Jungle Red! The Making of MGM’s THE WOMEN with Author & Actress Illeana Douglas

We are thrilled to announce an afternoon of vintage glamour celebrating the publication of author and actress Illeana Douglas’ wickedly delicious new book Jungle Red! The Making of MGM's THE WOMEN. The event will also include a presentation by Adrian expert Richard Adkins, on the film’s costume designer and the fashion show sequences he created for films during his career.

Plus, a Vintage Evening Gown Fashion Show, Vintage Vendors and more elegant entertainment.

Douglas will appear on stage at the historic Million Dollar Theatre in downtown Los Angeles for a conversation with FIDM/ASU curator Kevin Jones about the making of this legendary 1939 George Cukor directed classic with costumes by Adrian and a script by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin AND featuring screen goddesses Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine and 100 more catty women!

Vintage Vendors include Besamé Cosmetics, Little Treasures Jewelry, a Perfume Experience (Spring Rain wafting through the air) and more.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

“From recounting the firing of F. Scott Fitzgerald as the script writer and the pressure on Oscar-winning director George Cukor to keep his homosexuality a secret, and detailing the bitchiest conflicts between the all-female cast, Illeana Douglas has crafted a hilarious book on the making of The Women. The result is a spicy tale of how the meanest behavior behind the scenes led to a beloved, timeless classic. It made me miss old Hollywood.”

– Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book

Illeana Douglas will sign her book JUNGLE RED! The Making of MGM’s THE WOMEN following the conversation on stage. Larry Edmunds Bookshop will be onsite to sell books. The book can be purchased in advance as part of an event ticket bundle, or on site.

ABOUT THE MILLION DOLLAR THEATRE

The Million Dollar Theatre, opened in 1918 was a project of theatre impresarios David and Sid Grauman who had come south from San Francisco where they were successful exhibitors. Sadly, Sid’s father David died before the silent movie palace opened. The name Million Dollar was adopted due to the high cost to build the venue designed by architect Albert C. Martin Sr. (office tower), William Lee Woollett (interior), and sculptor Joseph Mora, featuring a flamboyant Spanish Churrigueresque exterior and an eclectic fantasy interior, including inspiration from the 1841 English fairy tale The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin.

The impact of a steel shortage during WWI resulted in an engineering feat. The massive 110-foot-wide balcony in the auditorium is supported by the world’s first reinforced concrete girder. The stress test consisted of 1.5 million pounds of sandbags piled across the span. The Million Dollar was one of the largest purpose-built movie palaces in the country and ushered in Los Angeles’ Broadway “theatre row.”

The opening night film was The Silent Man, accompanied by a thirty-piece orchestra. Guests included luminaries of motion pictures such as Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish and Charlie Chaplin.

The Million Dollar Theatre is on both the National and California historic registers and became a local Cultural Historic Monument in 2019. And while you are in the area, stop by to visit architecturally delightful Bradbury Building directly across the street. The lobby is open daily and it is well worth a look!

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photos: Margot Gerber/Art Deco Society of Los Angeles, 2026.

Tickets:
ADSLA Members: $22 (plus fees)

General Admission: $25 (plus fees)

OR pre-purchase the book to make sure that you get one:

ADSLA Member with Book Included: $56.95 (plus fee)

General Admission Ticket with Book included: $59.95 (plus fee)

*Please note that tax is included in the price of the book. Books will be on sale from Larry Edmunds Bookshop at the event or bring yours along if you already purchased it.

Although the Million Dollar Theatre has over 1000 seats, this event is capped at a few hundred. Advance tickets are recommended.

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