Magnificent Doll

1946 • 94 minutes

About this movie

Magnificent Doll traces Dolley Payne Madison's journey to the White House from her youth in Virginia at the end of the Revolutionary War to the famed episode in which, during the Battle of Bladensburg, she refused the leave her exalted residence without a portrait of George Washington. In between she is wooed by two great men of American politics, Senator Aaron Burr (David Niven) and his colleague, James Madison (Burgess Meredith). Lavishly designed, Magnificent Doll boasts cinematography by Joseph Valentine (Shadow of a Doubt), striking outfits by legendary costume designers Travis Banton and Vera West and hats by the celebrated milliner and fashion designer Lilly Daché.