Temple Tuesday: Evolution of a Pin

For the design of the annual Shirley’s Army pin, Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) settled on the March of Dimes (MOD) as the charity of choice for this year’s fundraiser. A crappy micro-sized photo of Shirley promoting the MOD accompanied her request for me to design the pin. When I asked if she had something other than her download from Worth(less)point, she replied, “Any photo of her wearing that coat from ‘Little Miss Broadway’ will do.” She must have been tipsy or drowsy, as she knows very well that for someone with OCD for accuracy, “any photo” for reference just wouldn’t do. As it happens, in my vast collection of Shirley photos, I had a November 21, 1938 shot of Shirley receiving roses and a ribbon in honor of being named the Grand Marshal for the upcoming 1939 Tournament of Roses parade. Another shot, taken at the same time, shows her holding up what I “assumed” to be a ring commemorating the same thing.



Never assume…we all know what happens when you do that. Looking for answers, I reached out to Shirley expert supreme, Rita Dubas. Her kindness and generosity in the Shirley world are unmatched. It wasn’t long before I had a plethora of photos AND (accurate) information! It appears Shirley did publicity shots for the Rose Parade AND March of Dimes on the same day, outside her 20th Century-Fox Bungalow. Note the pack of Camels littering the ground. I’m sure Shirley picked the box up and disposed of it properly after this shot was taken!



There was the photo from my collection, used in a vintage ad encouraging people to donate to MOD, with a picture of the button they would receive as a result:



Rita found a vintage MOD button on Worth(less)point; here’s my cleaned up version:



A vintage cartoon of Shirley promoting MOD:



A vintage Mercury dime from the time period (FDR did not grace the dime until after his 1945 death):



Rita also sent these great shots of Robert Ripley (of “Believe it or not” fame) exchanging his dime for a button, in between takes of “The Little Princess.” The two are standing outside her portable studio trailer.



A closeup of the exchange:



Ripley is a proud wearer of his March of Dimes button!



The corresponding close-up:



This vintage interview with Shirley’s mother provides some background on the very real fears that existed as a result of infantile paralysis at the time:

Child Star’s Mother Backs Infantile Paralysis Drive

All mothers of children, rich or poor, famous or unknown, feel the same about infantile paralysis — helpless to ward off its attack, anxious to help those who are unfortunate enough to fall under its blighting shadow. This is the belief of Mrs. Gertrude Temple, mother of the most celebrated little girl in the United States today: Shirley Temple. Mrs. Temple, writing to Keith Morgan, New York City, chairman of the committee for the celebration of the President’s birthday, through whom the 1939 campaign for funds for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis will be launched on January 16, declared:

“To every parent infantile paralysis is a constant fear, for we never know when it may lay its dreaded hand upon our own homes. For that reason,” Mrs. Temple continued, “I have always felt a personal interest in the infantile paralysis drive. I believe that every parent and grown-up should be made to feel how vitally important it is to do everything possible to help the success of the infantile paralysis campaign.”

When the campaign opens January 16, Shirley Temple will be one of the first to wear the March of Dimes button signifying participation in the campaign, as the little motion picture star is an ardent solicitor for all good causes.

The one last piece of research I wanted to do was to figure out what dress Shirley was wearing underneath her coat. Since I typically design the Shirley’s Army pins in color, I wanted to be accurate! I first “assumed” from glancing at the source photo that Shirley was wearing this green smocked dress from “Just Around the Corner.”



The first proof I sent to Melissa to make sure I was on the right track:



A resounding “yes” followed! The next proof:


Although I was happy overall, I felt the mercury dime in the background made the pin a bit busy looking. I consulted Rita and as per usual, her design advice was spot-on. She also pointed out that the outfit Shirley was wearing under the coat was THIS one from “Just Around the Corner”:



I enlarged the photo from my collection and used it for a guide:



Two more proofs followed; the first one was way too busy…




but the second one was JUUUUUUUST right!




Rita created this video on Shirley and her MOD efforts — it’s a must-watch!



Here’s MY request: purchase a Shirley’s Army pin today by emailing Melissa for details!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Leading Men and the Couch

In this publicity shot from 1939, Shirley is shown in her 20th Century-Fox bungalow with her future costar, Martin Good Rider. From the accompanying blurb:

HOLLYWOOD, JAN. 26 — SHIRLEY GETS HER FIRST LEADING MAN - Shirley Temple gets her first leading man in her screen career in her new picture (Susannah of the Mounties). He’s 13-year-old Martin Goodrider, full-blooded Blackfoot Indian boy. Shirley and Martin are shown after their first meeting at Miss Temple’s dressing room in a studio here.

As so often happens with publicity stories, this one is not entirely true. Just a year before, Shirley had her first on-screen romantic pairing with Bennie Bartlett in “Just Around the Corner.” Shirley’s character uses her womanly wiles to get the young boy to cut off his curls and adopt a more sophisticated hairdo. Ah, young love. No, I don’t count the “Baby Burlesks” as far as a “leading man” for Shirley goes. At the tender age of four, that ventures into “ick” territory.



