Midweek on Mackinac

Still on my travel bucket list is Mackinac, the Island with no cars made famous by its appearance in “Somewhere in Time” (1980). Today’s batch of undated 1950s images show the Main Street and the horse-drawn carriage with the hotel’s attendant. In the detailed view below you can see the sign for Selma’s Candies, including her famous fresh fudge! From the Detroit Free Press, Sunday August 27, 1989:

When Selma Dufina, who made candy as a hobby, started a candy and fudge shop in 1948, she couldn’t imagine the fudge business would take off as it has. “May’s was the only shop, and every time another one opened up, I thought business would decrease,” she says now, retired for 11 years. “But it didn’t.” But why Mackinac Island? What was there about this quaint place, where automobiles have been banned for years, that fudge caught on and held tight, like Irish coffees in San Francisco, like beignets in New Orleans, like coney island hot dogs in Detroit ?“Well,” muses Selma, “when you’ve taken a boat trip in the morning and you’ve had an early breakfast, the smell of chocolate on the fresh air would be an incentive to buy.” Thirty years later, Selma Dufina would sell her shop to Kilwin’s. She has not bought a morsel of fudge since.

Dufina died on January 9, 1998 at the age of 83 in Florida, but is buried at Saint Ann’s Cemetery on Mackinac Island.



The image from my collection below shows the same area, circa 1959. Abbey’s Pendleton Shop has become The Scotch House, and Alford's Rexall Drug Store has a new sign!



The Murray Hotel is a constant in both images, and apparently is still in business! From The Murray website:

The historic, 69-room hotel dating back to the late 1800s. Family-owned and managed since 1882, this charming hotel is located in the heart of downtown Mackinac. We encourage our guests to relax in an atmosphere of Victorian-era décor or to step out our double doors onto Main street. Our old-fashioned atmosphere has been preserved, while our facilities have been updated to meet the needs of the modern traveler. All rooms have their own private bathrooms. We at the Murray Hotel continue to impress visitors with the courteous and friendly service that has marked its success for over 140 years. A stay at the Murray Hotel affords our guests an opportunity to blend local hospitality, friendly service, and easy access to all Mackinac Island has to offer.



The image below shows the steps up to the entrance of the Grand Hotel:



The same steps Christopher Reeve walked up and down when he was on the Island to film “Somewhere In Time.” The crew had to get special permission to allow Reeve to use the car in the scene where he arrives at the hotel.



Another angle of the entrance, with a rickety carriage parked haphazardly on the curb!



Below, a parade of non-motorized vehicles return from a trip into town:



See more vintage Mackinac Island photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley in San Francisco

On her way to the Pacific Northwest for a vacation, Shirley stopped at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. Like everything else, this little pit stop was covered by the press in great detail!

SHIRLEY’S GROWN UP—SHE HAS A BOY FRIEND NOW

The deep, dark secret of Shirley Temple’s love life came out when Shirley came to San Francisco with her mother and father on a vacation trip. For when Shirley sat down for breakfast upon arrival, up popped Jimmy Sheck, 11, of Hollywood, who had followed the young star to present her with a bundle of “posies.” Jimmy’s father is a prominent former New Jersey attorney, now living in Hollywood. 7-30-1936

A photo of Shirley reaching up to the lobby’s grandfather clock still graces the hotel:



How the clock looked in 2013 when I stayed here:



In 1944, Shirley found herself back in San Francisco. From the accompanying caption:

HELPING NAVY MORALE—Shirley Temple gave hundreds of shows during her hospital tour in Northern California after the completion of her role in Selznick International’s “I’ll Be Seeing You.” She is shown here with the ranking officers of a navy base at which she appeared.



I had to get a closer look at the decorative radishes adorning her top.



Here, Shirley poses after the show with an adoring fan.



“Keep smiling, cutie - you’ll never be as famous as I was!”



A closeup of the couch reveals a used flashbulb that the photographer tossed aside during the shoot. Hope it didn’t leave a burn mark on the leather!



See the art hanging on the wall?



