Temple Tuesday: Blue Bird Blowout!

Faithful readers of this blog know that I am somewhat obsessed with the 1940 Shirley Temple film, “The Blue Bird.” While many consider it a poor stepchild to “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), I believe it stands on its own as an artistic triumph that gave Shirley an opportunity to play against type as a brat. In the above publicity still, Shirley is shown with Al Shean, who played her grandfather in the film. Shean was also the uncle to the famous Marx Brothers.

To avoid competition with “Gone with the Wind” which was released on December 15, 1939, 20th Century-Fox studio chief Darryl Zanuck decided to delay the premiere of “The Blue Bird” for another month.



The above photo shows Gene Markey (producer for the movie), Virginia Zanuck (Darryl’s wife), Joseph M. Schenck (Fox chairman of the board), Darryl Zanuck, and Hedy Lamarr (MGM actress and wife of Markey) as they arrived at Grand Central Terminal in New York City, December 19, 1940 for the film’s New York.

From The Motion Picture Herald, December 30, 1939:

The premiere of “The Blue Bird,” starring Shirley Temple, has been advanced to January 19th from January 17th to permit a Friday night opening. “Swanee River” opens December 29th at the Roxy theatre. Darryl F. Zanuck, vice-president in charge of production, will attend the premiere of “The Blue Bird” at the Hollywood theatre and remain in New York for the opening of “The Grapes of Wrath” at the Rivoli January 24th. Al Jolson and Don Ameche will appear in a broadcast of “Swanee River” on December 29th. Charles E. McCarthy, director of advertising and publicity for Twentieth Century-Fox, has put John Goring in charge of the roadshow of “The Blue Bird.”

Below is a page from the movie’s pressbook, featuring a variety of posters that theatres could choose from for promotion:



Motion Picture Daily gave their account of the premiere:

‘Blue Bird’ Lures Industry’s Top Executives to Premiere

Undaunted by the severity of the weather last night, 1,500 persons jammed the Hollywood Theatre to capacity to see the world premiere of “The Blue Bird,” 20th Century-Fox color feature. When the 80-minute show ended, the audience, with ovations and exclamatory words of approval, acclaimed the cinematic version of Maurice Maeterlinck’s famous fantasy. Included in the audience were practically all of the leading officials of 20th-Fox, besides executives from other motion picture companies. Notable among those present were the following: Darryl Zanuck, 20th-Fox studio chief; S.R. Kent, president; Joseph M. Schenck, chairman of the board; Will Hays, Jesse Lasky, Ernst Lubitsch, Barney Balaban, Herman Wobber, Spyros Skouras, Charles Skouras, Edwin L. Weisl, Gene Markey, associate producer of “The Blue Bird,” and scores of other industry officials. Other celebrities noticed among the “First Nighters,” most of whom were accompanied by their wives and formally dressed, were William Paley, CBS president; Postmaster General James A. Farley, Conde Nast, Irving Berlin, Jack Cohn, Andre Kostelanetz, Sidney Lanfield and many others. Crowds congregated early in front of the Hollywood where arc lights illuminated the front. Autograph seekers and others eager to see celebrities composed a large portion of the throng. When glamorous Hedy Lamarr arrived, scores struggled to catch a glimpse of her and husband, Markey.



From The New Dynamo, the in-house publication of 20th Century-Fox:

‘THE BLUE BIRD’ FLIES IN TRIUMPH OVER BROADWAY CELEBRITIES BRAVE SUB-ZERO WEATHER TO HAIL ‘BLUE BIRD’

Mr. Zanuck came 3,000 miles to get, first-hand, the reaction of this premiere audience. For more than a year he planned “The Blue Bird.” For months he supervised its production and cutting. And as Philadelphia’s Showman Al Boyd put it: “If its exploitation and presentation is given only one-half the thought this completed picture indicates went into its planning and production, ‘The Blue Bird’ will do the SRO business it certainly deserves to and can do.” And Mr. Boyd is not one of those gentlemen given to making hasty conclusions. He has been too long in the business to speak merely for the sake of being heard.

Schenck is missing from this newspaper photo showing Zanuck and entourage at the premiere:



Much of the beautiful and moody expressionistic art for the film was created by Hy Rubin, an American illustrator (1905–1960). His work was published in the Saturday Evening Post and Good Housekeeping magazines. His last studio was located behind the T in the Times Square building in New York City. 



For the artistic, black and white cartoon panels were available to moviegoers for coloring:



Below is a still from a deleted scene that occurred at the beginning of the movie when Shirley’s character’s father is about to go to war. Russell Hicks played the father and Spring Byington the mother.



