Doris, Tippi, and the White Dress

In the 1959 comedy “Pillow Talk” from Universal, Doris Day makes quite an impression in this dress designed by Jean Louis. From the accompanying photo caption:

SMART — Doris Day poses for the cameraman in one of the 24 ultra smart costumes created by noted fashion designer, Jean Louis, especially for her role of a successful interior decorator in her new picture, “Pillow Talk.” This spicy Universal-International-Arwin comedy was filmed in color and CinemaScope with Rock Hudson, Miss Day, Tony Randall and Thelma Ritter in the starring roles.



Doris is elegance personified in this dazzling creation of white, which her character wears for an elegant party, given by one of her clients. Besides looking good, the outfit had to be able to move, as in the next scene, Doris dances the rhumba with Nick Adams.

Nick plays the son of Doris’ client, a horny fraternity boy who is drunk off his rocker and has only one goal for the evening: get Doris in bed. Good luck!



Rock Hudson is amazed to see the body behind the party line! No stunt double for that shot; it was all Doris.



Five years later, for Alfred Hitchcock’s “Marnie,” another film shot at Universal, Tippi Hedren wore an equally stunning ensemble designed by Edith Head. I would hazard a guess that the set department used the same staircase for both movies.



There is even less skin showing with this outfit, but the way it hugs every curve makes it just as sexy. Hedren’s character is a frigid kleptomaniac who uses her charms (albeit very covered) to dazzle her employer(s) while she raids their vaults. Head designed the outfit perfectly to suit the character.



Head’s costume sketch is seen below, showing that it has the same neckline as Jean Louis’, until you see the back. Tippi’s is all about coverage…



Doris’ plunges down. Waaaaaay down.



The cut of Doris’ dress was much more important for movement, as the camera cuts in close to her hips which move suggestively to the music, necessary to catch the attention of Rock Hudson’s character.



Doris’ dress was so memorable that Mattel released a set of Barbie dolls in 2011 that immortalized the scene in vinyl:



Which dress do you prefer?

See more photos at my main website.

Tippi Tuesday

Diverting from  my usual Temple Tuesday, today’s post celebrates another “T” obsession of mine, Tippi Hedren. These shots are all from my favorite (albeit somewhat twisted) Hitchcock movie ever, “Marnie” (1964). The vintage publicity caption for the first photo:

OFF GUARD — ‘Tippi’ Hedren makes an interesting candid camera study as she converses with costumer Rita Riggs. Between scenes on the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Marnie,” sex mystery starring ‘Tippi’ Hedren and Sean Connery, a Universal release, in Technicolor.

For all you pervs out there, this “sex mystery” does not show any sex or nudity, but rather deals with sexual themes.



The caption for the second photo:

TEA PARTY — Sean Connery entertains Diane Baker, ‘Tippi’ Hedren and Sue Gauthier with amusing anecdotes at tea time. Between scenes on the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Marnie.”

Here, Sean and Tippi’s characters arrive home after a not-so-happy honeymoon. Sean’s character had blackmailed her into marrying him.



This final portrait of Tippi shows her dressed for the morning after her return, when Marnie is about to (unsuccessfully) hit her husband up for some cash as he leaves for the office.



See more Tippi Hedren photos at my website.

North by Northwest: Hitchcock Perfection!

There are so many Alfred Hitchcock movies that I enjoy watching repeatedly, but none are as perfect as “North By Northwest” (1959), the one and only film “The Master of Suspense” made for MGM. The story of an “every man” who accidentally gets sucked into a world of murder, espionage, and romance because he wants a telegram makes every cinematic moment count.

It also has the perfect cast, which doesn’t hurt. The chemistry between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint is off the charts:



Never thought of as a femme fatale, Hitchcock could see the potential in Eva Marie Saint and he was right. Never before has a cigarette scene shown so little but said so much.



Jessie Royce Landis perfectly plays “Mother” to Cary Grant’s character. Who cares that she was only seven years older in real life? She is an excellent comic non-believing foil to Grant when he attempts to explain how he made front-page news as the killer of a United Nations Diplomat. Below, the two are in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel in New York City. This is one of the rare films where Hitchcock used quite a bit of location filming.



There would have been more if the Department of the Interior hadn’t been offended that there was going to be a killing and chase sequence on top of the real Mount Rushmore. They forbid it, and Hitchcock ended up having to shoot the scene back in the studio. While in South Dakota for filming (before the ban!), Grant was made an honorary member of the Sioux Indian nation:



The ladies even got to see a shirtless Grant (age 55 in real life) as he attempts to escape from the hospital where he is being held captive by the U.S. Government.



A behind-the-scenes shot:



Grant is wearing a disguise as a train porter, and Hitchcock can be seen in the foreground pointing his finger at the two stars:



If you’ve never seen Hitchcock, this is the one to begin with!

