Stars celebrate Christmas around the world

Holiday Traditions from different countries
Stars' Christmas memories

"One thing I miss is the holly and mistletoe that grew along our country lanes at

Ronald Colman 1924

home. It is the custom for the boys to go out and gather some for Christmas decorations. 

"Then there is the celebrated Yule log. At home the most impressive part of our Christmas is the moment when the huge log is dragged into the fireplace and lighted with a splinter from last year's log." -- Ronald Colman, born in England. -- Christmas 1927

We can incorporate our own childhood memories into the holidays we have as adults. Maybe the memories these stars share from their childhoods can inspire us. Are they favorites of ours? 

Are some from a culture that is near and dear? What are your favorite Christmas traditions from around the world? So many things can make the season that much sweeter and often the things that are memorable don't cost much if anything at all.

"They will return to their beloved England leaving Hollywood fame and fortune behind them without even a backward glance." A November 1940 interview with Vivien Leigh. The actress intends to return to England where her husband, actor Laurence Olivier will enlist in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and she will act on stage. 

Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier 1948

It was to be their last American interview. They had a little green Christmas tree on their piano. Also mentioned was Old Tom, "a huge alley cat who'd moved in with the Oliviers sans invitation. Old Tom was complained bitterly about the rain outside before curling up possessively on Vivien's right foot during the interview. 

"Cary Grant returned from his jaunt to England the complete California convert. 'I never thougth I'd be homesick for Hollywood - but I was.' The traditional gray weather of England brought Cary to a sharp appreciation of Hollywood's sunshine. (Now don't remind me of those floods again.)" Referring to the Los Angeles floods of 1938. There was also some teasing in the media as to whether he'd been accompanied by girlfriend Phyllis Brooks, which could have also altered his mood and caused his homesickness.
-- The Milwaukee Journal, January 1939

When shootings of Heaven Knows Mr Allison finished, Dorothy and Robert Mitchum talked Deborah Kerr and her husband, Tony into celebrating the Christmas holiday with them in New Orleans. "'I'll show you New Orleans like you've never seen it with anybody else,' Bob wheedled. 'It's his favorite city,' Dorothy laughed, 'so he probably could, too.'" Deborah Kerr was married to Royal Air Force Squadron Leader, film and television executive Anthony Bartley.

Renee Adoree 1931

"In France, Christmas Day or Noël is for children. New Year's Day is for the grown-ups. Noël is a family day. 

"The children put out their shoes instead of hanging up their stockings, and their gifts are stuffed into them. 

"Then of course there is a large dinner but it, too is for the children. ... As a child I was with my family in my father's circus but we always celebrated Christmas Day." 
-- Renee Adoree, Christmas 1927



The Legend of Santa Claus... What are the similar legends in other parts of the world?


Remember the little Dutch girl in Miracle on 34th Street? You'll hear children sing the same song in the video above. (Best example was colorized.)
  
Memories of Christmas in Norway, Sweden: Greta Nissen, Melvyn Douglas, Anna Q. Nilsson

"'Christmas in Norway,' her voice blurred a little with homesickness, 'the  snow-covered hills and the evergreens and the red roofs of the houses the cozy sitting rooms lighted with the glow from tall stoves the tantalizing smells where the cooking and roasting and baking have been going on for weeks! .... 

"Delicious sugary Berliner Kranz which were shaped into tiny wreaths, Fattig Man which literally translated means poor men, but there is nothing poor about those cakes made of eggs and butter and cream. ... 

"'No one is forgotten at Christmas in my country. Sheaves of wheat are hung

Greta Nissen

from city windows and country barns for the birds. A bowl of rich cream and rice pudding is left for the cat and the dog has a marrow bone. Out in the country the cows and sheep and horses get special rations. 

"'Then there is the Yule-nisse the little gnome-like man with long, white beard and red-tasseled hat who takes the place of your American Santa Claus. A man to be feared as well as loved, the Yule-nisse for if the children have not been good he pulls the little girls' braids and pinches the boys and never a thing does he leave them.

