Now you may think when you read it that it’s trivial that I should spend four pages discussing the shape of her nipples underneath her bra. But that’s what makes movies, that’s what catches the public eye, and if you’re dealing with a property like that, you’ve got to deal with it realistically.
By that time Jane’s tits weren’t what they were cracked up to be. This was long after The Outlaw – she was a little older and she had begun to sag a bit. That’s natural. The human body doesn’t have struts, the pectoral muscles fortunately are not made of aluminum. One day I called Jane to my bungalow and asked her if she’d be kind enough to strip down to the waist, because I wanted to see for myself what kind of design job we had to run. She understood, and she did it. I looked at her from all angles and made a lot of notes. She was wonderfully patient. A lot of women wouldn’t have stood for it, but Jane was a pro.
When I told her I was satisfied and she could get dressed, she said, ‘What do you think, Howard?’
‘I think they’re terrific, Jane.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes, really.’
She said, a little sadly, ‘They’re not what they used to be, Howard.’
‘Nothing ever is, Jane. If anyone is living proof of that, I am.’
What I didn’t tell her was that the one thing I felt that we had to have in Macao was pointed nipples, and she didn’t have them anymore. I don’t know how most men feel about pointed nipples, but I feel that pointed nipples are very exciting. And so I explained to Tevlin exactly what I wanted in Macao in the way of support and image. Here’s the memorandum, the part that deals with Russell. This will show you what I mean by ‘attention to details.’
Herewith are my comments on the Macao tests.
I am sending to you 1 copy of these comments ex these opening explanatory paragraphs and ex the notes on Jane Russell’s wardrobe. This copy is for Sam Bischoff. I want him to carry out my instructions fully, and correct all the faults I have observed.
I am also sending you 1 copy of my comments pertaining to Harry Wild’s photography.
This copy I want given to Wild directly by you, or by Bischoff, with the request that he correct the faults I have observed.
In addition, I am sending you 2 copies of my notes with respect to Jane Russell’s wardrobe.
I want you to give one of these copies to Bischoff and the other to whomever I have instructed on this subject. I believe it is Perry Lieber and I believe he has assigned one particular wardrobe girl for this special job. If that is the case, then the copy of my notes mentioned above should be given to Lieber and he, in turn, should confer with the wardrobe girl so assigned and let her read my notes in his presence and see that she understands them thoroughly.
These notes pertaining to Jane Russell’s wardrobe are vitally important. I want Bischoff to have a copy so that he can make the necessary changes in over-all wardrobe, and also that he can follow through and make doubly sure that my requests in connection with Russell’s bosom and brassiere will be followed exactly. However, I am sending you the 2nd copy of my notes on Russell’s wardrobe with the desire that it reach directly through Lieber to the wardrobe woman in charge of the Jane Russell bosom situation. I want to be very sure that the faults I have observed in this connection will absolutely be corrected.
The 2 copies of my notes pertaining to Russell’s wardrobe I want to be returned by Bischoff and Lieber (or whomever I instructed to handle the Russell bosom situation) after they have made sure that my desires are fully and completely carried out. However, at that point, and when the mission is fully accomplished, I want the 2 copies of the Russell wardrobe notes returned to you and thence to me because I do not want these notes lying around in the files anywhere.
In further clarification of the disposition of my notes on Jane Russell’s wardrobe, I want Lieber (or whomever I instructed in this matter) to call in the appropriate wardrobe girl to whom this responsibility has been given and make sure that she reads several times and digests thoroughly Russell’s bosom situation, but I do not want these notes taken out of Lieber’s office by the wardrobe girl as I do not want any possibility of her inadvertently allowing someone else to see them.
1. I want Harry Wild notified that I feel the photography of Jane Russell’s nose was disadvantageous to her, and the defects of her nose which I discussed with him were quite apparent in this test.
2. I think Russell’s wardrobe as displayed in this test is Christ awful. It is unrevealing, unbecoming, and just generally terrible.
There is one exception, and that is the dress made of metallic cloth. This dress is absolutely terrific and should be used by all means.
However, the fit of the dress around her breasts is not good and gives the impression, God forbid, that her breasts are padded or artificial. They just don’t appear to be in natural contour. It looks as though she is wearing a brassiere of some very stiff material which does not take the contour of her breasts. Particularly around the nipple, it looks as though some kind of stiff material underneath the dress is forming an artificial and unnatural contour. I am not recommending that she go without a brassiere, as I know this is a very necessary piece of equipment for Russell. But I thought, if we could find a half-brassiere which will support her breasts upward and still not be noticeable under the dress, or, alternatively, a brassiere made of very thin material, so that the natural contour of her breasts will show through the dress, it will be a great deal more effective.
Please make very sure that you do not misunderstand me. She must wear something to support her breasts upward and all I want is that it be something which will not appear artificial through the dress.
In addition to the brassiere situation, it may be that the dress will have to be retailored around the breasts in order that it will more naturally form to the proper contour.
Now, it would be extremely desirable if the brassiere, or the dress, incorporated some kind of a point at the nipple because I know this does not ever occur naturally in the case of Jane Russell. Her breasts always appear to be round, or flat, at that point, so something artificial here would be extremely desirable if it could be incorporated without destroying the contour of the rest of her breasts.
My objection to the present setup is that her breasts do not appear realistic in any way. The over-all shape is just not realistic and at the nipple instead of one point, which would be very desirable and natural, there appears to be something under the dress which makes several small projections, almost as if there were a couple of buttons on the brassiere or under the dress at this point.
One realistic point indicating the nipple, if it could be incorporated realistically into the brassiere and show through the dress, would be very fine. The trouble with the setup now is that where her nipple is supposed to be there is more than one projection and it looks very unnatural. Also, the balance of her breasts from the nipple on around to her body appears to be conical and somehow mechanically contrived and not natural. This is difficult to explain, but if you will run the film I think you will see what I mean.
What we really need is a brassiere of very thin material which will form to the natural contour of her breasts and, if possible, which is only a half-brassiere, that is to say which supports the lower half of her breasts only.
This brassiere should hold her breasts upward but should be so thin that it takes the natural shape of her breasts instead of forming it into an unnatural shape. Then, if something could be embodied in the dress itself at the point of the nipple to give it just one realistic point there (which Russell does not have) and if this could be accomplished without putting anything into the dress which will disturb the contour except right at the point of the nipple, this would be an ideal solution.