Joan Crawford's shoes?
I've watched about 1/2 of the film today and so far, she seems to be wearing the same shoes. Anyone else notice this? Am I right? or wrong?
shareI did. They were definitely similar, except for one or two scenes.
Did you notice in the opening segment that she wore pumps and then the shoes changed to the usual ones while she was wandering the streets "looking for David" a few minutes later?
Continuity: During the opening sequence, while Louise is wandering the streets of Los Angeles, her shoes change from pumps to sling-backs and back again
I think the one who wore pumps (in a close legs shot) was a double, who probably had better legs than joan crawford????
btw joan crawford seemed to exremely prefer sling-backs in the post war period,wearing them in almost all her films during that period. share
Sheila Beers
I too noticed the "Granny" shoes with ties that Crawford was wearing in the opening scene, and I will look for the lack of continuity next time I see the film. Throughout the movie I kept wondering if she "borrowed" the "Granny" shoes from the maid after she bumped off David.
The "usual shoes" worn in the film were not slingbacks. Instead, they had straps that wrapped entirely around the ankle and fastened with a buckle. The style, called "Mary Jane," was very popular in the 1950s when I was a child. My mother never would buy me "Mary Janes" because she thought the ankle straps were too binding. Later on, I bought a grown-up pair just like them, in black suede with a satin bow over the toe, in the 1970s and just loved them. I am not sure if I kept them for sentimental reasons or not. After seeing the same shoes in "Possessed," I do hope they still are in my closet. If not, perhaps some shoe designer/manufacturer will revive the style because it is so attractive and feminine. I would love to buy another pair!
Crawford wears her nurses regulation white shoes while in uniform and in another scene she is obviously wearing sandals. I think the black shoes are different in many scenes but because they're black may appear the same. I'll have to check the continuity in the first scene. That's an interesting gaffe if true.
share
Sheila Beers
The gaffe I noticed is in the first scenes of the movie, and the one you noticed comes later. I missed the one to which you refer.
In the opening scene, when Crawford's character is wandering about Los Angeles, she is wearing a heeled, tie-closure oxford (with a 1.5 inch heel), the type my grandmother always wore. I believe even today it is the regulation shoe for Catholic nuns.
The next shoe which I noticed is the fashionable Mary Jane pump with a wide and low heel. The strap wraps entirely around the ankle, but it is not considered a sandal because it has a closed back. A sandal is open at the back of the foot with a strap around the heel of the foot, and it may be called a slingback.
The next time I see the film, I will look for the change from white nurses shoes to black shoes while Crawford still is in uniform. The wardrobe people certainly should have been more careful!
Over the Thanksgiving holiday I saw "High Society" starring Grace Kelly as Tracy Lord, and noticed that movie has its inconsistencies in the shoe department. In one scene Tracy's little sister does a ballet dance wearing pointe shoes and then sits down on a chaise longue on the patio, stretching out her legs so that the pointe shoes are obvious. A few seconds later in the same scene, she leaves the chaise to join the family for photos on the patio, and she suddenly is wearing white perforated-leather dress flats.
In short, I believe these gaffes should prompt the Hollywood wardrobe people to be "on their toes" when checking costumes for each scene.
Thanks for sharing your observations.
I would never have looked at Ms. Crawford's shoes until I read this....such a trivial, picky matter. I was more interested in what was going on. The ending was not to my liking.
shareI think you start looking at things like "shoes" because as a rabid Crawford fan I have probably seen this film over 50 times and on repeated viewings you tend to notice more technical aspects of filmaking and it further adds to the enjoyment of a film. Naturally on first or 2nd viewings I'm totally abosrbed in the plot, acting and storytelling.
share...and if you aren't 'checking out' some of the footwear worn by various actresses in the 40's/50's, you're missin' out on a lot of the fun watching these classics. Heels/open toes/straps or, like Barbras left ankle 'chained' in 'DI'....mmmmmmmmmm. Maybe a 'fetish' I dunno know but, if this is the case, a lotta people have same. The camera focused directly on Barbras ankle/shoes as she descended the stairs to meet Fred. No director would frame a shot like that unless he was sure there was a large 'audience' for it. I think those who DO notice the foot wear are in the majority - no need to apologize or explain yourself here. What, 'wardrobe' is 'meaningless' all of a sudden ?
Lighten up wmoores !
I watched this movie again yesterday on TCM even tho I had seen it several years ago. It is a very entertaining piece of work and I noticed the same shoes in almost every scene that Joan was in. I found it pretty amusing that they had her wearing the same shoes over and over again. I'll bet the wardrobe people are more careful nowadays.
shareI noticed the shoes and this is my first viewing. I liked her foot ware as it made a statement as the mistress of the house. Her pretense of having it all together.
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