The above image is a recent acquisition, showing Shirley Temple accepting her special miniature Oscar from author and humorist Irvin S. Cobb. The February 27, 1935 event was held in the Biltmore Bowl at the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel, seen in the vintage postcard below.
Doesn’t Shirley look adorable?
The previous year, Shirley sat next to Cobb in what I believe to be the Fox Commissary, wearing the same jacket seen in “Stand Up And Cheer” (1934).
Shirley and Warner Baxter in the previously mentioned film:
That coat sure got a lot of publicity use. In this still, Shirley wears a monogrammed hat to complete the look. Note the Scottie dog pin on her lapel, also visible in the Cobb photo.
The same ensemble can be seen at another Fox luncheon where Shirley sat between actresses Iris Foster and Drue Leyton. Writers Elizabeth Wilson (Silver Screen), Muriel Babcock (Universal Service), and Grace Mack (Ladies Home Journal) also joined Shirley.
You can see the Scottie pin in this detailed view:
The room where the ladies ate is still at the 20th Century-Fox studio, and is known as The Shirley Room:
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.
Because I was not a fan of drop rides, I avoided the Tower of Terror attraction like the plague. The first time I saw it was in 2002 when I was “backstage” at Walt Disney World in Orlando; it had opened July 22, 1994.
When three-year-old Disney California Adventure in Anaheim was struggling, the Tower of Terror attraction was viewed as the Park’s savior when it opened May 5, 2004. It was truly the first “wow” ride that Anaheim’s second gate could boast about. Still, it lacked the attention to detail and lavish opulence of its east coast counterpart. The exterior bore little resemblance to the Southern California landmarks that Orlandp’s version was based on (The Los Angeles Biltmore, The Chateau Marmont, and The Mission Inn). Compare the center balcony detail from Orlando:
…inspired by the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood:
Not so distinctive was Anaheim; just plain with purple paint representing the lightning damage:
According to Wikipedia, Anaheim’s architectural style was “Pueblo Deco,” but that was truly stretching it. The windows looked too modern and the odd large box-like shape on top seemed like a poorly planned addition. This place would look more at home in Vegas. Orlando definitely was superior at evoking an old Hollywood hotel. Orlando also had a more extensive outdoor queue, with a winding path and overgrown gardens that give guests time to build anticipation and suspense before entering the lobby area.
In Anaheim, you had a short queue area to the right:
…and to the left. And that was it.
What about the interior? Orlando:
…which was inspired by the Los Angeles Biltmore:
The Anaheim version:
At first glance, both seem ornate, but the Orlando version looks more authentic and less like a movie set. It has been years since I’ve been on either attraction (Anaheim’s closed for retheming in January 2017), but I do recall that the Orlando version’s “elevator” went horizontal (taking you through the hotel) before it rose to the top for the big drop. That was a nice touch. I guess if the U.S. had to sacrifice one of these, it’s a good thing it was the Anaheim version. Here are the ghosts from Orlando beckoning me to return. It’s only been… thirteen years!
See more WDW Tower of Terror photos at my main website.
In honor of the Oscars Ceremony tonight, today's post is about a 1934 classic that I happily watched again last week, "It Happened One Night." This Frank Capra screwball comedy may seem a bit dated to today's generation because of its 1930's fashion, cheap sets, and old fashioned situations, but thanks to the leads, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, it still remains a comic gem. The irony is that neither one of them was very excited to be in the movie. Capra originally wanted Robert Montgomery, not Gable; Montgomery turned the picture down since he thought there had already been ‘too many bus pictures’. Miriam Hopkins, Myrna Loy, and Margaret Sullavan all turned down the female lead; Colbert only accepted it because she was promised a healthy paycheck and a quick shooting schedule. The story of two opposites falling in love has been told many a time since, but rarely as effectively. It was based on the August 1933 short story "Night Bus" by Samuel Hopkins Adams in Hearst's International-Cosmopolitan.
