Temple Tuesday: LIFE can be cruel!

At first glance, the above photo is a charming shot of Shirley Temple, former child star and darling of the 1930s, and Mary Pickford, a “child” star from the teens and 1920s. At the time this 1943 photo was taken, Shirley was poised for a comeback under the direction of producer David O. Selznick. Mary had gone behind the camera, producing films for United Artists, which she was one of the founding members back in 1919. LIFE Magazine typically was kind to movie stars and often got exclusive photos and stories as a result; for this particular image, they were rather cruel. It ran full page in the October 4, 1943 issue with the headline, “TWO GREATEST HAS-BEENS.” From the rest of the feature:

Shirley Temple and Mary Pickford are seen here on a Hollywood movie set. Miss Temple is 15. Mary Pickford is 50. They are almost of a size. Their combined careers almost span the history of the motion picture industry. Mary Pickford has appeared in 60 full-length movies, Shirley Temple in 28. They are Hollywood’s two greatest has-beens. They are has-beens in the same peculiar way. Both of them have finished great movie careers. Mary Pickford as “America’s Sweetheart”; Shirley Temple as the screen’s greatest child actress. Miss Temple, for many years a top box-office draw as a curly-headed moppet, is now taking on her first real dramatic role. When Mary Pickford was her age she was appearing in David Belasco’s “Warrens of Virginia.” The occasion for their meeting was an on-the-set party to celebrate the first of shooting on Shirley Temple’s new picture, United Artists’s “Since You Went Away.” Miss Pickford, a part owner of United Artists, is also beginning a new movie career. Recently she paid $410,000 (the top price for a Broadway play) for the screen rights to “Junior Miss,” which she will soon produce. It is rumored that Shirley Temple will have one of leading roles in the movie.

There were so many other ways LIFE could have chosen to describe these two legends, all of which would have been more respectful. Below is another shot of Temple and Pickford from the party:



From the accompanying caption:

In the friendly, informal atmosphere of a typical American home, Claudette Colbert and Producer David O. Selznick recently entertained a group of Hollywood notables at a “housewarming.” Scene of the unusual gathering was the “Hilton Home” set, on which will be shot some of the footage for Selznick’s “Since You Went Away,” story of a typical American home in wartime. Present at the party were Producer Selznick, Director John Cromwell and members of the all-star cast, Claudette Colbert, Joseph Cotten, Jennifer Jones, Shirley Temple, Monty Woolley, Robert Walker, Hattie McDaniel, Neil Hamilton, Eric Sinclair, Rhonda Fleming, Christopher Adams and Vicci Styles. Left to right: Commander Garcia, Shirley Temple and Mary Pickford.

A detail of the pin Mary is wearing:



Below are cast members Robert Walker, current wife Jennifer Jones, Selznick (who would eventually marry Jones), Shirley, and Joseph Cotten. Ingrid Bergman, smiling in the background, was a visitor to the set party.



Another shot with Bergman, Selznick, Temple, and Jones. That’s some purse Jones has tucked under her arm!



Below is a shot of Shirley getting ready. The accompanying blurb:

LADY’S TIME OUT to fix up before returning in front of the cameras. Shirley Temple has her hair done by Cleo, the hair stylist, for a scene in David O. Selznick’s “Since You Went Away.” Others in the all-star cast are Claudette Colbert, Joseph Cotten, Jennifer Jones, Monty Woolley and Robert Walker.



Poor Cleo; no credit or last name could be found for her on imdb. In an attempt to make up (pun intended) for that, below is a color shot of Shirley in the same outfit on the cover of Modern Screen Magazine, circa April 1944:



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

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.

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.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley and the Red Cross

Shirley manages to give me an education every week! Recently, as the result of a graphic design project I was working on, I was informed of something I’d never heard of before regarding the American Red Cross. I didn’t believe the tale at first, until I consulted with good ol’ Google! Here’s the story, direct from NPR:

During World War II, the Red Cross had comfort stations for soldiers overseas, with free coffee and free doughnuts. Then, in 1942, the Red Cross started charging for the doughnuts. Soldiers have held a grudge ever since. The organization started charging only because the U.S. Secretary of War asked it to. British soldiers had to pay for their snacks, and the free doughnuts for Americans were causing tensions. So the Red Cross complied, after protesting to no avail. It didn't last long — for most of the last 70 years, Red Cross doughnuts have remained free — but veterans haven't forgotten. Chalk it up to something called categorical change, says Uri Simonsohn, a University of Pennsylvania business professor. Price changes, people can adjust to. But this was different. “Imagine, for Thanksgiving, you go to your parents' for dinner and after a nice dinner they say, ‘That's going to be $10 per person,’” Simonsohn says. “You would be upset.”

Eighty years later, my online friend still tells the tale she was told from the previous generation and the American Red Cross bears the brunt of a government issued edict. This is a cautionary tale about transitioning from a “free” business model to a paid subscription based model. Remember the uproar when there was talk about being charged for the internet? Same durn thing. Back to Shirley and the American Red Cross.

