#Solomon and Sheba (1959)

[perioddramapolls]

Period dramas dresses tournament: Pink dresses Round 1- Group D: Sheba, Solomon and Sheba (gifset) vs Carolyn Palamas, Star trek's ancient Greece themed episode (pics set)

[cressida-jayoungr]

One Dress a Day Challenge

October: Gold Redux

Solomon and Sheba / Gina Lollobrigida as the Queen of Sheba

Like the gold dress from Auntie Mame featured earlier in the month, this is basically a 1950s strapless evening dress masquerading as something more exotic. It's pretty clearly more advanced tailoring than the ancient world would have created, but the jewelry and heavy tassels do help to create an archaic effect. The wide collar necklace may be intended as a hint to her Egyptian alliance. Also note the matching turquoise ornament at the waist.

The shiny gold color is definitely anachronistic, as even real cloth of gold is a medieval invention and this is pretty obviously lamé. But it does make her stand out among the Israelites, where even the king only has limited gold elements on his clothing. (That's Yul Brynner as King Solomon, by the way!)

The costume designer is Ralph Jester. He only worked on a few movies, among them The Ten Commandments (another Biblical epic) a few years earlier.

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Gina Lollobrigida - Solomon and Sheba (1959)

[popculturebaby]

Gina Lollobrigida as Queen of Sheba in “Solomon and Sheba”, 1959 ✨

[gameraboy2]

Solomon and Sheba (1959)

[la-femme-en-rouge]

احتمال هذا الفستان يحل مشاكلي

[erstwhile-punk-guerito]

[kitty-leche]

Gina Lollobrigina in Solomon and Sheba (1959)

[gatabella]

Gina Lollobrigida and Yul Brynner, Solomon and Sheba, 1959

"Yul didn’t waste any time making himself known. As soon as he got to Madrid, he sized up the situation. If Gina arrived twenty minutes late, he managed to arrive twenty minutes after her. If she was escorted by five or six people, he had himself preceded by a whole battalion: valets, bodyguards, secretaries, chauffeurs. Slowly, he would ascend Solomon’s throne. Then he would snap his fingers. One of his slaves would offer him a cigarette, another a match, and a third would hold out an ashtray.

Yul was no fool. He had decided to out-star the star. But as soon as he was away from King Solomon’s throne and back with his friends, he would make fun of himself. For Yul’s heart belonged to an activity which he considered far more important than the make-believe of technicolor. Without ever mentioning it, he had been working for UNICEF for several years. Many of those who had escaped the slow death camps during the war now found themselves in other camps where death was even slower. Yul visited these refugees, collected funds to help them, struggled with governments, committees, prison guards, and laws to release them from this hell. I take my hat off to the man."

-Jean-Pierre Aumont, Sun and Shadow, autobio (1977)

[perioddramapolls]

Period dramas dresses tournament: Pink dresses Round 2- Group D: Ilithyia, Spartacus (gifset) vs Sheba, Solomon and Sheba (gifset)

Propaganda for Ilithyia's dress (written by a submitter):

Another pic

[xabiramone]

Gina Lollobrigida in the film "Solomon and Sheba" (1959)

[hollywoodlady]

Gina Lollobrigida in 'Solomon and Sheba' (1959).

[tina-aumont]

Litte Tina, aged 13 with her dad, step mother and half brother Jean-Claude Aumont in Madrid, Spain in 1959 while a break of "Solomon and Sheba" filming.

It's a beautiful thing that Tina visited Spain as a child and later filmed there "L'Uomo L'Orgoglio, la Vendetta" and "The Last Run" because she fulfilled her mother's dream in a way...

The thing is that María Montez wanted to film in Spain and she was about to do it in 1951, and she was really happy because she wanted to use her real surname Gracia (she changed it to Montez cause the English-speaking people don't know how to pronounce Gracia) and she wanted to do a film in Spanish, sadly, it never happened as fate had other plans for her...

"Saludos afectuosos al pueblo español, mi pueblo, que pronto tendré el inmenso placer de visitar. Estoy tan contenta de trabajar en España! María Montez"

"Affectionate greetings to the Spanish people, my people, who I will soon have the immense pleasure of visiting. I am so happy to work in Spain! María Montez"

This is a postcard announcing that María would come to Spain to film "La Maja de Goya", a film produced by Cesáreo González. He contacted her with the contract and the script and she agreed to take part on the film.

First photo comes from Moon City Garbage Agency and the second photo comes from "María Montez La Reina del Tecnicolor" book written by Antonio Pérez Arnay. Please notice that María is wearing a necklace that later inherited her younger sister Teresita and later she gave it to Tina, as you can see in this post.

Very special thanks to @74paris for his invaluable help!!

[byrobinbaker]

Gina Lollobrigida in Solomon and Sheba (1959)

[gatutor]

Mrisa Pavan-Yul Brynner "Salomón y la reina de Saba" (Solomon and Sheba) 1959, de King Vidor.

[bending-sickle]

they’re playing solomon and sheba (1959) on tv and

yul brynner with hair?!? and a beard!!!?!?

hngh, though, as always.