Temple Tuesday: Alice on the Set

Shirley Temple’s 1936 blockbuster, “Poor Little Rich Girl” also served as a launching pad for Alice Faye. Still in her Jean Harlow phase, Alice hadn’t really come into her own just yet. Here’s a behind-the-scenes shot of Alice wearing the same costume from the still above when Shirley sings “You’ve Gotta Eat Your Spinach.”



JUST ONCE MORE, ALICE - - Director Irving Cummings lends a bit of moral support to Alice Faye before she sings a number for the 20th Century-Fox production of “The Poor Little Rich Girl”, starring Shirley Temple.

Alice does not look very excited at the thought of one more take.



IT’S THE SMILE THAT COUNTS. - - Alice Faye, appearing in the 20th Century-Fox production of “The Poor Little Rich Girl” with Shirley Temple, rehearses a bit of dialogue with Director Irving Cummings and the script girl.



At first glance, one might think that’s Shirley in the background, but my guess (based on the non-movie specific outfit and shape of her face) is that it’s Shirley’s stand-in, Mary Lou Isleib.



Care to see the script? Or Alice’s cigarette?



“Stowaway” was the last Temple film for Faye. After it was released, it was realized that she could hold a picture on her own, thank you very much! As a gift for playing support to Shirley in two movies, Alice was gifted the lead in “In Old Chicago” and became the leading Fox Blonde until Betty Grable took over.



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Old School Vegas at the El Cortez

Although it's a quick easy trip for me, Las Vegas is not one of my favorite destinations. Once you've seen the faux-chitecture of The Strip and the sad-looking people spending their last dollars on the slots, there's really not much else to go back for. It just feels like someone sucked the soul out of it. Still, it can be a great backdrop for a photo shoot (more on that later). Deciding to do something different, I went “old school” and stayed at the El Cortez, a hotel and casino near downtown Las Vegas and a block from the Fremont Street Experience (more on that later, too). In a city where things really don’t last, this place has continuously operated at the same location since 1941. Compare and contrast with the vintage photo below. It’s almost like time stood still.



The hotel quickly became so profitable that mobster Bugsy Siegel decided to muscle in on the property in 1945 and bought it from owner John Kell Houssels, who turned around a year later and purchased the hotel back from Siegel's group in 1946.

The hotel’s restaurant is named after Siegel. If you know much about this guy’s life, you would probably think twice about eating here just based on the name alone.



The food is actually pretty good, as I ate a late-night dinner here.



The decor is also right up my alley and really evokes the Rat Pack/mobster vibe you might expect.



While I understand the origin of the homage, naming your restaurant after a known killer/mobster and placing a picture of him and his moll in the dining room seems a bit in poor taste. But then again, it’s Vegas.



The hotel’s signature neon arrow, marquee, and large roof sign were installed in 1952. They still burn brightly today. Well, give or take a letter.



A vintage auto greets guests as they enter the nicotine-scented lobby/casino. I hadn't smelled that much cigarette smoke in years. The lady in line behind me at check-in was barely able to stand for the emphysema that riddled her body. Welcome to Vegas.



The suite I had rented for the night was large and decorated with flair; still, the fact that there was a $250 deposit for the in-room jacuzzi made me decided I shouldn't go anywhere near it. Why would the deposit cost more than the room itself?!?



What happens in the jacuzzi can stay in that jacuzzi...



Would I stay here again? Perhaps. For the money though, compared to the Strip, this place is a steal.

See more El Cortez photos at my main website.

The Hotel Vertigo

Where does an Alfred Hitchcock fan stay when visiting San Francisco? The Hotel Vertigo, of course!



That's right; this is the very same location that we see Kim Novak leaning out the window in Hitchcock’s classic 1957 film “Vertigo.” The exterior really hasn't changed too much over the years.



Inside, the decor and colors are definitely influenced by the movie’s poster.





When you see an interior room, you can tell that Hitchcock did his best to re-create the same layout on a soundstage.



If only the rooms came with a green night light; THAT would be a cool touch!



If you hate the color orange, this hotel may not be for you.



Other film inspired details throughout the rooms abound:





No visit to the Hotel Vertigo would be complete without a few stairwell shots:





All kidding aside, would I recommend this place? I sure would. For price, location, and cleanliness, this place is a real value!

