Ladies of Paramount, influencers of their day, still captivate
COSTUMES WORN BY (left to right) Barbara Stanwyck in the 1946 film “Strange Loves of Martha Ivers” (designer Edith Head), Anjelica Huston in 1991’s “The Addams Family” (designer Ruth Myers), and Susan Hayward in 1944’s “And Now Tomorrow” (designer Edith Head).
THE HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM is housed in the historic birthplace of Paramount Pictures.
MARY PICKFORD’S sheet music, movie stills and scripts.
Stunning costumes, movie posters and historic film ephemera are displayed in the Hollywood Heritage Museum’s captivating exhibit “The Ladies of Paramount.”
The small museum, housed in the barn where Paramount Pictures was founded in 1914, is overflowing with carefully curated groupings of original movie posters, lobby cards, publicity stills, fan magazines, artifacts from sets, jewelry and 25 mannequins wearing fabulous costumes, many from the most acclaimed costumers of the day, including Edith Head.
One of the oldest continuously operating movie studios in the U.S., Paramount Pictures was instrumental in establishing the concept of the movie star, and their leading ladies reigned supreme. From the earliest days of the studio, actresses such as Clara Bow, Carole Lombard and Claudette Colbert became icons, influencing fashion and the way women were depicted in film and affecting societal expectations of women’s roles. Beyond the sequins and jewels, the exhibit documents how Hollywood’s leading ladies navigated the Hollywood power structure to achieve success.
Among the actresses represented in the exhibition are the boundary-pushers Mary Pickford, a silent film star whose savvy and immense popularity enabled her to gain creative control over her films, and Mae West, who wrote some of her scripts and whose saucy demeanor stretched the definition of propriety. On display is Gloria Swanson’s letter of agreement with Paramount Pictures in which they agreed to pay her $1,200 dollars per week and her secretary $50 per week to promote “Sunset Boulevard.” Other artifacts in the exhibit include Pola Negri’s seat from a movie set emblazoned with “Miss Negri Only,” home sewing patterns for women who wanted to replicate Carole Lombard’s wardrobe, Jeanette MacDonald’s glittering bridal gown and tiara from the 1929 film “The Love Parade,” Anjelica Huston’s unmistakable “Morticia” costume from 1991’s “The Addams Family” and a copy of a Marlene Dietrich biography on which Ms.
CAROLE LOMBARD on the cover of “Motion Picture” fan magazine, toiletries and dress patterns.
Dietrich herself marked the parts she disputed with “Not true!” and “Kill you!”
Fascinating, too, are the historical tidbits including an explanation of the Paramount Pictures logo. Its famous mountain is surrounded by 24 stars, representing the 15 women and nine men who were the original actors under contract to the studio, which underscores how integral they knew their stars were to their success.
“The Ladies of Paramount” continues through the end of September at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, 2100 N. Highland Ave., across from the Hollywood Bowl. Visit hollywoodheritage.org.
Category: Entertainment