Things to look for: When on the bus, singing "The Flying Trapeze" song, the bus is moving and the driver is moving the wheel as though steering, but throughout the entire song, the scenery outside never moves. In the exterior view of the bus running off the road (after "The Flying Trapeze" song), the driver is a different person and the curtain that is behind him in the interior view is missing.
The scene where the two must sleep in a haystack is one of my favorite; the soft lighting is absolutely beautiful, giving it a magical glow. This photo is extremely posed, and doesn't give a true representation of what the scene is about:
The film is probably most famous for its hitchhiking sequence, where the know-it-all Warne decides to teach Ellie how to hitch a ride. It was filmed at Franklin Canyon Park, near Benedict Canyon at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. Once again, the posed publicity shot is at odds with what we see on screen:
The actual scene:
After getting picked up by a passing motorist (Alan Hale, the father of Alan Hale, Jr., the Skipper from "Gilligan's Island"), Ellie teases Peter, who she has just shown up with her shapely gams:
Ellie: Aren't you going to give me a little credit?
Peter: What for?
Ellie: I proved once and for all that the limb is mightier than the thumb.
Peter: Why didn't you take off all your clothes? You could have stopped forty cars.
Ellie: Well, ooo, I'll remember that when we need forty cars.
Because it was filmed pre-code, before the censors started clamping down heavily on movies, "It Happened One Night" has some very frank dialogue and situations. A year later, the scene with Gable undressing in front of Colbert, threatening to take off his pants, too, would most likely have been deleted. It has often been stated that Gable undressing to reveal himself barechested with no undershirt adversely effected the sales of undershirts nationwide.
Another classic scene is where Peter attempts to show Ellie how to properly dunk her donuts. It's a very short and simple scene, but effectively shows how the dynamics of the relationship are shifting. Colbert is masterful with her looks at Gable; you can see that she has begun to fall for him.
Peter: Say, where'd you learn to dunk? In finishing school?
Ellie: Aw, now don't you start telling me I shouldn't dunk.
Peter: Of course you shouldn't - you don't know how to do it. Dunking's an art. Don't let it soak so long. A dip and [he stuffs the donut in his mouth] plop, in your mouth. You let it hang there too long, it'll get soft and fall off. It's all a matter of timing. Aw, I oughta write a book about it.
Ellie: [laughs] Thanks, professor.
Peter: Just goes to show you - twenty millions, and you don't know how to dunk.
Ellie: Oh, I'd change places with a plumber's daughter any day.
Things to look for: When Peter is making breakfast for Ellen, as the table is first set, there are six doughnuts on the plate in the lower left corner of the screen, but when they sit and begin eating and discussing what there is to eat, there are only two.
After filming was completed, Colbert complained to her friend, "I just finished the worst picture in the world." Capra's initial trepidation about the film was erased once word of mouth got out. Ticket sales slowly picked up speed and it turned out to be a major (and prestigous) hit for Columbia, previously known as one of the B-Movie Poverty Row studios.
On Oscar night, the film became the first movie to receive what is known as a "clean sweep," taking home Academy Awards for the top 5 categories: Best Picture, Best Director (Capra), Best Actor (Gable), Best Actress (Colbert), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Riskin). Confident that she wouldn't win, Colbert decided not to attend the February 27th ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, and instead planned to take her long awaited vacation, a cross-country railroad trip. When she was unexpectedly named the winner, studio chief Harry Cohn sent someone to "drag her off" the train (which fortunately had not yet left the station). Colbert arrived wearing a non-red-carpet-worthy two-piece traveling suit (created by Paramount Pictures costume designer, Travis Banton). A 6-year-old Shirley Temple handed her the statuette, photos were taken, and she promptly left to resume her vacation.
This is the only clip I could find from that night:
Supposedly, Colbert and husband fell victim to the Oscar Curse that supposedly states actresses who win the award for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress are much more likely to lose their significant other following the big win.
Another interesting tidbit: In a 1975 interview, Warner Bros. animation director Bob Clampett stated that he based Bugs Bunny's characteristic carrot-munching technique on this scene where Gable chomps on a carrot.
See more vintage & current Classic Movie & TV photos on my main website.