Below are Tylo the dog and Tylette the cat:



…and Eddie Collins and Gale Sondergaard who played their human counterparts in the movie.



Whenever Shirley made a film, the studio was typically littered with visitors who wanted to meet the famous young actress. “The Blue Bird” was no exception. Note the costume/wardrobe board at the bottom left of the photo.



In between takes, Shirley did her schoolwork with studio teacher Frances Klamt.



In case you want a glance at the book Shirley is working from:



I hope all of you have a very fun New Year’s Eve - see you in 2025!

See more “The Blue Bird” 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.

Temple Tuesday: Zanuck Reunion, 1953

20th Century-Fox producer Darryl Zanuck received the Milestone Award in December 1953. From the photo’s accompanying publicity blurb:

FILM MAKER HONORED—Darryl F. Zanuck (left), 20th Century-Fox vice-president in charge of production, is shown here with the Milestone Award with which he was presented recently by the Screen Producers Guild, lauding him for his industry achievements. With Zanuck are Gov. Goodwin Knight of California; Carey Wilson, SPG president; and Shirley Temple, who made all of her childhood pictures with Zanuck.

What’s the background on this award? Look no further than the official website:

The Guild initiated its annual Milestone Award Dinner at which an extraordinary honoree would be recognized for his or her historic contribution to the motion picture industry. The Milestone Award is the Guild's highest honor, and may be awarded to an individual or team for their contributions to the entertainment industry.

The first winner was Jesse Lasky (1951), followed by L.B. Mayer. Other winners include Walt Disney (1957), Bob Hope (1962), Alfred Hitchcock (1965), Steven Spielberg (1999), and Bob Iger (2014). From 1967-1997 the award took a hiatus for unknown reasons. Sounds like something I should investigate for another post! If Shirley’s outfit looks familiar, that’s because I posted a shot of her wearing it a year later to the re-premiere of “Gone with the Wind” at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater on August 10, 1954.



While Shirley wore the same outfit, she did carry a different purse AND changed the orientation of the diamond clip on her decolletage from vertical to horizontal. The beautiful piece of jewelry from Tiffany & Co. was sold by Heritage Auctions in December 2016 for a cool $250,000. From the auction catalog:



Diamond, Platinum, Double-Clip-Brooch, Tiffany & Co. The brooch features full-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 5.25 carats, enhanced by baguette-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 1.75 carats, set in platinum, marked Tiffany & Co. Total diamond weight is approximately 7.00 carats. Gross weight 41.90 grams. Individual Clip Dimensions: 1-5/16 inches x 1 inch Combined Dimensions: 2-3/4 inches x 1 inch



The auction house missed a real opportunity by not giving the background on the brooch. Thanks to some sleuthing by Melissa, aka “The Colonel,” I learned that it was a gift from Fred Astaire’s sister, Adele, aka “Lady Cavendish.” After luncheon with Shirley at 20th Century-Fox studio in 1936, Adele and her husband, Lord Cavendish, sent Shirley the jewelry. That must have been some lunch! “Isn’t it beautiful!” Shirley said as she opened the package. Two days later, a gold badge commemorating Shirley’s membership into the Texas Rangers arrived from Governor James Allred and immediately won the favor of the little girl. “You better put this [the diamond brooch] away for safekeeping,” she told her mother. “I think I’d rather wear this badge!” The brooch was supposedly Shirley’s first piece of real jewelry. Mama Temple herself wore the brooch at the return to Fox party in November 1948 when Shirley was making “Mr. Belvedere Goes to College.”



While Shirley may not have completely appreciated the brooch as a child, it sure got some use in her adult life. Note what’s holding her cape together at the 1961 Oscars with Annette Funicello!



California Governor Goodwin Knight should look familiar to Disneyland fanatics. He was at the Park on opening Day (July 17, 1955). Here he is at left on the way to the opening ceremonies with Art Linkletter (striped shirt behind Walt), Walt Disney, and Santa Fe President Fred Gurley.



If you want more on the SPG (Screen Producer’s Guild), here’s the 411: The Producers Guild of America began as two separate organizations, with the Screen Producers Guild being formed on May 16, 1950. In 1957, television producers formed the Television Producers Guild. The two merged in 1962 to form the PGA under producer Walter Mirisch (“Some Like it Hot”).

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley & Irvin

Irvin S. Cobb was an author/humorist in the 1930’s who crossed paths with our gal Shirley Temple for a few photo opportunities. With a middle name of “Shrewsbury,” I can understand why he stuck with just the middle initial in public.

