Vitals

Richard Burton as George, weary but witty history professor

New England, Fall 1965

Film: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Release Date: June 21, 1966
Director: Mike Nichols
Costume Designer: Irene Sharaff

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Hollywood icons Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were married (for the first of two times) sixty years ago today on March 15, 1964. The A-list couple starred in 11 films over the span of a decade, with arguably the most acclaimed being Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, adapted by Ernest Lehman from Edward Albee’s play of the same name and the directorial debut for then-comedian Mike Nichols.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? remains one of only two films in Hollywood history to have been nominated in every eligible category at the Academy Awards, winning in five of the 13 nominated categories. It was also the first film for its entire credited cast to be nominated for acting Oscars, with only Burton, Taylor, George Segal, and Sandy Dennis credited on screen. Taylor and Dennis received the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards, respectively, and the remaining three technical awards—Best Art Direction (George James Hopkins and Richard Sylbert), Best Cinematography (Haskell Wexler), and Best Costume Design (Irene Sharaff)—were all the last year where these awards were distinguished between black-and-white and color films.

Liz and Dick each de-glammed for their respective portrayals as Martha and George, the bickering middle-aged couple enmeshed in New England academia through his career as an associate professor and her father being the university president. The action unfolds over several long hours late at night, following the couple returning home from a faculty party only for George to learn that Martha has invited a young married couple, Nick and Honey, to join them for drinks and—as contemporary advertising offered—”an evening of fun and games.”

What’d He Wear?

As he and Martha return home at the start of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, George almost immediately removes his Donegal tweed single-breasted sports coat. This pilling tweed jacket with its sporty patch pockets contributes to George’s professorial image, with the soft, rounded shoulders de-emphasizing Richard Burton’s physique to make George look physically weaker—immediately establishing the silhouette of a weary man who may not have the stamina to keep up with the brassy and domineering Martha.

Predating Mr. Rogers‘ tradition by just two years, George swiftly swaps out his sport jacket for a cardigan, its gray wool broken in to the point of extensive pilling. The cuffs and hem are ribbed, and there are two low-slung patch pockets at the hips.

With never more than a few of its five front buttons done and the soft, baggy silhouette further disarming George’s silhouette, the cardigan effectively illustrates the contrast between the aging professor and the more youthful and virile-looking Nick in his fashionable gabardine suit. Of course, some cardigans can be very flattering (consider the famous shawl-collar cardigans sported by Steve McQueen around the same time), but costume designer Irene Sharaff smartly outfitted Burton in an oversized sweater worn to the point of near-shapeless frizziness to achieve George’s equally worn-down appearance.

Luckily for the purposes of this blog, there’s enough color photography from the production that we can identify the actual colors of Irene Sharaff’s Oscar-winning costume design while still appreciating Haskell Wexler’s stark black-and-white cinematography (which, as reported earlier, also received an Academy Award.) Interestingly, Burton almost exclusively wears gray-tones so there’s little color difference between what he wore in real life and how it presents in the final film.

George wears a plain white cotton oxford shirt with a semi-spread button-down collar, which becomes partially undone over the course of the stressful night—only adding to George’s increasingly rumpled look. The shirt also has a front placket, box back pleat, and single-button rounded barrel cuffs.

The button-down collar was popularized in the United States by Brooks Brothers around the turn of the 20th century, inspired by then-company president John E. Brooks observing the way English polo players fastened collars down during matches. Thus, the introduction of the Brooks Brothers “Original Polo” shirt, which would eventually become a staple of the Ivy League style associated with prestigious campuses across the Northeastern United States, like the unnamed institution where George and Nick are employed.

George’s black tie is patterned with a field of gold polka dots, knotted in a classic four-in-hand.

George’s dark-gray wool flat-front trousers are styled with side pockets, jetted back pockets, and turn-ups (cuffs). The contemporary medium rise is consistent with the falling trouser height through the 1960s and also the likely result of George not putting effort into a polished presentation. The trousers are held up at the waist with a narrow black leather belt that closes through a curved gold-toned single-prong buckle.

