Bob Mackie Sued a Company for Using His Own Name | Documentary

Bob Mackie made the world sparkle for sixty years. His last fight was a lawsuit against a company carrying his own name. Bob Mackie was the costume designer who decided that American television was not bright enough. Over six decades he built the naked dresses that changed the red carpet forever, the curtain rod dress that became one of the most recognised costumes in television history, and more than seventeen thousand pieces for a single weekly variety show. This biography documentary follows the whole arc: a young sketch artist in nineteen sixty one drawing other designers' ideas without credit, the Las Vegas job that opened the door, eleven seasons of relentless weekly deadlines, and the gowns that let Cher, Carol Burnett, Tina Turner and Elton John walk into a room and refuse to be overlooked. It also corrects the record. Many retellings hand Bob Mackie the credit for the gown Marilyn Monroe wore to sing for President Kennedy. The designer was Jean Louis. Mackie was twenty three and drew the sketch. And the easy story of a designer who indulged every star is not what the record shows either, as the Bob Mackie life story makes clear. The final years brought the strangest chapter of all. In his eighties, honoured with a Tony, a lifetime achievement award and a place in two halls of fame, Bob Mackie went to federal court to stop his own name being sold on clothing he had never touched. Hollywood legends remembered, one life at a time. This is a biographical tribute based on documented public records and published accounts. Some details remain disputed; where sources differ, we note it. This channel presents history with respect, not sensationalism. #biography #hollywoodlegends #bobmackie #cher #carolburnett #documentary #lifestory #oldhollywood #remembered #thefinalchapter