"'But for the good little boys and girls there are skis and sleds and dolls and skates all left under the tree in the living room. A bowl of rice pudding must be left for the Yule-nisse for if he is forgotten he displays a fearful temper and all sorts of ill things happen to the family in the coming year.'" The character may also be known as Tomte in Sweden. Beautiful snow in Scandinavia.

In 1933, Garbo had her Christmas tree shipped from her home country of Sweden to California.



When Melvyn Douglas was a child he went with his parents to visit friends in the Swedish countryside "for a Christmas filled with unforgettable joy and anxiety.  

"The anxiety as he explained in pauses between picture conferences on the Columbia lot came from the fear that Santa wouldn't be able to locate Melvyn if Melvyn were in Sweden instead of at home in England and from his own inability to say in Swedish what he wanted to eat."

Anna Q Nilsson 1923

"Anna Q Nilsson going back to Sweden to spend Christmas with her family. Good news that her doctors have told her she was well enough to travel. Her family has made all sorts of plans to celebrate her return." (Nilsson had hurt herself when she fell from a horse and had been recuperating.)
Christmas 1930

Bergen Marzipan - Assorted Fruit Shapes (18pcs.)

Still war die Nacht, Marlene Dietrich 1966

Germany: Marlene Dietrich, Lil Dagover

Six thousand miles separated Marlene Dietrich from her husband and baby in Berlin but she thought nothing of that when Christmas came near and traveled back to her home for the holidays. She'll be right back because she has made a great hit with her first picture, Morocco. This is when we first saw Ms. Dietrich in what would become her signature tuxedo. Christmas 1930

In 1933, Marlene Dietrich was "following the German custom of having the tree

Marlene Dietrich
8x10" Photo

on Christmas Eve. The tree that will make her body-guarded daughter Maria Seiber dance with glee and will be decorated with marzipan - German delicacies  made from chopped almond paste and covered with coatings of chocolate or other candy made into shapes of fruits and toys."

Actress Lil Dagover, "I have a husband whose name is George Witt. He is an executive for a German motion picture company. 

"We have a daughter, ten months old. Her name is Ave Maria. Her first picture for Warner Brothers will be I Spy." It was suggested that her plans, like Dietrich's were to return to her family in Germany for the holidays. Christmas 1930

Dagover was in The Woman from Monte Carlo, but she may be better known by some as an actress in the 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.



Christmas shopping in London 1940s

Christmas in Mexico, Ramon Novarro

Christmas 1931 Ramon Novarro gave an interview about his Christmas Spirit.

"The tale goes Ramon's house is open to anyone who can establish a legitimate claim to being of the Samaniegos (his real name) clan. And in Mexico they recognize cousins to the forty-second degree. Not long ago, a Samaniegos presented himself at the Navarro home, introducing himself as a member of the

Ramon Novarro
1931

clan. 

"Ramon had never heard of him but calling his mother the stranger was asked to establish his claim to kinship with her who knew the family connections better. Though she had never heard of him still his cousinship though remote was sufficiently remote according to the Navarro code to admit him into the family circle.

"'I never had a Christmas tree and never heard of Santa Claus until I came to the States,' said Novarro." He grew up having Christmas in Mexico.

"'Beautiful and unique is the Mexican celebration of the Christmas holidays. The holidays begin with the posados. Posados translated into English means nine days and are observed in commemoration of the nine day journey of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem. ... In 1930, actor Charles Bickford spent the Christmas holidays in Mexico City.
-- Christmas, Silver Screen 1931

Errol Flynn Nat King Cole Istanbul Original 8x10" Photo

Errol Flynn remembers Christmas in Ethiopia

December 1938 Hollywood magazine celebrities were asked to recall memorable Christmases. 

Here is a past Yuletide in the life of Mr. Errol Flynn. It's the only one that really involved travel or memories of lands outside of the US. Great story.

"Errol Flynn long before he entered the movies he landed in Ethiopia with Dr. Harry Erben a close friend en route from Australia to England. Simultaneously with Christmas Day he arrived in what was then Haile Selassie's kingdom. Flynn didn't speak the native language and there seemed to be no native very conversant in English. 

