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Cohesive behind-the-scenes production archive from the 1964 multi-Academy Award-winning masterpiece My Fair Lady, from the personal papers of production staff member Gerda Robison. This exceptional archive documents the creation of the film's iconic aesthetic, directly bridging the work of legendary director George Cukor and the wardrobe/makeup department.
Includes:
- an original screenplay for My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner, dated June 24, 1963, 8.5 x 11, 140 pages, housed in a modern three-ring binder; includes several revision pages, dated July 3 and July 19, 1963. Exhibits some wear from uses, including toning and years to the title page, and creasing to several pages.
- a Warner Bros. inter-office memo from director George Cukor to Gera Robison, dated August 9, 1963, on the subject of the wardrobe for extras in "My Fair Lady." It outlines highly explicit, granular directives on how to style the background extras (the "Cockney ladies" and high-society "grand people"): "If this could be done tactfully, the older Cockney ladies to let their figures go…Still more tactfully, ask the Cockney ladies and gentlemen if they would work without their dentures (if they have any)."
- three pages of hand-drawn, original concept sketches, including a layout detailing facial makeup and color palettes ("mauve, pink") designed to achieve the exact "Covent Garden Opera House" look desired, and sketches for troubleshooting hair and wig styling continuity, specifically differentiating how the hair should be structured "for long shots" versus "for close ups."
- over 60 pages of continuity breakdown sheets, identifying settings, cast changes, effects, construction essentials, essential props, and outlines of action.
- over 150 original vintage glossy 4 x 5 silver gelatin photographs taken by the costume department, documenting the wardrobe and hairstyling for various members of the cast, including Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Buddy Bryan, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Theodore Bikel, Isobel Elsom, Mona Washbourne, Gladys Cooper, and Sterling Holloway; more than 60 of the photos show Audrey Hepburn's various costumes and hairstyles, with some duplication, offering a remarkable behind-the-scenes window into the production of My Fair Lady.
In overall very good to fine condition.
From the collection of Gerda Robison, who worked as a story researcher and stenographer for Disney in the 1940s and 50s. She authored the book Dark Lady, and later served as Cecil Beaton's assistant on My Fair Lady.
Released in 1964, My Fair Lady was one of the defining prestige productions of its era, winning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for George Cukor, and Best Costume Design for Cecil Beaton. This archive offers an unusually intimate view of how its celebrated visual world was constructed, from Cukor’s exacting instructions for background performers to the makeup, hairstyling, costume, and continuity work that shaped everything from the grimy streets of Covent Garden to the film’s elegant high-society scenes. With extensive photographs of Audrey Hepburn and material preserved by Beaton assistant Gerda Robison, the collection documents the painstaking behind-the-scenes craftsmanship behind one of Hollywood’s most visually iconic musicals.
