Shirley On The Town

A few vintage shots of Shirley Temple "on the town," beginning with one of her attending the September 1948 premiere of "Johnny Belinda" with her first husband, John Agar. According to the publicity blurb, they went to Ciro's afterwards.



Here's a previously posted interior shot of Ciro's with Ava Gardner and Howard Duff:



Back to Shirley! This 1957 photo was taken by Darlene Hammond in Hollywood and shows Shirley out with husband #2, Charles Black. She was not shy about telling people that he was the "right" one. Looks like they are attending a show; just not sure which one.



More Shirley at my main website.

Hooray for Hollywood: Pt. 3, Ciro's

Continuing with my tribute to the nostalgic novels written by Martin Turnbull set in Hollywood, today's post shows a few views of the Bullock's Wilshire Tea Room. One of Martin's websites features an A-Z list of famous Hollywood hangouts, including this description of the Bullock's Tea Room:

Opened January 30, 1940 by Billy Wilkerson (who also owned the Trocadero) on the site of the old Club Saville at 8433 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip. Much like the Trocadero, Ciro’s really put itself out for its film business clientele; publicists arranging photo op dates could count on a good table and just the right light. Like the other smart clubs on the Strip (and the speakeasies and gambling parlors before them, Ciro’s attracted the local gangster crowd, star gangsters like Tony Cornero, who owned the gambling ships anchored off of Santa Monica beach, Bugsy Siegel, and Mickey Cohen.

Here Shirley Temple cuts a rug with Rock Hudson's agent, Henry Willson, at Ciro's, with Bob Hope visible in the background, March 1945:



Ciro’s had the longest run of any of the old clubs; its original life (it closed in 1957) plus another 20 or more years as the Comedy Store. It’s not all laughs at the Store, though. According to a number of people who worked at the Store in the late 1980′s and early 1990′s, parts of the building are home to some rather unusual guys. Employees at the club have reported seeing a group of ghosts in the backstage areas. These ghosts are all men, dressed in the height of 1940′s high new-money style: wide lapels, loud ties, French-cuffed shirts and shiny wingtips. They hover in the back rooms in the early hours of the morning, after the club has closed. There are rumors that a local ‘banger, allegedly Mickey Cohen, arranged a hit on some rivals after- hours at Ciro’s. If this is true, then the shades of ‘bangers past are still very much at home.

Here are Ava Gardner and Howard Duff enjoying an evening at Ciro's:



How about a look at that Wine List; see anything you'd like?



See more vintage & current Hollywood photos from my collection on my main website.

Screen Gem Saturdays: Lily Munster, Eliot Ness, and Hollywood Nightclubs

Best known as Lily Munster, Yvonne DeCarlo was actually a great beauty with a respectable movie career behind her before she ever filmed the TV classic, “The Munsters.”

Here are two vintage shots of a date between Yvonne DeCarlo & Robert Stack (known as Eliot Ness in the TV series "The Untouchables"). What a handsome couple they made. According to Yvonne’s autobiography, the two actually dated for awhile.



I love the “back off bitch!” look that Yvonne shoots the Philip Morris cigarette girl. In shot #2, they laugh about how Yvonne has just put the poor cigarette girl in her place—or at least that’s what I think.



Once a glamorous nightclub at 8433 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, Ciro’s was where all the movie stars used to hang out. Since 1972, it has been The Comedy Store. In this vintage image, Ava Gardner and Howard Duff enjoy an evening out together, back in the day when stars dressed up to go out.



Another favorite nightspot of the stars was The Cocoanut Grove, located inside the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Sadly, this historic landmark was torn down recently.



For “Regions Beyond,” here’s a color closeup of the area requested from yesterday’s post:



To see more Hollywood photos, visit my main website.