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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Found in a pillowcase, the fabulous long-lost memoirs of a legendary Hollywood designer – and a genuine Australian original.
Orry-Kelly created magic on screen, from Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon to Some Like It Hot.
He won three Oscars for costume design. He dressed all the biggest stars, from Bette Davis to Marilyn Monroe.
He was an Australian. Yet few know who Orry-Kelly really was – until now.
'Discovered in a pillowcase, Orry-Kelly's long-lost memoirs reveal a wildly talented and cheeky rascal who lived a big life, on and off the set.
'From his childhood in Kiama to revelling in Sydney's underworld nightlife as a naïve young artist and chasing his dreams of acting in New York, his early life is a wild and exciting ride.
'Sharing digs in New York with another aspiring actor, Cary Grant, and partying hard in between auditions, he ekes out a living painting murals for speakeasies before graduating to designing stage sets and costumes.
'When The Kid from Kiama finally arrives in Hollywood, it's clear his adventures have only just begun.
'Fearless, funny and outspoken, Orry-Kelly lived life to the full.
'In Women I've Undressed, he shares a wickedly delicious slice of it.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Review : Women I've Undressed
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , December/January 2015-2016;
— Review of Women I've Undressed 1964 single work autobiography -
Inverted Pleats
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 376 2015; (p. 43)
— Review of Women I've Undressed 1964 single work autobiography -
A Life of Sizing up the Stars
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 12-13 September 2015; (p. 19)
— Review of Women I've Undressed 1964 single work autobiography -
Gillian Armstrong on Her Orry-Kelly Film: Friendship, Fame and Homophobia
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 13 June 2015; -
Joy Over Discovery of Lost Memoir
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 9 November 2013; (p. 16)
-
A Life of Sizing up the Stars
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 12-13 September 2015; (p. 19)
— Review of Women I've Undressed 1964 single work autobiography -
Inverted Pleats
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 376 2015; (p. 43)
— Review of Women I've Undressed 1964 single work autobiography -
Review : Women I've Undressed
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , December/January 2015-2016;
— Review of Women I've Undressed 1964 single work autobiography -
Joy Over Discovery of Lost Memoir
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 9 November 2013; (p. 16) -
Gillian Armstrong on Her Orry-Kelly Film: Friendship, Fame and Homophobia
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 13 June 2015;