When Shirley Temple temporarily “retired” from the movies at the ripe old age of twelve in 1940, she still managed to appear in the press. One such occasion was at the California Military Academy Formal Commencement Ball, shown in the photo above. The accompanying caption:
IN PRIVATE LIFE…
Now that Shirley Temple has retired from the screen, she is finding time for real fun. Here she is dancing with Cadet Captain Raymond Berlinger at the formal commencement ball of the California Military Academy. Miss Temple was the honored guest at this affair.
The clipping below is from the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, June 13, 1940:
Shirley Temple Enjoys Self at Ball
Retired from the movies at the age of 11, SHIRLEY TEMPLE would appear from this photo to be turning into a social butterfly. Be that as it may, as an “average little American girl,” the erstwhile film queen did enjoy herself hugely as as guest of honor at the California Military Academy’s Commencement Ball. Her escort, Cadet RAYMOND BERLINGER, took his responsibility most seriously.
This event was still being covered as late as Sunday August 25, in The Los Angeles Times:
Below is another shot from the same evening, which also provides a rare view of the (alleged briefly) adopted son of Jack Haley, the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz” (1939):
I say “alleged” because nowhere on the world wide web am I able to find any information about Haley having adopted and then given up a child. When I interviewed William Stillman, author of The Road to Oz: The Evolution, Creation, and Legacy of a Motion Picture Masterpiece, he was kind enough to provide this uneditedd version of a shot of Haley reading The Wizard of Oz to his other son, Jack Haley Jr. Typically when you see this photo, it is tightly cropped around Haley and Haley Jr., eliminating the other children from the California Military Academy.
From the interview:
Q: You mention Jack Haley's adopted/unadopted child who is pictured above, wearing his uniform from the Black-Foxe Military Institute while Haley reads “The Wizard of Oz.” Looks like there is no information about what happened to him after he left Haley’s guardianship. Seems baffling as to why the adoption occurred in the first place...as if some other piece of information is missing. Any thoughts?
A: Jay Scarfone and I did our darndest to trace the whereabouts of Haley’s adopted son but to no avail. As we intimate in “The Road to Oz,” outside of any insider information between Haley and his wife, it’s possible that the adoption was arranged because it was the trendy, philanthropic thing to do in Hollywood at that time. It doesn’t make sense, though, that Haley would’ve added an historically “unplaceable” child to his brood on top of his taxing professional commitments and, as it happened, the adoption was short-lived.
Did Haley actually briefly adopt another child or was the photo above just a publicity shot with a few children from the school? Back to Shirley…
She returned to the Academy almost a year later, at what appears to have been a Valentine’s Day themed dance (note the Cupid and heart decorations on the back wall).
The accompanying blurb:
SHIRLEY THE BELLE OF MILITARY ACADEMY BALL
Shirley Temple, guest of honor at the formal cotillion of the California Military Academy, does the La Conga on the dance floor. The young film star, who recently came out of “retirement” to sign a new contract with MGM, acted like any other girl of her age during the exciting evening. 2/19/41
Sharp-eyed Temple fans will recognize the dress Shirley wore to the cotillion, as it was featured in this MGM publicity session by the famed photographer, Clarence Bull:
…and at the Greek War Relief benefit held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, February 8, 1941. MGM sure knew how to get the most mileage out of their costume department!
If you’re wondering why Shirley would attend two dances at the school, it was most likely because her brother George (aka “Sonny”) attended the nearby Black-Foxe Military Institute, graduating in 1939.
The “La Conga” was a popular dance, thanks to being featured in the MGM Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney musical, “Strike Up The Band,” released September 27, 1940. Once again, MGM rarely missed an opportunity to cross-promote their stars. Below are instructions of how to do the dance, courtesy of the The Jackson Sun in Jackson, Tennessee, Sunday, October 27, 1940. In a touch of irony, Shirley’s last film at 20th Century-Fox, “Young People,” is also featured in this section:
As a bonus, here’s clip of Garland and Rooney exuberantly performing the aforementioned “La Conga” number:
See more teenage Shirley Temple photos at my main website.