In 1936, Shirley filmed an adorable public service announcement encouraging all to donate to this organization. The American Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton (an American nurse) in 1881 after a trip she made to Geneva, Switzerland. She worked tirelessly for almost thirteen years (and a few Presidents!) to get the U.S. Government to finally acknowledge the need for such an organization. Here’s a Spanish version of a leaflet with Shirley for the Red Cross. Here photo was a powerful tool even outside of America.


On June 22, 1940, Shirley was involved with an American Red Cross nationwide radio broadcast held at the Westwood Village Theatre that would help raise war relief funds.



A photo shoot was held at Shirley’s Brentwood home with the young star and singing cowboy Gene Autry, who had a long association with the American Red Cross. Gene Autry and Shirley Temple were photographed at Shirley's home in Brentwood California, to promote the “Radio Benefit for War Relief” event.



Wearing a dress from her final childhood 20th Century-Fox movie, “Young People” (1940), Shirley seems to be having a good time with Gene, who is playing his Gibson J-200 guitar (part of the Gene Autry Museum collection).



A promo photo of Shirley on the day of the broadcast:



Shirley’s father is in the foreground of this shot:



From the back of this shot, written in pencil: “Shirley Temple & Gloria Jean meet for first time at Red Cross broadcast. They chatted for a few minutes and said s’long.” Is that the 1940s equivalent of “buh-bye”?



Here, Shirley shakes hands with her “Young People” costar, Jack Oakie. Her father, George, does not seem amused, as mother Gertrude gives George a “Smile honey, the cameras are on you!” look through gritted teeth.



Notice Oakie’s monogrammed shirt? Fancy!



Shirley chats with Charles Laughton, her costar for the broadcast:



Shirley and Laughton are amused; Paul Muni (at right) appears to be left out of the joke.



When her part in the broadcast was finished, Shirley apparently had time to sit in the audience and enjoy the rest of the event.



George’s Red Cross Radio Show Committee ribbon:



A heckler? How rude!



Shirley yucks it up with a fan:



Want to see Shirley’s program from that evening? Why do I bother asking?



Auctioned off by Theriault’s, here is the catalog description:

SOUVENIR PROGRAM FOR 1940 RED CROSS BENEFIT FOR WAR RELIEF, WITH PERSONAL SCRIPT Lot Number: 66 12" x 9". The program describes the events of the June 22, 1940 performance at Stage 6 of the Warner Bros. Sunset Studios, designed to raise funds for the Red Cross’ war relief efforts. The performance was broadcast across America, Europe and South America, with performers ranging from Orson Welles to Burns and Allen, Bing Crosby to Gene Autry and dozens more. Heading the second half of the program was a dialogue “The Loudest Voice” performed by Shirley Temple and Paul Muni. Included is Shirley's typewritten script with pencil additions in which she pleads that people remember the lost children of the wars, as “nobody can ever get used to the sound of children crying, who are lost, hungry and looking for one friendly face (pauses...almost crying). Please don't tune out your hearts.”  Realized Price: $500 Presale Estimate: 300+

The program has the event being held at Warner Brothers studio; my vintage publicity stills all have “Westwood Village Theatre” marked on the back in pencil as the location. Here’s how that theatre looked when I photographed back in 1989:



Were there two events on that day? Or are the photos marked incorrectly? Always a mystery to solve…

Even after “retiring” from the movies (for a brief period), Shirley continued her work for the Red Cross, as you can see from this 1940 publicity tidbit.




At a later Red Cross fundraiser broadcast, Shirley (right) is shown with actresses Alice Scott and Mary Pickford.



The Danbury Mint released a porcelain doll commemorating Shirley’s 1936 PSA:



Want to see that PSA for yourself? Here you go!



And please…forgive the Red Cross for something they had no control over from over eighty years ago. I’m sure our WWII veterans would understand if they heard the background!

See more photos at my main website.

Mary and Gary at The Derby

This February 1933 vintage shot shows Hollywood legends Gary Cooper and Mary Pickford out on the town one evening. From the vintage publicity blurb:

Mary and Gary

Mary Pickford and Gary Cooper arriving at the Beverly Hills Brown Derby, one of the smartest restaurants in the film capital. The close friendship of these two is traditional in Hollywood, Gary escorting Mary about when Douglas Fairbanks is off on one of his many trips. 2/6/33

Many trips? Without Mary? Sounds like code to me.



Just in case you want to see the headlines of 1933:



Fights Nurses? Kills Doctor? Sounds just as sensational as today’s “news.” See…things really haven’t changed that much.

See more Classic Movie Star photos at my main website.

At Home With Mary Pickford

These undated negatives are most likely from the 1950s/1960s and they show America's original Sweetheart of the Silent Screen, Mary Pickford, relaxing at Pickfair, the estate she built with her ex-husband Douglas Fairbanks. On the table you can see a photo of the two children she adopted with husband Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Ronald Charles and Roxanne.



In this second shot, it becomes clear that the positioning of the children's portrait was crucial to the composition, as it is moved to a different table so that it can still be in view.





Zooming into the publication on her lap, it looks like she is editing some papers from McCall's magazine.



This image from fall 1954 shows the exterior of Pickfair:



with a closeup of the named pillar in front. Apparently, husband Buddy didn't mind living in the home (or the shadow) of Pickford's second husband.



See more Daveland Classic Movie & TV photos at my main website.