Temple Tuesday: Shirley at the Emmys

The 6th Emmy Awards, later referred to as the 6th Primetime Emmy Awards, were held on February 11, 1954. Shirley Temple, wearing a stylish maternity top (she was pregnant with daughter Lori), and husband Charles Black, were in attendance (photo above). The ceremony was hosted by Don DeFore at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunset Boulevard. DeFore was president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and sold this first national broadcast of the Emmy Awards to NBC.

“I Love Lucy” had four nominations: Best Situation Comedy (winner), Best Female Star (Lucille Ball), Best Supporting Actor (William Frawley), and Best Supporting Actress (Vivian Vance, winner).



“Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress,” October 19, 1953 with Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance was one of the many episodes during the season that helped the show garner so much acclaim. Back to Shirley…




The dinner looks like your typical banquet fair. Perhaps a veal cutlet, potatoes, beans, and a gelatin salad on a lettuce leaf accompanied by rolls and butter. Note the card that states, “There will be no cocktail service at tables from 8:45 P.M. until after the telecast.” If I am reading that time correctly, that sounds like a very late evening!



See the matchbook in the upper right hand corner? I was able to match it to one on ebay:



I love when that happens. 



Below is a 1950’s shot of the exterior of the Palladium:





…and how the building looked in 2016:



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Tuesday in Turo

Having acquired a few more negatives from the "Lucy's Italian Movie" episode of "I Love Lucy," I thought it was time to put them together in storyline order and present them as a set. Debuting on April 16, 1956, it is one of the most famous episodes of the series. Ricky, Lucy, Ethel, and Fred are on a train to Rome where Ricky's band will be playing. Cramped into one area because Fred was too cheap to buy sleeping berths, the gang feel like sardines...without the oil. While on the train, a famous Italian movie producer discovers Lucy and wants to give her a bit part in his next movie titled "Grappolo Pungente." When Lucy learns later that the title translates to "Bitter Grapes," she assumes it is about the wine making industry and decides to do some background research before making her debut on set.



The hotel bellman tells her that there is a winery in Turo where they stomp grapes and make wine the old-fashioned way. Lucy dresses appropriately to blend in and heads to Turo, despite Ricky forbidding her from "soaking up local color." When she arrives, Lucy falls in line with the rest of the ladies who have shown up for a day's work. Ernesto Molinari played the vineyard boss at far right who chooses Lucy because of her feet being as big as pizzas.



Lucille Ball didn't practice with real grapes until the day of filming. What you see in the episode is her genuine reaction, which she later said felt like "stepping on eyeballs." Teresa Tirelli played the other grape-stomper who ends up wrestling Lucy in one of the funniest fights ever captured on film.



See more "I Love Lucy" photos at my main website.

Lucy's Italian Movie

Originally airing April 16, 1956, "Lucy's Italian Movie" is an "I Love Lucy" fan favorite. Having been asked to play a part in an Italian movie called "Bitter Grapes," Lucy mistakenly thinks the film is about a vineyard. Wanting to be her best, Lucy wanders off against Ricky's orders to research her part by working in a vineyard. Teresa Tirelli was the actress who played Lucy's coworker during the infamous grape-stomping sequence. Teresa also had a part in "Godfather II" as a midwife.



This episode also played in the background of "Pretty Woman" as Julia Roberts gets down to business with Richard Gere.

More shenanigans from Lucy at my main website.