"Much to the surprise of Flynn and Erben the natives nevertheless escorted them to first class lodgings and proceeded to prepare one whale of a feast. What with banqueting and dancing and speech-making, the affair to Flynn's growing mystification, lasted three days. 

"He was beginning to wonder whether this was a normal Yuletide revel in Ethiopia when there arrived an English speaking native who explained that the whole thing was a social error. 

"The natives had mistaken Flynn and Erben for a pair of big game hunters, long awaited, who had promised to hire a good slice of the population for a trip South after lions. With mutual apologies, the festivities ended; but Santa Claus anyhow had had his fling."

Eighty years ago in December 2014, Alfred Hitchcock's 1934 film The Man Who Knew Too Much was released in the UK. In 1935, the movie was released in the US. An article appeared around Christmastime, introducing American audiences to this "new German actor," German Star Studies his lines first in foreign tongue. How did he prepare for his first movie where he had to speak English?


Peter Lorre "learned the language in 60 days in an English-language picture, The Man Who Knew Too Much made in London and later pronounced the best picture of the year made in the British Empire. Lorre mentally translates the speeches into a language in which he is more at home in order to get the exact shades of the meaning and inflection more firmly in his mind. 

"When he is entirely familiar with the characterization, he studies that written appearance of the English lines and follows by repeating in English until he has the speeches perfect. It's a three-way system but it has made him letter-perfect in the rendition of his role."
-- San Jose News,December 1935


Related Pages, Books, Gifts:
 
Christmas Truce, Christmas in the Trenches included in: WW1 Centenary 2014 exhibit at the year's Chelsea Flower Show article

The Christmas Troll and Other Yuletide Stories: Magical Creatures; A Weiser Books Collection

Christmas Marzipan: A special gift package, special shapes, colors

Dressing Rathbone, Gable, Marlene Dietrich

Princess Car Gifts for the Bride, Birthday Girl, Business Woman 

Christmas & Holiday Cookbooks Kindle and Paper; Selection includes recipes from around the world, a World War 2 era cookbook, dessert themes and many more

Christmas in Sweden 45 Piece Assorted Chocolate Box by StuffOrSomething
More Boxes of Chocolates to Personalize for other occasions online at Zazzle

Merry & Bright Happy Christmas Photo Tree Ornaments just one of the personalized ornaments, add text and photos
Look at Year Ornaments, decor online at Zazzle

Dr Caligari Jane and Francis 2.0 Table or Pendant Lamp by TheDreamporium
Lil Dagover as Jane Olsen
 Werner Krauss as Dr. Caligari
Conrad Veidt as Cesare
Friedrich Fehér as Francis
We have a table lamp and realize that with some designs a colored light bulb, pink, blue etc can add some drama
Design or Find another pendant or table lamp at zazzle

1930s Dressing Rathbone, Gable, Dietrich

"The first thing to do if you want to dress like your Hollywood hero is rob a bank"

Gable wears his opera hat
at just the correct angle

"During one year Basil Rathbone paid into the coffers of Watson and Son over $7000 for suits and overcoats alone. Not to mention his purchase of sundry shirts, hats and shoes from the other Hollywood haberdasheries." The reporter is visiting the Hollywood tailor shop for a first-hand story.

Marlene Dietrich walks in accompanied by Josef von Sternberg. She went into a fitting room (alone, they specify) to try on a dress suit she'd ordered for use in the film Morocco. 

"You know she can wear a dress suit with more aplomb than the average male."

While she is trying on her suit, in walks Rod La Rocque, husband of actress Vilma Banky. He "has more suits than any other man in Hollywood."

Marlene Dietrich in
Top Hat & Tails Poster
Hat also at jaunty angle

"'Look here,' he said. 'I'm not entirely satisfied with the way my clothes look on the screen.' ...  'They look great on me in the flesh but on the screen every wrinkle is magnified to two or three times its actual size. Let's see if we can work out something a little different.'"

