The 6th Emmy Awards, later referred to as the 6th Primetime Emmy Awards, were held on February 11, 1954. Shirley Temple, wearing a stylish maternity top (she was pregnant with daughter Lori), and husband Charles Black, were in attendance (photo above). The ceremony was hosted by Don DeFore at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunset Boulevard. DeFore was president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and sold this first national broadcast of the Emmy Awards to NBC.
“I Love Lucy” had four nominations: Best Situation Comedy (winner), Best Female Star (Lucille Ball), Best Supporting Actor (William Frawley), and Best Supporting Actress (Vivian Vance, winner).
“Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress,” October 19, 1953 with Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance was one of the many episodes during the season that helped the show garner so much acclaim. Back to Shirley…
The dinner looks like your typical banquet fair. Perhaps a veal cutlet, potatoes, beans, and a gelatin salad on a lettuce leaf accompanied by rolls and butter. Note the card that states, “There will be no cocktail service at tables from 8:45 P.M. until after the telecast.” If I am reading that time correctly, that sounds like a very late evening!
See the matchbook in the upper right hand corner? I was able to match it to one on ebay:
I love when that happens.
Below is a 1950’s shot of the exterior of the Palladium:
…and how the building looked in 2016:
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.
3 comments:
Matchbook sleuthing... no one does it better than you, Dave-! A really great find.
And not to be missing from a typical meal from the day: a pack of cigarettes - it looks like Lucky Strike.
I never hear too much about Don DeFore, bits and pieces here and there. I hear he was quite a big deal but with the exception of occasional Disney references, I almost never hear about him except as a footnote in someone else's story. Maybe Don looked at this event's fare and thought "I can do better than that."
@ Fifthrider-
Don DeFore can best be described as a "B" actor, most-noted for his television appearances as Ozzie Nelson's neighbor "Thorny" on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and as the patriarch of the Baxter family on Hazel. On the other hand, his performances in a number of film noirs allowed him to show-off his true acting chops, which were quite solid.
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