Temple Tuesday: Shirley and Bob Baker

When I first acquired the image above, I “assumed” it had something to do with “Shirley Temple’s Storybook,” the 1950s television series narrated (and sometimes starring) Shirley herself. Upon further examination, I realized the puppets didn’t match any of the episodes from that show. Frequent readers know the next step…contact Rita Dubas, Shirley expert supreme! It didn’t take long for Rita to send multiple articles clearing up the mystery that this was from an episode of the NBC Chevy (as in Chevrolet) Show, which aired March 1, 1959.

Broadcast in color from 9–10pm, here’s the description of the show:

Dinah Shore turns the Chevy Show over to four people while she vacations. Shirley Temple, Art Carney, Alfred Drake and Janis Paige take a tour through comic-strip land as the gimmick of the night. Daddy Warbucks and Orphan Annie, Harold Teen, Prince Valiant, Peanuts, Barney Google, Alley Oop and Buster Brown are among the characters involved. Songs include “How High the Moon” and “My Heart Belongs to Daddy.”

The Steve Allen Show was the lead-in; not bad, but not as good as having Ed Sullivan, which was broadcast over on CBS. From another online source:

After Art Carney, Shirley Temple, Alfred Drake, and Janis Paige sing "Just Like That," each solos to "How High the Moon" in his or her own fashion. There's a take-off on westerns by Carney and Drake, and a comic-strip sequence by the whole cast.

The Oakland Tribune’s review the next day had this to say:

THE CHEVY SHOW last night was one of a whole flock of “specials” Art Carney has just signed to appear in. In coming months his face will be as familiar as Arthur Godfrey’s on TV. Last night’s show was a happy field trip through the comic pages of U.S. newspapers taken by Carney, Shirley Temple, Alfred Drake and Janis Paige. Carney played Daddy Warbucks in one sketch and Shirley Temple was Little Orphan Annie, but she wasn’t very realistic. Her eyes were dotted.

Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) supplied this download from her files, showing Art Carney as Daddy Warbucks and Shirley as Little Orphan Annie:



From The Independent in Richmond, CA:

This variety program had everything from slapstick comedy to serious singing, topped by a spoof at the comic strips that was not only entertaining, but was at the same time a technical marvel.…Miss Paige carried the heaviest part of the comic strip number and it came off as does anything Miss Paige does—very well.…Miss Temple was along for the ride, is pretty, had charm and obviously will travel. If NBC can keep coming up with productions of this caliber, it bodes well for the rating future of the network, and for the long-suffering audience.

Another listing about the show Rita sent said, “There’s Shirley Temple doing “Shim Sham” the way Bill Robinson taught her in her “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.” Although it appears that the episode no longer exists, one Shirley Temple fan snapped this photo off the TV when it was originally broadcast!



Another image in my collection shows puppeteers Alton Wood and Bob Baker laboring above Shirley:





This closeup of Shirley is similar but slightly different from the first photo in this post. Yes, I obsess over these details.



Unfortunately, I don’t know what part these marionettes played in the final episode, but these sure are great photos! I found another Bob Baker and Shirley connection at the LA Magazine website from Baker’s 2014 obituary:

Bob Baker’s world was intertwined with the icons of 20th century popular culture, from his performances in the films of Elvis Presley and Judy Garland, to puppeteering for Steven Spielberg. A handshake deal with Walt Disney in the 1950s led to his marionettes being sold at Disneyland. I've known Bob for years, and anytime I had a question about everyday life in Los Angeles from the jazz age forward, I’d call Bob. Every time I needed to know what was once on the corner of so-and-so and such-and-such street, I’d call Bob. He was always there to help me paint a picture of old Los Angeles because he was old Los Angeles. He worked at Bullocks Wilshire, he entertained at Shirley Temple’s birthday party, and he knew where all the good downtown loft parties were held – during WWII! He was a tremendous resource and a good friend.

From The Bob Baker website, here’s some background on Bob and Alton:

In 1930, Bob Baker saw his first puppet show in his native Los Angeles and shortly thereafter established his own “Petit Theatre” in the backyard of his home on New Hampshire Avenue.



By age eight, Bob had trained with several different Los Angeles-based companies before giving his first professional performance for legendary Hollywood director Mervyn Leroy. While attending Hollywood High School, Bob began manufacturing toy marionettes that sold both in Europe and the United States. Following graduation, he began an apprenticeship at George Pal Animation Studios that resulted in a promotion to head animator of Puppetoons, a landmark studio that produced animated stop-motion puppet films.



