Travilla's work impressed Columbia for the studio to keep assigning him projects. Ann Savage appeared in three of them: Two Senoritas from Chicago and Klondike Kate in 1943, with Ever Since Venus the following year.
On Two Senoritas, Savage and Jinx Falkenburg masqueraded as two Portuguese dancers who along with Joan Davis ran amok in New York City. The actress recalled in 2010's Savage Detours, "Billy designed some nice suits for us, with padded shoulders and popular styles for the dialogue scenes. Billy could design high-fashion gowns and crisp suits, but he was the best with sexy outfits. His feathered extravaganza for "Moon Dance" stole the show."
"Billy and I ended up working together several times at Columbia. I also bought my personal wardrobe from him. Billy was the best designer I ever worked with. He tailored items to fit your body so that you always looked good from any angle. He never imposed his design on you. he always made the most of what you had to offer. Billy was very sensitive to fabric, knew how it would hang on the body and how it would look under the lights on the set. He knew my bones better than I did. He'd say, 'Ann, you have lovely long legs, but you have no rear. My arms were too short for his taste, too. He was so funny about it, but he'd make you look and feel like a showgirl."
"He was the best. His gowns often had pleats, which would hang beautifully and catch light in different ways as you danced. Sometimes, he had cutouts to reveal a side, a shoulder, or a back. He knew the value of revealing a little flesh. He often used metallics, which were still in vogue in those days. He didn't make an entire gown out of silver or gold but used it in panels, sometimes sections, to capture light. He was a very clever designer and made everyone look good. He was wonderful to work with in this regard; he never took risks that might make you look ridiculous as Adrian might. He was also a lot of fun—a wonderful man."
In Klondike Kate, Savage portrayed a San Francisco songbird comes to Alaska and turns the town
of Totem Pole and a scheming saloon owner's life upside down.
"Though I stopped making movies in the mid-'50s, I would run into Billy in town, a party or a reception. He always treated me wonderfully. Always a kind word and a little kiss. A guy who was loved by all who knew him. It was a privilege to work with him."
Travilla and Savage might have attempted a romantic relationship, or at least made one date from the inscription Ann wrote for her favorite designer.
"Billy, my darling, You little bastard. If you ever stand me up again -- I'll kick you in the ass! Love and all my spaded passion. Ann."
FUN FACT: Tom Neal, Savage's co-star in Klondike Kate, broke up with his long-time girlfriend, starlet Dona Drake, about the time of filming. Drake would marry Travilla in August 1944 after a year's courtship.
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