Temple Tuesday: Behind the Scenes, SYWA

A teenage Shirley Temple made a comeback of sorts with the 1944 prestige picture, “Since You Went Away” (hereafter referred to as “SYWA”), produced by David Selznick. Like his blockbuster hit of 1939, “Gone with the Wind,” the theme of “SYWA” was about how war affected those at home; no battles were shown in either movie, other than the personal struggles felt by its characters. Unlike its predecessor, “SYWA” was more of a lowkey picture, lacking the driving core of the romance between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. Regardless, “SYWA” is an amazing snapshot of World War II and the brave women who made a difference on the homefront. Shirley played Brig Hilton, the daughter of the female lead, Claudette Colbert, and sister of Jennifer Jones. The three were the heart of the story, which begins as the unseen father leaves to join the war effort. Above, Shirley is pictured with Monty Woolley, who plays a boarder of the Hilton family, thus helping them make ends meet without the father’s regular salary. One of the early scenes in the picture has frenemies Agnes Moorehead and Colbert meeting up for a drink, where they run into family friend Lieutenant Willett (Joseph Cotten).



While most people don’t think about the set design when watching a picture, I completely geek out on it, especially if it’s not done on location. What props did the set department choose to use? Does it feel authentic? What was the inspiration? Below is the set for the cocktail lounge where the three are hanging out. Imagine creating all that atmosphere for only a few minutes of celluloid and then having it torn apart, destroyed, or re-used in another film.



In this scene, Colbert, Temple, and Jones gather in the master bedroom after the father has gone to support the war effort.



A shot of the set from the Huntington Collection:



Another angle of the room from my collection:



A number of family photos are shown on the mantle and dresser:



A closeup shows a childhood photo of Shirley and one of Jennifer Jones:



Interestingly enough, in the Huntington shot, Shirley is nowhere to be found. Instead, there is a small picture of actor Neil Hamilton on the left.



A screenshot from the movie, showing Claudette looking longingly at photos of her character’s husband, portrayed by Neil Hamilton.



A detailed view from my photo of the set:



Hamilton is probably best known as Commissioner Gordon from “Batman” (1966), also the father of Batgirl (Yvonne Craig).



Back to Shirley! Here’s another copy of the photo that was used in the movie and placed on the mantle for the final set design:



This photo session was for “Little Miss Broadway” (1938), and like most publicity shoots, there were plenty of alternate poses taken!









One of the shots even made it on a magazine cover, circa December 1938:



Also from the Huntington collection is this color test shot taken of the living room set:



In a few scenes, Colbert can be seen leaning outside the upstairs bedroom window.



Thanks to movie magic, partial set design, and matte paintings, only this portion of the window was built. Not sure who is leaning out the window, but it definitely is not Claudette!



How the exterior of the house looked in the movie, thanks to a partial set built which was combined with a matte painting:



For the final shot of the film, a miniature set was used and footage of the three women hugging was combined with the model:



Here’s a view of the gargantuan set created for the dance at the hangar:



Combined with a matte painting for the top portion, it truly was impressive.



A production shot of the hangar dance scene. Director John Cromwell can be seen in the upper right corner with the camera crew:



Dancers from the hangar scene, Elsie Peritz and Jack Arkin were captured in these five publicity shots doing some impressive jitterbug moves!











I can’t verify this, but my gut feeling is that the bowling alley scene with Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones was shot at a real bowling alley. If so, I would love to know which one was used and what happened to it.



The premiere of the film was held on July 17, 1944 at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Hollywood:



Demolished in 1969, it was reborn in a slightly smaller scale at Anaheim’s Disney California Adventure theme park:



Back to the premiere: shown below are the arrival of Lt. Commander Joel Pressman, Colbert, Captain Don Wilcox, and Commander Michael Sanchez:



Shirley went to the premiere with then boyfriend Private Andy Hotchkiss. Naturally, her parents followed right behind her.





The entire happy foursome. Hotch is probably whispering, “When can we ditch Mom and Pop?”