They tried to come up with something that would get rid of wrinkles around the arms for a screen test. The clothes get a screen test just like the actors do.

We find out that Warner Baxter likes light shades of blue and brown worsteds. He likes his clothes to fit snugly. Buddy Rogers is among their regular customers. He prefers soft fabrics.
-- 1931 article

Why did Dietrich go to the store for her tux? She wanted to wear a men's tux. There must have been something different about this tuxedo. Morocco was Dietrich's first talking picture. 

It wasn't the only time she'd wear a tuxedo or menswear in movies. Rathbone is known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes the movies in the late 1930s and 1940s.

In 1934 Marlene Dietrich had an interview where she was asked why she wears

Maurice Chevalier and
Marlene Dietrich

trousers. The interviewer notes that Ms. Dietrich is wearing a suit with no vest. She also wore a striped shirt with a broad black four in hand tie, silk sox and low heeled shoes. A small beret worn over one eye completed her ensemble.

As to why she wears trousers and menswear, she said that to her they're more comfortable than many dresses. Some women look more feminine in masculine clothes ..."even better than they do in frills and laces!"

"Also it takes too much time, trouble and money to be a well-dressed woman in Hollywood. Motion picture stars are always buying some terrifically expensive gown wearing it once or twice and then discarding it because they 'can't afford' to be seen in the same dress more often! ... 

"In my present wardrobe though, I have ten suits, a few pairs of extra trousers, a sweater or two, some shirts and a polo coat. That is all I need, the style will be good two years from now.

"I wouldn't advise every woman to wear trousers however because they don't fit every figure.... my shoulders are wide like a pair of masculine shoulders."  

In 2010 Jerry Mayer's Dietrich & Chevalier: The Musical was playing in New York. Chevalier and Dietrich "fell in love while they were married to others."
In the photo of Clark Gable above, it's asked that you note his accessories "winged collar, bow and boutonniere." He and Mr. James Blakeley below are giving us "simple authentic pointers on what's correct" when it comes to formal dress, circa 1935. Their facial expressions are mighty fine and formal as well. 

From what I've read top hats were often called opera hats because they were worn to the opera. There was not a real difference between the two. 

Powell and Clive Brook as Philo Vance and Sherlock Holmes
in Paramount on Parade

Clive Brook played Sherlock Holmes three times 1929-1930. Paramount on Parade was the last time he played Holmes on screen. 

Do you think the Sherlock Holmes coat and deerstalker hat were considered a costume and made to measure by the studio whereas Mr. Powell was expected to purchase his clothes (and hats) for Philo Vance and Nick Charles? From all I've read, yes, Powell did purchase the clothes he wore on screen apart from period costumes.

Sherlock Holmes costumes and accessories for you, the family

Powell played detective Philo Vance multiple times including Paramount on Parade. The Kennel Murder Case, 1933 was the last time he'd play Vance. In 1934 he and Myrna Loy made a new film called The Thin Man. They played Nick and Nora Charles and things changed with his on-screen detecting.
  
Worth noting that in 1922 there was a silent film version of Sherlock Holmes starring John Barrymore. Roland Young as Watson. It was William Powell's first movie appearance.

Robert Montgomery has "broad shoulders and a generous pocketbook"
he's "The answer to a tailor's prayer"
(In a couple of years he'd be the new father of baby Elizabeth Montgomery, too)

Who paid for what male stars wore on the screen?

"Feminine wardrobes are made almost always by the studios not so the men's. A male star must furnish his own dress suit, riding togs, street wear and in fact

"James Blakeley in
correct formal dress,
opera hat and pumps
to go with tails" 1935

practically everything except 'costumes' which are almost always rented or made to order by a rental company according to specification sent them by a studio. .... 

"Every important male star has three copies of every costume worn. One is for himself; one is for his double, and this fits him if his own becomes damaged and the third is for his stand-in man who relieves a star of the irksome business of posing while electricians are adjusting lights."
-- 1930 article

Stars' Stand-Ins
Interesting account of backstage life
Cary Grant's stand-in, Malcolm Merrihugh was asked what he thought about his job and to list his duties. Nowadays job descriptions are apt to say 'other duties as assigned.' This one ends with 'does everything in general.'

