Temple Tuesday: Rodeo Drive and Howard Greer

In the film “Pretty Woman” (1990), Julia Roberts’ character asks her friend Kit (Laura San Giacomo) where the best place in Los Angeles is for expensive clothes. Her response: “Rodeo Drive, Baby!” In the 1940s, Shirley Temple already knew the answer to that question!



Here she is in her off hours (am guessing 1946/1947), strolling down that legendary street for shopping. Other cities may have a Rodeo Drive, but Beverly Hills has the most famous one! Behind Shirley is the 300 block of Rodeo Drive, which at the time had The London Shop (a British clothing importer for men), Chapman-Pollock tailor, and a Jewelry Store. Shirley is blocking any other details about the jeweler!



Below are two vintage ads for The London Shop:






How that section of Rodeo Drive looks now (from approximately the same angle, thanks to Google Maps!), with the Burberry shop and a completely different structure in its place:



In this previously posted image, Shirley and her mother have just parked at the Rodeo Auto Park lot in Beverly Hills as they go to pick up her wedding dress at designer Howard Greer’s private fashion studio, September 10, 1945. This parking lot was located at 485 North Rodeo Drive, near the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Rodeo Drive.



Below, Shirley flashes her engagement ring to Greer, a Hollywood costume and fashion designer, once under contract to Paramount before going on his own:



Shirley’s class mate from the Westlake School for Girls and future sister-in-law, Joyce Agar, was also along for the fitting that day:



Shirley and her mother as they exit Greer’s Beverly Hills fashion studio, reported by the following publicity caption:

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF., SEPT. 10 — SHIRLEY SHOPS FOR WEDDING DRESS. Shirley Temple, accompanied by her mother, Mrs. George Temple, leaves a dressmaking shop here today after picking out her wedding dress. The young screen actress will become the bride of Sgt. John Agar sometime between Sept. 15 and 22, depending on when Agar is granted a furlough.



The LA Evening Citizen News breathlessly described Greer’s creation:

A small crown of corded satin in loops topped Shirley’s famous golden curls. Her dress of white satin, especially designed for her by Howard Greer, had a fitted bodice, short sleeves and a “Little Infanta” skirt held out at the sides by panniers. The round low neck was edged by a looped cord of satin studded with seed pearls, more of which dotted the bodice. The train was full and long. From the headdress coronet fell a silk net veil and a short cape veil of the same material. Shirley’s gloves were of self-satin in wrist length, scalloped and embroidered with seed pearls.



Two shots from the Agar wedding, taken during the reception that followed at the Temple residence:



According to the LA Daily Mirror website, Greer’s shop was originally at 6530 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, moving in 1940 to the 310 N. Rodeo Drive location where Shirley and her mother were pictured. Previously on August 28, gossip columnist Louella Parsons for the LA Examiner mentioned Shirley and Greer:

Don’t let anyone tell you that the Shirley Temple wedding to John Agar isn’t just around the corner. Three dresses for her trousseau were modeled at the Howard Greer fashion show that brought out Loretta Young, Irene Dunne, Dinah Shore, Doris Le Roy, Kay Williams et al. But to get back to Shirley’s little numbers—one was a sky blue cocktail suit with a jacket of Bugle beads shimmering like blue sunshine. Another was a black and white check suit but the “bridiest” of all was a white robe with quilted bodice and sleeves and a full flaring flannel skirt.



I don’t see any bugle beads, but this suit was worn by Shirley as she exited the Temple residence for her honeymoon.



Shirley is holding the same purse; not sure if the interesting pin is buried underneath the gigantic corsage of orchids or not!



Here’s a genuine Howard Greer label, found on eBay:



Didja’ know…Greer also designed this uniform for TWA flight attendants in 1944 with the interesting logo cutout on the shoulder, found on csews.com:



And so concludes this particular Shirley Temple rabbit hole!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Cinco de Shirley

Six years ago, I did a Cinco de Mayo themed Temple Tuesday post; one pitiful photo that is new to my collection is what I have to offer today. Scanned from a badly faded transparency, this undated image is most likely from 1949. The chopped caption on the sleeve states, “Ektachrome by Arnold Johnson. Shirley Temple shops for imported Mexican fabrics in the Maya de Mexico shop in Beverly…”
 
Deductive reasoning would conclude that the shop was in Beverly Hills. I did the usual internet deep dive and came up with very little about the shop itself, however, I did find an Etsy listing for a skirt that has a Maya de Mexico label as well as some eBay listings for similar items. Perhaps the caption was off and the shop was a different name but carried these colorful and vibrant fabrics. Any vintage Beverly Hills aficionados know the story?



It would appear that based on the decor in her 1949 home, Shirley was no stranger to bold prints!



Above and below, Shirley poses with then husband John Agar and her first child, Linda Susan.



These were shot for the April 1949 issue of Modern Screen, shown below in full color!



