data, this film shows designer Morton Haack drawing one of the 30 costumes that Debbie Reynolds would wear in "Molly Brown." It shows the process for selecting, making and then filming and wearing the dress. Again, for such a short subject, this one has some fascinating data about the cinema world of the past.