In 1940 a casual Cary Grant was
divorced from Virginia Cherrill
and said to be engaged to
Phyllis Brooks (seen here).
He was soon to marry
Barbara Hutton.

"A good stand-in takes care of his principal's make-up box, his clothes, sees that they're pressed and hung properly, checks the assistant director to find out when the star is working, sees that he's at work, keeps the dressing room orderly.

"He makes and breaks dates on the telephone, does secretarial work, acts as companion, runs errands, sees that certain people come on and off the set and does everything in general. ...

"The star gets his stand-in better than the wage minimum and when the stand-in works for the star, puts a little more in the pay envelope. Grant's a swell fellow when it comes to that extra help."

Stunning Stainless Steel Gun Bullet Cufflinks for Mens Cuff Links (Silver & Gold)
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Even though Merrihugh was six feet tall, he would wear Cuban heels to make up the difference in height when necessary. He says that he liked working with Grant, who once took a director aside and told him not to yell at his stand-in, not to discipline him in front of others, and to do it quietly if he needed to be corrected. -- 1938 interview 

"We are the shadows," Lillian Kilgannon, stand in for Marlene Dietrich said. "We stand in while the set is being lighted, sometimes for an hour or more, so that all my be in readiness for the star who may then do the scene in five minutes. ... We just step out. We are the shadows."

William Holden retrieves a collar button from under the bed.
Accessories can be tricky for men and women.
He's preparing for a date with Brenda Marshall (1941)

Joan Crawford classic movie magazine cover Watch by Jakestuff
Shop for more Wristwatches at Zazzle

Leatrice Joy silent movie star poster by Jakestuff
Browse more Posters at Zazzle

Anna Lee First A Girl 1935 movie advertisement Laptop Computer Sleeve  
First a Girl with Anna Lee, Sonnie Hale, Jessie Matthews was adapted from the 1933 German film Viktor und Viktoria.
It was remade into the 1982 American musical comedy Victor Victoria starring Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren and Alex Karras.

"The Thief of Bagdad" Bag by moviebuffs
Carry your top hat, your gift swag or supplies in this cool bag

Links to Related Pages of Interest:

Classic Film Actors talk about work, clothes, tools of the trade, money
William Powell's tux, Bob Cummings' underwear, Spencer Tracy's work clothes, Marlon Brando's T-Shirt "Hey, Stella!"..... Tour their closets.

Dressing Male Stars of the 1930s and 1940s
Robert Taylor, Charles Laughton and the Internal Revenue Service...

You can tell them Clark Gable left his Jacket at your place

Samantha Stephens and Endora: Famous TV Moms, trivia, costumes


Unless otherwise stated images and information, including quotes, paraphrases taken from sources in the public domain. 

Silver Screen, Talking Screen magazines

Dressing Male Stars in Old Hollywood BYOC Bring Your Own Clothes

1930's & 40's Men's Fashions in Movies:

Hollywood male film stars rebelled against high wardrobe costs

Dial M for Murder
Robert Cummings and Grace Kelly;
Maybe they looked at her dress
but he wanted to look great, too.

"Next time you see Robert Cummings on screen in his underwear, it might be interesting to reflect that his tailor-made shorts and undershirt cost him $15." Not only has he paid to have his suits made but if he'll be wearing it onscreen, his underwear, pajamas and specially made ties."
-- Daytona Beach Morning Journal, May 16, 1950

The 1930s, 1940s are remembered as the Golden Age of Hollywood. There were great costume designers such as Edith Head, Adrian, Orry Kelly and Jean Louis. 

They worked with directors and producers, creating garments that would help to bring characters to life. Their looks helped to define the characters and virtually give life to the films. Some designers even created looks which became inseparable with a handful of our greatest stars.

What was the difference in how wardrobe for men and women was handled? The claim was that like so much in the theatrical arts it was tradition that women's clothes were created and provided by the producers of the show. If they weren't destroyed during the production, gowns may be offered to the actress at the end of the course of filming, often for a fee. 

