Temple Tuesday: Shirley Gets A Shiner

On June 5th, 1937, Shirley had an accident on the set of “Heidi” at 20th Century-Fox that caused a flurry of headlines! Although the times were much more innocent than now, Hollywood gossip was still the rage, as seen in this collection of “news” stories (thanks Melissa, aka “The Colonel,” for digging these up!).

Shirley Temple Acquires Real “Shiner”

HOLLYWOOD, June 7. (U.P.)—Shirley Temple had a black eye today. The child star tripped on an electric wire at 20th Century-Fox studio Saturday and fell head-first. She was cut over her left eye and a first-class ‘shiner’ began to develop. Make-up experts patched up the damage and Shirley bravely finished her day’s work before the cameras.

Look at that set! It’s no wonder little Shirley tripped. That long cord is an accident just waiting to happen!



More “news” clips of the day documenting Shirley’s fall:

Shirley Temple has a black eye but, like the older movie stars, she cleverly hides it with a pair of dark glasses. She got the shiner tripping over a light cord in the studio.
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Pain-in-the-neck Publicity “Cheers from her fellow workers greeted Shirley Temple’s return to the set of ‘Heidi’ at 20th-Fox the day after she fell down and acquired a black eye.”
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Guess Who?
The curls are a dead giveaway and, in spite of the black glasses, you know it is Shirley Temple. Shirley tripped over a lamp cord on a set in Hollywood and sports the glasses to cover a lovely shiner which developed from the bump. Now she’s “one of the gang.”
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Shirley Is Proud Of First Black Eye
Shirley Temple has a shiner! It’s a real mouse, of the old-fashioned plum-colored variety, and little Miss Temple is as proud of her darkened optic as any child could be. The curly-headed star acquired her black eye when she tripped on a light cable on the set of “Heidi,” her new picture at 20th Century-Fox, and fell against a wall. For the next week, until the eye resumes its normal color, she will make no closeups.

In this photo, Shirley removed her glasses for the press:



Want to see the bike brand? It appears to be a Skippy Racer, which debuted in 1933. From the Online Bicycle Museum website:

Skippy was an American comic strip written and drawn by Percy Crosby and published from 1923 to 1945. A highly popular, acclaimed and influential feature about rambunctious fifth-grader Skippy Skinner, his friends and his enemies, it was adapted into films, a novel and a radio show. Skippy’s creator, Percy Crosby, retained the copyright to his character, which was unusual at the time. Such was the popularity of the comic strip that at one point he was earning around $2,500 a week …more than the US President. The novel was published in 1929, and there were also Skippy dolls, toys, board games, commemorative plates and product endorsements. Jackie Cooper starred in the 1931 Skippy film, which was nominated for four Academy Awards. From 1933, American National Co used the Skippy name for a complete range of their products, including bicycles, tricycles, scooters, pedal cars, coaster wagons and sleds. Rosefield Packing Co also used the Skippy trademark for its peanut butter in 1933, but this was a blatant copyright infringement. In 1922, Joseph Rosefield had developed a process to hydrogenate peanut oil. This kept oil from separating from peanuts, which meant that peanut butter could be fresh for months. Rosefield licensed his process to Swift & Co. who in turn had a hit with its ‘Peter Pan peanut butter.’ In 1933, Rosefield Packing Co cashed in on the Skippy popularity by using the name. Rosefield even replicated the fence image used for the comic’s titles as a key part of their branding. Although Crosby’s lawyers litigated and won, the food company ignored the ruling and continued to use the Skippy label.



In case you missed it, Shirley points to her shine, as she poses on her front porch:



Want to see that spot today? I knew you did.



From black eyes to bicycles to peanut butter; you just never know what you’ll discover on Temple Tuesday!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.