fbpx
Wikipedia

Orry-Kelly

January 01, 1970

Orry-Kelly was the professional name of Orry George Kelly (31 December 1897 – 27 February 1964), an Australian-American Hollywood costume designer. Until being overtaken by Catherine Martin in 2014, he was the most prolific Australian-born Oscar winner, having won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design.[1][2]

Orry-Kelly
Born
Orry George Kelly

(1897-12-31)December 31, 1897
Kiama, New South Wales, Australia
DiedFebruary 27, 1964(1964-02-27) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California, United States
OccupationCostume designer
Known forCostume design
AwardsAcademy Award for Best Costume Design:
Dolores del Río wears an Orry-Kelly gown in I Live for Love (1935).

Biography edit

Early life edit

Orry-Kelly was born in Kiama, New South Wales, Australia, and was known as Jack Kelly. His father William Kelly was born on the Isle of Man and was a gentleman tailor in Kiama. Orry was a name of an ancient king of the Isle of Man. Orry-Kelly was sent to Sydney at age 17 to study banking, and there he developed his interest in theatre.[3]

Move to the U.S. edit

Orry-Kelly journeyed to New York City to pursue an acting career and shared an apartment in Greenwich Village with Charles Phelps (also known as Charlie Spangles) and Cary Grant, with whom, he wrote, he had an on-again, off-again relationship until the 1930s.[4] A job painting murals in a nightclub led to his employment by Fox East Coast studios illustrating titles. He designed costumes and sets for Broadway's Shubert Revues and George White's Scandals. He served with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II until being discharged for alcohol problems.[5][6]

Hollywood edit

 
Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca (1942)
 
Nina Foch in An American in Paris (1951)

After moving to Hollywood in 1932, Orry-Kelly was hired by Warner Bros. as their chief costume designer and he remained there until 1944. He was encouraged to hyphenate his name for film credits in order to appear more exotic.[7] Later, his designs were also seen in films at Universal, RKO, 20th Century Fox, and MGM studios. He won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design (for An American in Paris, Les Girls, and Some Like It Hot) and was nominated for a fourth (for Gypsy). In addition to his film work he was also a portrait artist and was permitted to undertake private commissions for gowns and ready-to-wear dresses.[7]

Orry-Kelly worked on many films now considered classics, including 42nd Street, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Arsenic and Old Lace, Harvey, Oklahoma!, Auntie Mame, and Some Like It Hot. He designed for all the great actresses of the day, including Bette Davis, Kay Francis, Ruth Chatterton, Marilyn Monroe, Olivia de Havilland, Katharine Hepburn, Dolores del Río, Ava Gardner, Ann Sheridan, Barbara Stanwyck, and Merle Oberon.

Orry-Kelly was known for his ability to "design for distraction" to compensate for difficult figure shapes.[8] When he was assigned to films with Kay Francis, they would dissect her parts. She would be dressed in opposition to the role, with the traditional femme fatale or manipulative character in frills and the honest heroine in a tailored, classic suit.[9] Orry-Kelly also applied this aesthetic in the creation of gowns for a number of Bette Davis's characters.[7] He also created clothes for the cross-dressing characters played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot. His skill is shown by the fact that while Some Like It Hot was in production, Curtis and Lemmon would go into the ladies' room after eating lunch without being spotted as men.[10] He wrote that when he finished draping Dolores del Río in white jersey, "she became a Greek goddess ... she was incredibly beautiful".[3] The elegant clothes he designed for Bergman's character in Casablanca have been described as "pitch perfect".[3]

In addition to designing, Kelly wrote a column, "Hollywood Fashion Parade", for the International News Service, owned by William Randolph Hearst, during the years of World War II. Kelly's memoirs, entitled Women I've Undressed were discovered in the care of a relative, as a result of publicity surrounding Gillian Armstrong's 2015 documentary on Kelly, Women He's Undressed.[10][11] The memoir was published for the first time in 2015.[4][2]