Charles Boyer
Vintage 8x10 photo

The studios usually had men's costumes in stock for period pictures or costume dramas. Something special could be created if needed. A costume designer specializing in men's clothes, sometimes a team of designers may work on a movie. 

Usually it was the person in charge of women's costume who got credit onscreen. That person may be involved to a small or large degree with what the men wore in the movies. The director and/or producer may have a lot or a little to say about the costumes, from the style, the color to the material, the cost. 

Alfred Hitchcock, for instance was known to have definite opinions on how characters appeared. Did he decide on the colors of the suits that the men in his films wore, when they would be similar, when they wouldn't? More on Hitchcock in the next installment.

In a Cecil B. DeMille extravaganza, the costume designer may need to dress an animal such as a horse or even an elephant. In westerns, the way a horse looked was important.
Where do the men's costumes come from?

In 1938, newspapers ran this headline: "Hollywood male film stars rebel against high wardrobe costs. Actors assert

Ronald Colman
Under Two Flags 8x10" Photo

movie studios should pay clothing expenses. Mostly through stage tradition film companies furnish feminine wearables." The Screen Actors Guild was threatening action to have this practice changed. 

"Under the present operating mode more through stage tradition than anything else feminine performers are supplied free of charge with whatever wardrobe they're called on to wear in their parts. But the mere male actor, well he gets stuck for his share. And many times it's a real knifing."

"Tools of the trade is what Bob Cummings and other male stars call their expensive duds. Bob reckons he has invested $30,000 or more in his wardrobe, part of which he keeps in a room at home and part in a storage company warehouse."
-- The North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA), February 23, 1938 

When we think about old glamour, are we just thinking about the ladies?

Brian Aherne 8x10"
He asks, Dressing gowns, too??
Yup. Pretty much anything you wear on screen young man.

For a contemporary film, one that took place in the present, often in the 1930s-1950s in particular, men's clothes would be bought from stores. Some actors, Hollywood stars like William Powell and Robert Cummings wore clothes of their own. An actor may suggest clothes that he had or he may buy for a character. He could bring in some clothes and try them on camera. 

In cases like this an actor was expected to provide everything that his character might wear on screen, suits, shirts, coats, gloves, hats, scarves, pocket squares, pajamas, underwear and so on. The actors probably rarely wore these clothes in their private lives, since keeping them in the best shape possible was to their advantage.

The contract may also specify, for men and women, clothes that they would wear during photo shoots and tours to promote the movies. Clothes may be purchased or made just for those purposes alone.

The producer would give them a stipend, a bonus for buying clothes or using the clothes that they had. Wear and tear on their clothes was taken into consideration. If something special was needed the costume designer would create something. Then again, since it was probably tailored, it may well be available to the actor at the end of the movie.

There's a famous story about an actor who could track his old blue (?) suit through all of his early movies until he made the money to buy better clothes.

Depending on studio, director, actor, his contract, the film and the situation things varied. They may provide an entire wardrobe or a piece of it, making it in-house or purchasing it or providing it some other way. 

In Casablanca Humphrey Bogart wore a trench coat and fedora styled in a way that would become his trademark. If these items were provided for him, if he owned them previously or after the film I can't say. As with many things, I've seen auctions claiming to be selling his original Casablanca trench coat.

Charles Laughton Elsa Lanchester
Original 8x10" Photo

Actors Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester.
Married 1929 until Laughton's death in 1962, they appeared in five movies together, including Witness for the Prosecution 1957.

 
The Internal Revenue Service, Tricky Tax Deductions in the 1930s:

In 1938, the newspapers ran a story that had been brewing for a few years. The IRS was going to hold a group of hearings about tax deficiency cases of Hollywood actors.

