Maurice Chevalier: The Real Lumiere 

“Isn’t It Romantic” “Mimi” “Thank Heaven For Little Girls” and “Valentine” are all songs made popular by Maurice Chevalier, a French singer, dancer, and actor whose career lasted more than 60 years. He appeared in Film, Broadway, and Television, but what truly makes him a legend in the history of the entertainment industry is his trademark clothing. Any time one saw Chevalier, it was in his standard attire: boater hat and tuxedo, along with his cane. Chevalier received two Best Actor Oscar Nominations for acting in films released in the late 1920s, and he later made films with the Walt Disney Studios. And after his passing, he became the inspiration for one of the characters in one of Disney’s most beloved movies. In this blog, I’d like to tell you about his remarkable career in show business.

Maurice Auguste Chevalier was born in Paris, France on September 12, 1888. As a child, he worked a number of jobs: carpenter’s apprentice, electrician, printer, and even a doll painter. He got his big break in show business at the age of 13, when he was singing at a French cafe and someone at the cafe encouraged him to audition for a local musical. He got the part and was a big hit, launching his career. In 1909, at age 19, he partnered with Frehel (the biggest star in France at the time), but only for two years, when Frehel’s alcoholism and drug addiction eventually got the best of her. He later partnered with the French singer Mistinguett, and they became romantically involved, despite the fact that she was 13 years his senior. That relationship would be only temporary too, as Chevalier would later be drafted into WW1. 

While serving in the French Army, Chevalier was wounded by a shrapnel shell within the first two weeks of his service and was captured and taken as a prisoner of war for two years. In 1916, he was released thanks to the intervention of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, who happened to be an admirer of Minstinguett’s. In 1917, Chevalier became a star of Le Casino de Paris, where he performed for American and British soldiers, but also appeared in the french operetta/musical comedy Dede at the Theatre de Bouffess Parisiens in 1921. He later moved to London where he found success at London’s Palace Theatre, and began to make appearances in silent movies, including Charlie Chaplin’s A Woman of Paris (1923). Not long after that, he met George Gershwin and Iriving Berlin, who encouraged him to bring “Dede,” to Broadway in 1922. It was there that he also met his future wife, dancer Yvonne Valle, whom he married in 1927. Chevalier finally made his first officially Hollywood appearance in Paramount Pictures’ Innocents of Paris (1929), and they immediately signed him to a contract.

Paramount’s The Love Parade (1929) and The Big Bond (1930) earned Chevalier his Best Actor Oscar nominations. He reunited with “Love Parade,” co-star Jeanette McDonald on the movie-musicals One Hour With You (1932) and Love Me Tonight (1932). After those films, he and Yvonne Valle unfortunately divorced. Throughout the early ‘30s, he was the highest paid star in Hollywood, though he also gained a reputation as a “penny pincher.” (He was inflexible at the idea of parking his car on the Paramount studios lot at ten cents a day, and after bargaining he agreed to pay five cents a day.) He also gained a reputation as a womanizer, “playing around” with many of the young chorus girls of Hollywood movie-musicals. He later returned to France in 1935 to resume his singing career.

In 1937, he married again, to another dancer named Nita Raya, After WW2 broke out in 1939, however, he became very unpopular in America, because in 1942 his name was included on a list of French collaborators to be killed during the war or tried after it. He later was accused of collaboration when Allied Forces freed France in 1944. He sadly divorced Ray in 1946. At this point, during the “McCarthy,” era in the United States, he was denied re-entry into the country. But In 1954, although, when the McCarthy era ended, he was readmitted into the United States and was cast in the Billy Wilder romantic comedy Love in the Afternoon (1957). The next year, he appeared as himself in the “Lucy Goes to Mexico,” episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957-1960), and following that, he appeared under the direction of Vincente Minnelli in the movie-musical Gigi (1959). The same year as “Gigi,” he was awarded the Honorary Academy Award.

