Temple Tuesday: Roman Holiday

“Roman Holiday,” the Audrey Hepburn/Gregory Peck classic, had its world premiere in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on August 27, 1953, followed by the Los Angeles opening on September 30.



A special premiere was held on September 14, with the proceeds going to the Santa Monica Hospital’s building fund. It was appropriate for Shirley to attend (with her handsome husband Charles) as she was born there in 1928:



The Los Angeles Times announced on the morning of the premiere:

A charity premiere of the film “Roman Holiday” will be held tonight at the Village Theater in Westwood with funds from ticket sales and donations expected to add $75,000 to the Santa Monica Hospital’s building fund. The hospital is planning a new wing in a $1,000,000 expansion program. The institution is a voluntary, nonprofit organization and is the only emergency service for a large portion of West Los Angeles and the beach area. The film costars Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn and was contributed for showing by Paramount studios at the theater by Charles P. Skouras, head of National Theaters. Voluntary contributions for the epansion already have netted $325,000 and $600,000 has been donated by the Lutheran Hospital Society of Southern California, according to actress Esther Williams, general chairman.



Audrey’s arrival, surrounded by music legends Cole Porter and Irving Berlin:



Shirley and Charles arrive:



The theater seen in the background of both photos is The Bruin, which I photographed in 1986:



The premiere was held at the nearby Fox Westwood Village:



How it looked, Summer 1989:



It is wonderful to see the love in Charles’ eyes as he proudly looks at his gorgeous wife:



In their seats for the screening:





On the back of the three photos in my collection of Shirley and Charles at the back is stamped the name and address of Darlene Hammond:



This is what I was able to dig up about who she was when I found a Bonham's auction of her photos:

From the 1950s through the early 1980s, there was rarely a Hollywood event at which photographer Darlene Hammond was not present, capturing the glamorous yet candid moments of the Golden Age of Hollywood and witnessing with her lens the changes that took over Hollywood in the late 1960s and beyond. A woman ahead of her time, Darlene was one of the few female photographers during these formative years in the film industry. Darlene's work appeared in national magazines such as Life, People, The National Enquirer, and in hundreds of movie magazines from the 1950s through the '70s. Her ability to catch just the right moments in both the private and public lives of her celebrity subjects, which included Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, and every other major star of the Golden Age, makes Darlene Hammond's photographs some of the most unique and vibrant in Hollywood history.

In 2017, Christie's auction house sold a number of shots from the premiere that were from Audrey Hepburn’s personal collection:







Another shot of Audrey with Porter and Berlin. In the background is a poster for James Stewart’s film, “Thunder Bay,” which had been released a few months before on May 20.



How did the event go? According to the Evening Vanguard:

Hundreds upon hundreds had a real “Roman Holiday” Monday night when they attended a gala benefit premiere of the picture in Westwood…Among the first nighters were cute Audrey Hepburn, who plays the lead in the film with Gregory Peck…She made a personal appearance…Leo Carrillo and Duncan Renaldo were there in their Pancho and Cisco costumes…Had just come in from working on the Cisco films…MGM’s Esther Williams was chairman of the show and presented silver spoons to five proud papas who became fathers of wee ones (they were all girls) at S. M. Hospital that day…Then an added celebration…Every man in the theater (thousands of them) got a cigar with the familiar band “it’s a girl”…It was a big night…Searchlights, red carpets, grandstands and a welcoming committee of dinner-jacketed men were on hand to greet the first nighters…The theater was jammed…

Also in attendance were Jan Sterling, Paul Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Debbie Reynolds, Gene Barry, Macdonald Carey, Wendell Corey, Ann Miller, Ann Robinson, Mercedes McCambridge, Rex Allen, Anne Francis, Terry Moore and Keenan Wynn.

 See more Shirley Temple Black photos at my main website.

Disneyland Transportation Cutbacks: Frontierland

Here begins a series on the transportation reduction at Disneyland, starting with the Frontierland area (dry land only for today!). This is not necessarily about attractions that have been cut, but rather modes of transportation that once took guests from point A to point B, OR those that gave guests a tour or glimpse of the Park. In 1956, gigantic maps were sprinkled throughout Disneyland, highlighting the attractions that could be found. This one was in Frontierland. Zooming in, you can see the various modes of transportation that could be found there.



The original entrance for the Stage Coaches/Wagons/Pack Mules, circa September 1955:



The below image shows the upgraded entrance and ticket window structure for the Rainbow Desert Stage Coaches:



Guests could buy tickets here for Conestoga (covered) Wagons, a Stage Coach (also referred in some Disney publications as “Concord Stagecoach”), and the Pack Mules.



