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Film Dramas
Lot 52
A Gene Tierney Costume Sketch for Leave Her to Heaven Designed by Kay Nelson, Sketched by Paula Giokaris
4 – 14 June 2024, 12:00 PDT
Online, Los AngelesSold for US$384 inc. premium
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A Gene Tierney Costume Sketch for Leave Her to Heaven Designed by Kay Nelson, Sketched by Paula Giokaris
Twentieth Century-Fox, 1945. Gouache and pencil on illustration paper with fabric swatches attached to upper left, with "Designed by Kay Nelson / 20th Century Fox Studio" written in pen to lower right, with a description plate stapled to bottom inscribed, "Worn: Int. Dining Room – Rancho Jacinta – Day / Scene: 26 / Worn: Ext. Road – Night / Scene: 41 / The family and guests have dinner - that evening Ellen is listening to the cowboys sing - Richard joins her," and penciled notations on the bottom, "46905 - Lizzie," and a stamped box dated March 7, 1945, with various approval signatures/initials including "JS" (director John Stahl) and "Bacher" (producer William Bacher). Gene Tierney is positively evil in this drama costarring Cornel Wilde and Jeanne Crain in which she portrays an insecure wife who is consumed with jealousy. It's a surprise that Fox would allow their biggest star to play such a despicable character, but the film only heightened Tierney's popularity and was a huge box office success. Though the description plate on this sketch indicates the scene in which she wears this gown, this was later changed to a floral gown which looked less like a negligee. A gown/negligee similar to this sketch was worn by Sheila Ryan in costume tests for Something for the Boys (1944) in which the costumes were also designed by Kay Nelson.
13 x 20 in.
13 x 20 in.




















