Temple Tuesday: Premiere Shirley!

On Sunday, June 13, 1937, it was announced that Shirley Temple would be attending her first premiere:

The world premiere of “Wee Willie Winkie,” starring Shirley Temple and Victor McLaglen in Rudyard Kipling’s story of bold adventure on India’s frontier, will be held at the Fox Carthay Circle Theater on June 25. As a little peacemaker and matchmaker with the Scotch Highlanders stationed in the Khyber Pass, Shirley has one of the most exciting and lovable roles of her career.



Shirley was nine years old at the time, and her parents decided it was okay for the little girl to stay up passed her regular bedtime for this special event. In the photo above, the Carthay Circle Theater is being readied for the grand premiere. Back at the Temple home that evening, trouble was brewing. As Shirley herself recalled in her autobiography, Child Star:

The evening of the film’s flashy premiere found Mother late for our departure from home, and so I wandered quietly into the downstairs library to kill time. To our mutual dismay, I came face-to-face with brother Jack holding to his lips a glassful of what I knew was whiskey. “Not one word to Mother and Dad,” he cautioned, knowing well their fury if he was caught drinking. “I will so,” I retorted, feeling as righteous as Winkie. “Listen,” he remonstrated. “George and I aren’t even invited to the premiere. Why can’t we have some fun too?” “Drinking is wrong,” I repeated, tilting my chin toward him as high as it would go. “I’m going to tell.” He smacked me hard on the bottom. “Tell, and you get another,” he said, then slapped me again for good measure. Nobody had ever struck me in anger. The situation had potential for a real shambles at the wrong time. I wanted to kick his shin, all because I was right and he was wrong. But why be a tattletale, I rationalized, when I would probably collect another slap, my parents would get upset, and the premiere would be ruined for us. I could get even later, so I strode away.

Below, Shirley decides which of her many dresses will have the honor of appearing on the red carpet. The one on the left was the winner.



The two shots below are from Shirley’s 1945 autobiography, My Young Life, and show the star getting ready for the premiere:



Sold off in the 2015 “Love, Shirley Temple” Theriault’s auction, her dress was described as follows:

Shirley Temple’s Special Occasion Party Dress. Of peach silk chiffon, the high-waist dress features a detachable lace yoke and ruffled sleevelets which achieve form by a stiffened net lining; narrow pleats fall from the bodice, and there is an attached under-dress. A bi-color sash of interwoven narrow silk ribbons with rosettes and dangling tassels serves as decoration. The dress has the original label of “Elise of Hollywood.”

Below is a photo of Shirley with Elise Deal, her personal dressmaker, who created the peach dress she wore to the premiere.





For the premiere, the peach dress was paired with the spectacular coat shown in the photo from Theriault’s auction house above left. From their catalog description:

White Coat with Foxtail Trim Worn to Premiere of “Snow White” and “Wee Willie Winkie.” Of fine cashmere wool, the silk-lined coat has self-covered buttons, and a lush white fur collar trimmed with foxtails, along with pair of gloves. Excellent condition. The coat, a favorite personal clothing item of young Shirley was worn to several important events including the premiere of "Wee Willie Winkie" and the Disney film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

On June 15, 1937, the following premiere details were released:

According to present plans Shirley will attend the premiere in an English-type pony cart drawn by two little Shetland ponies. She will be introduced from the stage by Tyrone Power, selected as master of ceremonies.

While that sounded fun, it appears that somebody decided against the dramatic pony cart entrance! Three days later, even more tidbits were announced in The L.A. Times:

Radio stars plan to be at the premiere of “Wee Willie Winkie” at the Carthay Circle Theater on June 25. Shirley Temple, who will make her first personal appearance on a motion-picture theater stage, will stand beside Eddie Cantor and other radio favorites as they broadcast the ceremonies over a nationwide hookup. Among other celebrities at the premiere will be Eddie Cantor, Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, Mary Livingstone, Tony Martin, Kenny Baker, Cecil B. De Mille, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Dick Powell, Nelson Eddy, Irving Berlin, the Ritz Brothers, Walter Catlett, Leah Ray, The Marx Brothers, Borrah Minevitch, Charles Winninger, Patsy Kelly, Judy Garland, George Givot, Mickey Rooney, Buddy Ebsen and Charles Butterworth. It is also planned to include on the air program Ben Bernie and Fred Allen, both of whom are scheduled for stardom in future Twentieth Century-Fox pictures. Tyrone Power will be master of ceremonies on the Carthay Circle stage.

