Magnificent Doll (1946) stars Ginger Rogers as Dolley Madison, future First Lady and wife of President James Madison, although 99% of the film takes place pre-presidency! It’s like the filmmakers said, “What if we took the early years of the country and turned them into a soap opera?” Starting in about 1790 and going through 1805, the film focuses on Dolley and her love life, with some idealistic dabbling into politics. David Niven plays baddie Aaron Burr and Burgess Meredith is James Madison. While the music is overly sweeping and the “but who will she CHOOSE” is treacly, the costumes by Vera West and Travis Banton are sometimes hilarious, sometimes gorgeous — and the hats by Lilly Daché are divine.
Dolley (going with her first name, since she has three different surnames in the film) begins as a Virginia planter’s daughter in a 1780s-esque poufy gown reminiscent of the robe à la polonaise:
But it turns out dad is a Quaker, and had some kind of revelation while in a Revolutionary War battle that he had to marry her off to the son of a fallen friend. Dolley does it, but is DEEPLY UNHAPPY because of the horror of having had her husband Chosen For Her which is Deeply Upsetting As She Never Gets To Experience What Everyone Else Gets Which Is Falling In Love. She’s SUPER anachronistically pissed off about this, but then, she has reason to be because apparently marrying a Quaker means she has to dress like it’s the 1830s, and then like she’s a Puritan?
Thankfully husband #1 dies (just as Dolley decides she DOES love him) in a Yellow Fever epidemic, which means she and her mom get to liven up their wardrobes and return to the late 18th century. Her wardrobe sometimes leans more 18th century, sometimes more 1940s:
She and mom take in boarders, and all the rising politicians, including Aaron Burr and James Madison come a’calling. Dolley and Burr get close — like, passionate kisses close — and Dolley discovers that she’s actually an excellent political hostess. She’s still rocking the sheers for this:
Probably her best outfits are the redingotes — she wears this one for getting steamy with Burr:
And then this one with AN AMAZING HAT for falling in love with James Madison — apparently because he’s idealistic and positive about politics, vs. Burr who is cynical and negative.
She and Madison get married and head to Virginia, but then he’s called back to Washington to help Jefferson run for president.
Time Has Passed, which we know because suddenly Dolley is rocking the form-fitting take on Regency.
She becomes Jefferson’s First Lady, since he’s a widower and American society is too racist for Sally Hemmings to fill the role. Dolley goes Full Sparkle:
And despite this being a very naturalistic hair era, she remains committed to the Big Updo’s:
The biggest 1940s clunker is when she and Burr have a secret meeting. This screencap does not capture just how ridiculously WEIRD and not-anything-period this outfit was on screen:
And at the end of the film, she proves her commitment to the American ideal by talking a crowd out of lynching Aaron Burr (who’s just gotten off from treason charges) in such a way that his political ambitions are done… and she does so in a turban and shawl, finally looking vaguely Regency!
Have you seen Magnificent Doll (1946)? What’s your take on the 1940s-meets-turn-of-the-19th-century costumes?
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