Temple Tuesday: The Coat & Beanie Craze, Pt. 2

Finally, part two of the Coat and Beanie Craze post! Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) did the legwork to collect all of the instances that Shirley wore this type of clothing combo in her films. The first instance is from 1936’s, “Stowaway.” Shirley goes to Reno to prevent her adopted parents from getting a divorce. The judge (J. Edward Bromberg) is more than happy to assist her! As she turns away to go to the judge’s chambers, we can see the feathers that adorn her little beanie. This movie costume is one that didn’t surface in the 2015 Theriault’s auction, “Love, Shirley Temple.”



Two coat and beanie combos appear in “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” (1938). The first one has apparently disappeared over the years.



As Rebecca (Shirley) is ripped away from Sunnybrook Farm by her scheming stepfather (William Demarest), she sports this cute hat and beanie:



The coat came to auction, but sadly no beanie. From the auction catalog description:

ROSF: SILK DRESS, FLOWER DESIGN, COAT, WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE IN "REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM" Lot Number: 456 The navy blue silk crepe dress has hidden front closure which opens to hidden pleats below the waist, and with two matching hidden pleat insets at the front and a gathered back, all allowing for easy and fluid movement. The inset color is a rich ecru which matches the two applique wildflowers, the piping, and the ecru covered decorative buttons. The dress has original studio label of 5349. Along with a woolen coat of matching color with white silk faille collar and piping. Generally excellent, back of coat collar a bit darkened. Included are two vintage photographs of Shirley wearing the costume. The costume was worn by Rebecca (Shirley Temple) in the 1938 film "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm". Realized Price: $8,500 Presale Estimate: 3000+



This is also the outfit that initially inspired my two posts! I was able to photograph the coat when it was on display at the Santa Monica History Museum:



As her character leaves the orphanage in “Little Miss Broadway” (1938), Shirley wears this beautiful coat and beanie.



From the auction description:

WEDGWOOD-BLUE WOOLEN COAT WITH SAWTOOTH ACCENTS WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE AT EVENTS Lot Number: 325 Of a rich wedgewood-blue color, the lightweight woolen coat with self-covered buttons features suit lapels of ivory silk faille, and is decorated with vertical bands of dark blue sawtooth-shaped appliques.The coat was worn by Shirley Temple for various social and publicity events in the late 1930s. Realized Price: $4,250 Presale Estimate: 500+





It isn’t long before Shirley has another costume change into (what else?) a coat and beanie. This one is worn during the “We Should Be Together” number with George Murphy.



This time, the beanie hat was included in the 2015 auction!

BLUE WOOLEN COAT WITH COLLAR, HANDKERCHIEF, BERET WORN BY SHIRLEY IN "LITTLE MISS BROADWAY" Lot Number: 323 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. Realized Price: $6,250 Presale Estimate: 3000+ 



As Shirley attempts to escape the truant officer, she wears combo #3!



BROWN WOOLEN COAT WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE FOR PUBLICITY EVENTS Lot Number: 551 Of woven brown wool, with double-breasted construction, side-slit pockets and wide lapels, the richly lined coat is trimmed with two amusing lapel pins depicting Tyrolean style figures. The coat was worn by Shirley Temple for various publicity events including a promotion for the Los Angeles Railway Co., of which a vintage photograph is included. Realized Price: $1,700 Presale Estimate: 500+



Could there possibly be a fourth combo? You betcha’!



BROWN CASHMERE WOOLEN COAT WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE IN THE 1938 FILM "LITTLE MISS BROADWAY" Lot Number: 326 Of light brown cashmere wool, the silk-satin lined coat features nine self-covered buttons that extend down the front, dainty rounded collar, curved collar with flap covers, and decorative leaf-shaped trapunto quilting at the front and back shoulders and sleeves. Generally excellent, a few tiny moth holes. Included is a vintage photograph of Betsy (Shirley Temple) wearing the coat from the 1938 film "Little Miss Broadway", notably as Betsy escapes from the orphanage to help save the Hotel Variety, hitching a ride on the bike handlebars of the newspaper delivery boy. Realized Price: $4,750 Presale Estimate: 1000+



This fifth ensemble is worn in the courtroom scene, and also shows up in the publicity photos taken during Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to 20th Century-Fox:




FINE COUTURIER COAT WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE IN PUBLICITY PHOTOGRAPHS Lot Number: 103 Of finest midnight-blue wool with very narrow pinstripes, the tapered coat has reverse stripe six-button placket front, three petite flap pockets, ivory silk faille collar with knife-cut lapels and detachable matching yoke with toggle button closure, silk faille fold-up cuffs. Generally excellent. The coat is tagged "13809 Temple" indicating it may have appeared in a late 1930s/early 1940s film, and definitely was used by Shirley Temple in a number of publicity photographs, including this in which Hedda Hopper is shown signing Shirley's autograph book. In addition to Shirley Temple’s use of the coat in publicity photographs, she also wore the coat in “Little Miss Broadway” while singing “Thank You For the Use of the Hall”. Realized Price: $3,500 Presale Estimate: 500+



“Just Around the Corner” (1938) only has one coat and beanie:



Again, another instance where the beanie has disappeared!

