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Friday, November 22, 2013

Whatever Became of the Portrait of Captain Gregg?


In the 20th Century Fox classic The Ghost and Mrs. Muir ( 1947 ), the portrait of Captain Daniel Gregg ( Rex Harrison ) plays a prominent part in the movie. When Lucy Muir ( Gene Tierney ) first arrives at Gull Cottage as a prospective buyer she opens the door to the living room and finds two eyes glaring at her....it turns out to be the light reflecting off of an oil portrait of the former owner, Captain Gregg. "I thought for a moment....." 

After she decides to rent the cottage and meets Captain Gregg in person - spirit though he be - he agrees to let her stay in his house but makes one special request as part of the bargain, "I want me painting hung in the bedroom". Mrs. Muir is reluctant to do so and doesn't think the portrait does him justice..."Must I? It's a very poor painting"...but nevertheless she does as he bids and comes to love the painting as much as we, the audience, do. 

Later, when Captain Gregg steps out of her life, she tells Martha one day, "I think we might put that portrait of Captain Gregg up in the attic..it was a silly idea to hang it in here. I don't know what possessed me. Atmosphere, I suppose."

And so he got chucked in the attic. 


But now we ask....Whatever became of the portrait of Captain Gregg? I was pondering this a few days ago and this led me to wondering what happened to many of the other famous "oil portraits" seen on films...the enormous Mary Meredith portrait in The Uninvited, the Alice Alquist Empress Theodora portrait in Gaslight, the famous "blue velvet" Scarlett O'Hara full-figured portrait in Gone With the Wind and of course, the unforgettable portrait of Laura Hunt, in Laura.

Most of these oil portraits were painted from a photograph of the actor/actress posing in costume, while some - such as the Laura portrait - were in fact, acrylic brushings over an enlargement of the photo itself. We'll look into all of these portraits in another post, right now we want to focus on Captain Gregg. 


A newspaper from 1947 stated the following about the portrait : "Being a perfectionist, Rex Harrison, who made his American film debut in Anna and the King of Siam, felt that his role as the ghost in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir required a beard. The studio objected to hiding the face that all the ladies love. Nevertheless, together with Ben Nye, makeup director, and artist John George Vogel, Harrison had his portrait painted wearing a beard. When this was shown to Darryl F. Zanuck, he was immediately sold on Mr. Harrison's beard and rescinded his orders that the Harrison face remain clean-shaven."


Just who is John George Vogel? He was an English portrait painter. In 1946 he had a showing apart of the Francis Taylor gallery held at the Beverly Hills Hotel ( Elizabeth Taylor's father ran this popular gallery in Hollywood ) and the attention this event garnered may have contributed to his fame in the tinsel town at this time. Vogel was an instructor at an art school in Hollywood during the late 1940s and Linda Darnell, Van Johnson, Diana Lewis, Anita Colby and Paul Hesse were among his students at one point.

Whether it was Vogel who painted the portrait seen in the film we do not know, and even if it was he, that still doesn't answer our question....whatever became of the portrait? During the early 1960s the painting popped up in several classic comedies... All Hands on Deck ( 1961 ) where it is hanging in the office of the Navy admiral; and Mr.Hobbs Takes A Vacation, where it is hiding in the back hallway behind the stairs ( shame on them for not putting it in the living room! ). 

In 1968, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was brought to the small screen in a television series starring Hope Lange as Mrs. Muir and Edward Mulhare as Captain Gregg but lo! the familiar portrait was replaced by a new one bearing the great Mulhare's likeness. This beautiful portrait was painted by Eddie Martinez who shared with us the actual whereabouts of the original Captain Gregg portrait. 

Martinez had an amazing career in the Los Angeles area, working on portraits, murals, and production design in film, television, and in the theme park industry. He was a versatile imagineer like Marc Davis and Herbert Ryman and today spends his time in retirement doing his favorite work, researching and illustrating historical figures. In addition to The Ghost and Mrs. Muir he also created portrait paintings for Peyton Place, The Dean Martin Show, The Tonight Show and Batman. More info about his work can be found here


As Martinez explained, "I was asked to paint Edward Mulhare's face over the original Captain Gregg portrait of Rex Harrison. As you can see in the photographs, I also removed the ship's wheel on the bottom left of the painting". 

