Temple Tuesday: Tomato Red

When Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) met Shirley Temple Black during her book signing tour, one of the things she remembered the author/actress/diplomat telling her was that her favorite color for apparel was “tomato red.” These photos from the 6th Annual American Cinema Awards on January 6, 1989 certainly support that statement, and Shirley definitely looks like a million bucks! Let’s crop in tighter and remove creepy looking Milton Berle and Stewart Granger, shall we?



Shirley’s beloved husband, Charles Black, is seen in the background in these two photos from the same evening:





A sad side note about this event was Bette Davis’ collapse and later discovery that her cancer had returned. She died later that year on October 6th.

Shirley wore the same outfit for the publicity shots for the 1989 Tournament of Roses Parade, of which she was the Grand Marshal. In the photo with her are Rose Queen Charmaine Beth Shyrock and Commentator Keith Jackson:



When it was announced that she was the 1989 Grand Marshal, Shirley said: “It’s not often that one gets to repeat a highlight of one’s life,” followed by cannons that boomed out a shower of confetti while the band struck up “On the Good Ship Lollipop.” She would go on to repeat the honor again in 1999, making her the only person who has done so three times. She said her reign over the parade taught her how to wave “really well”: “First to the left, then to the right. Then to anybody who was out in the middle of the street.” Yup, she knew how to wave!



See more Shirley Temple Black photos at my main website.

Six Degrees of Shirley: San Diego's Neil Morgan

Sorry for the Shirley Temple overload folks, but I'll just warn you now...it will probably continue for a bit. Today, author Rita Dubas shared a little tidbit that should appeal to ST and San Diego admirers alike. As she tells it:

"I wanted to send two images of an item that made me think of you with your San Diego connection—I ran across this 45 rpm record a couple of years ago and did some research at the time on Neil Morgan, a San Diego Tribune columnist/author. I looked him up again yesterday, and discovered that he passed just 10 days before Shirley, at age 89! Not sure why Shirley is pictured on the 45 sleeve; I think the other woman is Morgan’s wife, Judith. I’m assuming they were friends, and this must date from the mid-60s with the Dr. Strangelove reference. It seems he was an accomplished pianist, all snark on the record notes aside."

Never heard of Neil Morgan? He was an award-winning newsman, author, and San Diego media icon recently passed away at the age of 89.

“He loved this city. He nagged it,” wife Judith Morgan said Saturday evening.

He wrote for the San Diego Tribune from 1950—1992 in positions including columnist and editor. He continued writing at The San Diego Union-Tribune, the newspaper created from the merger of the San Diego Union and the Tribune, and later for the nonprofit Voice of San Diego, a news and opinion website that he helped start.

“If it’s important and it happened — or is about to happen — in San Diego, odds are it will show up in Morgan’s column first,” San Diego Magazine noted in 1981.

He and his wife collaborated on several magazine articles and books, including “Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel: A Biography,” an authorized biography of writer and illustrator Ted Geisel.

“We were blessed because we were married almost 50 years and had the joy of respecting each other, loving each other and writing together,” his wife said.



See more vintage Shirley Temple Black photos on my main website.

Thanksgiving, 1959: The Day After

N.Y. INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, NOV. 28 — AMERICA'S LITTLE DARLING OF YESTERYEAR, SHIRLEY TEMPLE, LOOKS RADIANT AS SHE SURROUNDS HERSELF WITH HER CHILDREN, L. TO R., CHARLES, 7; LORI, 5; LINDA SUSAN (HOLDING A POPULAR SHIRLEY TEMPLE DOLL), 11 — THEY'RE PICTURED PRIOR TO BOARDING A TWA JETLINER TO SAN FRANCISCO. SHIRLEY, WHO IS MRS. CHARLES BLACK IN REAL LIFE, WAS IN TOWN FOR THREE DAYS FOR A STAR APPEARANCE IN THE FAMOUS MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT HER ENTIRE FAMILY, INCLUDING HER HUSBAND, VISITED NEW YORK TOGETHER.

Shirley's husband was either being camera shy or picking up snacks for the family. Note the 36" Shirley Temple doll that oldest daughter Linda Susan is holding. Besides being an actress, Shirley was known as a smart business-woman, and she rarely missed an opportunity to promote the vinyl Shirley Temple dolls that were produced in the 1950's/1960's, of which she got a cut from Ideal Toy Company. Way to go, Shirley!

According to the book, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, by Robert M. Grippo and Christopher Hoskins:

"At the start of the line of march was legendary former child star Shirley Temple. By then 31 years old, the future U.S. ambassador braved the cold in white mink; she was accompanied by three children on the elaborate Storybook float. Cowboys, of course, were also featured attractions."

When was the last time you wore a mink coat when flying on an airplane?

See more Shirley Temple photos on my Shirley Temple web page.