Like many celebrities of the day, Cobb visited Shirley on the set of her movies. This particular one was 1934’s “Baby Take A Bow.” On the left is director Harry Lachman. Of course you want to see the book in Shirley’s hand, which was Cobb’s Down Yonder with Judge Priest and Irvin S. Cobb. Looks like this copy belonged to Esmé Ward; wonder who she was? 



Director John Ford made two feature films based on the Judge Priest short stories. Here’s what the cover of the book looks like, up close and personal:



As host of the evening’s ceremonies at the Los Angeles Biltmore hotel, Cobb was the one who presented Shirley with her miniature Oscar on February 27, 1935:

Shirley Temple takes the Academy Award for outstanding work in motion pictures in 1934 from Irvin S. Cobb, humorist, who presented the trophies at the annual banquet held recently.



Here is Shirley’s account of the evening from her autobiography, Child Star:

“One great towering figure in the cinema game,” humorist Irvin S. Cobb read, “one giant among the troupers…for monumental, stupendous, elephantine achievements in 1934…a special award for…Shirley Temple!” I recognized my name but with total surprise. Nobody had even hinted I might win anything. Having watched the earlier succession of winners, I knew what to do. Leaping to my feet, I ran up the ramp to the stage. Right behind me in ladylike haste came Mother, with Father hard on her heels. I reached out for the small Oscar statuette, but Cobb withdrew it from my outstretched hand. He had a white, goatish face.  “I’ll give you this if you’ll give me a kiss,” he said. The audience howled in appreciation. As he spoke  could see little showers of moisture fly out in my direction, each droplet reflecting as a speck in the spotlight before disappearing somewhere on me or my hair. Damp, casual kisses are one of my intense dislikes, but with an eye on the Oscar I turned my cheek upward. Cobb leaned down while the audience cheered. Just as he kissed me I got a firm handhold on the statuette. “Thank you all very much,” I called upwards toward the microphone, not letting go. “Mommy, can we go home now?” Circling just beyond Cobb’s outstretched reach, I ran back down the ramp ahead of my parents. “You-all ain’t old enough to know what this is all about!” he called after me. He was right.

Reading Shirley’s description today, there is more than a certain amount of “ick” associated with Cobb’s behavior. The dress she wore that night:





…and a closeup of her miniature Oscar:





At November 15, 1935 the dedication of the 20th Century-Fox soundstage for the late Will Rogers, Shirley had the honor of unveiling the plaque, with Cobb on the far right. While the other men in the photo were definitely Hollywood’s heavyweights, let’s face it; Shirley was the star that day! 



There we go; just Shirley. Much better!



While digging for info on Cobb, I also stumbled upon this shot of the two outside Shirley’s Fox Bungalow:



There were at least four separate occasions where the two posed for photos; were they friends? One could safely say these were just staged publicity opportunities which benefitted Cobb much more than the world famous Temple. There is no other mention of the humorist in Shirley’s book other than the event at the Biltmore.

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley Returns to Fox

In November 1948, Darryl F. Zanuck and 20th Century Fox had a little “Welcome Home, Shirley” party at the Commissary, in honor of Shirley returning to the lot after an eight-year absence. She was about to begin filming “Mr. Belvedere Goes to College.” Here, Zanuck pins an orchid on Shirley, and then welcomes her co-star Clifton Webb:



Jane Withers, who played Shirley’s bratty nemesis in “Bright Eyes” showed up with husband William Moss:



...and how the two girls looked fourteen years earlier. My how they have grown!



In her autobiography Child Star, Shirley wrote that her mother elected to skip the party for a visit to the doctor, but as you can see from this photo, both her parents attended, despite the differences they had with Zanuck towards the end of Shirley’s contract at Fox.



No idea who these folks are, and from the look on Shirley’s face, she probably ducked away soon after this photo was shot.



Shirley examines a box of roses with former co-star George Murphy; not sure who the other young lady is, but it doesn’t appear to be the woman he was married to at the time.



George and Shirley a decade beforehand (note Claude Gillingwater, who played the judge) in “Little Miss Broadway”:



Former costars Charlotte Greenwood and C. Aubrey Smith gave Shirley a warm welcome:



Jack Oakie, Shirley, and Charlotte Greenwood from eight years before in “Young People”:



Shirley and Smith in 1937’s “Wee Willie Winkie”:



Shirley and her stand-in, Mary Lou Isleib, surround their former schoolteacher, Frances Klamt:



Shirley and Mary Lou back in 1938 on the set of “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm”:



The uncomfortable shot of the evening goes to…Richard Widmark and Shirley!



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.