by Brooke Kennedy
“You think beautiful girls are going to stay in style forever? I should say not! Any minute now they’re going to be out! Finished! Then it’ll be my turn!”
When audiences sat down for their neighborhood talent competition at Kenney’s Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, they were awarded with a young girl’s rendition of “When You Know You’re Not Forgotten by the Girl You Can’t Forget.” Emboldened by a first-place win, 13 year-old Fania Borach, daughter of Jewish immigrants, sought out a career in show business. But Borach would have to wait a bit longer for her big break, which came during her stint as a member of the The Ziegfeld Follies under a new name – Fanny Brice.
But Brice didn’t stop at the stage, taking her talents to the screen and sound waves in projects like My Man (1928), Everybody Sing (1938) alongside film legend Judy Garland, and her radio comedy series The Baby Snooks Show.1 Her zany style of comedy helped her break through the glass ceiling, earning two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and paving the way for more female Jewish performers after her.
Years after Brice’s death in 1951, Brice’s son-in-law Ray Stark, who was married to her daughter Frances, had an idea to create a musical following the life of his mother-in-law. “We used to discuss doing a motion picture about her career,” according to Stark. “We’d bring up various names of film actresses who could play her role. One suggestion in those years was Judy Garland. So, you can see this has been a long-range proposition with me; more than 10 years.” However, before undertaking a film adaptation, Stark pivoted his approach to a new medium. His project would eventually come to fruition as the Broadway musical Funny Girl with music by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill and a book by Isobel Lennart. But while Stark had the pieces in place, the show was still missing its star. After the consideration of several other names and many callbacks later, the team had found the greatest star – Barbra Streisand.2
Despite its less-than-biographical take on Brice’s life, the musical opened in 1964 and became a smash hit, elevated by Streisand’s Tony-winning performance. And Stark original ambitions would soon materialize, as a screen adaptation hit theatres in 1968 with Streisand back in the leading role (adding an Oscar to display next to that Tony).
For most people familiar with the musical and film, that’s where the story ends. But about seven years later, Streisand would reprise her role in the film’s sequel, Funny Lady. Continuing the dramatization of the comedienne’s life, the film focuses on Brice later in life, mainly her relationship with songwriter Billy Rose, played by James Caan. Along with a whole new score by John Kander and Fred Ebb came a whole new wardrobe by costume designers Ray Aghayan and Bob Mackie. The two had some big shoes to fill, as they were tasked with following in the toe taps of Irene Sharaff, who helmed the costume design of the first film. In addition to Funny girl, Sharaff dressed Hollywood’s finest for the stage and screen, garnering five Oscars and a Tony Award.
In conversation with writer Ellie Schultz, Ahgayan said of their designs, “Funny Lady for Barbra Streisand is set in the late 30s and early 40s. We had to capture that look, but also had to show Fanny Brice’s personality. Since Streisand is the actress portraying Brice, the final look has to be a meld of the two.”3
40 outfits were created for the film, and Aghayan and Mackie were kept busy flexing their creative muscles to conquer this “herculean” task.
Shirlee Strahm had the task of styling Streisand during filming (the two would later reunite for 1976’s A Star Is Born). Painstakingly compiled into Strahm’s personal costumer’s script, it’s easy to see the work that went into fashioning Barbra’s Brice. Notes detailed every costume’s components alongside candid photos of the actress modeling each garment.
Aghayan and Mackie wanted to distinguish who Fanny was onstage from who she was off. “Onstage, she was a garishly dressed comedienne; offstage, she was a cultured lady with elegant taste,” according to Mackie. “So, in effect, we had to design two separate wardrobes for Barbra. Her stage clothes are done in bright hues, and her personal clothes in the film are in subdued colors.” The film would go on to receive five Academy-Award nominations, including one for best costume design.
Funny Girl has been receiving flowers since its premiere (thanks to a recent Broadway revival and upcoming national tour), but Funny Lady still sees appreciation, especially from its lead. In 2016, Streisand revisited the score for her 2016 concert tour Barbra: The Music, The Mem’ries, The Magic, treating audiences to a performance of Fanny’s mocking melody How Lucky Can You Get.4
For fans of either film or its greatest star, this piece is sure to make a great addition to one’s Hollywood collection. The costumer’s script will be presented as part of RR Auction’s Remarkable Rarities auction, the biggest annual event highlighting the finest items they’ve seen throughout the year. Bidding on this item will close on September 28, 2024.
Footnotes
- Barbara Wallace Grossman, “Fanny Brice,” Jewish Women’s Archive. Published Feb. 27, 2009. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/brice-fanny. ↩︎
- Matthew Howe, “‘Funny Girl’ (Broadway),” Barbra Archives. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.barbra-archives.info/funny-girl-broadway-1963-65. ↩︎
- Matthew Howe, “Funny Lady,” Barbra Archives. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.barbra-archives.info/funny-lady-costumes-aghayan-and-mackie. ↩︎
- “‘Barbra: The Music, The Mem’ries, The Magic’ (2017),” Barbra Archives. Accessed Aug. 6, 2024. https://www.barbra-archives.info/newpage1c37fb07. ↩︎
