1936’s “Poor Little Rich Girl” had a socko finale musical number, “Military Man” with stars Shirley, Jack Haley, and Alice Faye in military garb performing an intricate synchronized tap dance. According to Haley:
They dubbed in Shirley’s taps but didn’t tell Mrs. Temple. They shot it with her, then told Alice and me to come back later and do it again. At the preview Mrs. Temple was boasting, ‘Did you hear those taps? Could they have been any clearer? And you said Shirley couldn’t do it.’
Haley was known for his bitter recollections, including how much he hated working on “The Wizard of Oz.” While his character might have received a heart in the movie, Haley apparently left it in the prop department.
Shirley had her own recollection of the event in her autobiography Child Star:
Our job as a trio was to match our tap noises in synchrony with a long and athletic filmed segment being projected against a screen. Dancing together, it took only one false tap from any of us to ruin the take. Dance director Jack Haskell was a taskmaster for flawless movement and precise timing.…As we paused to pinpoint some little problem, I stared away, meditatively working my tongue against a precariously loose tooth. Noticing my averted gaze, Haskell brusquely ordered I look at him when he was speaking.…Haley, in particular, had trouble getting synchrony with his filmed image, and seemed annoyed at me because my taps kept matching perfectly. He obviously knew the mechanics cold, but without music and only a projected image to guide him, his timing remained way off. Even Faye grimaced occasionally, while frustration and fatigue gradually began to erode our basic sense of camaraderie. At the time, director Irving Cummings had been observing how each of us was reacting under stress. …The recording session dragged on, and by late afternoon my legally permitted workday was soon ending with the dance still not in order. Frustrated herself, Mother made a cutting observation comparing Haley’s precision and endurance to mine. It was tinder to a powder keg. Instantly he shot back that I was the problem, not him. Jumping into the breach, Haskell ordered another break. “We’re not going to finish. The law says Shirley can’t work at night, so let’s get her taps recorded alone now.”…Sound technicians would then have to match our taps together on one master record. Like anyone else, I eventually get tired, but seldom in the legs. Haley and Faye stood aside. I wiggled at my tooth and smiled to set my mood.…Drawing a deep breath, I began.…Each nerve tap came across crisp and sharp and synchronized on the first try, but I couldn’t smile during the last few stanzas. The loose tooth had finally detached, arriving on my tongue like a cough drop. “Time to go,” said Mother, grabbing my hand and marching past Haley with a long stride I recognized as triumphant.
Take that, Haley.
Who looks alert and ready to outperform her costars?
Here’s Shirley with Director Irving Cummings. You can almost hear him now: “Just ignore that bitter sourpuss. You can dance circles around him!”
In between takes, Shirley poses with Doc Bishop. From the vintage publicity blurb:
An old friend of Shirley’s, Doc Bishop of the Publicity Department of 20th Century-Fox, poses with her during the filming of her picture “Poor Little Rich Girl” in 1936.
Here’s the number in all its colorized glory. Judge for yourself, but Shirley gives no sign of not being completely in charge:
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.
