Bedford Falls: Behind the Scenes, Pt. 2

One of my favorite scenes in Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life” is where George Bailey (James Stewart) reconnects with Mary Hatch (Donna Reed) at a dance held at Bedford Falls High School. George is tall and gangly, and not comfortable doing the latest dance craze, The Charleston. Still, his feelings for Mary overcome his shyness and he gives it a whirl. Unbeknownst to both of them, George’s rival (played by “Our Gang”’s Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer) has turned the key that opens up the floor of the basketball court, revealing the pool beneath them. The rest of the dancers see the situation and begin laughing and yelling; George thinks they are cheering them on. As you can guess, the lovestruck duo fall into the pool. This scene has the perfect mixture of sweetness, comedy, and dramatic tension.

Beverly Hills High School’s “Swim-Gym” was designed as a New Deal project by Stiles O. Clements. While the main buildings of Beverly Hills High School were built in 1927, the unique “Swim-Gym” was designed by Clements and built by the WPA in 1939. The gym, now known as the Konheim Athletic Building, contains a basketball court that can be opened to access a 25-yard swimming pool below. The gym has also appeared in Shirley Temple’s “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer” (1947) and “Clueless” (1995).



Here are two images that show Reed and Stewart rehearsing The Charleston. I’m sure it didn’t take long for Stewart to have to remove his sweater, as both of them look like they are putting their all into the rehearsal.



This shot shows the two leads relaxing at the piano during a break; not sure who the guy in the middle is [NOTE: Daveland reader Darryl has ID'ed him as Liberty Films co-founder Samuel J. Briskin]:

Want to see this scene? Here you go:



See more “It's A Wonderful Life” photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley does the Charleston

This charming photo of Shirley is from the summer of 1948 and shows her doing a Charleston step. From the publicity blurb:

Even in the early 1900's the girls were not quite so prim and proper as we imagine, but just about the same as they are today as is proven by Shirley Temple as she runs out of the house to meet her date in RKO Radio’s period comedy romance, “Baltimore Escapade,” in which she co-stars with Robert Young and John Agar.



Released April 19, 1949, the movie was retitled “Adventure in Baltimore.” The opening of the movie features a montage of Shirley portraying a young girl from 1948:



A Modern American Schoolgirl from 1925 who gets busted by the Principal for doing the Charleston:







Then we travel with Shirley back to 1913, where she was dancing in this post’s first image:



And finally 1905, the setting of the movie, where we see Shirley painting a china cup:



Barbara Bel Geddes was originally to star in the film, but her complaints about appearing in another period piece (her previous film was “I Remember Mama”) caused her to be replaced by Shirley. John Agar, Shirley‘s first husband, replaced Melvyn Douglas as the love interest. Lucky Barbara and Melvyn; the film ended up losing $785,000 at the box office. Don’t let that deter you from seeing it; Shirley is wonderful in this cute low-budget “Meet Me In St. Louis” style film, especially when she is dancing with wild abandon outside the Principal’s office or when she is reunited with Robert Young, her former costar from 1936’s “Stowaway.”

See more Shirley photos at my main website.

Architecture: Preservation, Restoration, and Renovation

The fire that destroyed parts of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris sparked much more than just the historic structure’s roof; it also set off a bit of a debate over the importance of an iconic structure vs. humanity. Do we value buildings more than people?



I don’t want to get into that portion of the debate, but rather another one...what makes a building a building? While it appears that more than enough money has quickly appeared in the coffers to return Notre Dame to its former glory, will it still be the same building? The only photos I have of Notre Dame are from my one visit to Paris back in 1982 when I played violin in an orchestra comprised of high school youth who toured Europe. I was pretty amazed to actually have the opportunity not only to see the Cathedral, but to play within its walls.



To this day, I’m not quite sure how the people behind AMA (American Music Abroad) pulled off that little coup for us. The first two shots were from the little Instamatic slide camera I borrowed from Mom to take on the trip. The next 3 photos were shot by my Dad, who happened to meet me in Paris for a few days.



Don’t ask me how, but I managed to make 2nd chair violinist of the group. Still baffled on that one, too.



But back to the point of my post, as it really is not intended to be “Oh I was here and look at my photos that prove I was there.” Rather, it is a tale of my experience with historic buildings. The terms historic preservation, restoration, and renovation are often used interchangeably, and not necessarily correctly. Depending upon who you talk to, the definitions of the terms themselves can vary greatly. In an example of what I would call a “renovation,” Valley Forge Park in Pennsylvania went to the trouble of re-creating cabins that Washington’s troops stayed in during that very cold winter of 1777. Is this what they looked like? No idea. Photographs don’t exist from that time period, and all the people who re-built them had to go on might have been a foundation in the ground, perhaps a sketch, or a complete guess based on historic knowledge...and a little personal bias.



The uniforms are also re-creations. There is no way today’s world could perfectly reproduce what was worn back in the 18th century, as fabrics, dyes, and sewing techniques have changed a great deal. Are these good enough for the modern tourist? Most likely. Do they help illustrate what happened during that Winter of 77/78? Sure.



Moving over to a restoration/renovation project in which I personally took part in as a tour guide, the West Baden Springs Hotel was like something out of Great Expectations; overgrown, decaying, and somewhat creepy:



After a lot of money and blood, sweat, and tears, you would barely recognize the same building today:



The hotel was just about ready to cave-in from years of neglect and diverse weather conditions. One entire wall did collapse as can be seen here:



Today, that portion of the building has been perfectly put back together, repainted, and updated:



An interior shot of the atrium before it had been “restored”:



And after:



While the building looks incredible and practically brand-spanking new, is it the same building that opened at the beginning of the 20th Century? Or is the version I saw back in 1996 more authentic? I would almost argue that the 1996 structure has more stories to tell, whereas what guests see today is a very luxurious resort hotel. I felt more connected to the history when I could see through the layers of paint and wallpaper that hung off the decaying walls. Maybe I’m just sick and twisted that way after too many Tim Burton movies.

Over in Charleston, South Carolina, you can visit Drayton Hall, which is advertised as a “preservation.” They have not attempted to repaint, refurnish, or make this historic home look brand new. Instead, they have gone to a great deal of trouble to keep it in the state that it’s in. I greatly respect that choice, as it’s not necessarily one that most tourists would understand.



Sometimes a little peeling paint or a scuffed floor are okay in my book. You might see a famous handprint or footprint.



While I am happy that Notre Dame is getting a lot of attention and will most likely be fixed so that it can be seen for centuries to come, the fire is also part of its history. Should what was burned be put back to the way it was (which is technically impossible), or should it be covered and protected and become part of the story?

See more Daveland photos at my main website.