Shoes Painted On
Caption Right: When Movie Actress Julie London says, “I’ll be with you as soon as I paint on my beach shoes,” it’s not a typographical error. She really does, adapting an idea used by South Pacific native women. It’s a pretty neat looking job, too, eh?
The Toledo Blade
Friday - April 6, 1945
In the photo above left taken in 1945, you see Julie London and fellow Universal Studios actress Barbara Bates, apparently admiring their footwear . . . or are they? Perhaps they are comparing painting techniques.
The only film I’m aware of that Julie and Barbara Bates both appeared in, is Night in Paradise. The movie was filmed in 1945 when the United State was heavily engaged in WWII in both Europe and the Pacific theaters. During the war, all kinds of domestic products were rationed, including shoes and leather. Perhaps this was a way studio wardrobe designers solved the shortage problem. Hollywood is the land of make believe, so it could have also have been a wardrobe cost savings move for a couple of uncredited “palace maidens” in the film. Night in Paradise was finally released in May 1946.
