As of September 1, 2011, ALL 1,875 retail establishments are prohibited from providing light-weight, single-use plastic carryout bags to customers at the point of sale. MORE

By Melonie Magruder
Lookout Staff

September 20, 2011 -- When Greg Schreiner decided to clean out his closets, it wasn’t for a garage sale.

Schreiner boasts a collection of more than 350 original costumes worn by Hollywood’s biggest stars in some of Tinseltown’s most beloved film classics. And he’s showing them off to benefit Santa Monica College’s theatre arts programs.

The cast of Hollywood Revisited in all its splendor. Photos courtesy of Gregory Schreiner.

Schreiner, a concert pianist, accompanist and part-time faculty member of SMC, will present “Hollywood Revisited” September 23 at the Broad Stage. Proceeds will benefit SMC’s music, dance and theatre departments.

Originally conceived 15 years ago, Schreiner’s musical extravaganza/costume parade was born from his twenty-year mania for collecting Hollywood costumes found through major auction houses and estate sales, a hobby so all-consuming that his apartment soon became a set piece for everything from Fred-and-Ginger dance fantasies to John Travolta’s gender-bending camp turn in “Hairspray.”

“It was getting out of hand and I had to do something with all this treasure other than preserve it in acid-free paper,” Schreiner said. “So I came up with the idea of a revue-type production that allowed the costumes to be seen again and appreciated for all their dazzle.”

But Schreiner wasn’t interested in a simple catwalk of elaborate evening gowns worn by the pencil-thin actresses of the 40's.

He stages a full review, with performers selected for their vocal abilities, stylistic flair and ease at shimmying into gowns with twenty-inch waists. He also accompanies the singers on piano and provides historical anecdotes about the costumes and the stars they served.

“These costumes were all designed by Hollywood’s leading costumers,” Schreiner said. “Edith Head, Adrian, Irene and Helen Rose – they all had to build these costumes to withstand the rigors of performance. So they are vintage and impossibly elaborate.”

“Lady in the Dark” – Ginger Rogers reborn.

They also had to withstand the judgment of temperamental performers. Schreiner said that one of his costumes was designed for Claudette Colbert, who was originally cast as the lead in “All About Eve.”

“Of course, Bette Davis ended up playing Margo Channing,” Schreiner said. “But the dress didn’t fit Davis’ shoulders and kept falling off. She loved the look and had them keep it that way, but had them add fur-lined pockets.”

Another dress featured in the show was Ginger Rogers’ golden gown – all 30 pounds of it – that she wore in the film “Falling Asleep.” Fred Astaire purportedly hated the dress since the long, heavy sleeves kept slapping him about the face.

Schreiner employs top couturiers to take care of any necessary repairs. One of his favorite pieces is a dress he purchased at Debbie Reynolds’ recent auction of her own collection: something worn by Kathryn Grayson in MGM’s 1953 blockbuster “Kiss Me Kate.” He even has a replica of the beaded, diaphanous gown worn by Marilyn Monroe when she infamously sang “Happy Birthday Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy.

“I couldn’t afford the original,” Schreiner said. “That one sold for $1.4 million. The famous pleated white dress she wore in ‘The Seven Year Itch” actually sold at Debbie’s (Reynolds) auction for $5.6 million.”

Though the benefit performance will feature Santa Monica College musicians and dancers, “Hollywood Revisited” has a core cast with strong Broadway and international resumes.

Joshua Finkel is a lead performer, as well as director and choreographer for the show. He said that when he casts, he looks for not just great singers, but those with stylistic ability too.

“We’re not here to do impressions,” Finkel said. “We want to evoke an era and be true to this golden age of costumes. So the performers must capture that warmth and depth of the original stars, and not sound like a contemporary version of that era. And, yes, these costumes are small, so most of the performers are pretty tiny.”

Finkel said he was impressed with the idea of not just staging living mannequins wearing famous costumes.

“Greg has done a lot of research and you learn a lot about the designers,” Finkel said. “Why was something designed a certain way. What is the historical context? Most of his anecdotes are really funny.”

And then, of course, there are the costumes: Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minnelli, Gene Kelly, Mae West, Julie Andrews, Ann Miller, Mitzi Gaynor, Bing Crosby. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger is represented in the line up of movie threads, backed by full orchestrations and stills from the films in which the costumes originally appeared.

“I think these costumes are happy to be aired out and used again,” Schreiner said fondly of his collection. “Giving them movement and lights again brings them back to life. And we’re all the better for it.”

“Hollywood Revisited” will perform on the Broad Stage Friday, September 23 at 7:30. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased at the box office or online at www.hollywoodrevisited.com.