In 1963, Bob Baker and partner Alton Wood transformed a run-down scenic shop near downtown Los Angeles into a family entertainment institution: Bob Baker Marionette Theater. Named an official Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2009, the Theater has served over ONE MILLION children with original shows ranging from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker to a musical journey through the history of Los Angeles. After Bob’s passing in 2014 at the age of 90, the puppeteers and staff had to transition to being the stewards of both the past and the future of Bob’s beloved Theater. Each box that was packed and moved from our historic home at 1345 W. 1st Street to our new Theater in Highland Park carried a story of a puppeteer or fabricator who had contributed to the fabric of the Theater. From Morton Haack to John Leland, Tina Gainsboro to Ursula Heine… our Theater family numbers in the hundreds, if not thousands.

If you’re a Bob Baker fan, visit The Bob Baker Marionette Theatre in Los Angeles, which has plenty of events.

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Monticello Monday

In honor of the recent July 4th holiday, I am posting then (July 1954) and “now” (August 2017) shots of Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd U.S. President. The biggest difference from the above and below shots would be what appears to be a very heavy thinning of the landscape. When I visited in 2017, obviously many of the trees surrounding the home had been removed.



Back to July 1954, with another shot of the home that Jefferson designed himself:



The whites seemed whiter in 1954 vs. 2017, and there appears to have been a different color palette applied to the dome.



I have no corresponding shot for this, which shows the walkway to the side of the house:



A detailed view of the cistern:



Where the tour from July1954 must have begun:





How that side of the house looked in August 2017; again, fewer trees and I am assuming that the whiter-whites in 1954 were not considered historically accurate.



Our 1954 tour group pays a visit to the Ice House:





This 1954 shot of the breezeway along Mulberry Row shows what appears to be a replica of the Liberty Bell:



Complete with crack (the legal kind!). I don’t recall seeing this when I visited in 2017. It must either be in storage or moved elsewhere.



Another shot along Mulberry Row:



The corresponding view from August 2017:



1954 guests look inside the kitchen and read the signage outside:



The inside of the kitchen from 2017:



I have no idea what this building is; if it was there in 2017, I either missed it or it had been removed.






Jefferson died on July 4, 1826; John Adams, the 2nd President of the U.S., outlived him by a few hours, despite his final words being, “Thomas Jefferson survives.”

See more Monticello photos at my main website.

Little Frenchie Bistro

Little Frenchie Bistro on Coronado Island had been on my bucket list for at least a year. Finally, I gave it a try…and have been back three additional times!



Located on Orange Avenue, the main drag of Coronado Island, it is an adorable bistro that is about as close to a Parisian café that you will find in San Diego. Good food, service, and atmosphere. A triple threat.



Warning: while you may want to try everything on the menu, you should pace yourself. I over-indulged on my first visit, which taught me to taper my choices upon my return. The Parisian Hot Chocolate with Valrhona chocolate is rich beyond compare. The swirled concoction on the left is not soft-serve ice cream for breakfast; it was freshly whipped chantilly cream to go along with the beverage. There are no words.



The pastry basket is the perfect starter for any meal. Fresh-baked cheese danish, butter croissant, and chocolate croissant. Advice: split each one!



If you like sweet, the Nutella Crepe is an excellent choice, with strawberry, banana, toasted almonds, and powdered sugar.



If it’s savory you crave, I recommend the Croque Monsieur (not pictured) paired with the Jardin Salad (below):



The Bruléed French Toast is out of this world, too. Not as heavy as you might think, it was delicious!



I would definitely recommend a reservation; this place fills up fast, even with the outdoor seating!

See more Coronado Island photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Behind the Scenes, SYWA

A teenage Shirley Temple made a comeback of sorts with the 1944 prestige picture, “Since You Went Away” (hereafter referred to as “SYWA”), produced by David Selznick. Like his blockbuster hit of 1939, “Gone with the Wind,” the theme of “SYWA” was about how war affected those at home; no battles were shown in either movie, other than the personal struggles felt by its characters. Unlike its predecessor, “SYWA” was more of a lowkey picture, lacking the driving core of the romance between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. Regardless, “SYWA” is an amazing snapshot of World War II and the brave women who made a difference on the homefront. Shirley played Brig Hilton, the daughter of the female lead, Claudette Colbert, and sister of Jennifer Jones. The three were the heart of the story, which begins as the unseen father leaves to join the war effort. Above, Shirley is pictured with Monty Woolley, who plays a boarder of the Hilton family, thus helping them make ends meet without the father’s regular salary. One of the early scenes in the picture has frenemies Agnes Moorehead and Colbert meeting up for a drink, where they run into family friend Lieutenant Willett (Joseph Cotten).



While most people don’t think about the set design when watching a picture, I completely geek out on it, especially if it’s not done on location. What props did the set department choose to use? Does it feel authentic? What was the inspiration? Below is the set for the cocktail lounge where the three are hanging out. Imagine creating all that atmosphere for only a few minutes of celluloid and then having it torn apart, destroyed, or re-used in another film.



In this scene, Colbert, Temple, and Jones gather in the master bedroom after the father has gone to support the war effort.



