Travis Banton
Travis Banton (born August 18, 1894 in Waco , Texas , † February 2, 1958 in Los Angeles ) was an American costume designer for films, best known for his costumes for Marlene Dietrich .
Life
Travis Banton was born in Waco , Texas , in 1894 to Maggie (née Jones) and Rennie B. Banton . When he was two years old, he moved with his family to New York , where he later attended Columbia University and the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts and was a member of the Art Students League of New York . After being used on a submarine during World War I , he found employment as a designer at the renowned fashion houses of Madame Frances and Lady Duff Gordon's Lucile. He quickly made a name for himself with his designs. In 1920 the actress Mary Pickford became aware of him and had him sew the dress for her wedding to Douglas Fairbanks . He then opened his own fashion salon in New York. In 1923 and 1924 he also made costumes for three Broadway productions of the Ziegfeld Follies .
In 1924, the film producer Walter Wanger brought him to Hollywood , where he was signed by Paramount Pictures as assistant to designer Howard Greer . The first film in which he was involved as a costume designer was typically called The Dressmaker from Paris (Eng: The Tailor from Paris , 1925). This was followed by further orders for films with Pola Negri and Clara Bow . From 1929 to 1938 as chief designer for Paramount, he often designed costumes for the studio's top female stars in the 1930s, including Jeanette MacDonald , Claudette Colbert , Miriam Hopkins and Carole Lombard . He is best known for his multiple collaborations with screen legend Marlene Dietrich , whose glamorous image he significantly shaped with extravagant costumes in films such as Blonde Venus (1932) and The Scarlet Empress ( The Scarlet Empress , 1934), just as Adrian did for Greta Garbo at MGM had done. Dietrich's famous appearance in a tuxedo in Morocco ( Morocco , 1930) was also Banton's idea. For the most part, he preferred simple and asymmetrical cuts, but worked with expensive materials such as satin or lamé , and also often relied on pearls and fur. For the Dietrich film Engel ( Angel , 1937), he created a chiffon dress with pearls embroidered and equipped with Russian sable fur , valued at 8,000 dollars.
In 1939 Banton moved to 20th Century Fox , where he worked again for Howard Greer, but was unable to build on his previous success as a designer. From 1945 to 1948 he also worked for Universal Studios . In the 1950s he went into business again. In 1956 he worked for show business one last time when he designed the costumes for Rosalind Russell for her title role in the Broadway musical Auntie Mame .
Other well-known costume designers such as Norman Norell saw Banton as a role model and praised his designs primarily for their subtle elegance, originality and timelessness. Edith Head , his temporary assistant at Paramount and multiple Oscar winner, described Banton as a "wonderful designer". “My potential talent would have gone undiscovered if he hadn't paved the way for me. In my opinion he was the greatest, ”said Head.
Travis Banton died of throat cancer in Los Angeles in 1958 at the age of 63 and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park .