In the early 1960s, Chevalier began touring the United States with Frank Sinatra. In 1961, he was hired by the Walt Disney Studios to star in In Search of the Castaways (1962) opposite Hayley Mills and Wilfrid Hyde-White. Although the film is not a musical, it featured songs composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman which Chevalier sang, including “Castaway,” “Merci Beaucoup,” “Let’s Climb (Grimpon),” and “Enjoy It.” “Castaways,” became the third most successful film of 1962 behind The Longest Day (1962) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962). He was hired by Disney again to star in Monkey’s, Go Home! (1967) with Dean Jones. After “Monkeys,” he officially retired from the entertainment industry, but he was later coaxed back out of retirement by the Sherman brothers to sing the title opening song for Disney’s The Aristocats (1970) (It was the last animated feature to be officially approved by Walt Disney himself). “Aristocats,” was Maurice Chevalier’s final contribution to show business. He died of a kidney failure in Paris on January 1st, 1972 at the age of 83.

Almost 20 years after his death, however, he became the primary inspiration for the character of Lumiere, the Candleabra in Beauty and the Beast (1991). His trademark boater hat, tuxedo, and cane costume is what makes him instantly recognizable. That “look” along with his one-of-a-kind voice made his movies and songs endure.          

Lemmon and Matthau: The Best Odd Couple

When we think of dynamic duos in show business, many pairs that come to mind, i.e.: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, or Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Another great pair for that list would be Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Lemmon & Matthau appeared in a total of eleven movies together, most of which were comedies. What sets them apart from other show business pairs is that their prolific success. Each had over 50-year-careers in show business, and together, they won a combined total of three Oscars and seven Golden Globes. In this blog, I’d like to tell you about how they met, were able to connect, and why their partnership has left an enduring legacy in movies.

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau first met when they were paired together by Billy Wilder in the romantic comedy The Fortune Cookie (1966). Lemmon was the first to sign on to play the role of Harry Hinkle, and Wilder originally wrote the role of of “Whiplash” Willie Gingrich with Matthau in mind, but United Artists tried to pressure Wilder into casting a major star like Frank Sinatra or Jackie Gleason in the part. But Lemmon and Wilder were both intent on sticking with Matthau. Lemmon had also already appeared under Wilder’s direction in Some Like it Hot (1959), The Apartment (1960), and Irma La Douce (1963). While filming the movie, they became friends, discovering a mutual love of football and golf. The film was well-received and earned Matthau the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Their next pairing happened in The Odd Couple (1968). Just prior, Matthau appeared in Ensign Pulver (1964), which was the sequel to Mister Roberts (1955), the film that won Jack Lemmon his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor. Matthau originated the role of Oscar Madison in “The Odd Couple” when it opened on Broadway in 1965, and won a Tony for it, though the role of Felix Ungar was originated by Art Carney. When Paramount Pictures bought the movie rights to “Odd Couple,” then head of Paramount Robert Evans was intent on casting Jack Lemmon for Felix, believing that Carney didn’t have enough “box office punch,” and he wanted to hire Billy Wilder to direct. Unfortunately, the cost was too high for all three of them, so Wilder ultimately walked away from the project. Gene Saks was hired to direct, and the film did so well, (better than “Fortune Cookie,”), it became the fourth-highest grossing film of 1968. 

Matthau & Lemmon’s next film was in Kotch (1971), which Lemmon directed, though he made a cameo as a sleeping Bus passenger. The two friends reunited with Billy Wilder again in The Front Page (1974), and in Buddy Buddy (1981); and they later appeared in the Best-Picture-Oscar-Nominated JFK (1991), but had no scenes together. In 1993, they appeared together in Grumpy Old Men, starring opposite Ann-Margret, who also worked with Matthau in I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982). Although the film received mixed reviews, it did spawn a sequel, Grumpier Old Men (1995), which was the first sequel of all the Lemmon & Matthau efforts, and the cast included Sophia Loren. The same year as “Grumpier,” Lemmon and Matthau appeared together in the drama comedy The Grass Harp, in which they were directed by Walter Matthau’s son, Charlie. 

