Temple Tuesday: Shirley Smokes!

Often thought of as a “goody goody” in her film roles, Shirley Temple smoked a peace pipe in “Susannah of the Mounties” (1939) at the age of eleven! The film was supposed to be directed Walter Lang (thus the name on the costume test clapboard above), but he had to be replaced due to a bout of the flu by William Seiter.



In her 1945 book, “My Young Life,” Shirley recalled smoking the peace pipe:

Fox was kind of worried…about the scene…where I smoked a pipe. The way they played it first, I didn’t get sick, but the Indian boy I was smoking with [played by Martin Good Rider, above] got “sick as a dog.” They then decided that if I smoked without getting sick it would set a bad example to the country’s children, so in order to discourage young people from filthy weed, they had me get sick after all.



Apparently, once was not enough, as Shirley smoked again at the end of the film. As you can see from the production shot below, she was all smiles about it! From left to right: Maurice Moskovich (who played Chief Big Eagle), Moroni Olsen, Shirley and Good Rider, a fourteen-year-old Blackfeet Indian from Montana.



Moskovich’s last film, “The Great Dictator” (1940) was released four months after his June 18th death. In Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece, Moskovich played Mr. Jaeckel, an elderly Jew who befriends Chaplin’s character. Below is a scene from the movie with Chaplin, Moskovich, and Paulette Goddard.



But I digress…as always. Just remember kids, in the words of South Park’s Mr. Mackey, “Smoking is bad, m’kay?”

See more Shirley Temple “Susannah of the Mounties” photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Leading Men and the Couch

In this publicity shot from 1939, Shirley is shown in her 20th Century-Fox bungalow with her future costar, Martin Good Rider. From the accompanying blurb:

HOLLYWOOD, JAN. 26 — SHIRLEY GETS HER FIRST LEADING MAN - Shirley Temple gets her first leading man in her screen career in her new picture (Susannah of the Mounties). He’s 13-year-old Martin Goodrider, full-blooded Blackfoot Indian boy. Shirley and Martin are shown after their first meeting at Miss Temple’s dressing room in a studio here.

As so often happens with publicity stories, this one is not entirely true. Just a year before, Shirley had her first on-screen romantic pairing with Bennie Bartlett in “Just Around the Corner.” Shirley’s character uses her womanly wiles to get the young boy to cut off his curls and adopt a more sophisticated hairdo. Ah, young love. No, I don’t count the “Baby Burlesks” as far as a “leading man” for Shirley goes. At the tender age of four, that ventures into “ick” territory.



Always looking at the details, I noticed the fabric on the couch that Shirley and Martin are sitting in. I immediately contacted Melissa, aka “The Colonel” for the 411. She filled in the deets on the decor for Shirley’s Fox Bungalow, where the young girl held court for a plethora of celebrities, dignitaries, and politicians. “The wallpaper in the living/reception room was originally ivory with a conventional tree design in jade green,” Melissa told me. “The couch was described as a ‘small davenport upholstered in linen printed in bright colors with a kindergarten design.’” The couch print looks like it was inspired by the buildings in Colonial Williamsburg, which had finished restoration in the late 1920s.



Of course “The Colonel” had more! “At some point between April and September 1936, the kindergarten print couch was reupholstered in a striped velvet fabric - the wallpaper remained the same.” The striped couch is visible in the corner of the photo below:



“Both the living/reception room and schoolroom were updated some time in 1937, possibly when the Temples were vacationing in Hawaii. The living room wallpaper was changed to the leaf pattern seen below in the image with J. Edgar Hoover, as well as the first image with Good Rider. The couch was redone a third time (flowers and bow pattern). The curtains in that room were changed as was the lamp.”



And there you have it; yet another Shirley rabbit hole to enjoy! See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley Makes Peace!

20th Century-Fox had high hopes that 1939’s “Susannah of the Mounties” would turn out to be another hit along the lines of “Wee Willie Winkie.” Due to its story, cast, and director, John Ford, the action and adventure in “Winkie” gave the movie a broader appeal to audiences than the typical Shirley film. “Susannah” tried but failed to live up to its predecessor, and much of that because its director, William Seiter, was no John Ford. One actress of the time referred to him as the least imaginative director she’d ever worked with, and “Susannah” surely proves it. Still, Fox tried hard, even going so far as to hire twelve full-blooded Blackfoot Indians from the Montana reservation to serve as extras. William Martin “Good Rider” Pepion, another Blackfoot, played the role of Shirley’s friend and (almost) romantic interest in the film.

The writers also did a disservice to Shirley; ultimately she is the one who brings the Canadian Mounties and Indians together, but throughout the story her character is an unappealing bossy and jealous little girl.

Behind the scenes though, Shirley had great fun working with the Blackfoot members and they adored her, dubbing her “Bright Shining Star” in a ceremony held on the set of the movie.

Shirley made the September 1939 cover of Screenland magazine, wearing a buckskin dress that the Blackfoot tribe gifted to her.

In the June 1939 issue of Screen Guide, there was a story about Shirley growing up and tidbits about the movie, all in glorious color.

In 1999, the Danbury Mint produced a porcelain doll depicting Shirley in the very same buckskin outfit. Here’s the vintage brochure:

…and the actual doll (courtesy of Melissa, aka “The Colonel”!), which surprisingly does a great job matching the brochure AND the actual costume!

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.