Filmography (selection)
Costumes:
- 1927: Wings - for Clara Bow
- 1927: Underworld ( Underworld ) - for Evelyn Brent
- 1929: The Love Parade ( The Love Parade ) - for Jeanette MacDonald
- 1930: Street of Chance - for Kay Francis and Jean Arthur
- 1930: The King of the Vagabonds ( The Vagabond King ) - Jeanette MacDonald
- 1930: Morocco ( Morocco ) - for Marlene Dietrich
- 1931: Dishonored ( Dishonored ) - for Marlene Dietrich
- 1931: An American Tragedy
- 1931: Girls About Town - for Kay Francis
- 1931: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ( Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ) - Miriam Hopkins
- 1932: Shanghai Express ( Shanghai Express ) - for Marlene Dietrich
- 1932: One Hour with You ( One Hour with You ) - Jeanette MacDonald
- 1932: Most Beautiful, Love Me ( Love Me Tonight ) - for Jeanette MacDonald
- 1932: Blonde Venus - for Marlene Dietrich
- 1932: Trouble in Paradise ( Trouble in Paradise ) - For Miriam Hopkins and Kay Francis
- 1932: No Man of Her Own - for Carole Lombard
- 1933: Das Hohe Lied ( The Song of Songs ) - for Marlene Dietrich
- 1933: Serenade for three ( Design for Living ) - for Miriam Hopkins
- 1934: Where is Madeleine F.'s child? ( Miss Fane's Baby is Stolen )
- 1934: The Black Majesty ( Death Takes a Holiday )
- 1934: The Scarlet Empress ( The Scarlet Empress ) - for Marlene Dietrich
- 1934: Cleopatra - for Claudette Colbert
- 1935: Bengali ( The Lives of a Bengal Lancer )
- 1935: A Butler in America ( Ruggles of Red Gap )
- 1935: The Devil Is a Woman ( The Devil Is a Woman ) - for Marlene Dietrich
- 1935: Love in the blink of an eye ( Hands Across the Table ) - for Carole Lombard
- 1936: Pearls for happiness ( Desire ) - for Marlene Dietrich
- 1936: A Princess for America ( The Princess Comes Across ) - for Carole Lombard
- 1936: Mein Mann Godfrey ( My Man Godfrey ) - for Carole Lombard
- 1936: The General Died at Dawn ( The General Died at Dawn ) - for Madeleine Carroll
- 1937: High, Wide, and Handsome - for Irene Dunne
- 1937: Engel ( Angel ) - for Marlene Dietrich
- 1937: Nothing Sacred ( Nothing Sacred ) - Carole Lombard
- 1938: Bluebeard's Eighth Wife ( Bluebeard's Eighth Wife ) - for Claudette Colbert
- 1939: Intermezzo ( Intermezzo: A Love Story ) - for Ingrid Bergman
- 1939: An ideal couple ( Made for Each Other ) - for Carole Lombard
- 1940: Galopp ins Glück ( Down Argentine Way ) - for Betty Grable
- 1940: The Mark of Zorro ( The Mark of Zorro ) - for Linda Darnell
- 1940: Revenge for Jesse James ( The Return of Frank James )
- 1941: Raid of the Ogalalla ( Western Union )
- 1941: King of the Toreros ( Blood and Sand ) - for Rita Hayworth and Linda Darnell
- 1941: Adopted happiness ( Sun Valley Serenade ) - for Sonja Henie
- 1941: A Yank in the RAF - for Betty Grable
- 1944: The Goddess Dances ( Cover Girl ) - for Rita Hayworth
- 1945: Polonaise ( A Song to Remember ) - for Merle Oberon
- 1945: A woman with an enterprising spirit ( Roughly Speaking ) - for Rosalind Russell
- 1945: The love of our lives (This Love of Ours)
- 1945: The Miracle Man ( Wonder Man ) - for Virginia Mayo and Vera-Ellen
- 1945: Street of Temptation ( Scarlet Street )
- 1946: The wonderful doll ( Magnificent Doll ) - for Ginger Rogers
- 1947: A Double Life ( A Double Life ) - for Signe Hasso
- 1947: The Paradine Case ( The Paradine Case ) - for Ann Todd
- 1948: Letter from an Unknown ( Letter from an Unknown Woman ) - for Joan Fontaine
- 1950: Never a Dull Moment - for Irene Dunne
Web links
- Travis Banton in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Travis Banton in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- Travis Banton in the All Movie Guide (English)
- Travis Banton at fashionmodeldirectory.com (English)
- Travis Banton in the database of Find a Grave (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Raye Virginia Allen: Banton, Travis at tshaonline.org (Texas State Historical Association)
- ↑ “Travis was a marvelous designer. Any talent I might have would have lain undiscovered if he hadn't lighted the way for me. In my opinion, he was the greatest. " Raye Virginia Allen: Banton, Travis at tshaonline.org (Texas State Historical Association)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Banton, Travis |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American costume designer for a film |
DATE OF BIRTH | August 18, 1894 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Waco , Texas |
DATE OF DEATH | February 2, 1958 |
Place of death | los Angeles |