Temple Tuesday: Parties, Dolls, Furs, and Art Deco

On November 10, 1935, the Los Angeles Times carried a story in their “Beau Peep Whispers” column:

Mayfair’s youngest generation doesn’t get a break very often in the social scheme of things. Most of the year little Peter and Sister Diane are seen and not heard when mother and father have grown-up company in the new black and white playroom. But once a year to every well-behaved little Blue-booker comes the chance to go to a real party and have fun. That’s why all the wee ones from the age of 2 to 12 are anxious about Saturday afternoon, November 30, when the Children’s Hospital Doll Fair is held at the spacious home of Mrs. Lee Allen Phillips at 4 Berkeley Square.…A new Mickey Mouse will be a Yuletide present for the children from the Junior League, according to Eve (Mrs. Bradner Wells, Sr.) Lee. And, of course, there will be scores of shining new toys and mysterious grab-bag presents, as well as lines of beautifully dressed dolls for all the sub-deb debutantes.…Mrs. Sterry wants everybody to come to the Doll Fair party November 30, too, and reminds you that no special invitations are being sent out. It’s given for the Children’s Hospital Convalescent Home at Hermosa Beach, which is not supported by the Community Chest.

The original Children’s Hospital was opened in 1928 at 445 Monterey Avenue in Hermosa Beach. For 13 years, it provided a school teacher, physiotherapy pool, and nursing care to more than 1,200 recuperating youngsters. Facilities were moved to Los Angeles in 1942. Want to see the swanky mansion where the Doll Fair party was held?



Found on the pastvu website, here is the accompanying text for this 1962 image of the former Lee A. Phillips mansion:

Located at 4 Berkeley Square in the West Adams District, this Tudor Revival mansion was designed by Myron Hunt and Silas Burns and built in 1913. The residence stood until around 1970, when a group of doctors paid $1 million for the property on which to build West Adams Community Hospital, later Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center.

Closer to the event, on November 25, the Daily News gave more details about the social event of the season:

When the doors of the beautiful Lee Allen Phillips home, 4 Berkeley Square, are opened 10 a. m., Saturday, a group of eager kiddies will be waiting to purchase the exquisitely dressed dolls, bean bags and marbles, and all shorts of shiny new toys with which the spacious home will be filled. The occasion for this wonderful children’s party is the annual Children’s Hospital Doll Fair, and not only the little ones, but the “grown-ups,” as well, have been anticipating this Christmas social event. Every one is asked to keep the date in a conspicuous place on their social calendar, for Mayfair is sure to be present “en masse.”…In a cozy little room, all by themselves, the children will be served with ice cream and dainty cakes, under the direction of Mrs. Clarence H. Crawford. This room will be gayly decorated in Yuletide colors. For the older members of the family, Mrs. George Griffith Jr. has provided a table of beautiful and useful gifts, which will successfully solve the Christmas problem, and bring joy to the recipients, while linens of the finest texture and design, and selected by Mrs. Donald Shelby, will intrigue the most discriminating.

It is now time to tie Shirley into the story, as she told it years later in her autobiography, Child Star:

Mother had donated a Shirley Temple doll and matching trunk outfitted with special clothes to be raffled off…. As an added attraction, she donated me to draw the winning number. Reaching deep into the boxful of ticket stubs I pulled out my own number. Delighted to have won, I jumped up and down, but out in the audience someone murmured “Hoax,” followed by a gabble of protest and polite boos. “Take another number,” whispered Mother. “I won’t,” I said. I had helped beat the drums for that auction. The prize itself was of little interest, although the clothes were beautifully made. It was the principle. To win was exciting. I had played fair and square. Why must I surrender what was fairly won? “You’ve got to!” Mother insisted, shoving the box toward me. “Take another number!” “I will not.” I remained at the podium, holding my ticket stub tightly. “I won it.”

It was one of the rare times Shirley went against her mother! Below is Shirley in her 20th Century-Fox trailer, showing off her prize between takes of “Captain January” (1936).



The doll remained in Shirley’s possession for the rest of her life, and was sold off in 2015 at the Theriault’s Love, Shirley Temple auction.



From the Theriault’s Catalog:

American Composition Doll of Shirley in Exclusive Ensemble Inspired by Film "Bright Eyes" All-composition doll with socket head, hazel sleep and "flirting" eyes, human hair lashes, open mouth, row of teeth, impressed cheek dimples, blonde mohair ringlet curls, jointing at shoulders and hips. The doll is wearing a pink silk pleated dress over factory-original undergarment, socks and shoes, and has white fur coat with extended cape collar and foxtail trim, muff, and velvet hat with more foxtail trim. Generally excellent condition. The doll is marked Shirley Temple Cop Ideal N & T and the coat is labeled "Willard H. George Los Angeles". The costume was a unique creation, a symbol of her costume in the final scene of the 1934 film "Bright Eyes". Created for a charity raffle, the 1935 Children's Hospital Doll Fair; at the raffle Shirley actually pulled her own name from the hat, a story she wrote about in her autobiography Child Star.

