More Vintage Reproductions
Here is a beautiful reproduction of the 1943 "Victory Set" that is a favorite among Betty Grable collectors. The red, white and blue covers feature pretty dolls, and the inside pages are nicely designed with well-drawn and painted clothes. Among the day clothes, evening gowns and period costumes, you can find clothes from Betty's early 1940s movies including Coney Island, Tin Pan Alley, and Song of the Island. Two dolls with eight pages of clothes.Her iconic bathing suit photo became the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in Life 100 Photos that Changed the World. Grable was particularly noted for having the most beautiful legs in Hollywood and studio publicity widely dispersed photos featuring them. Hosiery specialists of the era often noted the ideal proportions of her legs as: thigh (18.5") calf (12"), and ankle (7.5"). Grable's legs were famously insured by her studio for $1,000,000 per leg at Lloyds of London.
This gorgeous 1944 Merrill reproduction is filled with movie costumes from notable Greer Garson films including Goodbye Mr. Chips, Mrs. Miniver, Pride and Prejudice, Random Harvest, and others. There are three lovely dolls to go with eight inside clothing pages.Louis B. Mayer discovered Garson while he was in London looking for new talent. Garson was signed to a contract with MGM in late 1937, but did not begin work on her first film, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, until late 1938. She received her first Oscar nomination for the role, but lost to Vivien Leigh for Gone with the Wind. She received critical acclaim the next year for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1940 film, Pride and Prejudice.
A lovely reproduction of the rare 1945 Judy Garland paper doll. The clothing pages are filled with a great wardrobe--over 40 pieces in all--with everything from beachwear to evening gowns. Photos if Judy are scattered throughout the book. Includes star biography by David Wolfe.Beginning in vaudeville with her sisters, Garland was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. There she made over two dozen films, including nine with Mickey Rooney, and the film with which she would be most identified, The Wizard of Oz (1939). After 15 years, Garland was released from the studio but gained renewed success through record-breaking concert appearances, including a critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall concert, a well-regarded but short-lived television series and a return to film acting beginning with A Star Is Born (1954).
This 1952 Ava Gardner reproduction has two dolls and eight pages of glamorous clothes for the beauty whose real life romances were as dramatic as her movies like The Hucksters, Show Boat, One Touch of Venus and Snows of Kilimanjaro.Gardner was nominated for an Academy Award for Mogambo (1953), however she lost to Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday. Many thought Gardner's finest performance was as Maxine Faulk in The Night of the Iguana (1964), for which she was not nominated. (Grayson Hall, as the repressed Judith Fellowes, however, was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category).
Other films include The Hucksters (1947), Showboat (1951), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), 1954's The Barefoot Contessa (which some consider to be her "signature film" which mirrored her real life custom of going barefoot), Bhowani Junction (1956), The Sun Also Rises in which she played party-girl "Brett Ashley", 1957), and the film version of Neville Shute's best-selling On the Beach, co-starring Gregory Peck.
One of the prettiest star books of the 1940s is this Alice Faye paper doll. This faithful reproduction with cover art by Norman Mingo features three dolls, and the clothing pages include costumes from Alice's roles in Tin Pan Alley, Lillian Russell, Weekend in Havana and others. Includes star biography by David Wolfe.Cast in musicals most of all, Faye introduced many popular songs to the hit parade. Considered less than serious as an actress and more than serious as a singer, Faye nailed what many critics consider her best acting performance in 1937's In Old Chicago. She more than held her own - in spite of a mild speech impediment - with co-stars such as Vallee, Al Jolson, Charlotte Greenwood, and Edward Everett Horton, as well as leading men such as Don Ameche, Tyrone Power, and John Payne.
Color film flattered Faye enormously, and she shone in the splashy musical features that were a Fox trademark in the 1940s. She frequently played a performer, often one moving up in society, allowing for situations that ranged from the poignant to the comic. Films such as Weekend in Havana and That Night in Rio (atypically, as a Brazilian aristocrat) made good use of Faye's husky singing voice, solid comic timing, and flair for carrying off the era's starry-eyed romantic storylines. 1943's The Gang's All Here is perhaps the epitome of these films, with lavish production values and a range of supporting players (including the memorable Carmen Miranda in the indescribable "Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat" number) that camouflage the film's trivial plot and leisurely pacing.