After “Grass Harp,” Lemmon & Matthau made the film Out to Sea (1997) and then they made their final pairing in The Odd Couple 2 (1998) in which they reprise their Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison roles, and were directed by Howard Deutch, who had also directed them in “Grumpier Old Men.” Both men passed away in their late 70s, Matthau at age 79 on July 1st, 2000 and Lemmon at age 76 on June 27th, 2001. Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon’s unique partnership over the course of 11 movies leaves an enduring legacy. and their lasting friendship was unique in Hollywood.    

Some Disney Farewells

Throughout the history of the Walt Disney Studios, a number of talented people made their debut in a Disney movie, (Tommy Kirk in Old Yeller, Hayley Mills in Pollyanna, and Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins). But several amazing actors made their final film appearances in Disney movies tragically passing before release of the films. Some will be forever remembered for their contributions to Disney, while others are better known for their versatile work throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood.

• Don Ameche provided the voice of Shadow the Golden Retriever in Disney’s Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey which was released on February 12th, 1993. Ameche passed away ten months later on December 6th, 1993, shortly after filming New Line Cinema’s Corrina, Corrina (1994). Prior to “Homeward Bound,” he also appeared as Commander Taylor in Disney’s The Boatniks (1970) and starred in Touchstone Pictures’ Oscar (1991) with Sylvester Stallone. Ameche is also known for his performance as Art Selwyn in the film Cocoon (1985), which won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and he reprised the role for the sequel in Cocoon: The Return (1988).  
• Mary Wickes was first hired by Disney in 1957 to play Katie in the Disney television serial Annette (1958), starring Annette Funicello and airing on The Mickey Mouse Club in its third season (1957-1958). Later, Wickes was hired to provide the live-action modeling for Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1961), though the voice of the character was done by Betty Lou Gerson. She later appeared in the live action films Napoleon and Samantha (1972) and Snowball Express (1972). Mary Wickes is also known for portraying Sister Mary Lazarus in Touchstone’s Sister Act (1992) and it’s sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). She was hired by Disney a final time to prove the voice Laverne, Quasimodo’s gargoyle friend in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), but tragically died on October 22nd, 1995 before she had finished recording the part. Jane Withers, who is known for playing Vashti Snythe in Giant (1956) recorded the additional Laverne dialogue.
• Jim Varney is best known for creating the character of Ernest P. Worrell who first appeared in commercials, but had his own film series produced by Disney/Touchstone with Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain (1989) and many other sequels. Varney is also known for originating the role of Slinky Dog in Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999). He was diagnosed with lung cancer before production on “Toy Story 2,” officially began, and he tragically passed away at the age of 50, having recorded his part as “Cookie” Farnsworth in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). Blake Clark, a friend of Varney’s and who is known for having played Shawn Hunter’s Dad, Chet Hunter, on Disney/ABC’s Boy Meets World (1993-2000), took over the role of Slinky Dog.
• John Fiedler is a legend at Disney for having been the original voice of Piglet in “Winnie the Pooh,” from 1968 until his death on 2005. At that point he had started to record his lines for the direct-to-video film Pooh’s Halloween Heffalump Movie but he died on June 25th, 2005 before recording his lines. (Ironically, his death occurred just the day after his good friend, Paul Winchell, the original voice of Tigger, passed away.) Simultaneously with that, Fiedler had also been reprising his role as the old man named Rudy in Kronk’s New Groove (2005) the direct-to-video sequel to The Emperor’s New Groove (2000). Besides “Piglet,” and “Rudy,” John Fielder is also known at Disney for having been the voice of the Deacon Mouse in Robin Hood (1973), the Owl in The Rescuers (1977) and the Porcupine in The Fox and the Hound (1981). He also appeared in two live-action Disney films: The Shaggy D.A. (1976) (The sequel to The Shaggy Dog (1959)) and Midnight Madness (1980). Fiedler is also known for having played Juror #2 in 12 Angry Men (1957) and Vinnie the poker buddy in The Odd Couple (1968). 
• Don Knotts is best remembered for his roles as Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) and as Ralph Furley on Three’s Company (1979-1984).He made his Disney debut as Theodore Ogelvie in The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), and reprised it for The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again in 1979. In between, he appeared in Gus (1976), Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977), the second sequel to The Love Bug (1968), and Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978). Don Knotts passed away on February 24th, 2006 having voiced Sniffer in Air Buddies (2006). 
• Paul Newman made his animated feature film debut providing the voice Doc Hudson in Disney/Pixar’s Cars (2006). He died of lung cancer two years after that movie on September 26th, 2008 at the age of 83 after having also reprised the role of Doc Hudson for the short film Mater and the Ghostlight (2006). While he unfortunately passed away before having the chance to lend his voice to Cars 2 (2011), unused recordings of his voice that he originally recorded for the first “Cars,” film were used in Cars 3 (2017).
• Pat Buttram is known for having played the role of the greedy Mr. Haney on the sit-com Green Acres (1965-1971). Buttram made his Disney debut as Napoleon the bloodhound in The Aristocats (1970), and later voiced the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood (1973) and Luke the Swamp muskrat in The Rescuers (1977). “Aristocats,” and “Rescuers,” ironically both also featured the voice of Buttram’s co-star from “Green Acres,” Eva Gabor. Buttram also voiced Chief in The Fox and the Hound (1981), Bullet #1 in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), and just before he passed away on January 8th, 1994 due to a renal failure, he provided the voice of the Possum Park Emcee in A Goofy Movie (1995).
• Don Rickles will never be forgotten for his performance as the wisecracking Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story trilogy (1995-2010). In addition to voicing the character in each of the theatrical “Toy Story,” films he has also voiced the character for each of the “Toy Story,” short films, and his most recent IMDB credit was voicing the character for the television short Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014). Besides Mr. Potato Head, Don Rickles also provided the voices of William the Bird in the Walt Disney World Attraction The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) (1998-2011) and the Boss in the short film Redux Red Riding Hood (1997). Rickles passed away on April 6th, 2017, and as of now it remains to be determined whether or not Mr. Potato Head will have a new voice in Toy Story 4 (2019) or even if the character will be in the movie.