"The Board of Tax Appeals today ordered hearings on alleged tax deficiency cases involving 15 members of Hollywood's movie colony." Included were Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Madge Evans, Adolph Menjou and the late John Gilbert.  One of the major issues to be settled was the amount actors could deduct from income tax returns for business entertainment, auto expenses, wardrobe expenses, cleaning and pressing of their clothes. "The largest claim is against Mr. Laughton assessed a deficiency of $104,430 on his 1934 tax."
-- The Pittsburgh Press, April 10, 1938

Until proven necessary business expenses, some deductions were dis-allowed. Mr. Laughton had certain issues with his taxes that were specific to him, but the IRS was still learning about special deductions for actors' clothing and the maintenance of that clothing. 

For Laughton and probably other actors, the IRS questioned deductions made for music, his automobile, gratuities to stage hands, books and periodicals, telephone and telegraph, advertising and publicity. Were these things for personal use, what percentage was for business? 

In his response and as part of the subsequent hearing, Laughton provided segments of his contract, including those stating that an actor (male) had to supply his own clothing for at least some of his roles. 

This would have been in the actor's contract. Did you receive a bonus for buying or providing your own clothing. How about wear and tear on your clothes, shoes, etc. 



1945 Custom shoes made in London for the Famous: Film Stars, Royalty, men and women 

These days I hear film and television actors' contracts are quite different and it would be unusual to supply everyday clothes for a part.

A 2013 Nolo list of possible deductions for actors Wardrobe section says, "If you buy your own wardrobe, you may deduct the cost only if it is not suitable for street wear. For example, you can't deduct the cost of a modern business suit, but you could deduct an ape costume."

"The 1935 California legislature enacted a personal net income tax based on a

Bing Crosby 8x10" Photo

graduated scale of net income. Primarily this law affected net incomes in excess of $5000 a year and its rates became progressively higher on net incomes above $10,000 annually. 

"The personal net income tax income incurred the immediate opposition of the conservative newspapers, wealthy persons of substantial net incomes and particularly moving-picture producers whose incomes are reputedly large. 

"Searching for some tax plan that would relieve them from the personal net income tax, such persons have become active in support of the gross income tax plan." 
-- Our California State Taxes: Facts and Problems

The Motion Picture Producers Association of California Incorporated began a drive against the tax plan.

A 1935 Milwaukee Journal article reported that among those who it is estimated would have to pay 70 to 90 per cent of their incomes in combined state and federal taxes are Mary Pickford, Wallace Beery, Louis B. Mayer, Bing Crosby, Samuel Goldwyn, Irving Thalberg, Norma Shearer, Myron Selznick and Ernst Lubitsch. "An odd feature of the tax scare is that a great many of the highest paid actors are reported refusing work in order to hold their incomes below a certain surtax point." 

Film industry folks complained that they were giving away so much of their income to taxes. Actors noted that their popularity is very fleeting, they'll make the high income over just a matter of a few years. Their ability to put away money for retirement was threatened. Some companies and stars were threatening to leave California and establish residency in other states to avoid taxes.

"In any instance the studio does not furnish shoes. Shoes are they property of the star or featured player. In many cases she has them made to match the picture gown or more often she has accumulated such a number that cases are rare where a pair of shoes to meet the requirements cannot be found in her personal wardrobe. But everything else draping the feminine form including underthings as well as stocking are studio liabilities."
-- NANA, February 23, 1938  

Clark Gable Photo clipping

Check your contract, Fellas....

"The Artist shall provide at his own expense such modern wardrobe and wearing apparel as may be necessary for any and all roles to be portrayed by the Artist hereunder, it being agreed however that should so called character or period costumes be required the Producer shall supply the same. 

"The costumes, apparel and other articles furnished or paid for by the Producer pursuant to the terms of this agreement or otherwise shall be and remain the property of the Producer and shall be returned promptly to it."

The snippet of contractual language above was sent to the IRS to justify the deduction. Some of it is also quoted in the book, Long Live the King: a Biography of Clark Gable.

Even in those days, there were articles showing how the clothes worn by screen stars influenced how men dressed. Gentlemen's Quarterly was launched in 1931 and men's magazine Esquire was founded in 1932, first published in 1933. Actors would begin to appear on the covers and inside of such publications as well as in film magazines and newspapers.

