Jane in Nudie’s

Year of Jane Russell: Day 26

When Jane was cast in The Outlaw, she was only nineteen and far from being the polished movie star we’ve come to know. She also had a limited wardrobe, which would not do for an actress on a major Howard Hughes film production. So, prior to traveling to Arizona for the location shoot, director Howard Hawks paid for a new set of clothes for Jane. Hawks personally took Jane to Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors in North Hollywood to get some appropriate western wear for Jane to be seen in when she wasn’t done up as Rio. Nudie Cohn would become legendary for his embellished designs, including Elvis’s fabled gold lame suit for the cover of his album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong.

The film shoot took place in and around a Hopi Village, which is where this image of Jane was taken. The use of local Native American children as props is a weird choice, but it’s a great shot of Jane in her shirt from Nudie’s.