Only 50¢? What a value! Or a ‘B’ ticket if you prefer!



Another view of the entrance area, from February 1959:



A 1956 brochure shows you could choose between buggy rides, buckboard rides, conestoga wagon rides, mule pack ride, stage coach ride, surrey ride, and yellowstone coach ride.



The 1958 guide book only listed Conestoga (Covered Wagon) Ride, Stagecoach Ride, Mine Train, and Mule Pack Rides.



Here are photos that show each of these vehicles in action, beginning with the Stage Coach (or Stagecoach, depending upon which publicity piece you read!):



This is a different style of Stagecoach that was also offered, numbered 4:



Number 5:



Number 6:



A buckboard:



A Conestoga Wagon:



The Yellowstone Coach photo is a pre-opening shot. Perhaps Walt intended these to take guests around Frontierland; instead, they joined the other wagons and coaches on the Nature's Wonderland trail.



A color shot from 1959 of the Yellowstone:



A lineup of the vehicles, July 27, 1955:



Guests could ride either shotgun (on top with the driver) or inside of the coach itself (and learn what a sardine feels like!). Both the Stagecoaches and Wagons shared the same route through Frontierland, which included Coyote Rock, Elephant Rock, Inscription Rock, Horse Thief Canyon, Dead Man’s Spring, Natural Bridge, and Indian Territory. A December 1955 newspaper ad for Frontierland stated:

You will ride the Conestoga Wagon in Frontierland—one of the most picturesque and vital vehicles in history. It was the Conestoga, not the Covered Wagon, that developed the West. The great wagons were first built in the Conestoga Valley of Pennsylvania, with water tight bottoms that permitted safe crossing of rivers. You will also ride authentic stage coaches, pack trains, and buckboards in this remarkable re-creation of the old West.

After new scenic landscaping was added, the Stagecoaches were renamed the Rainbow Mountain Stage Coaches in 1956. Unfortunately, the Stagecoaches were prone to tipping over (which shook up the Pack Mules; talk about a chain reaction!).



Breakaway harnesses didn’t solve the problem; instead they caused guests to sometimes be stranded while the horses proceeded on the journey without them.

Although apparently intended for Frontierland, the Surreys were found on Main Street instead, as seen in this August 1955 image:



…and March 1956:



…and April 1963, below. Based on photos in my collection, it seems like they were removed from the rotation of Main Street vehicles after 1965.



They were on display at the Big Thunder Ranch, but of course disappeared when Star Wars took over that area. Hopefully they are being taken care of behind-the-scenes!



The Pack Mules were a popular attraction, lasting in Frontierland until October 1973. Note the weight limit of 195 pounds. Better skip that extra churro!





In this image, you can see the mules passing alongside a stagecoach:



Yes, the Mine Train was part of an attraction, Nature's Wonderland, but I would classify it as transportation. It provided guests a grand tour of the sites of Frontierland, as well as the Rivers of America.

And what’s left of all these amazing transportation modes today? Zip. Zilch. Zero. None of them operate in the Park on a regular basis anymore. At special events, some of the vehicles are trotted out for photo ops, but that’s about it. Big Thunder Mountain replaced Nature’s Wonderland in 1979. Functioning solely as a thrill ride, BTMRR lasts for a fraction of the time that its predecessor did.

Low guest capacity and high overhead were the reasons given for why all the coaches were eliminated. The last journey of the Stagecoach and the Conestoga Wagons is debatable; in the Nickel Tour book, two dates are given: September 13, 1959 and February 10, 1960. The Pack Mules were removed as the times changed, and having to rely on unpredictable animals was something the Disney Corporation did not want to have to deal with.

Frontierland lost its zip when all of these rides were removed, becoming a lot more predictable and bland.

See more Frontierland transportation photos at my main website.

Trojans in the Park!

January 1963, and the USC band is playing in Town Square. Victorious from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, it would appear that they were given the honor of a concert at the entrance to the Park, still decorated for the 1962 Christmas season.



Over near City Hall, the former Disney Police Department has been stripped of its name with a blank sign above the door.



The Tour Guides were not allowed to take over this building yet; instead, they had to make do with the little gingerbread booth on the right of the detailed image below. Note that the light posts in front have been painted all black. How gloomy!



That was the easiest way to cover up the original white lettering that alerted guests that “the fuzz” could be found inside:



At some point between January 1963 and April 1965 (the photo below), the Guided Tour letters finally gave a designation to this Town Square building.



See more Disneyland Town Square photos at my main website.