Temple Tuesday: Shirley and Santa

Back in the day, famous stars like Shirley Temple had to do their share of holiday publicity shots. This darling photo from 1934 (before the Twentieth Century as added to Fox!), little Shirley sleeps through Santa’s visit. The stylist for this photo was on point; notice the clock has been set to midnight.



While I was overwhelmed in trying to find out info about the Nativity painting hanging over the mantel, I was able to find the Popeye toy in the stocking on ebay; it’s a J. Chein Popeye Boxing Punching Bag Wind-up Toy. J. Chein & Company was an American toy manufacturer from 1903 through the 1980s, best remembered for their mechanical toys made from stamped and lithographed tin produced from the 1930s—1950s. If you’d like one of these for yourself, there’s currently one on ebay for the bargain price of $1,495!



Couldn’t match the paper doll book either. Am guessing it was one of the many that Saalfield publishers printed.



By 1937, Shirley was old enough to be awake at midnight. Wait! The clock says two-thirty; who was in charge of styling this photo?!? I am surprised that no Shirley dolls are in sight under the tree; I guess 20th Century-Fox was not interested in promoting the Ideal Toy Company.



Shirley’s last Christmas shoot at Fox was in 1939; Santa was relegated to a silhouette, and Shirley was sound asleep!



If you celebrate, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

See more holiday Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Chateau Christmas

The Lafayette Hotel in San Diego isn’t the only Daveland favorite place to get decked out for the holidays; the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood has tastefully put the red and green into their hallowed halls. When you enter this legendary landmark, you are greeted by poinsettias and wreaths.



Best looking poinsettias I have seen this season!



The entryway elevators just need a touch of mistletoe to complete the picture!



“Live” garland has been strewn around the stairwell rails. This must be hell to clean up!



The lobby desk:



In the lobby display, green surrounds the art and merchandise that will cost you some green to acquire:



In the bar/dining room area, more greenery:



The Christmas tree in the lobby restaurant which is my favorite place in the entire hotel:



The pool had its share of wreaths and poinsettias, too:



I dare you to find some that look better than these:



For brunch after my swim, the fluffy pancakes (which are truly fluffy, not just marketing speak) were accompanied by Meyer lemon butter. Off the charts sensational (note the famous Chateau bacon surrounding the plate).



See more Chateau Marmont photos at my main website.

Christmas at the Lafayette

At Thanksgiving, I saw the Lafayette install a sleigh and reindeer on top of their sign out front of the Hotel. I incorrectly assumed that they were doing a token nod to Christmas.



I couldn’t have been more wrong. Going back for an early breakfast at Beginner’s Diner this weekend, it appeared as if I was at the North Pole! This incredible gingerbread house (patterned after the historic hotel itself) sits inside the entrance:



The lobby was adorned with ornaments and garland. Too much? Well, it is the Lafayette, and their theme does appear to be “more is more.” It works.



This empty little area that sits to the side of the lobby is normally empty and a bit sad looking, devoid of purpose.



Now, it appears to be the perfect place for a visit to Santa; or maybe just a Christmas selfie. I didn’t see any signage about appearances by Mr. Claus.



On the right side of this nook are a variety of vintage Christmas albums; do you see any that you recognize from days gone by?



Another selfie opportunity awaits in the courtyard outside the Gutter bowling alley and bar:



Inside the trophy case sits Santa; do you see your name? Looks like Steve has nothing but coal in his future.



The lobby bar has trees, too…HANGING FROM THE CEILING!



Garland has been strewn across the Olympic-sized Johnny Weissmuller pool:



There are nods to the Jewish faith as well, near the pool:



…and on the lobby mantel:



If you’re in the San Diego area over the holidays, be sure to stop by the Lafayette!

See more Lafayette Hotel and Club photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley at the Holidays

I started this post when it was still Tuesday, so I'm keeping the title, dagnabbit! Here is a presentation of Shirley Temple Christmas photos to kick you all into the holiday spirit, starting off with a still from “Bright Eyes” (1934). Shirley’s character is ready for her Christmas party and all her aviator buddies are on hand with lots of gifts for her.



These two images are from 1935 and show her dressed as Santa. One of the most famous and oft-told Shirley quotes has to do with Father Christmas:

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.



A color shot of her wearing a velvet coat from “Heidi” (1937):



In “Heidi,” Shirley leads the singing of “Silent Night” with her friend Klara (Marcia Mae Jones) and Klara’s father, Herr Sesemann (Sidney Blackmer):



Who could resist giving to the Salvation Army when Shirley is ringing the bell?



Shirley puts the finishing touches on a very tall snowman!



On Christmas Eve, 1939, Shirley did a radio broadcast on CBS of “The Blue Bird.” Is that a mistletoe corsage?!?



For this 1939 publicity still, Shirley appears to be giving a sermon:



In the same 1939 Christmas series, Shirley comes down the stairs to discover the wonders of what might be under her tree:





In this 1941 photo, Shirley is shown celebrating Christmas at her Rockingham home:



I hope you enjoyed this chronological assortment of Shirley Christmas images. See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

That’s What I Want For Christmas

This is definitely a different holiday season than those experienced in years past. Many are separated from family members and friends because of the pandemic. Today’s post shows photos from my first white Christmas, circa 1966. My brothers wore a different kind of mask back then. Mom bundled us up like the Michelin Man so that we could brave the cold weather that our San Diego family had not yet grown accustomed to.

I’m not sure which department store this was, but most likely it was Wanamaker’s or Gimbels.

So many details to look at here! In the background is a brand new sled, which would not have been practical for us when we lived in San Diego. For Philadelphia and the hill in our backyard: perfect! I still remember that game, Bop the Beetle; if you weren’t careful, the mouth would clamp down hard on your hand. Ouch!

My Fisher-Price school bus is in the foreground. I put a lot of miles on that toy! In the background is the Hot Wheels racetrack that we were also given that year.

It’s now been a year since I have been able to see my mom in person; she’s still on the East Coast. My Christmas wish this year is that things clear so that we can all travel to those that we care about. While Zoom and other programs provide a virtual connection, nothing replaces a hug or an in-person visit.

My Christmas portrait with Willis from last year.

While I know that some of my readers don’t celebrate Christmas, I still hope that they can enjoy the spirit of the season, which is universal no matter what religion you do or don’t subscribe to. Let’s be grateful for blessings, be kind to others, and do our best to spend time with those that we care about (whether in-person or virtually). This once-a-year reminder is a good start to what we all hope is a better year. I will leave you with one of my favorite holiday songs, “Ave Maria,” sung by the incomparable Karen Carpenter. Yes, I love her voice and I’m a geek. Deal with it.

See more Daveland photos at my main website.