MovieChat Forums > Twentieth Century (1934) Discussion > Is this a leading lady fashion first?

Is this a leading lady fashion first?

posted 16 years ago by eebyo
11 replies | jump to latest

Carole Lombard, in her train compartment with a shiny new boyfriend** about halfway through this film, wears a white turtleneck and looks terrific in it. I didn't think leading ladies went in for this sort of fashion until the ex-ingenue Katharine Hepburn at least 15 years later.

Any costume mavens out there who can tell me (a) was this in fact a movie costume first? and (b) did it start a trend? The evidence of other movies suggests that the answer to (b) is a sad No.

**Not sure who plays him, but apparently Ralph Bellamy hadn't been invented yet.

[–] mredds11 16 years ago

Hi! Just raced home to catch this on TCM last evening. I was loving that turtleneck too - looked like cashmere.....

[–] Redfoot2112 15 years ago

If you look real close you'll notice that she is not wearing anything under that top. How did that get past the sensors???

[–] eebyo 15 years ago

Hah! Yes, I did notice, but that was commoner than you might think in the 30s. Garbo in her most diaphanous duds went there often, and I'm sure there were others, esp/ pre-Code. Some of those backless dresses are practically rumpless! They made up in sparkles what they lacked in yeardage. I love 'em all.

[–] rpniew 15 years ago

Nice turtleneck, but I still like the costume she is wearing in the dressing-room scene. Low Cut? Wow!

[–] lmchildress 14 years ago

Harlow never wore underwear in most of her pictures and you can tell. Just another example.

[–] PillowRock 14 years ago

How did that get past the sensors?

Well, obviously it did not get by the sensors. ;-)

However, assuming that you mean "censors" then there are two answers that come to mind.

1) This movie is still "Pre-Code". They could get away with *lots* of stuff that would not have been allowed the next year.

2) *THAT* is the thing that stands out to you to question? Whether someone wearing a turtleneck has a bra on under it? I would have thought that the scene earlier in the movie when Lombard appears in her underwear with her dressing gown / robe completely open in front would be the first scene to come up in a discussion of censorship (or the lack thereof) in Twentieth Century.

[–] genplant29 14 years ago

Yeah: This is one of the very last of the pre-Code movies, as it was released in May 1934, and I believe the Production Code went into effect in like July 1934. Watching this, aware, beforehand, it's a 1934 movie, I just assumed it was a "Code" movie - until I noticed the "hmmm..." type things you and others have also noticed, that "shouldn't" - and wouldn't - have been in a "Code" movie, checked for the movie's US release date, and the May release explains the presence of the "questionable" content. :)

[–] LarrupinLou 13 years ago

2) *THAT* is the thing that stands out to you to question? Whether someone wearing a turtleneck has a bra on under it? I would have thought that the scene earlier in the movie when Lombard appears in her underwear with her dressing gown / robe completely open in front would be the first scene to come up in a discussion of censorship (or the lack thereof) in Twentieth Century.

Agreed. That's the scene that comes to mind first. Yet, that translucent sweater does get it's, um, points across... :-D

No blah, blah, blah!

[–] Elsa_C 11 years ago

This movie was released before the Hayes Code took effect later in 1934. Lombard often went without a bra in her films, as did Jean Harlow, who supposedly iced her nipples on set for extra perkiness below her silk gowns.

[–] auc476 10 years ago

Ladies didn't wear structured undergarments (like a bra) before WW2. To do so was to call attention to that part of the anatomy.

[–] CarolT2 8 years ago

Carole Lombard never wore underwear & Jean Harlow used to ice her nipples. I've read bios of Carole & know for a fact she didn't wear underwear. I ordered DVD of this & To Be or Not To Be & you can tell in latter firm she's got no underwear on under her dress when she's walking away.