See more Classic Movie and TV photos at my main website.

Thursday with Tippi

A few recently acquired shots of Tippi Hedren from the Alfred Hitchcock psychological thriller, “Marnie” (1964). Running close to my other obsessions The Chateau Marmont, Disneyland, and Shirley Temple, this movie has fascinated me since the first of many times I have watched it. The first image shows the pivotal scene when Marnie (Tippi) begins to trust Mark (Sean Connery), the man who had recently blackmailed her into marriage. Since he was attempting to cure and rehabilitate her from her frigidity and kleptomania, that makes it all ok! Connery does not look quite as comfortable as Tippi does with the horse! From the film’s big finish, Tippi is shown recalling the sordid past events of her childhood that made her the way she is.

Hitch delivered a Hollywood ending that satisfied the Studio, but added just enough ambiguity that one wonders whether the leads truly ended up in a state of bliss.

See more Tippi Hedren photos at my main website.

Shadow of a Doubt Saturday

When most people hear Alfred Hitchcock they think of “Psycho,” “The Birds,” and “Vertigo.” Don't be so quick to ignore his older films, like the psychological thriller “Shadow of a Doubt” (1943). As it is in most Hitchcock movies, things are not quite as sedate and serene as they appear in little old Santa Rosa, California! Joseph Cotten plays against type as a lovable but thoroughly immoral heel who is idolized by his naive niece and namesake, Charlie Newton, played by Teresa Wright.



On my one trip to Santa Rosa, I did not make it to the location that Hitchcock used for the exterior of the Newton family home. Today’s post shows a recent shot of the house taken by a regular Daveland reader on their recent trip to Santa Rosa:



Not hard to recognize when compared to this screenshot of the actual movie:



The master of suspense can be seen at left in this location photo outside of the home:



Always one to prefer a controlled environment, Hitch had much of the exterior and all the interiors built on a soundstage, as seen in this shot from LIFE Magazine:



Now rent, buy, or download that movie!

See more photos at my main website.

Bates Motel, circa 1965

The Bates home and Motel complex from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960) is one of the most popular spots on the Universal Studios tour.



Want to see what inspired the look of the home? It was Edward Hopper’s 1925 painting, House by the Railroad.



Here’s what the outdoor set looked like in May 1965:



I don’t see Mrs. Bates in the window, though.



The 1965 visitor took this second shot; I guess one wasn’t enough. I have read that the buildings have been moved over the years. Not sure if that’s true or not, but it would appear that in 1965 they were still in their original location.



How it looked during my last visit in 2004:



I seem to recall that Mrs. Bates WAS in the window at the time. You can at least see the curtains are open for that reveal.



Or was it just Norman up there?



See more Universal Studios photos at my main website.

Tippi Tuesday

This Tippi Hedren photo did double duty. With a date stamp of February 14, 1964, the first publicity blurb on the back reads:

‘Tippi’ Hedren finds a bouquet of flowers in her dressing room on the opening day of shooting her current film being directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Considering that filming of “Marnie” began in November 1963, the date stamp is most likely for the alternate blurb:

TIPPI WINS HER WINGS

Remember blonde and shapely TIPPI HEDREN, who scored such a personal triumph in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller “The Birds”? Well, she has wings of her own now, awarded by aces of the United States air forces serving in Germany. These lads, who daily run the gauntlet of “incidents” near the Berlin corridor are “inspired” by the beauty of TIPPI HEDREN, claims their commanding officer, who declares that she has been voted the lads’ pin-up and mascot. No wonder the know-alls are prophesying that her next film will feature airmen.



The know-alls didn’t know much; her next film after “Marnie” was Charlie Chaplin’s “A Countess from Hong Kong” in 1967 which took place on a cruise ship.

See more Tippi Hedren photos at my main website.

The Hotel Vertigo

Where does an Alfred Hitchcock fan stay when visiting San Francisco? The Hotel Vertigo, of course!



That's right; this is the very same location that we see Kim Novak leaning out the window in Hitchcock’s classic 1957 film “Vertigo.” The exterior really hasn't changed too much over the years.



Inside, the decor and colors are definitely influenced by the movie’s poster.





When you see an interior room, you can tell that Hitchcock did his best to re-create the same layout on a soundstage.



If only the rooms came with a green night light; THAT would be a cool touch!



If you hate the color orange, this hotel may not be for you.



Other film inspired details throughout the rooms abound:





No visit to the Hotel Vertigo would be complete without a few stairwell shots:





All kidding aside, would I recommend this place? I sure would. For price, location, and cleanliness, this place is a real value!

See more Hotel Vertigo photos at my main website.