Another shot of the theatre the night of the premiere:



A closeup of the marquee:



From the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, July 17, 1944:

CELEBRITY THRONGS TO ATTEND PREMIERE

Set off by possibly the most distinguished guest list of stars that ever attended a world premiere, David O. Selznick’s “Since You Went Away” will be shown in a trade and press screening tonight at Carthay Circle Theater with bands playing and searchlights flashing the skies. “Since You Went Away,” which cost more than $3,000,000 to produce, is a picture of unusual interest to the motion picture industry, as well as to the fans, since it is Mr. Selznick’s first offering in four years. It is a war picture without battles, about America today. His most recent pictures were “Gone with the Wind” and “Rebecca.” Among the stars who will attend are: Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Monty Woolley, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Walker, Frank Sinatra, Mary Astor, Fred Astaire, Charles Boyer, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Durante, Deanna Durbin, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Hedy Lamarr, Adolphe Menjou, Burgess Meredith, Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, Gene Tierney, Jane Withers, and Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hitchcock.

After the premiere, the headlines proclaimed: “Selznick Triumphs Again”

The Alameda Times reported this bit of sad news in connection to the premiere on July 19:

Film Actor Faces Leg Amputation

Film Actor Ward Bond, facing possible amputation of a leg injured in a traffic accident Monday night, today was being treated with the wonder drug penicillin. “If we save his leg it will be only by a miracle,” his physician, Dr. John C. Wilson, said. Bond, struck by an automobile shortly after leaving the Hollywood premiere of “Since You Went Away,” was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital after treatment at an emergency hospital. The driver of the car was not held. The former University of Southern California football star’s leg was almost severed in the accident, hospital attendants reported.

The result can be found over on imdb.com:

On July 17, 1944, Bond was leaving the Hollywood premiere of Since You Went Away (1944) and was attempting to cross the street when he was struck by an auto. His left leg was so severely fractured that physicians wanted to amputate, but Bond refused to allow it, and although it took several months, Bond recovered. He limped in his next few films, and was still recovering, using a cane, when he served as best man at the wedding of John Wayne to his second wife in January 1946. The driver, a retired cosmetics manufacturer, was fined $25 for speeding but was not charged with failing to yield right of way to a pedestrian. In 1945, Bond was awarded $50,000 at a civil trial.

Bond would costar with Shirley in 1948’s “Fort Apache”:



And that’s the end of today’s rabbit hole!

See more "Since You Went Away" photos at my main website.

Thursday at the Tahitian Terrace

In June 1962, Disneyland opened the Tahitian Terrace restaurant in Adventureland. This previously posted shot shows the exterior and a lovely hostess waiting to welcome you inside, circa November 1963.



The recently acquired shots below give you an insider’s look from 1964. I am digging the feathered Native American headdress on the little boy below right.



I wonder what happened to that way-cool wall art?



From the same batch, a hostess escorts her guests to their table.



She is holding menus to be distributed once the guests are seated.



Your time at the Tahitian Terrace was not just about food; it was an experience! Below, you can see part of the Luau floor show that entertained guests while they dined, circa July 1968. From the back of the menu:

Nestled beneath the tumbling waterfall is a matchless stage setting…a stage whose “curtain” is a cascade of water, and whose “footlights” are a leaping flame of fire burning on the water itself! For your summer evening entertainment, the falls magically draw aside . . . and out from behind the waters, sarong-clad natives appear to perform the swaying rhythms and amazing rituals of the islands . . . the hypnotic bare-foot fire walk and thrilling fire-knife dance, and the traditional grass-skirted “twist” of Samoa, Tahiti and Hawaii. (The dedicated student will note how the story-telling technique varies from island to island . . . here a hip movement, there the entire torso.)



From September 1969:



The Terrace closed in 1993 and was replaced by Aladdin’s Oasis. Its loss has been mourned ever since.

See more Disneyland Tahitian Terrace photos at my main website.

