- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- Plunky
- Height5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
- The brilliant and talented Walter Plunkett was born June 5, 1902, to James and Frances Plunkett of Oakland, California. He studied law at the University of California, but was hardly as interested in becoming an attorney as he was in his involvement with the campus' theatrical group. Making the quick change in careers, Walter moved to New York in 1923, where he began work as an actor, as well as a costume and set designer, on the stage. He drifted through the gay circles of Greenwich Village and was referred to Hollywood. He moved back to California, this time to the movie capital, and found work as an extra. He can be spotted dancing with Irene, another future top designer, in Erich von Stroheim's The Merry Widow (1925). In 1927, Walter's first (credited) work as a costume designer first appeared on screen for Hard-Boiled Haggerty (1927). During the late twenties and early thirties, while working at RKO, Plunkett managed to fashion the enormous costume and wardrobe department into a department that was both efficient and creative. With so much free reign, Walter set about creating outstanding costumes that rivaled the work of his contemporaries, such as Travis Banton and Adrian. His two best-known films were Gone with the Wind (1939) (including that dress made from green velvet drapes, probably the most famous movie costume of all time), and Singin' in the Rain (1952), in which he lampooned the very style his work had begun in (the roaring 20s). Walter was well-liked by most people for his generous and easy-going nature, as well as his inventiveness and ingenuity. Walter retired from films and spent the last years of his life with his partner Lee. He died in 1982, leaving Lee his estate.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- Costume designer Walter Plunkett's concern for detail in his costumes designed for the 1939 feature film - "Gone With The Wind" - may never be explained. Ralph Siegel, a design-department lead instructor at the California College of Arts and Crafts Design Schoo, (located in Berkeley-Oakland) in the '50s, had worked in Walter Plunkett's Selznick Studios costume-wardrobe department during the costume preparation for this feature film; Ralph's employment was as an artist, designer, and costumer, whose sole job was to prepare every undergarment worn by the female and male performers. Each and every female costume was accurately outfitted with petticoats; each painted with watercolor dye patterns and designs in the style and vogue of the mid 1840-50s. Filming never captured the details of any of the costumes constructed for this film. Walter Plunkett researched the wardrobe fashions and minute undergarment details of the styles existing before the Civil War ante-bellum 1845-47 era - male and female garment requirements insisting every costume be complete in detail, even for the background film extras.
- The budget of Singin' in the Rain (1952) soared to $2,540,800, of which $157,000 went to his elaborate costumes. Although the final price overshot MGM's budget by $665,000, the studio quickly realized the wisdom of its investment when the film returned a $7.7 million profit upon its initial release.
- According to the book "David O. Selznick's Hollywood" by film historian Ron Haver, he worked uncredited on King Kong (1933). He designed the "Beauty and the Beast" costume that Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) wears while Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) cranks a camera and films a screen test of her onboard the ship before they land at Skull Island.
- [on working at MGM]: It was a lucky and very glorious thing for me. I was lucky that I was a part of the Hollywood movie-making era when costume designers were considered important and were allowed more money.
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