Walter Plunkett

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.

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.

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.

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.