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Indiana jones
The Case of Willie Scott’s Dress from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
It’s 1984. The silver screen bursts into a blaze of color: shimmering reds, golds, and silvers. Willie Scott (played by Kate Capshaw) steps out of the gaping maw of a ceramic dragon where she strikes a pose in her elaborately sequined dress, just before performing a Mandarin rendition of Cole Porter’s 1934 “Anything Goes.” Scott’s dress dazzled audiences, but months before Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom premiered in theaters, this one-of-a-kind, handstitched masterpiece had allegedly disappeared into the stomach of a famished elephant, leading to a legendary insurance payout.
The story of Anthony Powell’s iconic dress is a true gem of movie trivia. Did it really happen? Who knows. What did happen was Anthony Powell’s insurance claim: “Elephant ate it.”
I’m pretty sure it was that elephant.
How it was insured, few people know. Someone somewhere surely noted that the dress was hand-sewn (yes, all the sequins) and literally one-of-a-kind (no backup). Underwriting attempts to capture the most unlikely risks, but the elephant’s Hollywood appetite? Who could’ve predicted that? In the end, premiums were paid, but Powell’s extraordinary claim created a legal maze (which was maybe the point).
This story captures the essence of life’s unpredictable nature and the importance of bespoke insurance solutions. That’s where Evergreen shines. We tailor our policies to fit our clients’ unique needs, helping them mitigate life’s uncertainties. Feel free to drop us a line, even if it is just about the elephant!