America's favorite girl next door, Doris Day is featured in this 1952 reproduction. The inside pages reflect 1950s fashions including day dresses, evening gowns, sleepwear, coats and accessories--35 pieces in all. Two dolls and eight pages of clothes.During her time with Les Brown, and a brief stint with Bob Hope, Day toured extensively across the United States. Her popularity as a radio performer and vocalist, including a second hit record My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time, led directly to a career in films. After her separation from second husband George Weidler in 1948, Day was set to leave Los Angeles and return to her mother's home in Cincinnati, when her agent, Al Levy, convinced her to attend a party at the home of composer Jule Styne. Her personal circumstances at the time and her reluctance to perform contributed to an emotive performance of Embraceable You which greatly impressed Styne and his partner, Sammy Cahn. They then recommended her for a role in Romance on the High Seas (which they were working on for Warner Bros.). The withdrawal of Betty Hutton due to pregnancy left the main role to be re-cast. Thus, Day began her film career, in 1948, in a "peppy" Hutton-esque role. (The film was digitally remastered and released on DVD in May 2007.)
New Vintage Reproductions - Whitman and Merrill
American patriotism during World War II was in full bloom in the paper doll world of the early 1940s. Although paper was in short supply during wartime, an enormous popularity for the uniforms made dressing paper dolls a big success. Navy Scouts Paper Dolls is a reproduction edition of the 1942 Merrill book 3428. Four dolls comprise the set: Jack and Mary, Susan and Bob. The male dolls measure 9-1/4 inches tall while the female dolls stand 9 inches tall.
Strong, smart, and provocative are a few of the adjectives used to describe actress Bette Davis. Her career as a film star echoed those sentiments in her casting, making her a top box office draw and a favorite with film fans through her lengthy career. From the appealing front cover of Bette dressed in a yellow shorts sunsuit set against an unreeling spool of film with five frames from her movies to the back cover of Bette posed on stage in a green outfit facing an audience, this set makes a vivid impression. Two 9-1/4-inch tall dolls to cut out plus 28 costumes and accessories are contained in this reproduction edition of the 1942 published Merrill 4816 book.
Here's a gorgeous paper doll collection featuring the stunning blonde glamour girl Lana Turner. This book, a reproduction of the 1945 Whitman Publishing book 975, features two 9-inch-tall paper dolls. Regina Valliant was the doll artist, with clothes by Hedwig Jo Meixner. Lana Turner, an Academy award-nominated actress, was known for the glamour and sensuality she brought to many of her movie roles, especially the noir hit of 1946 The Postman Always Rings Twice. Turner became a popular World War II pin-up girl following her success in films such as Ziegfeld Girl, and Johnny Eager.
Think glamorous, dark-eyed beauty of the 1930s-1940s Hollywood "Silver Screen" and one of the names that comes to mind is the beautiful Rita Hayworth. Rita started her show business career as a dancer appearing in Dante's Inferno. By 1937, she had taken her mother's maiden name, Haworth, and was appearing regularly in supporting roles. Her first prominent roles came in Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and Blood and Sand (1941); and the movies' Love Goddess was born. She was one of the most glamorous actresses in cinema history, making the cover of "Time" magazine in 1941, but she was much more than a beautiful face.Las Vegas Entertainer Paper Dolls
Now appearing for your entertainment--a star-studded lineup of show-biz celebrities.Direct from Las Vegas--the "getaway playland" of the world--comes a star-studded array of singers, comedians, musicians, dancers, and other celebrities.
Tom Tierney pays a tribute to show business "greats" in this marvelous paper doll collection, with lifelike figures of Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Wayne Newton, and eleven other famous performers, plus a Las Vegas showgirl. Two dazzling costumes are included for most figures.
