Temple Tuesday: Shirley & Rita

In June 1942, Shirley Temple was between film gigs and paid a visit to Columbia Studios. One of her stops was for a few publicity shots with Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, who does not seem very pleased that her dancing partner is being borrowed by Shirley. The shot below was accompanied by the following caption:

BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY — Shirley Temple, on a recent day off, visited Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth on Columbia’s “You Were Never Lovelier,” set. Standing is Xavier Cugat, the rhumba king, who plays himself in the musical.



The next photo opp I have in my collection showing Shirley and Rita together is from April 1943 when the two  welcomed Madame Chiang Kai-shek to the Hollywood Bowl. Left to right are Norma Shearer, Marlene Dietrich, Mary Pickford, Shirley, Loretta Young, Rita, and Barbara Stanwyck.



In the fall of 1945, Shirley found herself back at Columbia Studios. From the accompanying caption:

WELCOME HOME — Director Charles Vidor, Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford welcome Shirley Temple back to the Columbia lot on the “Gilda” set. Shirley recently starred in “Kiss and Tell” at the same studio.

“Kiss and Tell” had a $1.2 million budget while “Gilda” came in at $2 million.



“Kiss and Tell” was released October 18, 1945, and “Gilda” had its New York City premiere on March 14 1946. A lovely portrait of Shirley in angora to publicize “Kiss and Tell” below:



The American Film Institute website states that Rita Hayworth was the original choice for “Kiss and Tell”:

According to pre-production news items in Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety, Columbia spent two years negotiating for the screen rights to the F. Hugh Herbert play. The studio initially conceived the play as a vehicle for Rita Hayworth and assigned Al Hill to direct.…According to Columbia publicity material, Herbert based the character of "Corliss Archer" on his teenage daughter. A New York Times article notes that David O. Selznick, who loaned Shirley Temple to Columbia for the production, initially demanded approval of the screenplay and daily rushes because he was concerned that the subject matter was too "sexy" for former child star Temple.

Herbert’s play of the same name debuted on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre on March 17, 1943 and ran until June 23, 1945, with a total of 956 performances.

That last tidbit I could find about the two actresses was this none-too-flattering remembrance from Shirley’s autobiography, Child Star:

As the New Year [1949] rang in the Hollywood Women’s Press Club nominated me, after Rita Hayworth, the second least cooperative star in the industry. The vote came to me as a thunderbolt. My lifelong conviction held that a critical aspect of professionalism was popularity, including popularity with the working press, upon whose opinion the public relied…At my request, on January 5, 1949, I met with the entire club. The reception was sincerely unfriendly. Epithets like “stinker” and “always totally unavailable” were delivered, albeit with a smile. One writer claimed to have tried unsuccessfully for an interview for three years. Only columnist Hedda Hopper rose to shift the blame, saying officious underlings of the Selznick studio had rejected press inquiries without consulting me. In rebuttal another woman snarled things would never change; I was simply terrified to speak candidly with the press. “How about now, this afternoon?” I called back from the podium. Far too late to rescind my award, the group apologized as individuals, and lined up to schedule exclusives. Far from an egotistic exercise, my appearance recognized the pervasive power that the Women’s Press Club exercises, its opinion echoing in unexpected Hollywood crannies, as I soon found.

Shortly after, Shirley and then husband John Agar attended a party at Errol Flynn’s home. When she declined his invitation to join him in his steam room, he replied, “So that’s why the press voted you most uncooperative, eh?”

And that’s all I have for the Rita/Shirley connection!
 
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Girl 27: The Patricia Douglas Story

Although it came out seventeen years ago, the documentary “Girl 27” is still shocking. It begins with a passage from Luke 8:17, which perfectly sets the tone. Writer/director David Stenn made public the tragic story of the 1937 rape of Patricia Douglas at the hands of an MGM exhibitor/salesman, David Ross. As Stenn told Vanity Fair, “I managed to find old newspaper coverage, previously unseen photos, damning studio documentation, long-forgotten legal records, privately shot cinematographic evidence hidden in an MGM film vault, and, most amazing, Patricia Douglas herself. I tracked the reclusive invalid down and eventually persuaded her to break her 65-year silence.”



Hollywood’s most glamorous studio, Metro-Goldwayn-Mayer, invited exhibitors to come to Hollywood to stay at the Ambassador Hotel and attend a wild party at the Hal Roach Studio’s ranch. Over a hundred young girls (many underage) were hired for what they thought was a film. Louis B. Mayer told the exhibitors that anything they wanted would be provided to them during their visit.



One of those exhibitors was David Ross from Chicago. What a charmer.



