In and out of the shadows - Ginger Rogers in "Lady in the Dark", 1944

 

Lady in the Dark is an elaborate Technicolor musical, produced by Paramount and directed by Mitchell Leisen. The screenplay was written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett from a 1941 musical of the same name by Moss Hart; Gertrude Lawrence played the leading role in the original stage version. In typical Hollywood fashion, when it came time to transfer the stage musical to the screen, nearly all of the original Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin songs were cut from the score. Only two fully remained, another was used as background music, and Rogers hummed a fourth, but never sang it.

The studio portraits, at least, are credited to A. L. "Whitey" Shafer.

With co-star Ray Milland.

Her hairstyle in the film - seen in the first image and this one - was considerably more elaborate than in the portraits.

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The film is probably most remembered now for the outrageously costly mink and sequined gown worn in the circus sequences; reportedly, it totaled some thirty-five thousand dollars - in 1944, wartime dollars. Raoul Pene du Bois is the credited as the film's costume designer and set decorator. Its director, Mitchell Leisen - formerly a set and costume designer, himself - supervised and contributed his creative ideas and suggestions, as well. Edith Head is credited for Rogers' modern day dress, but she also always claimed the mink dress as her own work. (Head is, of course, now notorious for having frequently and blithely taken credit for the work of others.) Pene du Bois, apparently with Leisen's suggestions, designed the gown in question. But when the skirt, the lining of which was originally set with paste stones, proved difficult to move in - much less dance - because of its great weight, an alternate version using sequins was crafted by Karinska; the famous theatrical costume designer would go uncredited.