Thursday, May 3, 2012

"Little Miss Broadway" with Shirley Temple

The post for the Gary Cooper jacket that he wore with Shirley Temple reminded me of an original one sheet movie poster I have for the 1938 Fox musical "Little Miss Broadway". It starred Shirley and George Murphy, along with a great supporting cast including Jimmy Durante. Below are photos of it before and after it was restored and linenbacked - 




Luckily the color was still good, but the poster had darkened overall with age, and the paper was becoming brittle which is why it needed to be linenbacked. There was also an extra set of fold lines which can be seen in the before photo due to it being folded in half an extra time long ago...the most popular reason for linenbacking is to eradicate the fold lines. Any authentic movie poster made before 1989 will almost always be folded, since this is how they were mailed to the movie theaters back in the day. It was after 1989 that they started to be printed on thicker paper and sent rolled to the theaters. Check out www.learnaboutmovieposters.com to read up more on the history.

Restoration of a poster usually entails soaking it in a chemical bath to remove the dirt and get the brightness and color back. Then it is adhered to Japanese rice paper, and then mounted onto linen. After that process, touch up of the fold lines is done, and any paintwork that might be needed within the artwork. This is the most delicate part of restoration, and it's best to find someone who is top notch in the field when you know that paint work will be needed. Paper is also inserted where some might be missing due to chips and tears. In the poster above you can see where the lower right corner was replaced.

Most collectors prefer to get posters that don't need restoration, the ones that are in the best original condition always bring the highest prices. However once a poster reaches a point when it'll start to fall apart and continue to deteriorate, it's best to have the restoration done. This Shirley Temple poster was at that point, but I was happy to get it in any condition since posters for her movies have become more rare in the last 5-10 years. I think most of the ones that survive are in private collections. Thankfully this one is now preserved!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Gary Cooper personal blazer worn in "Now and Forever" from 1934

A tailor made blazer worn by Gary Cooper in the 1934 Paramount film "Now and Forever", also starring Shirley Temple and Carole Lombard -






                                                                            
This is one of the earliest Gary Cooper pieces that I've seen in the collecting market, and it originally came from the widow of someone who worked with Cooper for many years. It's a classic early 30's style blazer, made of a sturdy wool and is in remarkably good condition for its age. He looks very dapper in it... I can just see him standing next to a Duesenberg with one foot on the running board while wearing this! A great piece of classic 30's Hollywood. I'm so glad it survives... and from one of the great actors in Hollywood history and a personal favorite. I'm lucky to have this one...

In the image below, Cooper is show with his wife, Sandra Shaw, right after they returned from their honeymoon in Europe... 




The candid shot below is on the set of "Now and Forever". Looks like Coop is talking to a reporter...

The classic check pattern made it easy to match up seams and places where the little squares meet. It's most notable in the darker row to the left of the pocket, as well as where it gathers under the breast pocket (both seen really well in the photos above); also where the slit is on the lapel for a boutonnier, and where the seams of the lapel meet the collar. Matching up every little detail is important when authenticating a movie worn costume... even when the label looks right and the costume does too it can sometimes be wrong. It can be an alternate, made for a stand in or stunt person, or just a fake... all points to take into consideration when buying or bidding on a movie costume. All of us collectors have seen all of the above many times and have bought some unknowingly. Even the auction houses and some dealers sell things that are incorrect.  You can't be too thorough when authenticating a costume... research it as much as possible!

Getting back to this Cooper, the nice thing about it is that it's not a studio or costume company created piece at all. Since it's from his tailor, it's a one of a kind made for Cooper exclusively. And luckily he just happened to wear his own blazer in the movie. The scene is fairly brief, so I'm not surprised that he shot it wearing his own clothes. What's really cool is that he took the nice portrait photos with Shirley and Lombard while wearing it... Having an authentic personal item from a star is great by itself, and having photos of them in it is great too since they can be really hard to find and sometimes don't even exist. But then seeing the star wear the piece in a movie is icing on the cake...



Here he is wearing it with Marion Davies, Louella Parsons, and some others... 


And here's a candid I recently found of him wearing it at what appears to be a sporting event of some kind ... 


"Basil Durant" of New York was the tailor, and his label is sewn into the inner breast pocket (studio and Hollywood costume company made jackets typically have a label here too). Cooper's name and a date of 11-21-33 are on the label -



A photo of him in it was also used for the cover of Photoplay magazine!


Another image of him with his wife, Sandra Shaw after they returned from their honeymoon...