Death edit

A longtime alcoholic, Orry-Kelly died of liver cancer in Hollywood in 1964 at the age of 66 and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills. His pallbearers included Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Billy Wilder and George Cukor and his eulogy was read by Jack L. Warner. He had no living relatives when he died; his personal effects and Academy Awards were stored by Ann Warner, wife of his friend and former boss, Jack.[1] The Oscars were among the items in an exhibition entitled Orry-Kelly: Dressing Hollywood, at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in August 2015.[1]

Costume design credits edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Maddox, Garry (29 May 2015). "Orry-Kelly's three lost Oscars are coming home". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b Buckmaster, Luke (16 July 2015). "Women He's Undressed review – Orry-Kelly, an unsung Oscar-winning hero". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Maddox, Garry (30 May 2015). "Stitches in Time". The Sydney Morning Herald (Good Weekend). pp. 10–13.
  4. ^ a b Orry-Kelly. Women I've Undressed. 2015. Random House Australia. ISBN 978-0-85798-563-7
  5. ^ "Fashion Expert Stationed with Air Forces Here", St. Petersburg Times, 20 December 1942.
  6. ^ Mann, William J. (2001). Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910–1969. New York: Viking. p. 232. ISBN 0670030171.
  7. ^ a b c Parkinson, Robert (2015). Orry Kelly, Miss Weston's protege. Impact Press. ISBN 9781925384871.
  8. ^ Byrnes, Paul (11 July 2015). "Paul Byrnes: A costume drama behind the camera in Women He's Undressed". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  9. ^ Kear, Lynn and Rossman, John (2006). Kay Francis: A passionate life and career. McFarland and Company. p. 61. ISBN 0786423668.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ a b Women He's Undressed (2015) at IMDb  
  11. ^ "Gillian Armstrong on her Orry-Kelly film: friendship, fame and homophobia" by Alexandra Spring, The Guardian, 13 June 2015

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Orry-Kelly.