Always looking at the details, I noticed the fabric on the couch that Shirley and Martin are sitting in. I immediately contacted Melissa, aka “The Colonel” for the 411. She filled in the deets on the decor for Shirley’s Fox Bungalow, where the young girl held court for a plethora of celebrities, dignitaries, and politicians. “The wallpaper in the living/reception room was originally ivory with a conventional tree design in jade green,” Melissa told me. “The couch was described as a ‘small davenport upholstered in linen printed in bright colors with a kindergarten design.’” The couch print looks like it was inspired by the buildings in Colonial Williamsburg, which had finished restoration in the late 1920s.



Of course “The Colonel” had more! “At some point between April and September 1936, the kindergarten print couch was reupholstered in a striped velvet fabric - the wallpaper remained the same.” The striped couch is visible in the corner of the photo below:



“Both the living/reception room and schoolroom were updated some time in 1937, possibly when the Temples were vacationing in Hawaii. The living room wallpaper was changed to the leaf pattern seen below in the image with J. Edgar Hoover, as well as the first image with Good Rider. The couch was redone a third time (flowers and bow pattern). The curtains in that room were changed as was the lamp.”



And there you have it; yet another Shirley rabbit hole to enjoy! See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple's Turkeys

Temple Tuesday is two days late, but these photos go perfectly with today’s celebration of Thanksgiving. Whether you get riled up about the origins of the celebration or not, EVERYONE would benefit from slowing down and taking at least one day to focus on what they can be thankful for. Just getting the disclaimer out of the way first, folks, cause that’s how I operate.

Photo #1 is from 1935 and shows Shirley in the duds that she wore during the orphanage sequences from “Curly Top.” Even though the film was shot from May 25, 1935 through July 10, 1935, the publicity department was thinking ahead by shooting photos that could be used during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. From the accompanying (now) gruesome caption:

“You eat now, and I’ll eat Thanksgiving Day,” seems to be the idea Shirley Temple, little Fox Film star, has as she watches one of her turkeys go after the corn supply.



One of Shirley’s semi-notorious stories from her childhood film career took place during the filming of “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.” Early in the film, Rebecca (Shirley) goes to visit neighbor Tony Kent (Randolph Scott). Her cousin Gwen (Gloria Stuart) eventually joins the two as Rebecca dines on some turkey that Tony’s butler (Slim Summerville) has served the little girl. The photos above and below were taken during the filming of this sequence.



Shirley’s brother Jack was hired as third assistant director, to which she would later say, he “spent time thinking up things to take care of, one of which was me.” Director Allan Dwan fired him after a dispute over a roasted turkey prop. The turkey had been sprayed with insecticide and Jack loudly ordered her not to eat it, which she had no intention of doing. Out of spite, she popped the turkey in her mouth, prompting her brother to shake her to dislodge it. “Despite a slightly bitter taste, it was good turkey and my disobedience was immensely satsisfying.” Below, Shirley calms down between takes of the sequence by doing a little crafting:



In the 1938 film “Just Around the Corner,” Shirley and Bennie Bartlett share some turkey in the kitchen as their characters play matchmakers for their family. Do their attempts work? Of course they do!



The film was released just in time for Thanksgiving, on November 11, 1938. From the Sunday, November 20, 1938 Milwaukee Sunday News-Sentinel:

Hollywood’s little dream-girl-come-true (Shirley Temple, of course) is pictured having a dream of and for herself…and Shirley’s vision should come true Thanksgiving Day. As for the forthcoming holiday, seems to us Shirley has quite a few things for which to be thankful. Only 9 1/2 years old, she has earned a sizable fortune…should be able to enjoy a bright and bountiful future. On the other hand, millions of moviegoers might well remember to be appreciative of the happiness and cheer she has given them from the screen. Then there are the thousands outside the motion picture industry for whom her fame has been a source of livelihood…employees of doll manufacturers and children’s clothing concerns, etc. Doesn’t the title of her next picture, “The Little Princess,” fit Shirley to a ‘T’? The film a 20th Century-Fox production, will be her first full-length Technicolor vehicle.



The dress Shirley wears while carving the turkey was seen in “Just Around the Corner” and is known as the Lucky Penny dress, named after her character in the film, Penny Hale.



“The Blue Bird” (1940) was shot from September to October of 1939, so it stands to reason that Shirley would be photographed carving yet another turkey, wearing her peasant garb from the movie.

After a brief retirement in 1940, Shirley was back in the kitchen with a turkey again in 1941 during the filming of MGM’s “Kathleen.” These publicity shots were taken in Shirley’s Brentwood kitchen.











In the above and below shots, you can see the Morgantown Ruby Red goblets on the top shelf, as Shirley happily pretends to munch on her Flintstone-sized turkey leg.



I hope you all have a joyous, reflective, and relaxing day. I’ll be out this morning running the Turkey Trot, attempting to earn whatever calories I take in! And while I’m at it, I’d like to wish a VERY happy birthday to faithful Daveland reader and stellar Shirley’s Army member, SJR!!
 
