Temple Tuesday: Where's Shirley?

This recent acquisition to my Shirley Temple collection had me baffled; I was fairly confident that it was from 1945, but had no idea where it was taken. The door behind Shirley was distinctive, but it didn’t match her Brentwood residence. The program in her hand made me think it could be a premiere or an event…but who knows without any writing showing. I turned to Shirley expert supreme, Rita Dubas, who had the mystery solved in less than 24 hours. See the Fox Carthay Circle Theatre below, in a 1953 image from my collection?



Rita pointed out the doors that were a perfect match to the ones in the Shirley photo.



She was also able to correctly identify the event as the Look Magazine Awards that were held there on February 20, 1945. Below is a photo from that event with Director Leon Shamroy, Shirley, Bing Crosby, Margaret O’Brien, Bob Hope, and Director Leo McCarey.



The award that Shirley was given:



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

THE LOOK ACHIEVEMENT MEDALLION AWARD PRESENTED TO SHIRLEY TEMPLE IN 1945 Lot Number:  49 1 1/2" A gilded bronze medal with raised profile of a woman symbolizing the Look Magazine award has raised lettering on the back “Shirley Temple Look 1945 Film Achievement Award.” Included is a presentation booklet for February 20, 1945 events at the Carthay Circle Theatre in which Shirley Temple is cited for her performance in the 1944 film “Since You Went Away.” Realized Price:  $650 • Presale Estimate:  500+



The auction included the presentation booklet that we saw in the first photo from this post:



This photo from my collection is most likely from the same evening, taken at Ciro’s nightclub on Sunset Boulevard. Shirley is dancing with agent Henry Willson; Bob Hope is on the far right.



While I was stumbling down this rabbit hole, I came across this shot of actress Lois Maxwell from the 1948 Golden Globes. She is holding onto the most promising newcomer award for “That Hagen Girl,” which starred Shirley and Ronald Reagan.



Here’s a shot from my collection of Reagan and Maxwell:



Mary Astor won the Oscar for “The Great Lie” (1941). This publicity still for that movie shows her wearing the very same cape that Maxwell was wearing at the Golden Globes seven years later. Who do you think wore it better?



You just never know what goodies you’ll come up with once you start digging.

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Revisiting That Hagen Girl

“That Hagen Girl” (1947) came to my attention when I saw Shirley Temple and Ronald Reagan together on the cover of the 1978 book, “The Fifty Worst Films of All Time.” Back in those days, ANYTHING that had Shirley on it found its way into my collection. Even as a fourteen-year old, I found this satirical book by Randy Dreyfuss and brothers Michael and Harry Medved to be hilarious.



There were very few films on this list that I had personally seen at the time, so I took their truly funny (albeit bitchy) text to be the gospel. These films must have really sucked! It wasn’t until about a year ago when I first watched “That Hagen Girl” for myself that I began to form my own opinion. While many regard it unfavorably, the truth is the film actually earned a modest profit when it was released. It is definitely not the box-office bomb that legend purports it to be. The story is about Mary Hagen (Temple), a teenager who is the subject of gossip in the little town of Jordan, where it is believed that she is the illegitimate child of Tom Bates (Reagan). What went wrong with this film that caused it to have a poor reputation? Let’s focus on what went RIGHT first, starting with the production team.

Makeup for Shirley

In honor of what would have been her 87th birthday, today's post features a makeup test shot of Shirley Temple from May 22, 1947 (exactly 17 years before I was born!). She was filming "That Hagen Girl" which costarred future President Ronald Reagan as her romantic interest and possibly her father. Yuck!

Also posted here are both sides of the makeup and hairstyle chart from the Warner Brothers Studio; looks like Shirley required a lot of the Gene Hibbs Special! Hibbs did the makeup for "Green Acres," "Here's Lucy," and "The Judy Garland Show."



Apparently the Make-up Artist for Shirley was Nicki Marcellino, who most likely followed Gene Hibb's instructions.



The final result: a very dreamy looking Shirley!



So dreamy that she has to fight off the advances of Rory Calhoun!



The writers of this potboiler should have been more ashamed than Shirley's character!



See more of Shirley on my main website.

59 Years Ago Today...

59 years ago today, Walt Disney shattered the idea of what an amusement park was and raised the bar to new heights. The action all began at the Main Street Train Station with Art Linkletter and Ronald Reagan on the platform for the ABC Broadcast.



Thanks to the USC Digital Archives, we can see a series of photos that document Walt's Opening Day Grand Circle Tour aboard the E.P. Ripley on July 17, 1955.



Here, Goodwin J. Knight (Governor of California), Walt Disney, and Fred Gurley (President of the Santa Fe Railroad) wave to onlookers as they pull into the station aboard the E.P. Ripley and Retlaw-1. A costumed Mickey Mouse character is right up front.









Giving an equal opportunity to all, the trio switched sides of the train to wave to guests near the entrance.





At the end of the trip, the trio looks positively drunk with excitement as they exit the Main Street Train Station into Town Square with Art Linkletter trailing behind them. I love seeing Walt's cap sitting slightly askew.



Can you imagine actually being there on Opening Day? Happy 59th Anniversary, Disneyland!

See more vintage Disneyland Opening Day photos on my main website.

A Presidential Park

Ever since Opening Day, Disneyland has been a place for Presidents and Presidents-to-be. Today's post celebrates our American Presidents at the park before, during, and after their time in the Oval Office. First up is Richard Nixon, enjoying Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, followed by a few shots of Ronald Reagan, who was one of the celebrity narrators on Opening Day.





Harry Truman and wife Bess toured the park in Nov. 1957:





Presidential hopeful John F. Kennedy got the Grand Circle Tour along with Guinea President Sekou Toure in Oct. 1959





Used to "putting out fires," Dwight D. Eisenhower poses in front of the Fire Department with wife Mamie in 1961:





President Jimmy Carter takes an early morning run through Frontierland in May 1982:



Last but not least, no Presidential post would be complete without Honest Abe!



See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web pages.

Opening Day at Disneyland

If I had to pick only one day to visit Disneyland in its past, it would most likely be opening day, July 17, 1955. Although some of my favorite attractions were yet to be built, the excitement, enthusiasm, and burst of last-minute creativity would have been a total rush. These first three photos show the Mouseketeers in Fantasyland, outside the Theater. Shots #1 & #2 show the filming of a number that would be inserted into the live ABC broadcast of the opening festivities. This little number essentially marked the debut of the Mouseketeers, and it must have been a real thrill for these children. In Photo #2, Annette Funicello can be seen in the back. Even at this early age, she stands out amongst her peers.



This shot is of a few of the Mouseketeers gawking at the 3D Jamboree poster, most likely taken a year or so later (thanks for the correction, Jason!):



Here’s that same poster in living color:



Back to opening day: here’s the whole gang shown entering Town Square:



Meanwhile up up at the Main Street Train Station, Ronald & Nancy Reagan, Art Linkletter, and Disneyland Press Staff member George Margolis share a quiet moment before the onslaught of guests arrive.



See more vintage Disneyland Opening Day photos on my Opening Day web page.

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