Book Description
Michael Woulfe was a starstruck Brooklyn boy when he stepped off a Greyhound bus in Hollywood in 1943. In his memoir, Glamour and Mischief!, he takes us on the roller coaster ride of an out-of-the-ordinary costume design career in the Golden Age of Hollywood.Michael encounters nastiness under the glittery surface of Hollywood, experiences the exhilaration of designing gowns for Judy Garland's gala film premiere of A Star Is Born, and tries to stay sane working under the heavy-handed direction of Howard Hughes. The meddling owner of RKO Radio Pictures encourages him to maximize nudity in his costume designs, leading to the censorship of The French Line, Son of Sinbad, and The Conqueror. Hughes involves Michael in a series of madcap adventures and preposterous requests, and even charges Michael with relaying orders to RKO's production chiefs. At 27, Michael Woulfe was one of the youngest costume designers in history to receive screen credit as Gown Designer. As head designer on more than sixty films, including Blood on the Sun, Tycoon, My Forbidden Past, and Clash by Night, Michael worked with Hollywood stars such as Claudette Colbert, Laraine Day, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Susan Hayward, Janet Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Terry Moore, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Russell, Jean Simmons, and Loretta Young.The glamour of the Golden Age of Hollywood comes alive once again in "Glamour and Mischief!" Co-author David V. Jervis, Michael's close friend and confidante, unearthed a treasure trove of memorabilia and an unpublished memoir that allows him to lovingly pay tribute to his dear friend. Through engaging stories, humorous recollections, and more than 200 never-before-published images that include original costume sketches, photographs, and personal letters, he painstakingly pieces together a comprehensive legacy of a man who deeply loved Hollywood.