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Details and Deletions

In the 1938 Shirley Temple movie “Just Around the Corner,” her character (Penny Hale) holds a benefit to help save Uncle Sam. The “Programme” lists an opening number by Lottie and Letty (Barbara and Gloria Brewster):



The Brewster Twins also had a bit part in Shirley’s “Little Miss Broadway”. They were born Naomi and Ruth Stevenson in Tucson in 1918 and were under contract to Fox from the late 1930’s to the early 1940’s, making nine films. They were known as the “Most Beautiful Twins in America.” No arguments here! Back to Shirley…

Rehearsal sheet music from “Just Around the Corner” was auctioned off in 2015 and included the songs “London Bridge is Falling Down” and “I Feel Like the Blossoms in the Spring.” This sheet music was written when the movie was still being called “Lucky Penny.”



Neither of the songs made it into the final cut of the movie. It is believed that “Blossoms” was the song that Penny and her gang were to sing at the benefit. This recently acquired image shows what I believe to be the “Penny and her Gang” musical number, which does not show up in the finished film. Something tells me that this number of Shirley singing with the neighborhood toughs may not have been all that spectacular. If only the footage still survived!



The rest of the “Programme” continues as advertised, with a rousing tap number by Bill Robinson and friends, “Brass Buttons and Epaulettes.”



According to an early script, “London Bridge” was being played by the snobby little children in the Riverview’s swanky playroom on the piano. Bennie Bartlett (who played Shirley’s new friend Milton) takes over at the piano and plays a swing version of the classic tune, with Shirley doing the big apple dance to it. It was at this point that Mr. Waters (Franklin Pangborn) was supposed to walk in and catch this disruption in the normally staid playroom. In reality, Bartlett was a bit of a child prodigy himself. At age four he played trumpet, directed and sang with his own dance orchestra, and was featured on the radio. He appeared in a 1935 RKO musical, “Millions in the Air” playing the piano. The next year he appeared in a short for Paramount, performing a composition he had written at the age of nine. I always wondered why his musical talents were not paired with Shirley’s. It would appear that the original intention was to do just that. Below, Milton’s black eye is revealed to his disapproving mother (Cora Witherspoon) and his approving Uncle Sam (Claude Gillingwater).



The cast of the film concerned Mrs. Temple, which she felt consisted of too many has-beens. For the first time, she went directly to Darryl Zanuck to express her concerns about the movie and the overall typecasting of Shirley. She wanted to see some changes in the types of roles that Shirley would play so that audiences wouldn't get sick of her. Zanuck disagreed; he felt that the more stars stayed the same, the more audiences would come to see them. At the point they tired of that star, it was basically time for Zanuck to release a new one for the public to enjoy. Oops. Not a good answer for Mrs. Temple, who could see that Zanuck would have been quite fine to let Shirley get pushed aside if another personality came along to replace her. The next move Mrs. Temple made caused a permanent rift between her and Zanuck: she went over his head to plead her case to his boss, Joseph M. Schenck. Unfortunately for the Temples, Schenck sided with Zanuck. Oops again.



Farrell was one of the "has-beens” that Mrs. Temple was referring to. Even though he had the largest supporting role, he was billed below Shirley and Joan Davis in the film credits. Director Irving Cummings went to Palm Springs to fetch Farrell out of retirement, promising a come-back. Instead, he only made two more films: 1939’s “Tail-Spin” (once again billed below Joan Davis!) and 1941’s “The Deadly Game.” Farrell is shown above with Rock Hudson in Palm Springs, circa 1955.

GOOF DEPARTMENT: When Penny first enters the basement apartment where her father (Farrell) has been demoted to, the door says “HOUSE ELECTRICIAN”:



A little later in the movie, after her father and his girlfriend break-up (temporarily of course!), it says “MR. HALE”:



Phew. That’s a lot of info!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Just Around The Corner

“Miss Annie Rooney” from 1942 was touted as Shirley Temple’s first screen kiss; however, 1938’s “Just Around the Corner” made a somewhat valiant attempt of giving Shirley a love interest with co-star Bennie Bartlett. His character begins the film as a snobby little schoolboy, but by the time Shirley cuts off his foppish curls and introduces him to the local hoods (resulting in a black-eye), he’s a regular kid! Just look at that shiner!



And how about that dress Shirley is wearing!?! The detailing on the bodice for just a few short scenes is really incredible. Costumer Gwen Wakeling made even the most simple costumes unique.



Venerable crusty-codger Claude Gillingwater plays Bennie’s Uncle Sam, who appreciates Shirley’s character turning his nephew into a real boy and rewards her with a buck.



Can’t take my eyes off all that detailed ruching and embroidery. I wonder what happened to that dress?



It went up on the auction block in the 2015 “Love, Shirley Temple” sale. Here’s the catalog description:

Of apple green silk crepe, the dress features an extraordinary bodice of richly detailed ruching in shades of brown, yellow and white that extends from the yoke to the hips, with matching short puffed sleeves, and with a skirt of narrow pleats. The dress has an organdy collar with embroidered edging, matching sleeve cuffs, little pearl buttons, sash, and matching panties.

But Dave, who got it? Where is it now? Settle down, readers! I have the answer!



None other than my friend Melissa, aka “The Colonel” was able to get the winning bid on this beauty, and here’s a shot of where it resides today in her Shirley Shrine:



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.