Now in a private collection, I had the privilege of seeing the doll recently and can assure you it is well taken care of!



For some background on the doll’s custom made fur coat, it came from the shop of Willard Hampton George, a furrier based in Los Angeles. He designed, created, and supplied furs to the Hollywood movie studios from the 1920s until his death in 1956. George designed and created furs for Hollywood actresses including Lucille Ball, Greta Garbo, and Rita Hayworth. His showroom was located at 3300 Wilshire Boulevard in the Morgan Adams building, seen below:



Vacant since 2010, there were plans to demolish it. LA Curbed reported in 2017:

It’s not as grand as the turquoise terra-cotta clad Wiltern theater, but there’s another spectacular example of Art Deco architecture on Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown. That building, at Wilshire and Catalina, was home from 1929 until the 1950s to a glamorous showroom owned by furrier Willard H. George, known as “the Chinchilla Industry’s Greatest Friend,” according to the Los Angeles Conservancy. Now—after sitting dormant and nearly meeting the wrecking ball—the beautiful old building is about to emerge from a careful restoration. The work is helmed Los Angeles-based architect Jingbo Lou, who intends to reopen the former showroom as a restaurant, possibly a swanky steakhouse, that, in a nod to its past, will incorporate some type of fashion element. He’ll put a bar on the second floor, and he’s almost done carving out sleek, airy apartments on the third, where the furrier used to sew garments.…In the past decade, plans for the Willard H. George building, which, after the furrier closed, was the longtime home of piano retailer Sherman Clay and Co., included demolishing the building to make way for a mixed-use tower. The city’s now defunct community redevelopment agency had also eyed it for affordable housing. Neither of those panned out, and the building has been vacant since at least 2010. Lou says when the owners approached him about taking on shares, he looked up old photos of the building and saw its potential. The original 1920s facade was covered up by a false wall, but “I could recognize most of the openings—the doors and windows—were in the right place. I had a pretty good idea what was behind it,” he says. When his team took that wall down, “we were shocked,” he says.



They found the original handsome exterior still intact: a concrete facade punctuated by bright orange tiles and geometric and classical reliefs. Many of the tiles were missing, and he since replaced them with replicas. He also replicated a large ornamental pyramid that originally sat above the front entry. Inside, the building’s centerpiece is a wide sweeping staircase, once used as a runway for models draped in expensive furs.



The Willard H. George showroom was devoid of racks, so customers would select from what the models wore. The elegant showroom was once described in an ad as the “most modern and beautiful in the country.” “The interior space, the showroom, is so gorgeous,” Lou says. False walls had also been tacked onto the interior, and Lou’s team had to tear those and a drop-ceiling out to expose the original surfaces and moldings. Lou expects work on the interior will be done in the next few months, but the restaurant could be a ways out, as he’ll need proper permits and an operator. In the meantime, next time you’re in Koreatown, make a point of checking out the Art Deco facade—unlike furs in LA, the architecture is timeless.

Flash forward to present day at the J. Lou website:

Morgan Adams Building was first built in 1929 by Richard D King. It was originally built to complement the high retail standards in the immediate vicinity such as The Ambassador Hotel, The Gaylord's HMS Bounty, Wilshire Galleria, and The Chapman Market. The Morgan Adams Building ware rooms were once recognized as one of the most beautiful and elite stores in the country. It set the standards for high end commercial and retail spaces for its neighbors alike and future retail. 1929: Morgan Adams building opened and housed the elegant Willard George fur shop on its ground floor. 1960: Fire burns down the eastern portion of the original Morgan Adams Building, Penny Owsley built a mid century concrete building in its place at 3324 Wilshire Blvd. Late 1960s: Sharman Clay Pianos take overs over Original Morgan Adams Building, Later undergoes many alterations and becomes abandoned for years. Present Day: JLD steps in and renovates it into a modern mixed-use building



Surprisingly, Intercrew, the event venue that currently inhabits the building mentions ZIP about its history. 

Unforgettable Experiences Trusted by Global Brands Global brands host with confidence at Intercrew — a premier 30,000 sq. ft. venue in the heart of Los Angeles. Chosen by world-class companies for elevated corporate events, product launches, and private celebrations, Intercrew offers cutting-edge AV, VIP lounges, and full-service culinary capabilities to deliver seamless, high-impact experiences.

Sounds like another place for my bucket list of things to photograph! And so ends another Temple Tuesday rabbit hole. I wonder if George used rabbit in his furs?

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.