Temple Tuesday: Two Early Birds Get The Worm

Once again on Temple Tuesday we find ourselves covering Shirley’s 1936 classic, “Captain January.” Who could forget her opening number “Early Bird,” the memorable tune with music by Lew Pollack and lyrics by Sidney D. Mitchell? Even without Starbucks (or Diet Coke), Shirley wakes up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as she gets ready to greet the new day!



For this number, Shirley wore a simple undershirt and a deceptively simple pair of tap pants. Thanks to Shirley expert supreme, Rita Dubas, you can see what they look like today:



These were not part of the 2015 “Love, Shirley Temple” auction. Nope. Rita found them on the rubylane website; they had been owned by actress and former costar Jane Withers (Shirley’s arch nemesis from “Bright Eyes”) and were being resold by the person who had bought them from her. I asked Rita if she typically looks at rubylane and she responded:

I look at rubylane very rarely, only if I remember. This was a total, meant-to-be fluke!

I’ll let her tell the rest of the story herself:

I had a weird feeling that I knew what the pants were when I saw them, so I went to the Theriault’s catalog and checked the stamped wardrobe numbers. They had the same prefix (52) as the other labeled “Captain January” costumes, and synched with the films before and after (“The Littlest Rebel”—51 and “Poor Little Rich Girl”—53).



I opened another browser window at the same time, went to YouTube and was scrolling through the “Early Bird” scene over and over with one eye, with the other watching the listing on rubylane. Everything seemed to match, even to the fact that light blue fabric would photograph almost white on black and white film.

My nose was practically pressed against the screen when my husband walked in the door. John: “What in h**l are you doing?” Me: “Mppphhhh!” He crept slowly over to the computer as if he was going to drop a net over me, and I pointed. He poked a finger in my back. “BUY THEM. NOW.” Me: “Mppphhhh!” And there you are.

I spent some anxious moments before they arrived, wondering if they were the right size for a child, or would they be too large? I kept telling myself that the numbers wouldn’t lie…and they didn’t…they are TINY! I barely touched or breathed near them before I put them in a shadowbox frame. The careful detailing on the side ties were what got me.



Instead of simply being sewn into the side seam, there are two pairs of carefully stitched buttonholes so the ties could easily adjust. Needed if active Shirley enjoyed a hearty lunch before wearing them!

When I got them, someone asked why they photographed almost white on film. Light blue pretty much disappears in black and white; if these were white, I think they would have photographed too bright for the lower light bedroom.



Is that the end of the story? Heck no! As most movie buffs know, wardrobe tends to make multiple copies of a costume just in case something goes wrong. If the outfit is part of a vigorous dance number, then the studio better be EXTRA prepared! Even for a pair of tap pants, the wardrobe department at Fox was ready. Here’s where Melissa, aka “The Colonel,” enters the story as the second Early Bird. She happened to be in communication with her good friend Rita and found out about this unique find. Wanting to take a look at the photos of Rita’s purchase on the rubylane site she noticed...A SECOND PAIR FOR SALE!!

Front:



Back:



and the tag number:



Here are a few more detailed views of Melissa’s “Early Bird” tap pants:









Now Rita & Melissa have twin Shirley costumes, proving that the Early Bird(s) truly does get the worm(s)!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Tra La La La

In 1940, Shirley Temple made “Young People,” her last movie for 20th Century-Fox under the contract that reaped the movie studio millions. The final number in the film is a catchy tune called, “Tra-La-La-La,” with lyrics by Mack Gordon and music by Harry Warren. It was one of the first two songs composed for the movie according to Variety’s March 9, 1940 post. Nick Castle and Geneva Sawyer staged the dances for the film, including this one which featured Temple’s costars, Charlotte Greenwood and Jack Oakie.

Hedda Hopper attempted to drum up some enthusiasm for this lackluster project in her Hollywood column from April 15, 1940:

“The Young People” set is full of human interest these days. Of course, Shirley Temple is always human interest—and especially since she plays the adopted child of Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood.…On the sidelines is the only dance directing team in the business. They are Geneva Sawyer and Nick Castle—a heck of a cute pair. Geneva’s more quiet than Nick—never takes her eyes off Shirley when she’s working. She’s as attentive as Mrs. Temple. Nick is all over the place, will talk about Shirley at the drop of a hat. I was ready to listen, so he went on. “She’s colossal—the greatest little trouper I ever saw. I’m telling you this kid—what’s her name?—” Even though he’s worked with her for months, he still calls her “What’s-her-name”. He thinks too fast to remember names. “Why, she does an Astaire in this picture that’s better than the master himself.” When I asked Nick if she jumps over chairs and tables, he snapped, “No! Just over Oakie and Greenwood.” So, if anyone thinks Shirley hasn’t learned her business A to Izzard, you should have seen her directing the still man how to make pictures of her routine, and I’ll be darned if he didn’t take her advice.

The truth of the matter was that the Temple family was tired of Fox, and Fox was just as tired of them, especially since 12-year old Shirley’s box office receipts had begun to dip. While it was solid entertainment, “Young People” was not of the caliber of Shirley’s previous films. Still, “Tra-La-La-La” remains one of my favorite musical numbers from a Temple film. Shirley’s voice and dancing have matured, even if the song and Castle’s choreography do not push their limits. The cute little jumper that Shirley wears was designed by Gwen Wakeling, who did most of Shirley’s wardrobe at Fox.



Wanna’ see what that dress looks like today?



