Volume 5: Theatrical Costumes, 1941-1947

Volume 5 contains coverage of Mainbocher's designs for the stage from 1941-1947. The productions and actresses he designed for in this time were: Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" starring Leonora Corbett and Peggy Wood; "The Smiling Visitor" (also known as "Rose Burke") starring Katharine Cornell; "A Lady Comes Home" starring Ruth Chatterton; "Over Twenty-One" starring Ruth Gordon; "One Touch of Venus" starring Mary Martin; "Foolish Notion" starring Tallulah Bankhead; "Dream Girl" starring Betty Field; "Dunnigan's Daughter" starring June Havoc; "Born Yesterday" starring Judy Holliday; and "Park Avenue" starring Leonora Corbett. He also dressed Libby Holman for her stint at La Vie Parisienne in April 1943 and contributed gowns for overseas productions of "Blithe Spirit" and "Over Twenty-One" to the National War Fund, which financed USO camp shows.

Included in this volume are original photographs of Leonora Corbett and Peggy Wood from "Blithe Spirit" (attached to scrapbook pages), 6 original photographic prints of Katharine Cornell as Rose Burke (credit to Ernest A. Bachrach), and 5 photographic prints of Tallulah Bankhead in "Foolish Notion" (credit to Vandamm) with photocopied descriptions of her costumes by Eleanor Lambert. There are also full copies of the following Playbills:

2 Playbills from Philip Barry's "Foolish Notion" at the Schubert Theatre in New Haven CT; 2 Playbills from Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit", one at the Morosco Theatre starring Leonora Corbett and Peggy Wood, the other from a tour of the production at a theatre in Chicago that starred Carol Goodner; 2 Playbills for Ruth Gordon's "Over Twenty-one", one from the Music Box and the other from New Haven's Schubert Theatre; 2 Playbills for "One Touch of Venus", staged by Elia Kazan and with music by Kurt Weill, one Playbill from The Imperial Theatre, the other from Boston Opera House; Playbill for "Dunnigan's Daughter" at the John Golden Theatre



Additional loose items in folders include a typed contents page; an article titled "For the Career Woman," from the New York Times Magazine, March 1, 1942 and featuring Katharine Cornell; and Eleanor Lambert's press release for "Foolish Notion;"