Each of these actors have left a unique legacy in the entertainment industry. Some of them will forever be remembered for the contributions to the Walt Disney Studios while others will be better remembered for characters they created in classic hollywood and television. It’s a shame that not all of them got to see the final cuts of their last films, but the movies truly wouldn’t be what they are today without their talents.                                                           

Peter Ellenshaw: “Disney’s Painter of Movies”

Walt Disney made the decision for his studio to produce live-action films in the 1950s. The decision was made as collaborative effort with his brother, Roy, and as a result, they began hiring directors, cinematographers, and visual effects artists. One of the most remarkable talents they ever hired, was a man named Peter Ellenshaw. Peter Ellenshaw was known for having been a matte painter (matte painters painted the landscapes/locations forming the basis of scenery) on many early Hollywood films, and later he was hired by Walt Disney to work apply his matte skills to work on the very first live-action film the studio produced, Treasure Island (1950). When “Treasure Island,” was a hit, Ellenshaw was rehired by the studio a countless number of times to design matte paintings as well as visual effects and even art direction.

William Samuel Cook “Peter” Ellenshaw was born in London, England on May 24th, 1913. His biological father passed away when he was eight years old, and his mother remarried shortly after that to a movie matte painter named Walter Percy Day. Ellenshaw had to stop attending private school in order to help with the family finances as a result, but he developed artistic skills, encouraged by his mother. As a young adult, his stepfather took him under his wing and taught him to be a matte painter and at age 21, Peter Ellenshaw worked as an assistant matte artist on the Britain-produced film The Scarlett Pimpernel (1934). He also worked on other films produced in London such as The Ghost Goes West (1935) and Things to Come (1936). After working on some other British films, he served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force in WW2. Not long after his service was over, he met Walt Disney in London, who had seen as work on English films, and was eager to hire Ellenshaw as the head matte artist on “Treasure Island,” which was to be produced in Great Britain. Naturally, Ellenshaw signed on. While working on “Treasure Island,” he simultaneously worked on MGM’s (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s) Quo Vadis (1951) and Warner Bros. Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951).

