Temple Tuesday: Changing the Curls and Red Skelton

In the 1930’s, Shirley Temple reigned supreme. Everything she did was reported in the papers for a public that just could not get enough of Shirley. The blonde curls that adorned her crown were her signature, as seen in this adorable photo from “Bright Eyes,” 1934. By 1937, Shirley was growing up, and it was time for a (gasp) change. “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” was the first film to debut this new look for Shirley, and just to make sure the public wouldn’t throw a riot, the film showed both hairdos. 

From an October 30, 1937 publicity blurb:

SHIRLEY TEMPLE GETS NEW COIFFURE

The golden curls of Shirley Temple will go rural for “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,” her new picture. The famous locks will be brushed back and tied with ribbons behind her ears for the farmyard scenes of the picture. It will be the first time in her career that her famous coiffure will be altered—and it will only be for less than a quarter of the picture. Here you see the screen’s little darling and her new hair-comb.

At the beginning of the film, Shirley wears her signature hairdo, hidden under her hat:

Once Shirley’s unpacked, the first thing that goes is the old hairdo. Helen Westley (as Aunt Miranda) attempts to appease the public’s wrath with this line: “As long as you live here, you’ll wear your hair this way.” “I like it!” Shirley cheerfully replies. “It’s so nice and cool!”

It truly was a lot about nothing; regardless of what the public thought, Shirley wasn’t changing back. Just to make that fact clear, in her next film, “Little Miss Broadway,” there is a scene early in the movie where Shirley’s character is getting ready for bed, assisted by the daughter (Phyllis Brooks) of the man who just adopted her. “I used to have curls all over my head, once,” Shirley tells her. “That must have been lovely,” replies Brooks. “Yes,” sighs Shirley, “but they were lots of trouble!” And that was that!

In the book “The Westmores of Hollywood,” by Frank Westmore and Muriel Davidson, they state that Shirley’s curls came from their family’s makeup dynasty. Bullcrap. True, father George Westmore created the long sausage curls that 20-something Mary Pickford wore that helped her look much younger, but Shirley’s hair and hairstyle owed everything to her mother Gertrude. Although George had six children involved in the movie business, the only one with a movie credit in common with Shirley was Perc, who worked on “The Story of Seabiscuit” (1949).

While working on this post, I stumbled upon a website that showed photos of little Shirley with her teeth...and with her veneers:

The photos show Shirley in 1936. She lost her baby teeth, just like any child, but was never photographed with any teeth missing. Dr. Charles Pincus, who graduated from USC, was responsible for inventing the “Hollywood Veneer,” a removable snap-on cap that covered just the front of unsightly teeth or spaces. The caps were worn by Shirley for filming and public appearances, but they were only temporary, and had to be removed daily when eating, chewing, or sleeping. 

In other Shirley news, I stumbled upon this YouTube video that the Red Skelton Museum uploaded last month, which shows the September 24, 1963 episode with Shirley. So much fun! Shirley has a hard time not cracking up at Skelton’s antics, yet her charm and star power had not diminished one bit. In the one comedy sketch where she plays a snooty debutante, she is loads of fun. She also has a musical number set in 1863 by the seashore, “By The Sea.” Her voice is pleasant and not surprisingly, she doesn’t miss a step in the dance routine.

See more Shirley photos at my main website.