Gilda (1946)

Classic Movie Recall

GILDA takes place in a glamorous nightclub/casino in South America, where everyone appears to be running away from something and on their way somewhere else. George Macready plays the sinister boss Ballin Mundson, who rescues a down-and-out Johnny Farrell, played by Glenn Ford, from gambling on the docks. Johnny becomes his right-hand man at the casino, and everything is going great for Johnny until Ballin shows up with a wife, the hair-tossing, guitar-strumming Gilda, played by love goddess Rita Hayworth. Things get sticky very quickly, as Ballin comes to realize that although both Johnny and Gilda claim to be all future and no past, they knew each other before… GILDA is a must-see film for Rita’s iconic character, who is an intoxicating mix of innocence and sin. In this episode, we talk about the love triangle and subplot, which may help you to understand the film if you found it confusing when you first watched it. Writer, speaker, and expert on THE HISTORY OF FASHION IN FILM Kimberly Truhler (www.Glamamor.com) joins us to talk about costumes that make it look like Gilda is going into battle, what an "intrigant" is in the world of film noir, and how that gravity-defying, strapless, Jean Louis dress actually stayed put as Rita shimmied and shook during her famous striptease number. Put the blame on Mame, boys, mutter “Pardon me, but your husband is showing,” and prepare to be driven crazy with lust and jealousy in an exotic location as we dive into GILDA’S world of endless night.