Here is a behind-the-scenes shot from Shirley Temple's 1940 Technicolor spectacular, "The Blue Bird." The accompanying vintage publicity blurb:
POINT OF VIEW — When the audience sees this scene from "The Land of Memory" in the glory of full Technicolor in which "The Blue Bird" is now being filmed at 20th Century-Fox. It will be one of the high spots of beauty in the film. But from behind the scenes there is a ferment of anxious activity as director Walter Lang (right lower), Cameraman Arthur Miller, ASC (with visor behind camera), and the remainder of the crew watch Shirley Temple rehearse a shot from Maurice Maeterlinck's story. Shirley is framed in the tree limbs, while behind the main trunk left, the skirt of Cecilia Loftus as "Granny Tyl" can be seen.
This publicity photo is ironic, considering that this film was dubbed Shirley's first "turkey" of her childhood career. Studio insiders called the film "Dead Pigeon."
See more Shirley Temple "The Blue Bird" photos on my "The Blue Bird" web page.
5 comments:
Pretty funny article!
@Dave, Off topic - Was there more to the "Disneyland Diary" series than what you posted on your blog? I seem to remember it was from Disneyland's 30th year and you made it to 1969 then stopped. I'm just curious as I really enjoyed that series.
Once I looked at what came after 1969, I decided to stop for two reasons: personally, it wasn't all that exciting, and the other reason is that my collection post 1970 is not as robust as the earlier images that I own.
The Blue Bird is one of those movies a viewer WANTS to work, but it just doesn't. Thanks for a nice Sunday post, Dave. Oh, and it's actually "pigeon"—but you already know that! :)
Anonymous - I must have had Walter on the brain! And I agree - the movie comes so close...but yet so far.
@Dave, OK. I appreciate your reply on the subject.
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