This was one of a series of prints produced and distributed by Coca-Cola during World War II to educate people about the differences between friendly planes and enemy aircraft as preparation for bomb drills. Each was approximately 15" x 13" and painted by William Heaslip. The plate on this one says: 

Vought-Sikorsky “Corasair” F4U Fighter • U.S. Navy, Protecting a landing operation



I found a little more about Heaslip on he Penelope Matallana Pastels website:

My maternal grandfather was born in Toronto, Canada and moved to New York City in the 1920’s. He illustrated aviation subjects for leading magazines after World War I. During World War II he illustrated war scenes for The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Wide World Syndicate and The Associated Press. His greatest commission was for the Coca Cola Company for which he illustrated all American war planes. The prints from these paintings were distributed to soda shops across the nation where they were displayed to educate citizens about our great war time aircraft. (My father, Richard Dexter Studwell, flew in a B-17 bomber as a gunner.) Several of his paintings are in exhibition at the Pentagon and the War College in Washington. He studied at the National Academy of Art and The Art students League in New York City and he was a member of the Salmagundi Club in NYC.



I remember my grandfather best when spending holidays at his 1740 stone barn which he converted into a cozy home. He was a fun loving grandfather who loved to entertain his family and friends and played Santa Clause for the town of Hackettstown, NJ.

So ends today’s rabbit hole!
 
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

A Tale of Two Capitans

The name “El Capitan” was used at different times for two different theatres at two different locations. It must have been a coveted name to have earned that distinction! In the first photo for today’s post from March 2002, we see what is the commonly known Hollywood Boulevard location. Edited from the El Capitan website:

1926: Dubbed "Hollywood's First Home of Spoken Drama" the El Capitan Theatre made its debut as the largest legitimate theatre in Hollywood on On May 3, 1926. Stars filled the 1,550 seat theatre for the premiere of the fresh-from-Broadway play CHARLOT'S REVUE, starring Jack Buchanan, Gertrude Lawrence and Beatrice Lillie.

1941: Business was faltering, and the theater then began showing movies. On May 8, 1941, Orson Welles premiered his first feature, and very controversial, film “Citizen Kane,” at the El Capitan Theatre. Welles was unable to locate a theater owner willing to risk screening his film so he turned to the El Capitan.



1942: The theater closed for a two month renovation and reopened in March 1942 as the Hollywood Paramount (it had been purchased by Paramount Pictures), a new, streamlined "art moderne" first run movie house. Its inaugural film presentation was Cecil B. DeMille's “Reap the Wild Wind.”

1989: The Walt Disney Company joined forces with Pacific Theatres and launched a two-year, remodel of the El Capitan Theatre. The remodel was led by renowned theatre designer Joseph J. Musil with the supervision of the National Park Service's Department of the Interior, and guidance from conservator Martin Weil and architect Ed Fields.

1991: The theatre reopened its doors to the public on June 19, 1991 for the world premiere of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE ROCKETEER.



In 2011, the 20th anniversary of the film, “The Rocketeer” was shown again at the El Capitan, with leading man Billy Campbell in attendance. I was there, too.



This vintage 1946 shot shows the OTHER El Capitan, just a few blocks away on Vine Street.



Originally known as The Hollywood Playhouse, it was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style by the architectural firm of Gogarty and Weyl. During the Great Depression, the theatre was renamed The WPA Federal Theatre (after the Works Progress Administration), and used for government-sponsored programs. Later, the theatre hosted many CBS Radio Network programs, including Fanny Brice’s “Baby Snooks” show and Lucille Ball’s “My Favorite Husband” program (the precursor to “I Love Lucy”). In the 1940s, it was renamed The El Capitan Theatre, and used for a long-running live burlesque variety show called Ken Murray's Blackouts.



In the 1950s, the theatre became a television studio and it was from a set on its stage that Richard Nixon delivered his famous “Checkers speech” on September 23, 1952. This event is often mistakenly said (especially on the Internet) to have taken place at the other El Capitan. The theater was also home to The Colgate Comedy Hour, the Lawrence Welk Show, and This is Your Life. In 1963, ABC television used the theater for Jerry Lewis’ weekly TV program, and renamed it The Jerry Lewis Theatre. After the cancellation of Lewis’ show, ABC renamed the building the Hollywood Palace and launched The Hollywood Palace, a variety series which had guests such as Judy Garland (below in 1965), Groucho Marx, and Louis Armstrong.