Compared to the somewhat pedestrian nature of the rest of his clothes, George’s brown leather wholecut plain-toe shoes are rather interesting with their three-eyelet side-lacing system—which is exactly what it sounds like, consisting of three sets of oxford-laced eyelets rigged off toward the outer side of each shoe. He wears very dark thin dress socks, likely either black, charcoal-gray, or dark-brown to coordinate with the tones of his outfit.

George wears glasses that further “weaken” his character (nothing against glasses-wearers! I have a prescription myself!), though the browline-inspired frames suggest a quiet authority as demonstrated by real-life wearers that included Malcolm X and then-president Lyndon B. Johnson as well as fictional characters like J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) in Sweet Smell of Success a decade earlier.

Though the prominence of the tops of the frames would suggest browline frames, a closer look at George’s glasses reveals that they actually have full-rimmed square acetate frames which are dark across the top and quickly fade to clear frames around the lower half of each lens—creating the effect of a browline-style frame. (Close modern equivalent would be the retro-inspired Dead Men’s Spex and the Zenni Square Glasses #208021.)

In the 2001 book Cut to the Chase, editor Sam O’Steen recalled on-set contention between director Mike Nichols and producer/screenwriter Ernest Lehman around the glasses that Burton had worn while shooting wardrobe tests. Lehman protested that he didn’t like the glasses, but Nichols remained threateningly adamant and the specs remained by the time cameras rolled.

On his left wrist, George wears a simple dress watch with a small round case, a light-colored dial with raised metal semi-spheres at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions, and a dark leather strap. It may have been one of Richard Burton’s personal timepieces, but we know it wasn’t the 18-karat gold Patek Philippe that Elizabeth Taylor had given him at the start of their romance several years earlier during the production of Cleopatra.

The Gun

Getting fed up with Martha, George retrieves a bolt-action rifle from high on a shelf, returns to the living room, and aims it at Martha’s head. Just as Honey notices and begins screaming in horror, George pulls the trigger… and out comes an umbrella!

It’s not surprising that a prop or joke rifle would be circulating among the homes of the academic set, though it’s certainly a very realistic-looking piece.

What to Imbibe

From “Get the Guests” to “Hump the Hostess”, alcohol is crucial for propelling the increased tactlessness that fuels George and Martha’s “games” for the evening. Shortly after Nick and Honey’s arrival, George offers to pour the group some drinks.

Honey: A little brandy maybe. Never mix, never worry!
George: Martha? Rubbing alcohol for you?
Martha: Sure! “Never mix, never worry!”

Pouring plenty of Courvoisier for Honey, Beefeater gin for Martha, and bourbon for Nick, George gives himself several drams of J&B Rare blended Scotch whisky on the rocks over the course of the evening.

Later in the evening, George joins Nick in switching to bourbon, prompting an inebriated George to recall the story of an unfortunate cherub-faced classmate who had once ordered “bergin and water.” To this day, I can’t see bourbon on a drink menu without hearing Richard Burton oozing his dulcet delivery of “bergin” during this marvelous monologue as George recalls “the grandest day of my… youth.”

How to Get the Look

Though Richard Burton’s George is intentionally fashioned to look worn-out and weary in his oversized cardigan and loosened collar and tie, a cozy gray cardigan can still be smartly layered to add sophistication and comfort to an OCBD shirt and tie.

• Gray wool 5-button cardigan with patch-style hip pockets, ribbed cuffs, and ribbed hem
• White oxford cotton shirt with button-down collar, front placket, back box pleat, and single-button rounded cuffs
• Black matte tie with gold polka-dots
• Dark-gray wool flat-front mid-rise trousers with belt loops, side pockets, jetted back pockets, and turn-ups/cuffs
• Black leather belt with gold-toned curved single-prong buckle
• Brown leather wholecut plain-toe 3-eyelet side-laced oxford shoes
• Dark dress socks
• Faux-browline full-rim eyeglasses
• Dress watch with round light-colored dial on black leather strap

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

The Quote

I mean, a man can put up with only so much without he descends a rung or two on the old evolutionary ladder, which is up your line. Now, I will hold your hand when it’s dark and you’re afraid of the boogeyman, and I will tote your gin bottles out after midnight so no one can see, but I will not light your cigarette. And that, as they say, is that.