Ellenshaw’s next Disney film was The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men in 1952. He followed that up with The Sword and the Rose and Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue the year after that in ’53. He also worked as the matte artist for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), which won the Oscars for Best Art Direction and Best Effects. He continued designing matte paintings for Disney films throughout the ‘50s, but by the time it came to Johnny Tremain (1957) Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959), he got to expand beyond that as the production designer for “Tremain,” and designing the special art styling and the photographic effects on “O’Gill.” He also was uncredited as the second unit director for the film The Light in the Forest (1958). In 1960, he designed the matte paintings for Universal’s Spartacus as well as Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson.

In the 1960s, Peter Ellenshaw was promoted to special effects designer at Disney. The first film he designed the special effects for was The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), which became the first live-action film ever at Disney to spawn a sequel, Son of Flubber (1963), and he worked on that as well. Around the time of “Son of Flubber,” Disney had officially been given the “green-light” for Mary Poppins (1964), and naturally Peter Ellenshaw was assigned to design the matte paintings and special effects for the that film as well, along with Hamilton Luske and Eustace Lycett. Their contributions to the film earned the film the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. (Fun fact: Peter Ellenshaw’s hand can be seen in “Poppins,” in the scene where Bert draws the country road in the pavement picture. The hand in the wide shot that draws the bridge on the picture is Ellenshaw’s, not Dick Van Dyke’s. Peter Ellenshaw also provided the voice of one of the dancing penguins in the “Jolly Holiday,” sequence.)   

Ellenshaw continued working for Disney after Walt Disney’s death in 1966, designing mattes for films such as Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968) and the special photographic effects for The Love Bug (1968). He earned other Oscar nominations for his work as the production designer/set decorator for the films Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and The Island at the Top of the World (1974). He had planned to retire around this time, but he was later hired by Disney to do the production design for The Black Hole (1979), a role which reunited him with his effects partner from “Poppins,” Eustace Lycett, and the film also gave him the opportunity to work with his son, Harrison Ellenshaw, who is also an exceptional matte painter/visual effects artist, having worked on movies such as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980), as well as Disney’s Tron (1982). Peter kept working films through the ‘80s until Touchstone’s Dick Tracy (1990). After that film, he officially retired, but continued to make paintings of Disney and non-Disney themed subjects 

Peter Ellenshaw is a true Disney Legend, though it wasn’t until 1993 that he was officially named one. In one of the later interviews of his life he specifically said that Walt Disney “was the most marvelous man I ever worked for.” He cherished his time at the studio until his death on February 12th, 2007 at the age of 93. His legacy as a painter will live on at Disney years to come.   

The Golden Touch of Costumes

In movies there are a lot of things that are essential to helping the actors look the way they need to look on camera, lighting, makeup—and sometimes even visual effects when actors are portraying non-human/fantastical characters on screen! A sometimes overlooked, but very important feature is costumes. While the actor is responsible for making the character seem believable on camera, the costume designer makes that believability look realistic, enhancing what the viewer feels with the right stele, look and feel of the time period. In this blog, I’d like to tell you about some costume designers who have each left a legacy in film for their strikingly beautiful designs in both color and black-and-white films.

Edith Head’s incredible costume designs are a staple in the history of movies. Her designs extend from the biblical epics, Samson and Delilah (1949) and The Ten Commandments (1956), to holiday movie-musical classic White Christmas (1954), to the John Wayne westerns, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) and The Sons of Katie Elder (1965). She won eight Oscars out of a total of 35 nominations for her work, winning for: The Heiress (1949), Samson and Delilah (1949), All About Eve (1950), A Place in the Sun (1951), Roman Holiday (1953), Sabrina (1954), The Facts of Life (1960), and The Sting (1973). Her last film to design costumes for was Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) which starred Steve Martin and Carl Reiner (Reiner also wrote and directed the film). 