The program was successful and continued for seven years until 1970, after which ABC continued to use the building as a studio for occasional broadcasts. In 1978, ABC sold the theatre to private businessman Dennis Lidtke, who restored it and reopened it four years later with an abridged name, The Palace. It can be seen in the film “Against All Odds.” The punk band The Ramones played their 2263rd and final show here on August 6th 1996. It was recorded for Billboard live for the album We’re Outta Here. The building was purchased by Hollywood Entertainment Partners in September 2002 and renamed The Avalon. Here’s how it currently looks:



A December 2014 shot of the other El Capitan:



See more vintage and contemporary Hollywood photos at my main website.

Stooges Sunday: Micro-Phonies

While their seemingly low-brow physical comedy may not appeal to cinema snobs, The Three Stooges still rank high as a Daveland favorite, especially thanks to the genius of Curly Howard. Today, I pay homage to one of my favorite Stooge shorts, “Micro-Phonies,” released November 15, 1945. Shot in only four days, it was filmed not long after Curly had suffered a stroke.



BEWARE PLOT SPOILERS! The film begins with The Stooges horsing around on the job at a recording studio. Moe hits his head on the radiator and when he comes to, hears “the voice of an angel.” 



The angel is none other than frequent Stooge costar, Christine McIntyre as Alice Andrews. Yes, that is her gorgeous voice trilling away to “Voices of Spring” by Johann Strauss.



She is recording it as a surprise to snag a job without her father knowing. Convoluted, but go with it. Meanwhile, The Stooges get into an altercation with an Italian violin playing grump, Signor Spumoni (Gino Carrado). They escape back into the recording studio and start clowning around at the mic. Larry puts on Alice’s record and Curly begins to lip-sync to it.



Moe and Shemp take the cloth and fruit basket off the piano and adorn Curly while he continues to mime to Alice’s record.



Rich society matron Mrs. Bixby (Symona Boniface, another frequent Stooges costar) “hears” Curly singing and assumes that he/she is the new voice she came to audition for her radio program. She is impressed and whips out the contract for “Senorita Cucaracha” to sign. Mrs. Bixby also invites them to perform at a party she is giving that evening.



Larry and Moe dress up in tuxes, taking on the identities of Signor Mucho and Signor Gusto. In all Stooges comedies, the names of the characters, products, etc. are part of the gag.



Alice and her father (Sam Flint) just happen to be at the same party and she recognizes The Stooges from earlier in the day.



The guests look forward to hearing Senorita Cucaracha. Seated on the couch at left is Bess Flowers, known as the “Queen of the Extras,” who bears the distinction of appearing in the most films nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.



Planning to lip sync again, The Stooges settle on “Sextet from Lucy” (actually Lucia di Lammermoor, by Gaetano Donizetti).



See the guy at the piano?



He’s silent screen comic Chester Conklin, seen below in Charlie Chaplin’s final silent film, “Modern Times” (1936).



Signor Spumoni is also at the party and decides to spoil the fun for The Stooges. He pulls the plug on Mrs. Bixby’s record player.



“What is it,” asks a concerned Mrs. Bixby, “laryngitis?” “No,” replies Moe, “fallen arches.”



Alice confronts the trio and asks them to perform again, but to her voice this time, as she wants to impress her father and Mrs. Bixby without them knowing who it is.



Alice again sings “Voices of Spring” from behind the curtain…



and Senorita Cucaracha lips syncs to the impressed society guests, especially Mrs. Bixby and Alice’s father who bemoans, “If only Alice could sing like that!”



Signor Spumoni figures out what is going on when Alice accidentally hits him through the curtain. He reveals the trickery once again.



Alice ends up getting Mrs. Bixby’s job, but The Stooges get a stack of records tossed at them as they make a hasty retreat. THE END!



Regular readers of my blog will recall the post about Shirley Temple lip syncing to “The Sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor” in “Captain January” nine years before The Stooges did (ably assisted by Guy Kibbee and Slim Summerville). The difference is that Shirley and crew were just having fun; they weren’t attempting to fool anyone.



The ultimate lip-synch gag came in 1952 with “Singin’ in the Rain,” when Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) did the honors for the shrill Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen).



See “Micro-Phonies” for yourself!



See more photos at my main website.