Temple Tuesday: Turkey in the Desert

In 1936, actress Shirley Temple and her family enjoyed turkey in Palm Springs. From the accompanying caption:

Shirley Temple, spending a brief vacation on the desert here (at Desert Inn) is shown whetting a knife to carve a Thanksgiving turkey. While here the child actress is learning new dance routines, is swimming and getting a sun tan for her next picture. Associated Press Photo 11/24/1936

If you want to know what the Desert Inn looked like in 1936, check out the post card below, stamped December 3, 1936. Perhaps this person crossed paths with Shirley!



Below is an ad from 1936 for the Desert Inn. Sun-lazing sounds faaaaaaaabulous!



Local papers were abuzz reporting about Shirley’s visit. From The Desert Sun, November 27, 1936:

Shirley Temple has been resting at the Desert Inn for a few days, accompanied by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Temple. After a few days in the sun Shirley was abloe to start work on several new songs for. her latest picture “Stowaway” which will be released around Christmas time. Gordon and Revel, famous song writers were here to help with the music.



“Stowaway” was filmed from late September 1936 to early December. Most likely, Shirley was working on the “That’s What I Want for Christmas” number which was tacked onto the end of the film at the last minute to coincide with its Christmas day released.



Elsewhere in the paper:

An informal tea was held at the Desert Inn Sunday afternoon [November 22]. Among those in the lounge for the occasion were Mrs. Wm. Warren Card of Paris, France, with her niece, Miss Martha Ann Henderson of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Bert Clark and daughter of Altadena; Mr. and Mrs. Marcus L. Lawrence of Rimrock, Arizona, and Washington, D.C.; Mrs. Albert Allaton, New York City, R. C. Sherriff, author of “Journey’s End,” and his mother from Esher Surrey, England; Mr. Jack Tidball, prominent tennis player; and Shirley Temple with her parents and a party of friends.

The Palo Verde Valley Times reported that Shirley and her mother also attended the 35th annual convention of the Southern Districts’ federation of women’s clubs, held in the Desert Inn. Mrs. Nellie Coffman, proprietor of the Inn, and Palm Springs pioneer, was signally honored at the convention. The paper also carried this ad for the popular Shirley Temple doll, also just in time for the Christmas holiday!



Below is all that’s left to remind Palm Springs tourists of what the Desert Inn once was:



See more Shirley Temple holiday photos at my main website.