Despite the war in the Ukraine, COVID, inflation, rising oil prices, supply shortages, and an unsettling amount of civil unrest, somehow, the Kardashians managed to break through the headlines. In case you’ve been living under a rock, you are probably aware that Kim Kardashian squeezed her curves into a dress that was custom-made for Marilyn Monroe in 1962 by Jean Louis to wear on the occasion that she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy.
As you can see by the photos, this gown was designed to fit Marilyn. Not the average housewife, not soprano Maria Callas (on the left), and not Kim Kardashian.
Monroe's gown wasn’t just skin tight; it was more like a second skin and hugged every curve of the actress. Jean Louis’ creation was an engineering feat of epic proportions that accentuated every curve but also kept those curves in place. The illusion of being nude without actually being so.
Years ago, the Franklin Mint attempted to capture that evening with a 16" doll.
Not quite the same.
This post was not designed to weigh into the controversy about whether Kim should or shouldn’t have worn the historic gown, nor will it delve into what damage may or may not have occurred because she and her handlers had to tug the delicate fabric over her rear end. But before I get to the point of the post, I will share Joan Cusack’s wise words from the film “Working Girl” (1988):
Now we get to the meat of the matter…the controversy that has been kept secret for years. Any Disney fan worth their salt will remember the “Jolly Holiday” number with Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews from “Mary Poppins” (1964):
Here’s Dick Van Dyke wearing his striped suit and straw hat from the animated musical sequence:
Seven years later, the TV show “Green Acres” was airing its last season.
You remember the classic comedy about a New York city socialite (Eva Gabor)
…who gives up her penthouse apartment to live in a dilapidated house so that her husband (Eddie Albert) can become a farmer.
On January 12, 1971, the season six episode “Son of Drobney” was broadcast. The premise was that the town was waiting to greet Lisa’s Hungarian war hero who was flying into Pixley to visit her. The welcoming committee was surprised to discover that he was a duck. When watching this the other night, I saw Fred Ziffel (Hank Patterson) wearing what looked to be Dick Van Dyke's jacket from “Mary Poppins.”
If you compare the placement of the stripes, it’s a perfect match.
Here’s how the jacket looked when it came up to auction:
The ribbon on the hat does not match though; in the shots of Van Dyke from the movie, the top stripe is red; on Ziffel’s hat it’s gold. Apparently “Green Acres” used Western Costume for some of their wardrobe.
I’ll leave you with this question; why aren’t Disney fans up in arms about Fred Ziffel wearing Bert’s jacket? This information needs to be brought to the headlines!
See more Pop Culture photos at my main website.
Hey Dave! Great post today & the several before this. I couldn't believe that whoever is custodian of this gown would allow anyone to even attempt to wear it. That's insane! I mean, I always understood that the fabric itself was quite delicate even then. In fact, I seem to recall reading that, once Marilyn was in the gown, they had to finish sewing it up in a couple areas in order for it to fit her as intended.
ReplyDeleteI also seem to recall hearing that the material used to make the gown was highly flammable & was later outlawed from being made or used again. That could explain why she had her fur on over it when offstage, in case she got around careless smokers. In any case, it was a stunning dress on Marilyn, made by Jean Louis but I read that it was designed by Bob Mackie for JL as his first design work post graduation from design school.
Great photos of Berts' striped jacket! The colors make think of sherbet flavors. Thank you for sharing and posting this. 😁
Kyle
Just to confirm, the above comment signed as anonymous is actually me, Kyle in Colorado. Didn't realize that I wasn't logged in to my Google account!
ReplyDeleteThe thing that gets me is, Kim would have looked so much better in a copy of the gown that was actually cut to fit her.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I saw Mary Poppins at EPCOT, she was in her "Jolly Holiday" costume, but she was wearing the most ill-fitting spats I'd ever seen. Practically perfect, my Aunt Fanny. Some other nanny probably borrowed them and stretched them out.
Sharp eye on the jacket! I never would have spotted it. I always loved Lisa's story about how thy smuggled the family jewels out of Hungary in a jar of chicken's fat.
(I actually do have an Aunt Fanny.)
Kyle - I believe you are correct on all counts; I also remember reading that the fabric (called “souffle”) was used in the sheer tight-fitting dress Marilyn wore in “Some Like it Hot” during the shipboard flirtation sequence with Tony Curtis. And Melissa - Yes, for so many reasons Kim would have done better to have just stuck to the copy. But then, all the publicity would not have occurred. Even to (or maybe especially to) a Kardashian, bad publicity is at least publicity.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for the Kardashians. Now there's a nice level headed bunch of people who don't get enough publicity. Movie history needs to be cared for, hot worn thin. So what do we think of Fred Ziffel's coat? If the hat is a replica, probably made by Western Costume, then is the jacket also a repro or do we suppose the jacket is the same and only the hat was replaced? I'm curious about that inner pocket. My memory of the Jolly Holiday sequence isn't fresh so I don't recall of VanDyke did a magic trick where he opens his coat and pulls out something long like a cane? Why the inner pass-through opening?
ReplyDeleteBryan - Because the stripe location matches, I would say that the jackets are the same; if not, Western went to a lot of trouble to get the patterned cloth to hit the same in their replica. Not sure on the pocket question. I'd have to watch the movie again, which isn't on my list for today!
ReplyDelete