Mae West in San Diego

This picture shows actress Mae West at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition held in San Diego, which lasted from May to November 1935, and then again from February to September 1936. The accompanying caption was translated from the French in which it was originally written:

Famous screen star Mae West visited the San Diego, California, Fair last week. During her visit to the Fair, Mae West chats with a pair of dwarves in their miniature house.

Mae is shown holding Paolina Rodriguez (18" tall) and eighteen-year-old 26" tall Johnnie Fern McDill, known as the Midget Mae West. Yes folks, a major attraction at the San Diego Fair was Midget Village. Edited from The Times of San Diego website:

One of the most talked-about exhibits during the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition was Midget Village—a small but popular attraction featuring little people performing various acts and living in tiny houses designed to charm visitors. The Exposition was held to promote San Diego and support its economy and had hundreds of exhibits on history, the arts, horticulture, ethnic cultures, science, and industry.



The above image shows one of the more famous residents of the Village, Vance Swift

Midget Village was located in the Casa de Balboa building [shown below as it looks today] and capitalized on the era’s fascination with novelty entertainment, similar to the “freak shows” that were common at the time. Visitors were drawn to the miniature village and the performances, with weddings and social events often staged in the tiny homes.



According to Mary Steffgen of Point Loma, who, as an 8-year-old, freely explored Balboa Park during the exposition, the Midget Village was a major highlight. She recalled in a 1997 San Diego Magazine article, “I was fascinated by the Midget Village, where weddings frequently took place. Visiting the tiny houses and shops was the big step between playing with miniature dollhouses and living in the real grown-up world.”Many of the performers in Midgetland later went on to appear as Munchkins in the iconic film “The Wizard of Oz” she said.



Steffgen’s memories offer a vivid glimpse into the park’s atmosphere during that time, when children and families felt safe wandering the grounds—a freedom that, she noted, “could not happen in today’s social climate.”Adding historical context, Edith Ott, a longtime Balboa Park historian, shared insights in a Smithsonian Institution oral history interview about Midget Village’s role in the exposition. She described it as “a curious mix of fascination and spectacle that captivated many visitors, a window into a time when public amusement often involved unusual performances.” Ott’s remarks remind us how entertainment norms have evolved, highlighting the importance of viewing such exhibits through a modern lens that respects dignity and representation.

Back to Mae…from The San Diego Sun on June 10, 1935:

“Oh-h-h, if I’d known the fleet was to be in I would have arranged to stay over. I’m very patriotic.” And Mae West concluded a hurried visit to the Exposition with the promise: “I’m coming up again some time.” Nudists? The blonde screen star raised long lashes and looked vainly for a sailor in the goggle-eyed crowd. “Well—uh—I like uniforms—gobs of them!” Crowds packed the route as she rode with her manager, James A. Timony, to visit the Motion Picture Hall of Fame, the Midget Village and the Press building. No one was injured, but a fuse blew out in anticipation and Gold Gulch was dark for half an hour. The actress met the “Mae West of the Midgets,” Johnnie Fern McDill, age 18, heigh 26 inches. The tiny lady provided a neat take-off on Mae’s walk and someone suggested Mae adopt her. “When, Mae? Let me be your baby!” “But I’m not married,” returned Miss West. “Oh—I forgot—I’m supposed to have seven husbands. Sort of a chain-letter business, y’know.”

A day later, the Sunny Side column by L.E. Claypool ran this tidbit:

When Mae West hit the Expo Sunday nite she and a bodyguard and her manager each took a wheel chair and after rolling into the grounds in her limousine she accepted some bad advice and was wheeled into the various concessions pretty much rolling over the toes of other patrons who really hadn’t come to see Mae. The explanation was that the theatrical big shots who hire the uniformed personnel work for the people who hire Mae and are able to do this and that. On the whole, however, Mae was gracious and obliging and autographed cards until she was limp.

The site of larger-than-life Mae West being wheeled around the fair is difficult to fathom!

See more photos at my main website.