Head had great relationships with many of the actors she dressed. She became great friends with Elizabeth Taylor, having worked with her on “Place in the Sun,” and she and her then-husband, Wiard Inhen put Taylor up at their house when Taylor’s marriage to Burton was in trouble. She also considered Grace Kelly her favorite star to work with and To Catch a Thief (1955) the favorite of her films as a costume designer, and Alfred Hitchcock her favorite director to work with. She shared her Oscar win for “Facts of Life,” with Edward Stevenson, who is known for having designed the costumes for Citizen Kane (1941) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). She designed movie costumes for nearly 60 years, at a total of more than 400 movies and it is because of her work that many of these movies continue to stand the test of time today.       

Bill Thomas is a legend at the Disney studio, but is a costume designer who is not as well-known. He worked without receiving actual credit for designing the costumes for some films such as Running Wild (1955) and the Rock Hudson/Doris Day classic romantic comedy Pillow Talk (1959)), and received a well-deserved Oscar for designing all of Jean Simmons’ outfits in the movie Spartacus (1960), an award that he shared with Fred Valles. After “Spartacus,” he came to the Walt Disney Studios where he designed costumes for pretty much every live-action film that the studio produced in the 1960s, The Parent Trap (1961), That Darn Cat! (1965), Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968), The Love Bug (1968), and many others. He is credited as the costume executer of Mary Poppins (1964), along with Julie Andrews’s then-husband, Tony Walton, who was the costume consultant. The only ‘60s Disney film that he did not design the costumes for was The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), though he did design for the sequel to that film, Son of Flubber (1963). 

Thomas received other Oscar nominations for designing the costumes for Disney’s Babes in Toyland (1961), Bon, Voyage! (1962), The Happiest Millionaire (1967), and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). He continued designing costumes for Disney movies in the ‘70s with The Island at the Top of the World (1974), Pete’s Dragon (1977) and The Black Hole (1979). He also designed the costumes for the epic comedy It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) and the made-for-television movie Wonder Woman (1974), which aired before the series in 1975. He passed away on May 30th, 2000. Six years after his passing, the Costume Designers Guild Awards added him to Hall of Fame.         

Sandy Powell studied theater design at London’s Central School of Art, though she left before completing her degree due to receiving costume designing offers, one of whom was for director Derek Jarman. Powell made her film debut designing costumes for Cravaggio in 1986. She collaborated with Jarman again on The Last of England (1988) and Edward II (1991), which starred Tilda Swinton. These three films were all low-budget films, but her first big film came the following year with Orlando (1992), starring Swinton. It earned Powell her first Oscar Nomination for Best Costume Design. Although the award that year went to Gabriella Pescucci in The Age of Innocence (1992), she later became the winner of three Best Costume Design Oscars for Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Aviator (2004), and The Young Victoria (2009). In addition to a 12 Oscar nominations, Powell is also known for having designed the costumes for five other Martin Scorsese films besides “Aviator,” i.e: Gangs of New York (2002), The Departed (2006), Shutter Island (2010), Hugo (2011), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). The same year as “Shutter Island,” she designed the costumes for the film of The Tempest (2010), based on the Shakespeare play of the same name. 

Just recently, Sandy Powell designed the costumes for Disney’s live-action adaptation of Cinderella (2015) which earned her another Best Costume Design Oscar Nomination. Her designs will next be seen on screen again in Disney’s upcoming sequel to Mary Poppins (1964), Mary Poppins Returns (2018), and later in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman which will be released in 2019 and will be her seventh collaboration with Scorsese. Besides being a three-time Oscar winner, Sandy Powell is also one of the very costume designers ever to receive two simultaneous nominations for two different films released in the same year: Velvet Goldmine and Shakespeare in Love both released in 1998, and Cinderella and Carol, both of which were released in 2015 and starred Cate Blanchett. One might say that Sandy Powell could be on her way to becoming the new Edith Head.

It is easily agreeable that these three costume designers have all done an exceptional job designing movie outfits. Edith Head and Bill Thomas have both created timeless legacies with their designs, and Sandy Powell is undoubtedly working her way up to being considered one of the best. The success of many, many movies is certainly due, in part, to their “golden touch.”