Temple Tuesday: Shirley in San Francisco

On her way to the Pacific Northwest for a vacation, Shirley stopped at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. Like everything else, this little pit stop was covered by the press in great detail!

SHIRLEY’S GROWN UP—SHE HAS A BOY FRIEND NOW

The deep, dark secret of Shirley Temple’s love life came out when Shirley came to San Francisco with her mother and father on a vacation trip. For when Shirley sat down for breakfast upon arrival, up popped Jimmy Sheck, 11, of Hollywood, who had followed the young star to present her with a bundle of “posies.” Jimmy’s father is a prominent former New Jersey attorney, now living in Hollywood. 7-30-1936

A photo of Shirley reaching up to the lobby’s grandfather clock still graces the hotel:



How the clock looked in 2013 when I stayed here:



In 1944, Shirley found herself back in San Francisco. From the accompanying caption:

HELPING NAVY MORALE—Shirley Temple gave hundreds of shows during her hospital tour in Northern California after the completion of her role in Selznick International’s “I’ll Be Seeing You.” She is shown here with the ranking officers of a navy base at which she appeared.



I had to get a closer look at the decorative radishes adorning her top.



Here, Shirley poses after the show with an adoring fan.



“Keep smiling, cutie - you’ll never be as famous as I was!”



A closeup of the couch reveals a used flashbulb that the photographer tossed aside during the shoot. Hope it didn’t leave a burn mark on the leather!



See the art hanging on the wall?



This was one of a series of prints produced and distributed by Coca-Cola during World War II to educate people about the differences between friendly planes and enemy aircraft as preparation for bomb drills. Each was approximately 15" x 13" and painted by William Heaslip. The plate on this one says: 

Vought-Sikorsky “Corasair” F4U Fighter • U.S. Navy, Protecting a landing operation



I found a little more about Heaslip on he Penelope Matallana Pastels website:

My maternal grandfather was born in Toronto, Canada and moved to New York City in the 1920’s. He illustrated aviation subjects for leading magazines after World War I. During World War II he illustrated war scenes for The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Wide World Syndicate and The Associated Press. His greatest commission was for the Coca Cola Company for which he illustrated all American war planes. The prints from these paintings were distributed to soda shops across the nation where they were displayed to educate citizens about our great war time aircraft. (My father, Richard Dexter Studwell, flew in a B-17 bomber as a gunner.) Several of his paintings are in exhibition at the Pentagon and the War College in Washington. He studied at the National Academy of Art and The Art students League in New York City and he was a member of the Salmagundi Club in NYC.



I remember my grandfather best when spending holidays at his 1740 stone barn which he converted into a cozy home. He was a fun loving grandfather who loved to entertain his family and friends and played Santa Clause for the town of Hackettstown, NJ.

So ends today’s rabbit hole!
 
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

The Hotel Vertigo

Where does an Alfred Hitchcock fan stay when visiting San Francisco? The Hotel Vertigo, of course!



That's right; this is the very same location that we see Kim Novak leaning out the window in Hitchcock’s classic 1957 film “Vertigo.” The exterior really hasn't changed too much over the years.



Inside, the decor and colors are definitely influenced by the movie’s poster.





When you see an interior room, you can tell that Hitchcock did his best to re-create the same layout on a soundstage.



If only the rooms came with a green night light; THAT would be a cool touch!



If you hate the color orange, this hotel may not be for you.



Other film inspired details throughout the rooms abound:





No visit to the Hotel Vertigo would be complete without a few stairwell shots:





All kidding aside, would I recommend this place? I sure would. For price, location, and cleanliness, this place is a real value!

See more Hotel Vertigo photos at my main website.

The W in San Francisco

On my very first trip to San Francisco, I stayed at the W Hotel. Fifteen years later, I gave it another whirl...and also wanted to update some of my photos. Back in 2002, I was still shooting with a film camera...and still using a flash (yikes). You can see 2017 vs. 2002 in these exterior shots. I'd like to think I've made some improvements during that time!



I enjoyed my first stay at the W. It was still fairly new, and had enough attitude to remind you. I remember attempting to take a photo of the dining room and the snotty little hostess chastised me, telling me that the room was copyrighted. I'd love to know what she's doing these days. On this visit, there was no such reprimand when I dined at Trace, the W's in-house restaurant.



The staff was friendly, attentive, and had none of the snooty attitude that had purveyed the property fifteen years previously. I might also add that for a Saturday night, the restaurant was fairly empty.



It certainly wasn't because of the food, which I enjoyed thoroughly.



Especially the dessert. You know I'm a sucker for sweets.



The rest of the property had been refreshed since my first stay and was in very good shape. Speaking of good shape...how about starting off your new year fitness resolutions here in this gym?



The room was clean and well decorated; I do like the W aesthetic.





My room (and photography) from fifteen years ago:



I've come a long way, baby.

See more W Hotel photos at my main website.

2017: Leaving On A Jet Plane

Although not quite as hectic as last year, 2017 saw me get on and off a plane way too many times. I am plum tuckered out. Still, nothing like a little travel to open up your eyes and broaden your horizons with new experiences. Here's the Reader's Digest version of 2017. First up in February was Nashville, Tennessee for a Board of Director's meeting. Despite a ton-o-meetings I had a whirlwind tour of Music City that included the Ryman Auditorium and Union Hotel.



In March, a quick trip to Las Vegas introduced me to the Neon Museum Boneyard...



and the Cosmopolitan Hotel. What a view from my balcony!



One month later it was off to Greenville for a Design Conference I was chairing.



May found me back in Vegas for one night to shoot the wedding of my barber at the Little Church of the West.



What a blast!



I had a slight break until September, when I boarded a plane (again) for a whirlwind trip though Virginia including Richmond:



Colonial Williamsburg:



and Charlottesville:



One month later, another conference and Board of Director's meeting for UCDA took me to Baltimore:



with a detour to Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, to see Mom:



November was fossil hunting in The Berkshires:



with a one day excursion to San Francisco in December:



None of this post documents the many additional trips to LA, Palm Springs, and other semi-local areas to which I had a number of fun photo shoots. So thankful for a week off to catch up on rest...and figure out where 2018 and will take me! Hard to believe, but not once did I set foot on a Disney property in the entire calendar year. Will that trend hold? Who knows.

See more Daveland photos at my main website.

Grace Cathedral

Grace Cathedral towers over Nob Hill in San Francisco. The impressive French Gothic structure is something I've seen each time I've visited the City by the Bay but never entered...until my most recent trip there.



Surprising, since it is prominently featured in two of my favorite movies: Hitchcock's "Family Plot" and "Time After Time." Although it is part of the story for the television mini series "Tales of the City," a cathedral in Montreal stood in for the interiors.



This labyrinth is based on the one inside the famous Chartres Cathedral in France.



What a view!



It seemed like this place was full of so many rooms and hallways to explore.



I found myself constantly changing lenses...wide angle to zoom to low light. So much going on here!



This mural really caught my attention.



The vintage look and feel had me at first glance.





The light through the stained glass cast some beautiful colors on the floor.



One of the many gorgeous stained glass windows:



More Grace Cathedral at my main website.