The typical moviegoer watches a movie to follow the story and characters. I am not a typical moviegoer. I LOVE to watch classic (aka “old”) movies while listening to the director commentary, gaining behind-the-scenes knowledge. I also try to figure out if the scene is a set, a matte painting, or a true location. This set still from Shirley’s 1937 classic “Wee Willie Winkie” shows her costar Douglas Scott and stand-in Mary Lou Isleib “at ease” while the set is documented for the director, John Ford. Art direction on this movie was by William Darling and David Hall (both were nominated for a Best Art Direction Oscar for this film), with Thomas Little doing the set decoration.
Based on the outfit Mary Lou is wearing, I would guess that they were about to film this scene:
In most of the set photos from the film, this little sign is visible:
Another set, photographed on the same day (February 17, 1937) that also shows Scott and Isleib (this time with their backs to the camera), about to enter the Quartermasters Stores set.
What a dream to be able to walk around the sets and examine every detail! Well, to me at least!
A crew member is on the roof, getting the set ready for…something.
This extra is relaxing between takes:
I believe it’s the same actor with Shirley shown here:
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.
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