See more Hotel Vertigo photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley and Charlie

It probably sounds very hard to believe that one of the most popular radio programs in the country starred a ventriloquist and his doll, but it’s true. Edgar Bergen (the ventriloquist) and Charlie McCarthy (his not so dumb dummy) had an eleven year run on a radio show sponsored by Chase and Sanborn Coffee from 1937 to 1948. Bergen was the somewhat reserved "straight man” of the act and Charlie was his racy sarcastic counterpart. Together, the "two" made magic. I discovered in 2015 at the Love, Shirley Temple auction that the child star had her very own Charlie McCarthy 20" doll (shown in the photo above) gifted to her directly by Bergen himself. Shirley, Charlie, and Bergen were together in the American Legion Parade in Hollywood, September 20, 1938:



The Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist dolls were made by the Effanbee doll company. The gift might have been the result of a blurb from Silver Screen magazine in October, 1937: “Before leaving for her holiday in Honolulu, little Miss Shirley Temple made only one request of her studio: could she have lunch with Charlie McCarthy? ...Charlie was so pleased when Public Favorite Number 1 asked to lunch with him that he has been insufferable ever since.” The auction included a photograph of Shirley with Edgar and his Charlie puppet...



as well as a letter dated October 10, 1938 which thanks the young star for her photograph, noting that “Charlie wanted it for his room, but I thought the den would be a much better place for it.”



Charlie and Edgar paid a visit to Shirley at her Brentwood home in 1941:



A shot of Shirley’s Charlie McCarthy when I saw it on exhibit at the Santa Monica History Museum:



To give you an idea of just how far Edgar/Charlie pushed the censors, here’s a famous dialogue between Charlie and Mae West from December 1937:

Mae: “Come on home with me, honey. I’ll let you play in my wood pile.”
Charlie: "Not so loud, Mae, not so loud! All my girlfriends are listening."
Mae: "Oh, yeah! You’re all wood and a yard long."
Charlie: "Yeah."
Mae: "You weren’t so nervous and backward when you came up to see me at my apartment. In fact, you didn’t need any encouragement to kiss me."
Charlie: "Did I do that?"
Mae: "Why, you certainly did. I got marks to prove it. An' splinters, too."

As a result of that show, West was kicked off the airwaves until 1950.

Here’s a vintage shot of the duo with famed gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. From the accompanying publicity blurb:

Charlie McCarthy challenges Hedda Hopper's hat crown on his radio show. "What time do you feed that thing on your head?" he quips. "I don't have to feed it — I just shot it this morning," replies Hopper, while Edgar Bergen referees, looking like "Old Professor Quiz."



A later shot of them at the famous Brown Derby restaurant; I am guessing from the 1970s.



From my own collection comes a shot of the 15" tall composition Charlie from Effanbee with its original button:



and a 20" Charlie, which strangely enough did not include a monocle, nor is there a hole near the eye, which would have indicated one had not been originally included.



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

A Day at Disneyland, August 1967

Sometimes the most fun part of acquiring these vintage slide collections is trying to figure out the story behind them. This August 1967 set could go a few different ways. How about I just present the facts as I see them and let your vivid imaginations do the rest? This group/family poses in front of the Rolly Crump New Tomorrowland Ticket Booth with the Submarine Attraction Blue Monorail behind them. I can hear you readers now. “Hey Dave! Can you zoom into the pockets of those two dudes so we can see the ticket books?” Already tried. Just a blurry mess.

The next shot in the sequence shows the Yellow Monorail:



Nothing like a 1960s big blonde bouffant on the Snow White attraction in Fantasyland:



The two gents from our group seem only semi-excited to be on the Disneyland Railroad car as it exits the New Orleans Station.



This time I will zoom into the pocket for you. This guy already ate through his E tickets.



Looking back at New Orleans Square as the train pulls out of the station:



In Town Square the gents get caught by a Keystone Kop:



To the left you can just barely see the interior of the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction:



Last one of my set shows Doug & Jim. Doug's tattoo would make it appear that he was 13 when he got it. I'd say Doug is still pretty close to age 13 in this shot. Jim decided to keep his age to himself.



Doug isn't in any of the shots I acquired, but he did appear in this one that slipped through my fingers. He sure knew how to make a pompadour!



I REALLY hated that I missed this one, too.



That's the way the cookie crumbles.

See more vintage Disneyland photos at my main website.