January 01, 1970
orry, kelly, professional, name, orry, george, kelly, december, 1897, february, 1964, australian, american, hollywood, costume, designer, until, being, overtaken, catherine, martin, 2014, most, prolific, australian, born, oscar, winner, having, three, academy,. Orry Kelly was the professional name of Orry George Kelly 31 December 1897 27 February 1964 an Australian American Hollywood costume designer Until being overtaken by Catherine Martin in 2014 he was the most prolific Australian born Oscar winner having won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design 1 2 Orry KellyBornOrry George Kelly 1897 12 31 December 31 1897Kiama New South Wales AustraliaDiedFebruary 27 1964 1964 02 27 aged 66 Los Angeles California United StatesOccupationCostume designerKnown forCostume designAwardsAcademy Award for Best Costume Design 1951 An American in Paris 1957 Les Girls 1959 Some Like It Hot Dolores del Rio wears an Orry Kelly gown in I Live for Love 1935 Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life 1 2 Move to the U S 1 3 Hollywood 1 4 Death 2 Costume design credits 3 References 4 External linksBiography editEarly life edit Orry Kelly was born in Kiama New South Wales Australia and was known as Jack Kelly His father William Kelly was born on the Isle of Man and was a gentleman tailor in Kiama Orry was a name of an ancient king of the Isle of Man Orry Kelly was sent to Sydney at age 17 to study banking and there he developed his interest in theatre 3 Move to the U S edit Orry Kelly journeyed to New York City to pursue an acting career and shared an apartment in Greenwich Village with Charles Phelps also known as Charlie Spangles and Cary Grant with whom he wrote he had an on again off again relationship until the 1930s 4 A job painting murals in a nightclub led to his employment by Fox East Coast studios illustrating titles He designed costumes and sets for Broadway s Shubert Revues and George White s Scandals He served with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II until being discharged for alcohol problems 5 6 Hollywood edit nbsp Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca 1942 nbsp Nina Foch in An American in Paris 1951 After moving to Hollywood in 1932 Orry Kelly was hired by Warner Bros as their chief costume designer and he remained there until 1944 He was encouraged to hyphenate his name for film credits in order to appear more exotic 7 Later his designs were also seen in films at Universal RKO 20th Century Fox and MGM studios He won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design for An American in Paris Les Girls and Some Like It Hot and was nominated for a fourth for Gypsy In addition to his film work he was also a portrait artist and was permitted to undertake private commissions for gowns and ready to wear dresses 7 Orry Kelly worked on many films now considered classics including 42nd Street The Maltese Falcon Casablanca Arsenic and Old Lace Harvey Oklahoma Auntie Mame and Some Like It Hot He designed for all the great actresses of the day including Bette Davis Kay Francis Ruth Chatterton Marilyn Monroe Olivia de Havilland Katharine Hepburn Dolores del Rio Ava Gardner Ann Sheridan Barbara Stanwyck and Merle Oberon Orry Kelly was known for his ability to design for distraction to compensate for difficult figure shapes 8 When he was assigned to films with Kay Francis they would dissect her parts She would be dressed in opposition to the role with the traditional femme fatale or manipulative character in frills and the honest heroine in a tailored classic suit 9 Orry Kelly also applied this aesthetic in the creation of gowns for a number of Bette Davis s characters 7 He also created clothes for the cross dressing characters played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot His skill is shown by the fact that while Some Like It Hot was in production Curtis and Lemmon would go into the ladies room after eating lunch without being spotted as men 10 He wrote that when he finished draping Dolores del Rio in white jersey she became a Greek goddess she was incredibly beautiful 3 The elegant clothes he designed for Bergman s character in Casablanca have been described as pitch perfect 3 In addition to designing Kelly wrote a column Hollywood Fashion Parade for the International News Service owned by William Randolph Hearst during the years of World War II Kelly s memoirs entitled Women I ve Undressed were discovered in the care of a relative as