Holden and The Derby

In the above photo, actor William Holden and then-wife Brenda Marshall are dining at the Brown Derby restaurant with Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Bracken. Bracken’s wife was actress Connie Nickerson. They were one of those rare Hollywood couples who said, “Til death do us part” and meant it! The Brackens were married for 63 years; Connie preceded Eddie by about three months. The photo was not dated, but Holden and Marshall were married in 1941; they lasted until 1971. What was the occasion of this group dinner? From what I can tell, Holden and Bracken made two films together: “The Fleet’s In” (1942):



…and “Young and Willing” (1943):



Holden’s hair and sideburns don’t match either still, so who knows. What I would deduce is that Holden and Marshall dropped by, since the place settings are only for two. Want to see Bracken’s dinner? I’m wondering what the gadget is in his left hand. Anyone?



Holden became forever associated with the Brown Derby restaurant thanks to one of the most famous “I Love Lucy” episodes, “L.A. at Last!”, which first aired February 7, 1955.



Below is a behind-the-scenes still of Holden, Lucy, and Eve Arden, who were all part of the Brown Derby restaurant scene, which was actually filmed on a soundstage at Desilu.



Below, director Bill Asher gets a kiss from Lucy while Holden flashes his million dollar smile. Asher is probably best known as producer and director for “Bewitched,” which starred his then wife, Elizabeth Montgomery.



See more vintage and contemporary Hollywood photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley and A League of Their Own

Just when you think you know everything about Shirley…

Recently I was reading the book Dirt in the Skirt, by Pepper Paire Davis, which tells the true story of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1940’s. Not familiar with it? Perhaps you’ve seen the movie “A League of Their Own” directed by Penny Marshall. Pepper’s book is the real deal, and gives a colorful you-are-there feeling of what those times were like and will make you sigh with regret about how times are now. Davis was raised in Santa Monica, and as I turned the pages, I kept wondering if she and Shirley (also Santa Monica born) ever crossed paths. Davis was born in 1924; Shirley in 1928. As I became more interested in Pepper’s story, Shirley (shown in today’s photos at the Brown Derby with first husband John Agar) was pushed to the back of my mind until I got to the part about World War II. Pepper met John Agar on a double date!



Faye called me about midnight and said: “Get over here, Pepper. John Agar is serenading me on my door step and he’s got a cute friend with him.” I said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, and Clark Gable is over here with me.” Faye said: “No really, really, Pepper. He’s drunk as a skunk, and they’ve got a beautiful, red Cadillac convertible! They want to drive us around and they’ll let me drive, too!” Well, I knew I couldn’t let that happen, so I went over to check on things. Sure enough, it was true. There he was, big as life and twice as cute. The other guy wasn’t bad looking either. He was also an actor, but not famous like John. John Agar was a leading man, movie star and very handsome. He was one of Shirley Temple’s leading men after she “grew up”! After he got out of the Army, he starred with her in “For Apache” and they fell in love! It started out like a fairy-tale romance. Later on, they wound up getting married (but it didn’t end well). At first, I was a little worried about what the guys wanted from us, but they just wanted somebody to play games with. They already had beautiful women that would sleep with them anytime they wanted. John wasn’t married to Shirley Temple at the time. We weren’t really surprised when their marriage broke up later. We knew John really had a drinking problem. He was very handsome and talented! He was also a very nice guy, but his habit hurt his career. He could have been a huge star! Later on, he became clean and sober and went on to have a distinguished career, but he was past his prime and did a lot of sci-fi. John was a gentleman!



What an interesting connection! Only one problem…the timing does not line up. Pepper put this anecdote in her book as if it happened in 1941/1942 when she would have been seventeen or eighteen. Agar didn’t make movies until AFTER he married Shirley. So…either Pepper and Faye met Agar when he was single during the war and the years muddled her memory…or she met him while he was still married to Shirley and once again, the years muddled her memory. Unfortunately, based on the vivid surprise Pepper expresses about her friend being with movie star John Agar, I have a feeling it was the latter. 



This previously posted shot shows Shirley and John on a Hollywood tour at the Vine Street Tropics for cocktails. The same tour that had them dining at the Derby. I hope they had a designated driver.



See more Shirley Temple and John Agar photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

This press photo dates from April 1952. The attached caption:

HAPPY BRIDE: Shirley Temple’s first appearance back in Hollywood following her honeymoon with groom Charles Black was at the Brown Derby, when she lunched with her father, George Temple. Note Shirley’s magnificent diamond star choker, not to mention her blazing marquise diamond engagement ring.

Another year later, in October 1952, it would appear that Shirley had acquired a matching pair of earrings:

NEW YORK, Oct. 22 — MAMA SHIRLEY STEPS OUT — Shirley Temple, the one-time baby sweetheart of the screen, spends an evening on the town with her husband, Navy Commander Charles Black, during a visit to New York from their Bethesda, Md., home. Shirley, retired from the screen since her second marriage, recently recovered from a series of complications following the birth of a son.

 

Director Mitchell Leisen fastens the choker on Shirley for the premiere episode of “Shirley Temple’s Storybook,” January 12, 1958. As the show’s hostess, Shirley had to look her best — and she most certainly did!

Wowza...that’s a lot of carats!

Shirley can be seen wearing the diamond choker and earring set in this publicity shot for “Shirley Temple’s Storybook.” John Raitt, who starred in the 1958 Rumpelstiltskin episode, poses alongside Shirley.

GOR-GEOUS!

I was unable to find any other shots of her wearing this stunning set of star jewelry after 1958, and none of it surfaced in the 2015 Love, Shirley Temple auction. Anybody know the whereabouts of it?

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.