A natural-born dancer, Douglas drifted into movies “just for something to do.” Since she was supported by her mother, Douglas had no need to work. So when a casting call came on the afternoon of Sunday, May 2, 1937, she demurred at first, but later agreed to show up. “They never mentioned it was for a party,” she recalls. “Ever. I wouldn’t have gone! Oh God, oh God, I wouldn’t have gone.”



The call sheet with the name of Pat Douglas, aka Girl 27. What did the girls receive for their “role”? What they thought was a shot at stardom, hot meal, and $7.50 for the day at the remote Culver City ranch, aka “Rancho Roachero.”



The exhibitors who had been partying all day assumed the professional dancers were theirs to do whatever they wanted to. Isn’t that what Louis B. Mayer told them upon arrival? The girls were trapped at a location with no phones or transportation and had to fend for themselves. Douglas ended up being violently raped, losing her virginity to a man she had no interest in. With guts rarely shown by women at the time (for fear of repercussions), Patricia went public and pressed charges against her rapist. “I did want him punished,” she recalled. “I couldn’t get him out of my mind, because he took my innocence, because I was a virgin, and he left me with horrendous memories of my first time. And believe it or not, it affected the rest of my life physically. I was a frigid woman, and I never changed. I believe that I was about thirty-five when I stopped dating. But you can never miss what you never had.”



Stenn’s compelling documentary shows his journey of how he uncovered the facts of the case, long buried or destroyed many years ago. Here he is with USC archivist, Ned Comstock, as he first looks at the file from Patricia’s case, full of papers not seen since the 1930s.





Stenn also sought out Douglas herself. “I was furious when I heard from David. Imagine, sixty-five years nobody knowing what happened to you when you were young, and here comes some young fellow from out of the blue, and wants to talk to me about the case. I didn’t care about the story being told; I kept it a secret for sixty-five years. Why not die with it? Who would care?” Stenn did, and he patiently chipped away at Douglas’ reluctance. Eighty-six at the time, she finally agreed to tell her story.



David asked her, “Have you ever been in love?” “No,” she replied. “I have never been in love, and I have never known what it is to love somebody.” Pressing on, David asked, “Do you think that was taken away from you by what happened at the MGM party?” “Yes, because I believe no matter how much I feel towards a man, I don’t trust.”



In a touch of irony, while a rape victim was crucified in the press, a movie star was completely protected. The documentary reveals how Loretta Young and Clark Gable (married at the time to Ria Langham) had a child out of wedlock but covered it up by telling the public her biological daughter had been adopted.



As her daughter, Judy Lewis, tells the camera: “Hollywood knew the true story; I was the only one that didn’t.” The contrasting story shows how Hollywood treated people according to their earning potential.

Make sure you see “Girl 27.” You won’t regret it. See more Classic Movie & TV photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley at the Bowl, 1943

In April 1943, Shirley Temple and a slew of other celebrities (including left to right Norma Shearer, Marlene Dietrich, Mary Pickford, Loretta Young, Rita Hayworth, and Barbara Stanwyck) welcomed Madame Chiang Kai-shek to the Hollywood Bowl. The pictures accompanying this post were shot by John Florea, LIFE staff photographer. There was plenty of coverage for the event, including a story in the April 19, 1943 issue of LIFE magazine:

MADAME CHIANG IN HOLLYWOOD
She finishes nationwide tour with stirring speech to 30,000 at Bowl

To the tinseled home of make-believe last week went a realistic star of the first magnitude. Under the serene blue California skies Madame Chiang Kai-shek concluded her nationwide tour at a spectacular mass meeting held in the Hollywood Bowl. All Hollywood had contributed talent toward making this event a triumph of showmanship. But it was Madame Chiang’s gracious charm, her indomitable spirit and her deeply stirring account of China’s six-year war against Japanese aggression which made the dramatic climax of the afternoon. Her fists clenched, emotion welling in her voice, China’s First Lady reviewed the unforgettable, “ghastly memories” which have been burned into her mind and heart. She began her historical summary by picturing the insuperable obstacles which confronted her as secretary-general of the Chinese Air Force at the war’s start in 1937.…As Madame Chiang spoke, her sympathetic audience listened in grave silence, tears springing to many eyes. No Hollywood-conceived pageant could match the awesome “nightmares” which Madame Chiang recreated with the magic of her words.…Madame Chiang closed her speech with the pledge that China and the other United Nations would not permit “aggression to raise its satanic head and threaten man’s greatest heritage: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all peoples.”