After the series ended, Martinez's wife attended an auction at 20th Century Fox in an attempt to bid on the portrait, but it was sold to a businessman...Leland Ayers, who later became the mayor of Burbank and was instrumental in acquiring the Bob Hope Airport from Lockheed Corp. Mr. Ayers passed away on Sept. 2, 2013 and it is presumed that the painting is still kept in his family.

A mystery we - and many other fans - have pondered over for years has now been solved...and we would like to give a special thanks to Eddie Martinez for sharing with us the real story behind the whereabouts of this beautiful portrait of Captain Gregg, a character larger than life. 

Update: A print of a newly painted oil portrait of Captain Gregg is now available on Etsy. Click here to check it out. 

46 comments:

  1. I'd like to think it will appear again some day!

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    1. Yes! Although I wouldn't want to see it appear in a remake of the film....the original could never be topped.

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    2. I believe it was Mr. Martinez who also painted the "Mona Sammy" and the 2 portraits of "Louise Tate" on Bewitched. But not 100% sure...

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  2. It's so funny that you should post about this painting. I've been looking long and hard for proof of its existence. It's so hard to think that such an lovely and fun piece of film history has been lost forever. I really enjoy your blog! It's such a pleasant read and so very interesting! Keep up the good work!

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    1. I find it amazing too that Captain Gregg is lost....it's such a great film prop. If TGAMM were made today I'm sure the studio would gladly sell the rights for reproductions AND sell the original for a hefty sum too. I like to think that someone purchased it at auction and one of these days it will turn up on eBay and give fans, like us, a chance to bid on it again.

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  3. I really congratulate you on finding this great info! Another mystery in the film world is solved! If you could only find some of the other great missing pieces out there... Keep up the good work and please keep me updated on any other exciting developments. You can email me at dannmaloney816@gmail.com. Have a great Thanksgiving!

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  4. Wonderful information! It's actually bad another face was painted over Rex's, or this portrait would be a fortune today (like the Maltese Falcon statuette, that sold for 3.5 million dollars). The beard story is very nice, because Rex indeed looked much older here than in Anna and the King of Siam.
    Kisses!

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    1. Heavens to Betsy! I never thought about that Le. Even if Captain Gregg was sold with his "Edward Mulhare" face he would still fetch a pretty penny I imagine. And yes, you are quite right...the captain would just not be the captain without his beard.

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  5. This is fascinating! I have been a GAMM fan since I was eleven, when the show was first on the air. Then about ten years ago, I 'discovered' the internet and found out I wasn't the only female around (even at age 11) that had a crush on the Captain! Over the years, us Gammies have heard various stories about the portraits -- that the Harrison portrait was retouched to look more like Michael Wilding for his stint as the Captain in the Fox Hour of Stars' production of Stranger in the night -- that the Mulhare portrait was offered to him after the show ended -- for a price ($30,000) which Mulhare declined, and that it was auctioned to a private buyer through the Southby's (sp) auction house, and it's whereabouts were currently unknown. I'd love to know if the current owners are thinking of selling it!

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    1. We are going to be selling it soon.

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    2. Did you sell it? Can you say? Our gamm group would love an update, even if it is unattainable.

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  6. I'm curious what people would pay for this painting if it came up for auction? Anybody care to comment?

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  7. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY did they paint over the original portrait!? Blasphemy if you ask me.

    And in the film, the portrait didn't end up in the attic... it got hung in Martha's bedroom ;)

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    1. You're right! Martha took the painting.. I had forgotten that. It would have been nice had the painting of Rex Harrison still been in existence, but it seems like it was just collecting dust in the storage room at 20th Century Fox and they were happier to see it get put to use again ( also, it was cheaper for them to hire an artist to re-paint the face then to do a whole new portrait ).

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    2. Thanks for a great and insightful look at this piece of history from one of my all-time favorite films!

      To further clarify -- the painting of Captain Gregg is actually never removed at all. When Lucy is infatuated with Miles Fairley, she mentions removing it, and that's when Martha offers to take it.

      However, in the very next scene, Lucy discovers the truth about the odious Mr. Fairley, and the painting of Captain Gregg remains where it is. The only thing that is removed is Fairley's picture of Lucy in her bathing costume (that hung next to it for awhile).

