Hollywood dress designer Orry-Kelly aka Orry George Kelly. Photo / Supplied
Hollywood dress designer Orry-Kelly aka Orry George Kelly. Photo / Supplied
Cary Grant’s boyfriend gets the kudos he deserves.
Who was Orry-Kelly? "Not only a costume designer and three-time Oscar winner but also Cary Grant's boyfriend - now that's a trifecta," says fellow Australian costume designer Catherine Martin in new biopic, Women He's Undressed.
Others recall Kelly's drive to conquer Hollywood without hiding his sexuality, at a time when Tinseltown was one of "the most homophobic cities in the world".
Yet despite working on some of the most iconic films in Hollywood history - like Casablanca and Some Like It Hot - and dressing female greats like Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Natalie Wood and Katharine Hepburn, these days most people have never heard of Kelly.
Even Australian director Gillian Armstrong, who studied costume and set design, was unfamiliar with the icon, prompting her to take his little-known story to the big screen.
Actress Natalie Wood in Gypsy, wearing a dress designed by Orry-Kelly. Photo / Supplied
Born Orry George Kelly in Kiama, NSW, he moved to New York at 24 to pursue an acting career. There he befriended Grant, but while Grant's acting career took off, Kelly fell into costume design. They both moved to LA and although Grant never acknowledged the rumoured romance, it was often talked about in Hollywood circles.
"If you live with a gay man for nine years and there was only one bedroom... well you know," laughs Armstrong, 64. "Orry was definitely gay and I think Cary was bisexual. It's sad that society forced them to not be able to live together and Cary was not very successful with his relationships with women. I think, in the end, he married five times.
While the pressure on actors back then came as little surprise, what shocked Armstrong was how much costume designers were also expected to hide their sexuality.
She credits Orry's fearlessness, discretion and close friendship with Warner Bros' head Jack Warner for preventing his love life from affecting his success. "There was pressure on male costume designers to have sham marriages," says Armstrong. "The studio wanted to promote their costume designers and have them in women's magazines with their lovely wives, but Orry refused. He wouldn't play those games. So I don't think his sexuality ever affected his career. I think the drinking affected it more than anything."
Alcoholism aside, Kelly remained a sought-after artist, tackling 60 movies a year during Hollywood's Golden Era.
He worked with Hepburn on Broadway, became close with Bette Davis dressing her in more than 30 movies and nabbed Oscars for films like Some Like It Hot.
A drawing by Orry-Kelly from Women He's Undressed. Photo / Supplied
Having pored through old interviews and footage, Armstrong believes Kelly's combination of acting experience and an arts/painting background is what set him apart.
"Because he started as an actor, he always thought, 'How is this costume going to help the character? What's right for the story?' That's what I want from my costume designer. Because of his training as an artist he had a great eye for colour and a great sense of lines. "
Like Davis, many of Kelly's closest colleagues have died, but Armstrong interviewed Angela Lansbury and Jane Fonda about their experiences working with him.
Fonda, 77, was initially reluctant, however Armstrong's persistence secured a 20-minute interview.
A sketch of the costumes from Some Like It Hot by Orry-Kelly. Photo / Supplied
"Once she started talking she stayed for an hour. Not only did she tell some of the funniest stories, but she became very emotional thinking about Orry and that era."
Kelly died of liver cancer in 1964 and Grant was one of his pallbearers. Armstrong hopes Women He's Undressed will give audiences an appreciation for one of Australia's little-known film talents, as well as uncover a deeper understanding of the "magic" of costume design.
"This is also the story of a young gay man's journey - someone who achieved greatness. He was a tortured soul - to grow up in a country town as a gay man and to have to hide it must be tough and that may have been part of the issue with his drinking. But in the end - what a survivor and what extraordinary work."
