Champion (United Artists) (1949)

fashion spread and feature; personal facts THE THREE FEMININE LEADS HAVE THAT NEW LOOK A stole of silver blue mink is draped gracefully over one shoulder by Marilyn Maxwell, enhancing her strapless, sheathed evening gown of black crepe ro- Ruth Roman looks relaxed and happy in a svelte white satin lastex swim suit, over which she wears a terry cloth robe of canary yellow. Mat (4A) Noted Hollywood Designer Created Eye-Catching Costumes In "Champion 55 More dangerous as scene-stealers than wide-eyed kiddies or beautiful collies, according, to dress designer Adele Parmenter, are the “simply stunning” wardrobes worn by femi¬ nine stars. “They simply stun the audience into forgetting who’s in the clothes and the kind of charac¬ ter she’s playing,” declares Miss Parmenter who recently completed garbing three lovelies, Marilyn Maxwell, Ruth Roman and Lola Al¬ bright in Stanley Kramer’s terrific drama, “Champion,” which opens on at the . Theatre through United Artists re¬ lease. Adapted from the classic short story by Ring Lardner, “Cham¬ pion” stars handsome Kirk Douglas in the title role, and Marilyn, Ruth and Lola are the girls he falls for as he steps up the ladder of fame as a prize fighter. In costuming Marilyn, Ruth and Lola for “Champion,” with each girl playing a different type of character, shoved around in different ways by male star Kirk Douglas, Miss Par¬ menter attempted to carry out her ruling principle of the “character- blended” wardrobe. Miss Maxwell, feminine lead in the picture, has the major share of changes. She plays the role of Grace Diamond, a gold-digging, sophisti¬ cated schemer. And although Grace’s integrity is suspect, her clothes are in the best possible taste. Dramatic, high fashion is the keynote of her wardrobe, as ex¬ emplified in a black crepe afternoon dress with low, plunging neckline and tiered skirt, a black broadcloth dinner suit whose only trim is an oversized, high-standing collar of white ermine, and a white wool hostess robe shot with gold threads. In contrast to Miss Maxwell, Ruth Roman, as Emma, portrays a fresh, appealing young girl who gradually matures throughout the picture. Ruth’s clothes had to be a faithful reflection of her growing maturity. This was accomplished by wearing young-looking skirts and sweaters at the beginning, and beautifully tailored clothes toward the end. To point up the well-bred intelli¬ gence and quiet beauty of Lola Al¬ bright in the role of Palmer Harris, simple lines were used in the two softly-tailored suits and bouffant evening gown that comprise her completely feminine wardrobe. Miss Parmenter says that her basic rule is never to let an actress become subordinate to her costume. The same principle applies to mi¬ lady’s wardrobe in real life. The girl who dresses properly calls at¬ tention to herself first, her costume second, and a blending of the two third. After that she’s on her own. The very newest thing in ascots — chartreuse taffeta knotted intrigu- ingly at the throat and swirled to the side — is worn by Ruth Roman. Kirk Douglas and Marilyn Max¬ well have a romantic moment in Stanley Kramer’s production of Ring Lardner’s “Champion,” now showing at the . Theatre through United Artists release. Still SK-S-56 Mat (1A) PERSONAL FACTS The fine composer, Dimitri Tiom- kin, whose scores for “Red River” and “Portrait of Jennie” earned him high praise, made an unusual deal with Stanley Kramer, producer of United Artists’ “Champion,” which stars Kirk Douglas in the famous Ring Lardner tale. From the background music which he wrote for the film, Tiomkin was asked to develop a “Champion” suite, de¬ signed for playing by leading sym¬ phony orchestras. • Two popular sports announcers played themselves in Stanley Kra¬ mer’s dynamic production, “Cham¬ pion,” a United Artists release open¬ ing next . at the Theatre. Sam Balter, head of KLAG’s sports division in Los An¬ geles, and Bill Baldwin, KSOF’s ace in San Francisco, took stations at ringside in the picture to call the fights in which star Kirk Douglas portrays the middle-weight cham¬ pion, Midge Kelly. The men swapped first names, however, as a gag- • Former welterweight champ Mushy Callaghan took more of a beating than he bargained for when he signed as technical adviser on the Stanley Kramer production, “Champion,” which is based on the famous Ring Lardner short story. As a part of his duties he had to train star Kirk Douglas for the prize fight sequences. What he found out early in the game was that Kirk used to be a wrestler in carnivals, and whenever the going got a little tough Kirk got a breather by clinch¬ ing with Mushy and putting on a few back-breaking and rib-crushing holds. It was Mush who had to use the most liniment. “Champion” is being released by United Artists. It is slated to bow in at the Theatre next Co-starring in the film with Douglas are Arthur Ken¬ nedy and Marilyn Maxwell. Arthur Kennedy and Ruth Ro¬ man in a scene from United Ar¬ tists’ “Champion” at the Theatre. Still SK-29 Mat (1C) One of the factors that made Kirk Douglas a happy choice for the title role in United Artists’ “Champion,” is his background as a collegiate wrestling champ, which gives him real muscles to flex before the cinema audience. Douglas himself points out a small drawback, how¬ ever. “Other fellows specialize in tennis, or golf or swimming and can say to a girl, ‘How’s about a game or a plunge? What can I say, ‘Let’s wrestle?’ ” . ...... ................ .m i ..... ...... Page Twenty-two