      Cheers!

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    3. Actually the painting never left Lucy's bedroom .Watch the movie again ...It never leaves the room

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  8. Similarly, Edward Mulhare played Henry Higgins after Rex Harrison originated the role. And I once saw him do it.

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  9. It's unfortunate the painting of Rex Harrison was painted over...it was a very memorable portrait now ruined which could have been purchased and hung in a home of someone who loved the movie!

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    1. Well, the painting isn't entirely lost...if someone bought the Edward Mulhare version they would just have to scrape away at it to reveal Rex Harrison's face!

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    2. I would like to think that is possible. It would be wonderful if the painting could be restored

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  10. I am trying to find a ship's mariner clock like the one that was above the fireplace in the main bedroom. I love the chimes but don't know if that was the actual chime of the clock or added in?

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  11. We have the original painting and will be selling it soon we are excited to share it once more to other fans

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    1. How fascinating! Will it be going up once again on auction?

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    2. We are not sure yet, we are trying to figure out what would be the best.

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    3. Well I certainly can't afford it, but it would be lovely to see it out and about again.

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    4. They are trolling you. They don’t have the painting.

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  12. Well, you might go through an auction house, like it was sold originally. In any case, we would love to know. Can you post a picture if you still have it?

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  13. Yes, I know that our GAMM group would love to have an update, if possible. I so love the painting!

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  14. Does anyone know the name of the painting in this movie that has a young blonde girl and white dog?

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  15. Thank you so much for answering my very old question. I wondered about this [painting for years. This was my favorite movie when I was a child. I am now 66 and I am still watching it. Thank goodness for DVDs. I have a house in Maine that I call "Gull Cottage" but its (unfortunately) nothing like the original. I would love to have a picture like the one of Rex Harrison as the Captain for the living room. Anyway....thanks for solving the mystery for me.

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  16. had style , so did that 36 ford touring car , cant be a hand full of those left

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  17. I loved the movie, but prefer the tv series. They all played their parts great. Fave was Edward Mulhare. Had crush on him. He could have haunted my house anytime. Love to get ahold of a portrait like in series. Watch it in reruns on YouTube.

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  18. 1. I pay plenty just for a PRINT of that painting!
    2. Is Eddie Martinez still alive (have him do another)
    3. Notice Eddie did more than just paint over the face, he added the Captn's right arm and changed the strap on the hat to Gold and the Capt's sweater from black to grey.
    4. I wonder if the family knows what it is or cares?

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  19. This would be a great painting on black velvet too

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  20. Could you imagine a follow up to the TV show with the kids owning the house?
    The Capt and Mother could haunt the house together helping steer the kids through life's trials

    But the Fact is, The Ghost and Mrs Muir is just WAY too sweet and decent and nice for todays TV/movies....they care about each other more than they want to fight and act lovingly towards each other

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  21. If there was ever to be a TV show based on this again, there just aren't the character actors now like there was then....Rita Shaw Charles Nelson Riley or even people like Paul Lynd John Banner Werner Klemperer etc

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  22. I went to private school with lil jonathan muir aka harlan in 60's

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  23. It's amazing to know how many people loved TGMM...I see it all the time and wish I could find a man alive like Daniel Gregg. If I had the money, I would buy the Edward Mulhare portrait...

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  24. I have a painting purchased at a studio auction of Admiral Foote from the American Civil War. The style is exactly that of the original Ghost and Mrs Muir Rex Harrison portrait. I would love to know the background and which film(s) it was used in….

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  25. If I understood this correctly, it is both fascinating and sad! It would have been so easy for a good artist to paint a duplicate picture with the new stars face on it from scratch. Why destroy the orginal from the film by painting over it?

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  26. Foes anyone know if Eddie Martinez is still with us? Would love to verify if 2 paintings I own from Bewitched were actually painted by him as I have been lead to believe...

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  27. If the face was that of Edward Mulhare I would buy a copy. EM was a really wonderful and kind person. Rex was not a nice person at all so I'll skip it.

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  28. I'd love to have the portrait that now features Mulhare's face over Harrison. EM could be a bit Jekyl/Hyde...

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