Temple Tuesday: Evolution of a Pin

Every year, the Shirley’s Army Facebook Group (headed by Melissa, aka “The Colonel”) produces a pin and sells them with proceeds going towards a charity that would be representative of its inspiration, Shirley Temple Black. This year seemed like an easy choice; with all the unrest in the world, a donation to the National Museum of American Diplomacy immediately came to mind. Even as a little girl, Shirley was taught through her studies about many cultures since she was often introduced to foreign dignitaries and international celebrities. This skill came in very handy during her adulthood career as a diplomat (Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia to name a few of the positions she held). Once that was decided, the artwork needed to be produced. The fans usually prefer an image of little Shirley; “Wee Willie Winkie” (1937) was the first Shirley film that popped into my head as the happy ending is brought about by Shirley’s character bringing together two warring factions. This publicity still with costar Cesar Romero conveyed discussion, but the expression and the leg of meat were not very charming!



I also realized that for a small pin, having two characters on it would not be ideal. It’s important to consider the scale of the final work, as details often get lost in the final product when it’s this small.



I settled on this screenshot from the movie; the holding hands signifies a joining of cultures and ideas and would also allow me to have Shirley as large as possible in the artwork.



A photograph has only been used once for the pins; I decided to go back to line art this year, using the Frank Follmer sketches from the Disney cartoon “The Autograph Hound” (1939) as inspiration.



My first draft was ok; I was somewhat pleased with how it looked. But…as Melissa pointed out, I had forgotten “Shirley’s Army” and the name of the never-came-to-fruition Temple film was actually “The Little Diplomat.” I also didn’t like the way Cesar Romero’s hand just hangs limp. The art was faithful to the photo, but didn’t really convey any kind of warmth between the two characters.



I used a photo of Shirley warmly clutching Bill Robinson’s hand as inspiration and was much happier with that result!



One final touch - instead of the typical bullet point, I decided to use the ornament from Shirley’s cap in “Winkie,” aka the Cap badge of the Black Watch Royal Highlanders.



The final art: MUCH better! I also softened Shirley’s features a bit to make the cartoon look a bit more realistic.



Interested in purchasing a pin (only $13.50, which includes shipping!) and donating to this worthwhile cause? Reach out directly to Melissa at meltonn21@yahoo.com. SPECIAL OFFER WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! If you buy 3 pins (perfect for stocking stuffers), you can also receive AT NO ADDITIONAL COST the 4 pins from the previous years (the 2019 pin was designed by Shirley’s Army member Kroffty, not me!).
 


See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Bachelors, Bobby-Soxers, and Buttons

Today we take a step back in time to visit the Long Beach airport which was featured prominently at the climax of Shirley Temple’s 1947 comedy, “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer.”

Aviator Earl Daugherty opened a 20 acre field for his flight training school in Long Beach, California on June 6, 1919. A year later, the city contacted Daugherty about developing a 60 acre municipal flying field; the “new” Long Beach Airport (named after Daugherty) was dedicated on December 20, 1924. An additional 255 acres was purchased in 1939 for a new administrative building with the dedication held on June 8, 1941. Architects W. Horace Austin and Kenneth S. Wing. Sr. designed the Streamline Moderne structure which can be seen at the end of the film as Cary Grant’s character pulls up to the airport on his way to Chicago.

 

His driver is none other than Dore Schary, the producer of the film:

Here, Cary Grant and Myrna Loy exchange a bit of banter before they board the plane and depart to their “happily every after” romantic conclusion:

I love the way the two dash off to the entry stairs:

Here’s a vintage shot from the 1950’s showing the airport in color:

The building was named a City of Long Beach Cultural Heritage Landmark in 1990. At some point, the Daugherty Field name was ditched; I couldn’t find out why during my quick search on the www. Here’s the airport looks now. The sign as you approach the terminal (who put that cotton-picking traffic light in front of the sign?!?):

And the terminal building in all its streamline moderne glory:

You almost expect to see Cary and Dory pulling up to the curb:

I’ve never been inside so I don’t know if any of the original WPA tile murals still exist. That will have to be another trip (and post).

In other Shirley news, Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) gave me the opportunity to do the design for the annual Shirley’s Army pin. For the fifth anniversary, I decided to use a portrait of Shirley from her last film at 20th-Century Fox, “Young People” (1940). Here’s the final design:

See more Long Beach, California photos at my main website.

Shirley Palooza Four Pt. 4: Santa Monica History Museum Tea

The 4th Annual Shirley Temple Birthday event at the Santa Monica History Museum was titled “Shirley Temple & Hollywood’s Season of Fantasy.” The meeting that Melissa (aka “The Colonel”), Woolsey Ackerman (classic Hollywood expert supreme), and I attended last November with museum staff Sara and John was where the idea was born, and after a lot of thought and work came to brilliant fruition! Woolsey was the driving force of the exhibit and the majority of the items on display were from his AMAZING personal collection. In the first photo, Melissa stands next to an original “Blue Bird” poster from 1940 that I lent to the museum for the exhibit.

