Dolly Tree
- Known for
- Costume & Make-Up
- Born
- March 17, 1899
- Died
- May 17, 1962 (aged 63)
- Birthplace
- Bristol, England, UK
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dolly Tree (17 March 1899–17 May 1962) was an English illustrator, actress and costume designer who during the 1930s and 1940s designed dresses for Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, Rosalind Russell, Maureen O'Sullivan and Judy Garland among others in addition to costuming historical dramas such as David Copperfield (1935) and A Tale of Two Cities (1935). Born in Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol in 1899 as Dorothy Marian Isbell, the daughter of Charles Edwin Isbell (1863-1942) , a solicitor, and Bertha Marian (née Keith-Williams) at an early age she discovered an aptitude for drawing before being drawn towards a career on the stage. In 1912 her family relocated to London and she began her career as an artist after seeing the play Vanity Fair at the Palace Theatre in 1916. Of the play she later wrote, ‘I was fascinated by the wonderful dancing and art of Regine Flory and admired her so much that I started to design a special poster of her, really to amuse myself, based on my recollections of this vivid artist seen across the footlights.’ A friend took her drawing to Sir Alfred Butt who bought it and gave her a two-year contract (c1917-1918) to design posters and programme covers for of all his shows including The Boy (1917), The Beauty Spot (1918), Going Up (1918), Telling the Tale (1918), The Latest Craze (1919), The Kiss Call (1919), Very Good Eddie (1919) and Hello America (1919). Her comic illustrations also appeared in various British newspapers and magazines. Between 1915 and 1918 Dolly Tree appeared in five British silent films as an actress. In the United Kingdom her career as a costume designer began in the 1920s on various cabaret shows in London in particular; in 1923 she collaborated on her first film, Woman to Woman, directed by Graham Cutts and with Alfred Hitchcock as the co-screenwriter, artistic director and assistant director. Her work became popular in Paris where she became the first English person and the first woman to design for the Folies Bergère. In 1926 she moved to the United States, first working in New York where she created the costumes for the 1928 Broadway play Diamond Lil starring Mae West. She then went to Hollywood where she was involved in designing for 175 American films, firstly for Fox Studios (1929-1931) and then for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1931-1942), mainly as a designer of dresses, among others alongside Adrian. In 1931 while working at Fox Studios she met and married the American Naval officer Thomas Kimes. Although the marriage was a happy one but his career in the Navy kept them apart and they divorced in 1940. After her divorce Tree began to drink heavily which lead to her leaving MGM in 1942 and returning to Fox Studios where she married her second husband Don E. Whiteford. However, this marriage also did not work and they quickly divorced, which drove Tree further into alcoholism. Her second divorce, her heavy drinking and the death of her father in 1942 lead to her becoming increasing unreliable and losing her job.
Known For
Filmography
Thunder Birds
Movie · Costume Design
Tales of Manhattan
Movie · Costume Design
The Pied Piper
Movie · Costume Design
Ten Gentlemen from West Point
Movie · Costume Design
The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe
Movie · Costume Design
The Bad Man
Movie · Costume Design
The Trial of Mary Dugan
Movie · Costume Design
Billy the Kid
Movie · Costume Design
Maisie Was a Lady
Movie · Costume Design
The Wild Man of Borneo
Movie · Costumer
Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
The Golden Fleecing
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
I Love You Again
Movie · Costume Design
20 Mule Team
Movie · Costume Design
Sporting Blood
Movie · Costume Design
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Congo Maisie
Movie · Wardrobe Supervisor
Little Nellie Kelly
Movie · Costume Design
Go West
Movie · Costume Design
We Who Are Young
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Gold Rush Maisie
Movie · Costume Design
Thunder Afloat
Movie · Costume Design
Tell No Tales
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
The Kid From Texas
Movie · Costume Design
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Stand Up and Fight
Movie · Costume Design
At the Circus
Movie · Costume Design
6,000 Enemies
Movie · Wardrobe Supervisor
Stronger Than Desire
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
They All Come Out
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
On Borrowed Time
Movie · Costumer
The Ice Follies of 1939
Movie · Costume Design
Another Thin Man
Movie · Costume Design
Maisie
Movie · Costume Design
Fast and Loose
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Fast Company
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Too Hot to Handle
Movie · Wardrobe Supervisor
Paradise for Three
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
The Girl Downstairs
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Arsène Lupin Returns
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
The First Hundred Years
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Of Human Hearts
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Yellow Jack
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Lord Jeff
Movie · Wardrobe Supervisor
The Chaser
Movie · Wardrobe Master
The Shining Hour
Movie · Costume Design
Test Pilot
Movie · Costume Designer
Spring Madness
Movie · Costume Designer
Live, Love and Learn
Movie · Wardrobe Master
Espionage
Movie · Costume Design
Thoroughbreds Don't Cry
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Rosalie
Movie · Costume Design
The Good Old Soak
Movie · Costume Design
Navy Blue and Gold
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Night Must Fall
Movie · Costumer
Big City
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Madame X
Movie · Costume Design
The Good Earth
Movie · Wardrobe Supervisor
A Day at the Races
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Riffraff
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
The Devil-Doll
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Sinner Take All
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Sworn Enemy
Movie · Costume Designer
Three Live Ghosts
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Mad Holiday
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Suzy
Movie · Costume Designer
Three Godfathers
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Fury
Movie · Costume Design
Exclusive Story
Movie · Costume Design
Libeled Lady
Movie · Wardrobe Supervisor
Trouble for Two
Movie · Wardrobe Supervisor
The Unguarded Hour
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
After the Thin Man
Movie · Costumer
Absolute Quiet
Movie · Costume Design
The Garden Murder Case
Movie · Costume Design
Wife vs. Secretary
Movie · Wardrobe Master
A Tale of Two Cities
Movie · Costume Design
The Bishop Misbehaves
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Woman Wanted
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
A Night at the Opera
Movie · Costume Design
Escapade
Movie · Costume Design
Whipsaw
Movie · Wardrobe Master
Mad Love
Movie · Costume Design
The Night Is Young
Movie · Wardrobe Master
David Copperfield
Movie · Costume Design
It's in the Air
Movie · Costume Design
The Casino Murder Case
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Times Square Lady
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Kind Lady
Movie · Costumer
Public Hero Number 1
Movie · Wardrobe Master
Age of Indiscretion
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Rendezvous
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Shadow of Doubt
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
Hide-Out
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
The Thin Man
Movie · Costume Design
Manhattan Melodrama
Movie · Costume Design
Straight Is the Way
Movie · Costume Supervisor
A Wicked Woman
Movie · Wardrobe Supervisor
The Gay Bride
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
You Can't Buy Everything
Movie · Wardrobe Designer
She Wanted a Millionaire
Movie · Costume Design
Annabelle's Affairs
Movie · Costume Design
Bad Girl
Movie · Costume Design
Transatlantic
Movie · Costume Design
Sporting Blood
Movie · Costume Design
Skyline
Movie · Costume Design
Just Imagine
Movie · Costume Design
The Arcadians
Movie · Costume Designer