Thanks to Melissa (aka “The Colonel”), you can see it in all its detailed glory.



This was one of the items originally sold at the “Love, Shirley Temple” auction back in 2015. Shirley also wore it for publicity shots, including this one taken at Universal Studios with their resident superstar, Deanna Durbin.



But back to the jumper…and the beautiful embroidery:



That’s Temple sweat you can see on the blouse; you can be sure she put her all into that number!



AND her name on the label!



Button detailing:



The construction featured a combination of buttons and hook and eye closures:





And finally a puffed sleeve detail:



I hope you enjoyed this inside look at Shirley’s final Fox film costume. MANY thanks to Melissa for generously allowing us to have a peak at this treasured piece from her private collection.



How fitting that the last shot of today’s post shows Shirley singing that final note from “Tra-La-La-La”:



See more Shirley Temple “Young People” photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: We Should Be Together

One of my VERY favorite Shirley song and dance numbers is “We Should Be Together,” which she performs with George Murphy in “Little Miss Broadway.” Like all good musical numbers it happens fairly organically as part of the plot. The two dance through the foyer of the rich Bee-yotch (played perfectly by Edna Mae Oliver) who is trying to kick Shirley’s movie family out of their home.



With Shirley doing her best to thaw out the old codger, take a guess at what happens to her movie family? Little known fact: Edna Mae Oliver was a strong candidate to play the Wicked Witch in MGM’s “Wizard of Oz.”



The coat and hat that Shirley wears in this number went up on the auction block in 2015. Residing in Shirley’s personal collection since she filmed this number in 1938, it was very well preserved.



From the auction description:

The blue woolen double-breasted coat has a fine Belgian lace collar, breast pocket with lace-edged hankie, and two pockets with flaps. Along with a blue woolen beret. Included are two vintage photographs of Shirley Temple wearing the costume. The costume was worn by Betsy (Shirley Temple) in the 1938 film "Little Miss Broadway", notably in the song and dance routine "We Should Be Together" with George Murphy, and on various publicity occasions.





Here’s Shirley wearing the same coat and hat with announcer George Fisher at the premiere of “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,” 1938



Here’s the number; forgive the colorization!



See more Shirley photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Journey of a Dress

In the 1936 Shirley Temple classic “Stowaway,” the curly-haired moppet is ably supported by Robert Young and Alice Faye. Naturally she’s an orphan who plays matchmaker for her two costars. The costume shown here, designed by Royer, was worn by Ching-Ching (Shirley Temple) in the scene with Susan Parker (Alice Faye) when she changes from her Chinese costume to this dress, bought in the dress shop of the steam ship. Shirley exclaims, "I've never had a dress as nice as this" while twirling around, and then meets up with “Uncle” Tommy (Robert Young) where she exclaims, "I'm a stowaway, but I didn't mean to be."



This dress was also worn in a deleted scene and musical number that followed. There are many existing stills from this deleted scene which can be pieced together thanks to a vintage storybook tie-in published by Saalfield.

There is a knock at Susan’s stateroom door, and Tommy and friends enter. They’re singing “Happy Birthday” and carrying gifts. When Ching says it’s not her birthday, Tommy responds, “It must be mine.” He opens a package with a dress. “But it doesn’t fit me!” “You’re fooling,” exclaims Ching Ching. “It’s a party!”



In this vintage lobby card, it looks like Helen Westley’s character, Mrs. Hope, was breaking up this party!



The gang appears to be singing a song in this shot; it could be “All Aboard the Dreamland Choo Choo” or “I Wanna Go to the Zoo”, as both were mentioned in newspaper articles at the time as songs from “Stowaway,” and there was “Zoo” sheet music. No sheet music for “Choo Choo,” but there is a recording – but that may have been done later, as “Choo Choo” was also slated for – and deleted from – “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.” Most likely it was “Zoo” that they sang here; later, Ching Ching and Tommy would sing a snippet of it as they returned to the ship.

This photo from the deleted scene shows Ching Ching with a pair of scissors. Most likely it came after the party, as she’s wearing her corsage.



Almost 80 years later, this dress came up for sale at the Shirley Temple estate auction held by Theriault’s in July 2015. First thing you’ll notice is that the person who tinted the vintage lobby cards wasn’t concerned with accuracy, as the original dress is blue, not red.



Lifelong Shirley Temple aficionado Melissa, aka “The Colonel,” was at the July 2015 auction. “I didn't even dream of owning a costume, let alone from one of my very favorite Shirley films,” she told me recently. The dress came up for bid and was gone, along with a number of other Temple screen-worn costumes. Who bought them? The Nate Sanders Auction House.



In this case, patience was a virtue as Melissa was able to obtain this costume the second time around directly from Nate. “I was elated but nervous about my purchase...it was a big expense that took me four months to pay for, but it was a quintessential Shirley dress, worn in several scenes including a deleted musical number. As soon as it arrived I noticed the exceptional detail and craftmanship. And lots of snaps and hooks and eyes!”



Melissa generously shared these images of her prized acquisition which now resides in her Shirley “shrine.”





On a side note, The Danbury Mint released this 8" miniature Shirley doll wearing the “Stowaway” dress. The fact that Shirley Temple Black herself chose this outfit for the doll tells me it was a very special one to her...and they even got the color right!



A little more information on the designer of the dress. Louis/Luis Royer also did the gowns for “Bright Eyes” and “Baby Take A Bow” as well as the costumes for “Miss Annie Rooney.”

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.