There Never Was A Girl Like.....

Virginia Van Upp!  Child actress, turned scenarist, turned ace screenplay writer, and finally one of the only women executives of her time in Hollywood.  She held the #2 spot at Columbia when Harry Cohn made her Head Executive Producer.

For all her extraordinary accomplishments, I am most thankful to her for presenting us with the most smoldering dame of all time:

Gilda "If I'd been a ranch, they would have called me the Bar Nothing" Mundson Farrell!

Hayworth and Ford loving their work.



BTS of Hayworth, Ford and Van Upp.



Put The Blame On Jean Louis

This painting was the inspiration...

Madame X - by John Singer Sargent

...for what eventually became this dress:

Rita Hayworth is Gilda

The magical alchemy that combined actress, costume choreography and music, resulted in what many people refer to as the 'strip number' in the movie "Gilda".  What came off while Hayworth sang "Put The Blame On Mame"?  Exactly, and only, one glove.  When the song is over, the other glove and a necklace get removed and that's it!

The real question is:  with her singing and dancing and undulating, often with her arms stretched out or over her head, how the hell did a satin strapless dress stay on?!?

Well, let it's designer tell you:

"It was the most famous dress I ever made," said Louis. "Everybody wonders how that dress can stay on her while she sings and dances . . . well, inside there was a harness like you put on a horse. We put grosgrain under the bust with darts and three stays, one in the center, two on the sides. Then we molded plastic softened over a gas flame and shaped around the top of the dress. No matter how she moved, the dress did not fall down." – Jean Louis on the Gilda dress

Jean Louis

There never was a girl like Gilda.