In the mid-1930s Robert Taylor worked at Universal Studios and then at MGM.  After making Magnificent Obsession in 1935, apparently he didn't return some of what he wore in the film promptly enough.  

Magnificent Obsession
Robert Taylor (in a made-to-order suit) and Irene Dunne

"Universal was withholding a check for $2,000 until Taylor returned the six made-to-order suits, dress coat, slacks and tuxedo coat and vest he’d worn." 

When Taylor moved to MGM the next year, Louis B. Mayer gave him bonuses of $3000 and then $1500. "He advised Taylor about clothes. 'Maybe you can't act very well, Bob,' he said, 'but at least you can dress decently,' and sent the young man to his own tailor to get his first custom-made suit, his first dinner jacket and his first white suit and tails." 
-- A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True 1907-1940, Victoria Wilson 

This is part of a short series. When other parts are posted links will be provided here.

Hitchcock's cameo appearance
with Cary Grant on the bus in To Catch a Thief

Coming up:

* What did some of the stars have in these closets ready to go? The clothes they owned might even help them land a picture deal. How about an inventory? 

* An instance where the studio suddenly had to create an item of clothing for an actor. He couldn't produce the item needed and it could not be found in local stores!

* A little about Cary Grant and the clothes he wore in some his legendary Hitchcock films

* How did Spencer Tracy brilliantly handle costume in a couple of his movies?

* What had Errol Flynn so upset??

* How did Robert Mitchum handle the 'bring your own clothes' situation?

* As you might expect, some of the snappiest dressers of the Golden Age, Robert Montgomery, Clark Gable, William Powell, James Stewart, Peter Lorre and more.


Sources and Resources:


Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design by Deborah Nadoolman Landis 

Edith Head: The Fifty-Year Career of Hollywood's Greatest Costume Designer by Jay Jorgensen

Long Live the King: a Biography of Clark Gable by Lyn Tornabene

Mitchum: In His Own Words edited by Jerry Roberts

It's Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler

Day of the Peacock: Style for Men 1963-1973 by Geoffrey Aquilana Ross

Errol Flynn: The Life and Career by Thomas McNulty

Hollywood Costume by Deborah Nadoolman Landis

A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True 1907-1940 by Victoria Wilson Mayer 

George Hurrell's Hollywood: Glamour Portraits 1925-1992 by Mark A. Vieira Includes Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, Jean Harlow and Veronica Lake. Also includes John Garfield, Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney and Tyrone Power.

Spencer Tracy: A Biography by James Curtis 

Dangerous Men: Pre-Code Hollywood and the Birth of the Modern Man by Mick LaSalle

The North American Newspaper Alliance, February 23, 1938
 
The Daytona Beach Morning Journal, May 16, 1950

Our California State Taxes: Facts and Problems by Hobson Dewey Anderson

Hollywood Costume: Edith Head and Alfred Hitchcock: Legendary costume designer Edith Head and her collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock. A talk by Deborah Nadoolman Landis at V&A's 'Hollywood Costume' exhibition; via YouTube

Portions of State/Federal Income Tax Returns of Charles Laughton years 1934, 1935 United States Circuit Court of Appeals Transcript, Office of the Internal Revenue. Digitized into Public Domain 2010.

Francis X Bushman shirt advertisement Greeting Card by Jakestuff

Rudolph Valentino: www.AriesArtist.com Tshirts by keithmcdowell
Shop for Rudolph Valentino T-Shirts online at Zazzle.com

Rudolph Valentino in Bathing Suit Post Cards by reggiesgayadventures

Rudolph Valentino as The Son of the Sheik 1925 Print
Do you know what I have to pay for this?! by slicktees

Related Pages of Interest:

Classic film actors jobs, clothes, tools of the trade Tour film stars' closets, more 

Tell them Clark Gable Left his jacket at your place

Dressing Gable, Rathbone, Robert Montgomery, Marlene Dietrich
It's 1930, Sherlock Holmes, Cary Grant's Stand-In talks about his duties


 


Sources listed may be used for any of the posts in the series. Major updates and corrections if necessary will be noted with a date.