If you type "the doll maker jane fonda" into a search bar, you might be looking for a hobbyist or a boutique toy line. You'd be wrong. Well, mostly.
Jane Fonda isn't a doll maker by trade, but in 1984, she became one so convincingly that it defines a huge, often overlooked chunk of her career. We aren't talking about a plastic Barbie here. We’re talking about The Dollmaker, a made-for-TV movie that basically proved Fonda could do more than just wear spandex and lead a workout revolution.
It's one of those performances that feels like it’s been buried by the sands of time. Honestly, it’s a shame. People remember the workout tapes. They remember the Oscars for Klute. But the gritty, dirt-under-the-fingernails portrayal of Gertie Nevels is where the real meat is.
Why The Dollmaker Jane Fonda Performance Actually Matters
Back in the early 80s, Jane Fonda was already a lightning rod. She was "Hanoi Jane" to some and a fitness icon to others. Taking on the role of Gertie, a Kentucky mountain woman forced into the industrial chaos of WWII-era Detroit, was a massive swing.
Gertie is a woodcarver. She has this raw, spiritual talent for finding figures hidden inside blocks of wood. Throughout the film, the doll maker Jane Fonda portrays isn't some dainty artist; she's a woman trying to keep her soul intact while her family is being shredded by poverty and urban life.
She carries around a massive piece of cherry wood. She wants to carve a figure of Christ out of it, but she can never quite find the face. It’s a heavy metaphor, sure, but it works because Fonda plays it so straight.
The True Story Behind the Character
The movie was based on the 1954 novel by Harriette Arnow. It’s a dense, painful book. To get the role right, Fonda didn't just show up and read lines. She actually spent time in Kentucky. She learned the accent. She learned how to handle the tools.
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- Realism over Glamour: Fonda wore no makeup. Her hair was a mess.
- Physicality: She had to look like a woman who had birthed five children and worked a farm.
- The Skill: While she didn't become a master carver overnight, the way she handles the wood in the film feels authentic.
There’s this one scene—it’s brutal—where she has to make a choice. To save her family from starving, she takes an axe to her prized cherry wood. She splits it. She turns her "art" into commerce, carving small, simple dolls to sell to neighbors.
It’s the moment she becomes a doll maker out of necessity, not passion.
A Career Pivot Nobody Expected
People forget that this was a TV movie. In 1984, that was usually where movie stars went when their careers were cooling off. But Fonda was still a powerhouse.
She won an Emmy for it.
The critics went wild because she managed to disappear. You didn't see the Hollywood star; you saw a woman who was losing her connection to the land. It’s a story about the "Great Migration" that people rarely talk about in history class—the Appalachian people who moved to cities like Detroit to build the planes and tanks for the war.
The "Outsider Art" Connection
Interestingly, Fonda’s interest in "the doll maker" archetype didn't end with the movie. In real life, she became a massive collector of Outsider Art.
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Wait, what is that?
Basically, it's art made by people who are self-taught. People like the character of Gertie. In 2023, Fonda actually auctioned off a huge chunk of her collection at Christie’s. We’re talking about works by Thornton Dial and Arthur Dial—Black artists from the South who used found materials.
There’s a direct line between the character she played in 1984 and the art she spent decades collecting. She has a deep respect for the "untrained" hand.
What Most People Miss About the Movie
If you watch it today, it feels slow. It’s over two hours long. But the pacing is the point.
You feel the weight of the labor. You feel the claustrophobia of the tiny housing projects in Detroit. It’s not a "feel-good" movie. It’s a study of what happens when a person’s talent is commodified.
Is it still relevant?
Kinda. Maybe more than ever.
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We live in a world where everyone is told to "monetize their hobbies." Gertie Nevels was the original victim of the side hustle. She took something she loved—carving—and had to mass-produce it to pay for coal and flour.
If you’re an artist today feeling burnt out by the "algorithm," you’ll probably find Gertie's struggle surprisingly relatable.
How to Find and Watch the Movie Today
Finding the doll maker Jane Fonda film is actually a bit of a treasure hunt. It isn't always on the big streaming platforms like Netflix or Max.
- Check YouTube: Occasionally, the full movie is uploaded by film preservation accounts.
- Physical Media: It was a staple on VHS for years. You can often find used copies on eBay or at local thrift stores.
- Digital Rentals: Sometimes it pops up on Amazon or Vudu, but it’s hit or miss.
If you can’t find the movie, read the book. Harriette Arnow’s writing is haunting. It gives you a much deeper look into the psychology of why Gertie carves what she carves.
The real legacy here isn't a physical doll you can buy. It's the way Jane Fonda used her platform to highlight a part of American life—the rural struggle and the sacrifice of the artist—that usually gets ignored.
Next Steps for the Curious:
If you're genuinely interested in the art style depicted in the film, look up Appalachian folk carving. It’s a specific tradition using local woods like buckeye, cedar, and cherry. You can find contemporary artists on platforms like Etsy or at regional craft fairs in Kentucky and West Virginia who keep the "Gertie Nevels" style of carving alive today. Just don't expect them to look like factory-made toys; the beauty is in the imperfections.