a result of publicity surrounding Gillian Armstrong s 2015 documentary on Kelly Women He s Undressed 10 11 The memoir was published for the first time in 2015 4 2 Death edit A longtime alcoholic Orry Kelly died of liver cancer in Hollywood in 1964 at the age of 66 and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills His pallbearers included Cary Grant Tony Curtis Billy Wilder and George Cukor and his eulogy was read by Jack L Warner He had no living relatives when he died his personal effects and Academy Awards were stored by Ann Warner wife of his friend and former boss Jack 1 The Oscars were among the items in an exhibition entitled Orry Kelly Dressing Hollywood at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in August 2015 1 Costume design credits editThe Match King 1932 Frisco Jenny 1932 20 000 Years in Sing Sing 1932 Central Park 1932 Silver Dollar 1932 I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang 1932 You Said a Mouthful 1932 They Call It Sin 1932 Scarlet Dawn 1932 Three on a Match 1932 The Cabin in the Cotton 1932 The Crash 1932 One Way Passage 1932 Tiger Shark 1932 Life Begins 1932 Two Against the World 1932 Crooner 1932 Winner Take All 1932 The Rich Are Always with Us 1932 So Big 1932 The Working Man 1933 Lady Killer 1933 Son of a Sailor 1933 Convention City 1933 The House on 56th Street 1933 Havana Widows 1933 Female 1933 College Coach 1933 The Kennel Murder Case 1933 Goodbye Again 1933 Captured 1933 Voltaire 1933 Mary Stevens M D 1933 She Had to Say Yes 1933 The Narrow Corner 1933 Baby Face 1933 The Mayor of Hell 1933 Heroes for Sale AKA Breadline 1933 The Life of Jimmy Dolan 1933 Private Detective 62 1933 The Silk Express 1933 Gold Diggers of 1933 1933 Ex Lady 1933 Lilly Turner 1933 Picture Snatcher 1933 Elmer the Great 1933 The Adopted Father 1933 Central Airport 1933 The Little Giant 1933 The Mind Reader 1933 The Keyhole 1933 Girl Missing 1933 Blondie Johnson 1933 Grand Slam 1933 Mystery of the Wax Museum 1933 Ladies They Talk About 1933 42nd Street 1933 Hard to Handle 1933 Parachute Jumper 1933 Employees Entrance 1933 The King s Vacation 1933 Lawyer Man 1933 Heat Lightning 1934 Wonder Bar 1934 As the Earth Turns 1934 Fashion Follies 1934 Fashions of 1934 1934 Mandalay 1934 Dark Hazard 1934 I ve Got Your Number 1934 Bedside 1934 Hi Nellie 1934 Massacre 1934 Easy to Love 1934 The Big Shakedown 1934 Sweet Adeline 1934 I Sell Anything 1934 Murder in the Clouds 1934 The Secret Bride 1934 Babbitt 1934 Flirtation Walk 1934 I Am a Thief 1934 Gentlemen Are Born 1934 Big Hearted Herbert 1934 The Firebird 1934 The St Louis Kid 1934 Happiness Ahead 1934 Kansas City Princess 1934 Madame Du Barry 1934 A Lost Lady 1934 The Case of the Howling Dog 1934 British Agent 1934 Desirable 1934 The Dragon Murder Case 1934 Dames 1934 Side Streets 1934 Housewife 1934 The Personality Kid 1934 Friends of Mr Sweeney 1934 A Very Honorable Guy 1934 Midnight Alibi 1934 Return of the Terror 1934 Here Comes the Navy 1934 Dr Monica 1934 The Circus Clown 1934 Fog Over Frisco 1934 The Key 1934 The Merry Frinks 1934 Smarty 1934 He Was Her Man 1934 Merry Wives of Reno 1934 Upperworld 1934 Twenty Million Sweethearts 1934 Harold Teen 1934 Registered Nurse 1934 A Modern Hero 1934 Gambling Lady 1934 Jimmy the Gent 1934 Journal of a Crime 1934 Stars Over Broadway 1935 The Payoff 1935 I Found Stella Parish 1935 Shipmates Forever 1935 Personal Maid s Secret 1935 I Live for Love 1935 The Goose and the Gander 1935 Little Big Shot 1935 Page Miss Glory 1935 Going Highbrow 1935 We re in the Money 1935 The Irish in Us 1935 Bright Lights 1935 Broadway Gondolier 1935 Stranded 1935 Oil for the Lamps of China 1935 The Girl from 10th Avenue 1935 In Caliente 1935 Go into Your Dance 1935 The Case of the Curious Bride 1935 The Florentine Dagger 1935 Traveling Saleslady 1935 Gold Diggers of 1935 1935 Living on Velvet 1935 While the Patient Slept 1935 The Right to Live 1935 The Woman in Red 1935 Devil Dogs of the Air 1935 Bordertown 1935 Maybe It s Love 1935 The White Cockatoo 1935 Dangerous 1935 The Widow from Monte Carlo 1935 Broadway Hostess 1935 Miss Pacific Fleet 1935 Frisco Kid 1935 Gold Diggers of 1937 1936 Three Men on a Horse 1936 Here Comes Carter 1936 Polo Joe 1936 Isle of Fury 1936 Cain and Mabel 1936 Give Me Your Heart 1936 Stage Struck 1936 China Clipper 1936 Jailbreak 1936 Satan Met a Lady 1936 The White Angel 1936 Hearts Divided 1936 Murder by an Aristocrat 1936 The Golden Arrow 1936 The Law in Her Hands 1936 Sons o Guns 1936 