Woolsey lent Shirley’s main “Blue Bird” costume that her character Mytyl wore through the majority of the film:





Also on display were the blue velvet shoes that she wore during the Land of Luxury scene:





Here’s Woolsey surrounded by two blue birds, Shirley Jean (named after Shirley Temple of course!) and Melissa:



An extremely rare Shirley Temple “The Blue Bird” composition doll of Woolsey’s:



Vintage “Wizard of Oz” dolls released to coincide with the 1939 film:



Recently, Woolsey was alerted to a Shirley Temple Cinderella dress on eBay; the source also erroneously told him it was merchandise related to “The Blue Bird.” To err on the side of caution, Woolsey did what any Shirley fan would do. He immediately purchased it and paid for overnight shipping so that it could be part of the exhibit. Now THAT’S dedication!



Shirley Temple expert supreme Rita Dubas shared this 1936 promotional photo of Shirley wearing the same dress (with a few slight differences). While it was disappointing that this dress was not related to “The Blue Bird,” it is still a VERY cool vintage Shirley item that Woolsey cherishes regardless, and was a true stunner in the exhibit.



Also on display was a photo of Shirley’s birthday party at Fox, April 23, 1938:



Zooming in you can see Shirley at center, with her mother directly behind her, wearing a stylish hat:



Each table had a centerpiece of blue birds, fresh flowers, and a white cage:



Melissa ordered these very festive hats for attendees:



The place settings for the tea were beautiful:



Shirley fans supreme Paul and Lori Breen (and an all-around super nice couple, too) sat at our table with Shirley Jean:



A few words from Museum President Susan Potter and Vice Chair Terri Decker. These ladies have tirelessly championed this Shirley event every year and it is greatly appreciated.



Guest speaker Tony Haig told us a bit about his experience on the September 25, 1960 episode of “The Shirley Temple Show.”



Haig played the title character of the story called “Kim.” Here he is on the right:



Academy Award nominated actress Terry Moore was on hand, and gave warm remembrances of her friend, Shirley. What a gracious lady who still to this day cannot bear to remove Shirley’s phone number from her cellphone. She enjoyed the warm chats that they used to share when Shirley was still alive.



A photo of Terry with Richard Jaeckel in “Come Back Little Sheba,” 1952:



Terry and her assistant graciously posed for a photo with me, taken by Melissa:



What a wonderful afternoon! If you think that’s the end of the story, you are mistaken. Still one more installment to come!

See more Santa Monica History Museum photos at my main website.

Shirley Palooza Four Pt. 1: The Pasadena Tour

I joined the 4th annual Shirley Temple Palooza festivities with the Shirley on Location Tour which began at the Los Angeles Arboretum. If you’ve never been, you need to go. The grounds are beautiful with peacocks meandering (and squawking) everywhere.



Last year, Melissa (aka “The Colonel") and I had scouted a number of exterior locations used in Shirley Temple movies. This train depot was used in her 1940 movie "Young People." The gang posed in front, where Shirley had waited with her movie family over 70 years ago.





Lunch at the historic Raymond 1886 was a huge hit (see yesterday’s post for more about this fantastic little gem of a restaurant!).



As soon as we finished lunch it was "chop, chop" onto our next destination, the house used in Shirley’s 1934 hit “Bright Eyes."



Little Shirley pushed her dolly cart up this very driveway with costar Jane Withers.





If you think Shirley is a forgotten relic today, you’re wrong. When “The Colonel” asked the workers installing security cameras at the house if they’d heard of her, the heavily tatted man of the team began singing "On The Good Ship Lollipop." So there.

Next up: a house used in deleted scenes for 1936’s “Poor Little Rich Girl.”



When we first arrived, the gates of the house were locked, as it is currently a construction site.



Shirley was smiling down on us though, and as good fortune would have it, a worker was walking down the driveway about to open the gate. Seizing the opportunity, I ran over to him to ask if we could check out the property for just five minutes. He hesitantly smiled as he fumbled the gate’s lock. One of our gals quickly announced that we “had no guns” and then Melissa announced to him that we were part of Shirley’s Army, proudly showing her button. The talk of guns and army changed the man’s smile to a look of fear. Hushing all military talk, I begged one more time. Seeing the five women with me converging on the gate, he knew he didn’t stand a chance, so he let us in.

It was pretty amazing to walk down the driveway of this once beautiful estate that had been ravaged by fire and Father Time.







The very wall that Shirley posed on for publicity photos:





Our little afternoon tour had been a huge success. Look at those smiles!



I’ll leave you at the Wrigley Mansion as a teaser for the next installment!



See more Pasadena photos at my main website.