BLUE BOUCLE WOOLEN COAT WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE IN THE 1938 FILM "JUST AROUND THE CORNER" Lot Number: 462 Of powder blue boucle wool, the faux double-breasted coat has self-covered buttons, curve-shaped pockets (one with lace handkerchief), striped silk faille collar and cuffs, and blue silk crepe lining. The coat has original studio inventory number 14714. Included are two vintage photographs of Shirley Temple wearing the coat, once with her co-stars of the 1938 film, and once in a publicity photograph as she was arriving to serve as Grand Marshall of the 1939 Tournament of Roses Parade. The costume was worn by Penny (Shirley Temple) in opening scenes of the 1938 film "Just Around the Corner" as she arrives at the Riverview to find she no longer lives in the penthouse, but rather in a basement apartment. The costume designer for the film was Gwen Wakeling. Realized Price: $5,000 Presale Estimate: 1000+



My very favorite coat and beanie worn by Shirley is from her final film at Fox, “Young People” (1940). Unfortunately, this one has also apparently disappeared over the years.



One can hope that the missing beanies and other ensembles are squirreled away in somebody’s closet/drawer, waiting to be discovered!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: The Coat & Beanie Craze, Pt. 1

One acquisition can end up being the equivalent of a match to a powder keg, like this 1938 autographed photo of Shirley Temple. I have always associated the wearing of matching coat and beanie hats with Shirley’s 1938 era.

I also assumed the photo was taken on the Fox lot during the filming of this scene from “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” when Rebecca (Shirley) is unceremoniously taken away from her Aunt Miranda’s farm when her money-grubbing stepfather realizes her singing can make him a fortune.



Thanks to research by Melissa (aka “The Colonel”), I learned I was wrong on both counts. In the film, this is the dress Shirley (with costar Gloria Stuart) is wearing under her coat in the scene shown above:



The dress Shirley is actually wearing under the coat in my autographed photo can be seen in this rehearsal photo with Shirley, choreographer Nick Castle, and co-star George Murphy during the making of “Little Miss Broadway,” the film Shirley made AFTER doing “Rebecca.” Thanks to Shirley expert supreme Rita Dubas for that tidbit!



Since Shirley kept all of her movie costumes, her personal and movie wardrobe often blended together. The child star was photographed in public wearing outfits that had been seen in her movies, thus making it all the more amazing when the oft-worn dresses came to auction in 2015 looking brand new!

At first glance, one might think that this dress that came up for auction is the same dress Shirley wore in my autographed shot and the dance rehearsal shot. In comparing the two, the polka dot pattern is spaced wider here:



…than what is visible in this detailed view from the autographed photo where the dress is peeking out underneath the coat:



From the auction description of the 1937 auctioned dress:

SILK DRESS WORN BY SHIRLEY TEMPLE ON FAMILY TRIP TO HAWAII
Lot Number: 299



Of robin’s egg blue with pale blue polka dots, the dress has full-length vertical pleats, and is trimmed with an unusual diamond-point edging in cream silk, along with matching sash and with matching panties. The costume has original label of Miss L. Brogan New Orleans. A favorite dress of Shirley Temple, worn on a number of publicity occasions, such as that shown in the accompanying photograph in which Shirley (holding “Jimmie”, #300) is shown with her mother and father arriving for vacation in Hawaii.



Here’s a publicity shot of Shirley with her dog Ching Ching wearing the tighter-pattern polka dot dress:



Perhaps Shirley liked this dress so much that costumer Gwen Wakeling made a copy of it with a different fabric. Snooping around the web, I found a listing on etsy for another “Miss L. Brogan” creation:



According to the listing:

This dress belonged to a lovely lady who was from a wealthy family. She wore it in the 1930s and said it was a gift from her 4 maiden aunts. The dress is custom made by "Miss L Brogan New Orleans" (labeled) and is totally hand sewn. Miss Brogan was apparently a male who made custom children's clothing in the first half of the 20th century and charged a lot for doing it!



These are the details that keep us obsessive nutz in bizness!

As for the rest of the coat and beanie tale, you’ll need to come back next week!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley Does The Minuet

The 1937 Shirley Temple film “Heidi” has a dream sequence where Shirley performs a Minuet with her peers, decked out in an elegant 17th century costume by Gwen Wakeling.



