Another film in the costumed-like-it’s-1939 category, we have 1942’s They All Kissed the Bride, with a 37-year-old Joan Crawford. If your mental image of Miss Crawford snaps to the ’50s and beyond, that’s unfortunate, as vintage 30’s and early 40’s, Crawford is a genuinely spectacular beauty. Sadly most b-roll of Crawford always defaults to this “aged” period as, unfairly, it’s become her most “iconic.” This film is also notable as the female lead was to be played by Carole Lombard, who died in a plane crash before filming started, leading to Crawford taking the role.

They All Kissed the Bride – The Film

Margaret J. Drew (Crawford) is the tough-as-nails head of both family and business, the latter being a trucking corporation. She learns she and her company are being targeted by a muckraking journalist, Michael Holmes (Melvyn Douglas), and is none too pleased. At her sister’s wedding, she meets and is smitten by a “mysterious stranger” who turns out to be… the Pope! No… of course, it’s Mike Holmes, the muckraking journalist. To say they eventually fall in love and live happily ever after shouldn’t require a spoiler alert.

They All Kissed the Bride – The Furs

This film mainly falls into the 1 epic fur category, though it has at least one other of note. The one epic fur in question is the full-length silver fox fur coat Margaret Drew wears as she visits Mike Holmes at his humble abode. The second is a more 40’s contemporary silver fox shawl/wrap seen later in the film after visiting Mike’s place. Mike’s a lucky guy.

And here it is, Joan Crawford in an oversized, full-length silver fox coat accented with a dark hat with what appears to be a veil that’s never actually used, unfortunately.

Oddly, Joan’s the nervous one here. Not sure how that’s possible in a power fox like that, but it defiantly speaks her range as an actress to pull it off.

She finally makes it up to his apartment and again balks at the door but looks great doing so.

Margaret finally works up the courage to have a brief chat.

She returns to the office wearing what may be the same oversized fox coat, though I do note the difference in the brightness of the highlights, which means it may be yet a different big fox coat, perhaps crystal. Or it could be the lighting…

Later, Margaret returns in a large silver fox wrap and an even taller feathered hat.

She ends up in the pouring rain with the wrap, leading to its use as an impromptu umbrella.

Though rain generally isn’t all that detrimental to a long-haired fur as long as the leather doesn’t get too wet (and that’s what the fur is for), she does find a convenient awning to keep the rain off.

Crawford had an incredible streak of films in the late ’30s for fur, with The Bride Wore Red, Mannequin, and Ice Follies of 1939, all of which I hope to profile if TCM would just show them again so I can get more up-to-date screencaps. The full-length fox in They All Kissed the Bride is an excellent example of a 30’s fur showing up in the early ’40s, much like the furs in Lady of Burlesque and Lady Be Good.