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

1950 Pictorial California, Pt. 2

Am finally getting back to the series from the 1950 Pictorial California publication. This group of pages showcases Beverly Hills. In the first image, we see Sunset Municipal Park. It opened in 1915 and was referred to simply as Sunset Park, located just off Sunset Boulevard. The park was renamed in 1952 in honor of entertainer Will Rogers, who was appointed the first “Honorary Mayor” of Beverly Hills in 1926. How the area looked when I photographed it in August 2013:



On April 7, 1998, this park was put on the map for all the wrong reasons when singer George Michael was arrested for inappropriately using the restroom shown below with undercover cop Marcelo Rodriguez. $810 and 80 hours of community service cleared that incident all up. The restroom has since been torn down. Is nothing sacred anymore?



Across the street is the swanky Beverly Hills Hotel:



The rated a two-page feature.



Probably because they purchased an. The Chateau didn’t, thus they didn’t even rate a photo caption. Money talks…



The Beverly Hills Hotel, circa 2018:



The Polo Lounge, as seen twenty years ago for Easter 2006. It was a delicious brunch, as I recall. Mary Ann Mobley and Gary Collins were dining there as well, just two years before his DUI conviction. Maybe the Easter Bunny drove him to it.



More Pictorial California to come!

See more photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley and Romanoff’s

The above undated image of Shirley is most likely from 1945 and shows her standing outside of Romanoff’s restaurant in Beverly Hills. How do I know this? Just take a look at the door…or ask Shirley expert supreme, Rita Dubas, and either way, you’ll get your answer. It’s more fun to ask Rita as she typically gives additional tidbits!



This next shot shows even more fun details.



Notice the embroidered insignia from Shirley’s school, the Westlake School for Girls:



How do I know about the insignia? Duh…I asked Rita. After, I matched it to a 1941 Westlake yearbook cover:



Note the excited fan, with pen and paper in hand, hoping for an autograph from Shirley.



Speaking of autographs, below is one of Michael Romanoff, the man behind the restaurant. Actually, his name was Hershel Geguzin then he became Harry F. Gerguson and THEN he became Michael Romanoff, deceptively claiming to be a member of Russia’s royal House of Romanov/Romanoff.



Romanoff was a bit of a con man but did manage to run a very successful Beverly Hills restaurant, first located at  326 North Rodeo Drive (1941-1951, where Shirley is shown) and then to 140 South Rodeo Drive, which closed on New Year’s Eve, 1962. A few of the restaurant’s “claims to fame” include being the site of where the original Rat Pack (Boart, Bacall, Sid Luft, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, and Frank Sinatra) used to meet. The famous photo below shot by Slim Aarons was taken at Romanoff’s during their 1957 New Year’s Eve bash and features Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper, and Jimmy Stewart. It was dubbed, “The Kings of Hollywood.”



From the digital collection of the Los Angeles Public Library comes this photo of 20th Century-Fox producer Darryl F. Zanuck, his daughter Susan, and Mrs. Zanuck at a formal dinner dance given by the Zanucks for their daughter and her graduating Marlborough School classmates at Romanoff's.



…and this interior shot:



The most INFAMOUS photo from Romanoff’s shows Sophia Loren giving serious side-eye to Jayne Mansfield’s cleavage, circa 1957.



From Vanity Fair:

Newcomer Loren had just skyrocketed to stardom in Europe when she became the most photographed performer at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. The Beverly Hills party two years later was meant to officially welcome Loren to Hollywood. But the Italian bombshell found her spotlight unexpectedly stolen by Mansfield. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Loren confirms that, yes, she was thinking exactly what it looks like she was thinking. Paramount had organized a party for me. All of cinema was there, it was incredible. And then comes in Jayne Mansfield, the last one to come. For me, that was when it got amazing. . . . She came right for my table. She knew everyone was watching. She sat down. And now, she was barely . . . Listen. Look at the picture. Where are my eyes? I’m staring at her nipples because I am afraid they are about to come onto my plate. In my face you can see the fear. I’m so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow—BOOM!—and spill all over the table. Loren went on to explain that even though she was caught smiling or having a good time with Mansfield later in the evening, her mind was always on that dress. “No, no. Well, there may be other photos, but this is the picture. This is the one that shows how it was. This is the only picture.” But the veteran actress, who has more than 90 film credits to her name, says that even if she was thinking all those things, she doesn’t like being associated with the photo that launched a million side-eyes. “Actually, many, many times I am given this photo to autograph it. And I never do. I don’t want to have anything to do with that. And also out of respect for Jayne Mansfield because she’s not with us anymore.”

Gossip columnist Louella Parsons is seen in the shot below at right.