With a powdered wig, this ensemble was apparently deemed worthy of a photo shoot with the master  himself, George Hurrell:



I’m not a huge fan of colorization, but decided to take a stab at it with this publicity shot:



How did I know what colors to select? By using Shirley’s original costume as reference, which I photographed at the Santa Monica History Museum back in 2015:



Want to see the shoes she wore? Of course you do!



This ensemble sold for $11,000 at the 2015 Theriault’s Love, Shirley Temple auction. From the catalog description: 

Styled in the late 17th century manner of the French court, the ball gown has a skirt of four tiers of fine Alencon lace with appliqued paillettes, centered by green silk panniers supported by hidden hoops, and with a matching low-necked bodice having lace center panel. The gown is decorated with garlands of pink silk rose buds, delicate blue flowers and lace edging, and accessorized by a pair of green silk and kidskin dancing slippers. For this scene in the 1937 film "Heidi" a unique coiffure in the powdered upswept fashion of Marie Antoinette was also designed for Shirley. The listed costume designer for this film was Gwen Wakeling.

The way the description is written casts a little doubt as to whether Wakeling herself designed this ensemble. It was definitely not the normal Shirley Temple outfit, however, Wakeling was more than capable to create something this ornate. With credits as diverse as “The Grapes of Wrath,” “Samson and Delilah,” and “I Dream of Jeannie,” this talented woman could do it all!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley and the Bellhop

Today’s image shows Shirley in her trailer at Fox in between takes of “Stowaway” with composer Harry Revel, who wrote the music for most of the songs she sang in that film. The story of the dress that Shirley is wearing can be found in my previous post.

This particular photo opportunity shows Revel gifting Shirley a Bellhop doll created by Lenci. These highly collectable dolls were made of pressed woolen felt, handcrafted in Turin from 1919 until 1944. I was able to see it in person in Santa Monica back in 2015 when it was part of the traveling exhibit for the “Love, Shirley Temple” auction.



From the auction description:

ITALIAN CHARACTER DOLL, THE BELLHOP, BY LENCI, GIFTED BY HARRY REVEL

28" high including attached hat. All-cloth chubby doll with composition mask face, movable disc googly eyes, sun ray painted lashes, tiny closed mouth, glued-on felt hair with stitched brush-mark details, felt hands and shoes, wearing stitched-on bright green felt bellhop costume including stitched-on hat, darker green piping, gilt buttons, and carrying a posy of felt flowers and a felt folded "message". Excellent condition with light surface craquelure around the nose and mouth, and with brilliant vivid colors of costume. The mask face googly series was made in Lenci of Italy in the mid-1930s. Included with the rare large and captivating doll is a vintage photograph of Shirley wearing a costume from "Stowaway" (1936) with Harry Revel who is presenting the doll to her and a letter from Harry Revel to Shirley's mother. The British-born composer wrote scores for a number of Hollywood films of the 1930s including the Shirley Temple films of "Stowaway" and "Poor Little Rich Girl".

Realized Price: $4,750
Presale Estimate: 1500+

The doll surfaced again in November 2018 at another Theriault’s auction. This time it only fetched $3,000...and mysteriously the letter from Revel to Gertrude Temple was not included.

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Just Around The Corner

“Miss Annie Rooney” from 1942 was touted as Shirley Temple’s first screen kiss; however, 1938’s “Just Around the Corner” made a somewhat valiant attempt of giving Shirley a love interest with co-star Bennie Bartlett. His character begins the film as a snobby little schoolboy, but by the time Shirley cuts off his foppish curls and introduces him to the local hoods (resulting in a black-eye), he’s a regular kid! Just look at that shiner!



And how about that dress Shirley is wearing!?! The detailing on the bodice for just a few short scenes is really incredible. Costumer Gwen Wakeling made even the most simple costumes unique.



Venerable crusty-codger Claude Gillingwater plays Bennie’s Uncle Sam, who appreciates Shirley’s character turning his nephew into a real boy and rewards her with a buck.



Can’t take my eyes off all that detailed ruching and embroidery. I wonder what happened to that dress?



It went up on the auction block in the 2015 “Love, Shirley Temple” sale. Here’s the catalog description:

Of apple green silk crepe, the dress features an extraordinary bodice of richly detailed ruching in shades of brown, yellow and white that extends from the yoke to the hips, with matching short puffed sleeves, and with a skirt of narrow pleats. The dress has an organdy collar with embroidered edging, matching sleeve cuffs, little pearl buttons, sash, and matching panties.

But Dave, who got it? Where is it now? Settle down, readers! I have the answer!



None other than my friend Melissa, aka “The Colonel” was able to get the winning bid on this beauty, and here’s a shot of where it resides today in her Shirley Shrine:



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.