A shot of the set from the Huntington Collection:



Another angle of the room from my collection:



A number of family photos are shown on the mantle and dresser:



A closeup shows a childhood photo of Shirley and one of Jennifer Jones:



Interestingly enough, in the Huntington shot, Shirley is nowhere to be found. Instead, there is a small picture of actor Neil Hamilton on the left.



A screenshot from the movie, showing Claudette looking longingly at photos of her character’s husband, portrayed by Neil Hamilton.



A detailed view from my photo of the set:



Hamilton is probably best known as Commissioner Gordon from “Batman” (1966), also the father of Batgirl (Yvonne Craig).



Back to Shirley! Here’s another copy of the photo that was used in the movie and placed on the mantle for the final set design:



This photo session was for “Little Miss Broadway” (1938), and like most publicity shoots, there were plenty of alternate poses taken!









One of the shots even made it on a magazine cover, circa December 1938:



Also from the Huntington collection is this color test shot taken of the living room set:



In a few scenes, Colbert can be seen leaning outside the upstairs bedroom window.



Thanks to movie magic, partial set design, and matte paintings, only this portion of the window was built. Not sure who is leaning out the window, but it definitely is not Claudette!



How the exterior of the house looked in the movie, thanks to a partial set built which was combined with a matte painting:



For the final shot of the film, a miniature set was used and footage of the three women hugging was combined with the model:



Here’s a view of the gargantuan set created for the dance at the hangar:



Combined with a matte painting for the top portion, it truly was impressive.



A production shot of the hangar dance scene. Director John Cromwell can be seen in the upper right corner with the camera crew:



Dancers from the hangar scene, Elsie Peritz and Jack Arkin were captured in these five publicity shots doing some impressive jitterbug moves!











I can’t verify this, but my gut feeling is that the bowling alley scene with Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones was shot at a real bowling alley. If so, I would love to know which one was used and what happened to it.



The premiere of the film was held on July 17, 1944 at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Hollywood:



Demolished in 1969, it was reborn in a slightly smaller scale at Anaheim’s Disney California Adventure theme park:



Back to the premiere: shown below are the arrival of Lt. Commander Joel Pressman, Colbert, Captain Don Wilcox, and Commander Michael Sanchez:



Shirley went to the premiere with then boyfriend Private Andy Hotchkiss. Naturally, her parents followed right behind her.





The entire happy foursome. Hotch is probably whispering, “When can we ditch Mom and Pop?”



Another shot of the theatre the night of the premiere:



A closeup of the marquee:



From the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, July 17, 1944:

CELEBRITY THRONGS TO ATTEND PREMIERE

Set off by possibly the most distinguished guest list of stars that ever attended a world premiere, David O. Selznick’s “Since You Went Away” will be shown in a trade and press screening tonight at Carthay Circle Theater with bands playing and searchlights flashing the skies. “Since You Went Away,” which cost more than $3,000,000 to produce, is a picture of unusual interest to the motion picture industry, as well as to the fans, since it is Mr. Selznick’s first offering in four years. It is a war picture without battles, about America today. His most recent pictures were “Gone with the Wind” and “Rebecca.” Among the stars who will attend are: Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Monty Woolley, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Walker, Frank Sinatra, Mary Astor, Fred Astaire, Charles Boyer, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Durante, Deanna Durbin, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Hedy Lamarr, Adolphe Menjou, Burgess Meredith, Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, Gene Tierney, Jane Withers, and Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hitchcock.

After the premiere, the headlines proclaimed: “Selznick Triumphs Again”

The Alameda Times reported this bit of sad news in connection to the premiere on July 19:

Film Actor Faces Leg Amputation

Film Actor Ward Bond, facing possible amputation of a leg injured in a traffic accident Monday night, today was being treated with the wonder drug penicillin. “If we save his leg it will be only by a miracle,” his physician, Dr. John C. Wilson, said. Bond, struck by an automobile shortly after leaving the Hollywood premiere of “Since You Went Away,” was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital after treatment at an emergency hospital. The driver of the car was not held. The former University of Southern California football star’s leg was almost severed in the accident, hospital attendants reported.

The result can be found over on imdb.com:

On July 17, 1944, Bond was leaving the Hollywood premiere of Since You Went Away (1944) and was attempting to cross the street when he was struck by an auto. His left leg was so severely fractured that physicians wanted to amputate, but Bond refused to allow it, and although it took several months, Bond recovered. He limped in his next few films, and was still recovering, using a cane, when he served as best man at the wedding of John Wayne to his second wife in January 1946. The driver, a retired cosmetics manufacturer, was fined $25 for speeding but was not charged with failing to yield right of way to a pedestrian. In 1945, Bond was awarded $50,000 at a civil trial.

Bond would costar with Shirley in 1948’s “Fort Apache”:



And that’s the end of today’s rabbit hole!

See more "Since You Went Away" photos at my main website.