Surfing eBay I found this matchbook which shows a caricature of the door seen behind Shirley:



…and one of owner Romanoff:



As for the food, you can check out the menu:





Oh the prices…



One of the best-loved desserts was the Chocolate Soufflée. According to PBS SoCal this is the recipe:

Romanoffs Style Chocolate Soufflé, Serves 10

6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
4 drops vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 cups egg whites
1/4 tbs salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix egg yolks with sugar and vanilla until smooth. Boil milk and then slowly add yolk and sugar mixture, let boil for two minutes and then whisk. Put mixture into a standing mixer and beat for ten minutes.
In a different pan melt chocolate and then add slowly to the mixture. Whip egg whites with a dash of salt in a separate bowl until they form meringue peaks. Add ½ cup of sugar to the egg whites and then carefully fold them into the chocolate mixture. Spoon into buttered 6 ounce ramekin dishes and bake for 15 minutes. Finish with sprinkling of powdered sugar or whipped cream.

The same article also gave this little tidbit about Romanoff:

At Romanoffs the most celebrated phony of the 20th century played host, but perhaps his true secret was not his pretensions, but his kindness and humanity. He was legendary for his flamboyant generosity. When his friend Walter Wanger shot the man he suspected of sleeping with his wife, Romanoff had his favorite foods delivered to him in his jail cell every day on a silver tray.

Bringing this post back to Shirley, she was seen wearing the same outfit with the Westlake emblem in this publicity still for her 1945 film, “Kiss and Tell.” She wears it during a scene where her character visits an obstetrician:



And finally, back to Rita, to bring this little rabbit-hole home. She informed me that the original location (where Shirley is photographed) became the Daisy Discotheque in the 1960s. From the Beverly Hills Public Library website:

In the early-1960s, the original Romanoff’s building became home to The Daisy, Beverly Hills first members-only private discotheque. Jack Hanson, best known as the founder of Jax, a popular Beverly Hills clothier, had purchased the property. The exclusive club with an initiation fee of $250 was limited to only 400. It quickly became a hot spot for celebrities. The small building contained 38 tables, pool tables, bar and a dance floor. Most nights the place was packed with luminaries such as Steve McQueen, Robert Redford, Sonny and Cher, Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Mia Farrow, Natalie Wood, Paul Newman, Grace Kelly, Bobby Darin, and Peter Sellers dining, dancing, playing pool, or socializing. Items on the menu were named after celebrity members of the club. The Daisy was one of the first night clubs where Frank Sinatra was seen publicly with his soon-to-be third wife, Mia Farrow. On August 11, 1969, Diana Ross formally introduced the musical group the Jackson 5 at The Daisy. In 1974, the cast of the film “Young Frankenstein” dined al fresco on the Daisy patio and portions of the 1980 film “American Gigolo” starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton were also filmed on the front patio. It was also the place where Nicole Brown, then a waitress at The Daisy, met football star O.J. Simpson. The Daisy remained in operation as an eatery through much of the 1980s. The building was substantially remodeled in 1989 for use as Jax of Beverly Hills and again in later years for its current occupants the boutiques Saint Laurent and Moncler.

And that’s the end of this particular rabbit hole!

UPDATE! Rita just uncovered this shot of Shirley on Reddit in the same outfit at a Purple Heart Ceremony:



And that’s why we call her the Great Rita D!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Melissa on the West Coast: The Finale!

It’s the semi-grand finale of Melissa’s annual west coast excursion! This Sunday morning at the Chateau was like most; morning laps followed by breakfast. At this point in the trip, Willis was showing his lack of enthusiasm about waiting for me to finish my swim.



This is what it takes to restore that enthusiasm: Chateau Marmont peppered bacon!



He smells it! And yes, he received a few tasty morsels.



It was a pretty relaxing day for me; a few naps, some photography…





When Melissa was done with her event in Ventura, it was time for a few more film location visits, starting with Circus Liquors in North Hollywood. Remember when Cher (Alicia Silverstone) gets mugged in “Clueless” (1995)?



Melissa’s outfit may not have been an Alaïa (“An a-what-a?!?”), but it was close enough!



Unlike my first visit there, the neon was working this time!



Recognize this fountain?



Yes, this is the fountain where Cher has her grand epiphany: “I love Josh!”



Melissa’s epiphany was that it was late at night and time to go to bed. Known as the Electric Fountain, this Beverly Hills water feature was designed by architect Ralph Carlin Flewelling in 1931 in partnership with sculptor Robert Merrell Gage, who created the center granite sculpture of a Tongva/Gabrieleno tribe member kneeling in prayer. The bas relief images below the sculpture are also by Gage, showing scenes of the area’s early development. The fountain was a gift to Beverly Hills from silent screen star Harold Lloyd’s mother, Sarah.



You can also see this fountain in the “Our Lips Are Sealed” music video by the Go-Gos’s:



Our last film location for this trip is from “Rebel Without A Cause” (1955).



The same alley were Natalie Wood and James Dean left their homes on the way to school.



In 1997, I saw a portion of the original fence when it was at the James Dean Gallery in Fairmount, Indiana:



A closeup of the display photos, showing where it was “liberated from”:



Back in San Diego, we finished the trip off with a tasty dinner at the Hob Nob Hill restaurant, which is a Daveland staple.



Melissa loved the remodel, which includes a large mural from “The Wizard of Oz”:



As Melissa jets back to the East Coast, Willis waits patiently for his next adventure!



See more photos at my main website.