Note the pin that Shirley is wearing; it came up for sale at the “Love, Shirley Temple, Take Two: From Schoolgirl to Storybook” auction in 2015. From the Theriault’s catalog description:

SHIRLEY TEMPLE’S DIAMOND AND RUBY VICTORY PIN FROM WWII

Formed as the letter "V" for Victory, the famous symbol of the Allied Forces during WWII, the 1.5" 14Kt pin has incised initials of S T, and a crossbar decorated with three round-cut rubies and a 0.10 diamond baguette which are the letter "v" in morse code. A favorite pin of Shirley Temple during the early 1940s. Presale Estimate: $600+; Realized Price: $1,700



Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) tracked down a number of other vintage articles that gave more information about the program at the Bowl:

With the audience requested to be seated by 2:45 p.m. promptly, the program will be opened by Spencer Tracy presenting Henry Fonda, actor, who is now a seaman in the U.S. Navy, and Dr. C M. Wassell, Commander, Medical Corps, U.S.N.R., and hero of the evacuation of Java.…A committee of 19 actresses will receive Madame Chiang. Mary Pickford will present her with roses. Others serving on the committee will be Joan Bennett, Ingrid Bergman, Marlene Dietrich, Irene Dunne, Deanna Durbin, Kay Francis, Judy Garland, Janet Gaynor, Rita Hayworth, Dorothy Lamour, Ida Lupino, Ginger Rogers, Rosalind Russell, Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwyck, Shirley Temple, Lana Turner, and Loretta Young.

Not too shabby; that is DEFINITELY an “A” List of stars! Below is Madame Chiang addressing the audience at the Bowl, between red (left side of the shell) and blue panels (right side) decorated with the official seals of the United States and China. This event was the first time since Pearl Harbor that the Hollywood Bowl had been filled to capacity.



Madame Chiang, in a black silk gown decorated with the silver wings of the Chinese air force, received a bouquet of pink roses from Mary Pickford and a guard of honor comprising almost every top feminine movie star in Hollywood. She sat quietly through the pageant that the picture industry conceived and then delivered her 45-minute address.





Another shot of Shirley and friends:



David O. Selznick (“Gone with the Wind”) staged and produced the pageant. Shirley was under contract to Selznick and filming “Since You Went Away” at the time, which is most likely why she was in attendance.



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

The Fiesta of Stars, 1951

On April 29, 1951, some of the biggest Hollywood celebrities got together for Father Patrick J. Peyton and the release of his book, "The Ear of God." The event was called "The Fiesta of Stars." If you've never heard of Father Peyton, surely you've heard of his famous slogan:

“The family that prays together stays together.”

Father Patrick J. Peyton (1909-1992) was a member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. He founded the "Family Rosary Crusade" to promote the praying of the Rosary by families. This worldwide campaign that eventually became a Roman Catholic movement came from Father Peyton's patron, the Blessed Virgin Mary whom he credits as the one who interceded before God and her son Jesus Christ his recovery from tuberculosis in 1941. Peyton also started the radio dramatic anthology "Family Theatre" (1947-1957). His television shows featured famous actors such as James Stewart and Lucille Ball. His cause for canonization as a saint was opened in 2001.

The first photo here shows Loretta Young, Oscar winner ("The Farmer's Daughter") and 3-time Emmy winner ("The Loretta Young Show"). Young herself was known as a very devout Catholic. Some of the other stars on hand included Irene Dunne, Rosalind Russell, Loretta Young, Van Johnson, Margaret O'Brien, Jeanne Crain, Clare Boothe Luce, George Jessel, Donald O'Connor, and Louella Parsons.

In this photo, actress Louise Beavers is signing one of the books, with Hattie McDaniel (Mammy from "Gone with the Wind") at right.



Peyton's book is extremely hard to find; here's a photo of the cover to assist your search:



and the promotional blurb from when it first came out:

The Ear of God by Father Patrick J. Peyton. Prayer is the language of man to God. Here is a beautifully written book that demonstrates the effectiveness of prayer with dramatic true stories of the Saints and Father Peyton's own remarkable recovery from tuberculosis. You'll also read on how to pray, and what to pray for. Included are prayers for every day and special occasions. $2.75

Imagine...learning to pray for only $2.75. Not bad, considering I found a webpage attempting to sell an autographed copy of the book for $65,000. The book has signatures from just about everyone who was at this event.

Here's one of a very young Natalie Wood, proudly wearing her committee ribbon. Anyone know the chap on the right?



My online sleuthing also turned up a few images from the USC archives. This one shows Father Peyton himself:



Look at that line of people waiting to get their copy autographed.



I'm not sure where this event was held, but it appears to have been at somebody's estate.



If anyone out there knows more about The Fiesta of Stars, please feel free to comment!

See more vintage Movie and TV photos on my Movies and TV web page.