The Gentleman from Big Bend 1936 I Married a Doctor 1936 The Singing Kid 1936 Snowed Under 1936 Colleen 1936 The Walking Dead 1936 The Petrified Forest 1936 Freshman Love 1936 Ceiling Zero 1936 Hollywood Hotel 1937 First Lady 1937 It s Love I m After 1937 That Certain Woman 1937 Confession 1937 The Singing Marine 1937 Ever Since Eve 1937 Another Dawn 1937 Kid Galahad 1937 The Go Getter 1937 Call It a Day 1937 Marked Woman 1937 Grand Passion 1937 Green Light 1937 Stolen Holiday 1937 Tovarich 1937 Comet Over Broadway 1938 Angels with Dirty Faces 1938 The Sisters 1938 Secrets of an Actress 1938 Four Daughters 1938 All Rights Reserved 1938 My Bill 1938 Women Are Like That 1938 Jezebel 1938 On Your Toes 1939 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex 1939 The Old Maid 1939 When Tomorrow Comes 1939 Indianapolis Speedway 1939 Juarez 1939 Dark Victory 1939 Women in the Wind 1939 The Oklahoma Kid 1939 Wings of the Navy 1939 King of the Underworld 1939 The Letter 1940 A Dispatch from Reuters 1940 No Time for Comedy 1940 My Love Came Back 1940 All This and Heaven Too 1940 The Sea Hawk 1940 Til We Meet Again 1940 Virginia City 1940 The Maltese Falcon 1941 The Little Foxes 1941 The Bride Came C O D 1941 Throwing a Party 1941 short Million Dollar Baby 1941 Affectionately Yours 1941 The Great Lie 1941 The Lady and the Lug 1941 short The Strawberry Blonde 1941 Honeymoon for Three 1941 Casablanca 1942 George Washington Slept Here 1942 Now Voyager 1942 In This Our Life 1942 Murder in the Big House 1942 Always in My Heart 1942 Kings Row 1942 Wild Bill Hickok Rides 1942 The Man Who Came to Dinner 1942 Old Acquaintance 1943 Princess O Rourke 1943 Watch on the Rhine 1943 This Is the Army 1943 Mission to Moscow 1943 Edge of Darkness 1943 The Hard Way 1943 Arsenic and Old Lace 1944 Mr Skeffington 1944 The Adventures of Mark Twain 1944 The Dolly Sisters 1945 Conflict 1945 The Corn Is Green 1945 Temptation 1946 London Town 1946 A Stolen Life 1946 Mother Wore Tights 1947 Something in the Wind 1947 Ivy 1947 The Shocking Miss Pilgrim 1947 Rogues Regiment 1948 Larceny 1948 For the Love of Mary 1948 One Touch of Venus 1948 Berlin Express 1948 A Woman s Vengeance 1948 Night Song 1948 Undertow 1949 Once More My Darling 1949 Johnny Stool Pigeon 1949 Take One False Step 1949 The Lady Gambles 1949 Caught 1949 Family Honeymoon 1949 Harvey 1950 South Sea Sinner 1950 Deported 1950 One Way Street 1950 Woman in Hiding 1950 An American in Paris 1951 Under the Gun 1951 The Star 1952 Pat and Mike 1952 The Lady Says No 1952 Oklahoma 1955 Auntie Mame 1958 Wonderful Town 1958 television film Too Much Too Soon 1958 Les Girls 1957 Some Like It Hot 1959 The Hanging Tree 1959 A Majority of One 1961 Two for the Seesaw 1962 Gypsy 1962 The Chapman Report 1962 Five Finger Exercise 1962 Sweet Bird of Youth 1962 Sunday in New York 1963 Irma la Douce 1963 In the Cool of the Day 1963 References edit a b c Maddox Garry 29 May 2015 Orry Kelly s three lost Oscars are coming home The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 30 May 2015 a b Buckmaster Luke 16 July 2015 Women He s Undressed review Orry Kelly an unsung Oscar winning hero The Guardian Retrieved 4 November 2023 a b c Maddox Garry 30 May 2015 Stitches in Time The Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend pp 10 13 a b Orry Kelly Women I ve Undressed 2015 Random House Australia ISBN 978 0 85798 563 7 Fashion Expert Stationed with Air Forces Here St Petersburg Times 20 December 1942 Mann William J 2001 Behind the Screen How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood 1910 1969 New York Viking p 232 ISBN 0670030171 a b c Parkinson Robert 2015 Orry Kelly Miss Weston s protege Impact Press ISBN 9781925384871 Byrnes Paul 11 July 2015 Paul Byrnes A costume drama behind the camera in Women He s Undressed The Sydney Morning Herald Kear Lynn and Rossman John 2006 Kay Francis A passionate life and career McFarland and Company p 61 ISBN 0786423668 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b Women He s Undressed 2015 at IMDb nbsp Gillian Armstrong on her Orry Kelly film friendship fame and homophobia by Alexandra Spring The Guardian 13 June 2015External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Orry Kelly Orry Kelly at IMDb Orry Kelly at the Internet Broadway Database nbsp Orry Kelly at Find a Grave Portals nbsp Biography nbsp Film Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Orry Kelly amp oldid 1215706581, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.