Wow! That’s a lot of star power! “Wee Willie Winkie” was a turning point of sorts for Shirley. Zanuck paired the little girl with director John Ford in an epic tale that would have cross-appeal to boys AND girls and even their parents. Below, Shirley is captured relaxing between takes with director John Ford.



Zanuck’s gamble paid off, as the box office receipts surpassed Shirley’s previous film, “Stowaway.” It was announced by columnist Edwin Schallert in an interview with Shirley that the little musical star of yore was going away:

Shirley is quitting popular songs in the picture. Only those that fit will be used. “Auld Lang Syne,” she tells me, is the chief one.…When Shirley quits singing numbers written by tin-pan alley-ites like “On the Good Ship Lollipop” and “Animal Crackers in My Soup,” it’s surely the day of the revolution.

On the 20th, Aileene Parks breathlessly shared details of the after-party:

Shirley will be allowed to stay up to attend her own first premiere with her mother and father, who will give a buffet supper at their home in Brentwood following the performance. Among the Temples’ theater and supper guests will be Dr. and Mmes. Leo J. Madsen, Russell Sands, Messrs. and Mmes. Lloyd Wright, Howard Verbeck, Ralph P. Maskey, J. C. Ferguson, Allen Gwynne, Harry Beucher, Harry Isleib (father of Shirley’s stand-in), James Greever, Messrs. Jack and George Temple, Jr., Misses Hulda Anderson (Shirley’s wardrobe mistress), Frances Klamt (Shirley’s on-set teacher) and Katharine Hagan. Gene Markey (producer of the film) will have as his guests at the theater and later for supper at the Clover Club, Joan Bennett, Joan Crawford and Franchot Tone, Marlene Dietrich and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Ginger Rogers and Mr. and Mrs. David Selznick. There are many other parties planned, too numerous to mention on that same evening.



Above is a 1944 shot of the Clover Club and one of Betty Grable and Harry James dancing there; below is a 1945 photo of Betsy Blair and husband Gene Kelly outside the Clover Club, formerly at 8477 Sunset Boulevard before it burned down in 1952. This is where “Winkie” producer Gene Markey chose to host his after-party. A curious choice considering the Club had been raided just a few months before in February for illegal gambling, and a few months later in August its license was temporarily suspended for gambling violations. Oops.



As if the aforementioned after-parties weren’t enough, additional ones were detailed by the L.A. Evening Citizen News:

Mr. and Mrs. Darryl F. Zanuck will entertain Messrs. and Mmes. Mervyn Le Roy, Ernest Lubitsch, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Charles Boyer, Countess di Frasso, Mrs. Bleck, Lady Ashley’s sister, Constance Bennett and Gilbert Roland at the Carthay and later at the Trocadero. Others who plan parties with the theater opening as an incentive are Messrs. and Mmes. Victor Orsatti (June Lang), Victor McLaglen, Cedric Gibbons (Dolores Del Rio) and Jean Hersholt.

Below is an exterior photo of The Trocadero:



Shirley descends the staircase of her Brentwood home, ready for the premiere!



Below is a photo used in Picture Post magazine showing Shirley entering her car on the way to the premiere:



Below is the Carthay Circle on the night of the premiere, which drew a crowd of more than 15,000 people!



A large statue of Shirley and Victor McLaglen was placed on the grounds of the theater, as the L.A. Evening Citizen News announced:

A giant illuminated statue of Shirley Temple and Victor McLaglen, made of bronzed hydrocal, will greet the thousands attending the world premiere of “Wee Willie Winkie” at the Carthay Circle Theater Friday night. Two tons of material were used to construct the statue. The gigantic statue will be placed at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and theater esplanade. The statue was constructed under the supervision of Jessie A. Jett and George Young, foremen of the department of plastic arts at 20th Century-Fox studios. Designed by Rudolph Parducci, well known sculptor, the statue shows McLaglen in a sitting pose in war-time uniform of the Seventh Scotch Highlanders, with little Shirley sitting beside him, also in kilts. In constructing the statue, Parducci was aided by Walter Hammand and Charles Gemorri, sculptors, and a staff of eight assistants.

Parducci also worked for Walt Disney, and made the sculpt for the Dumbo vehicles at Disneyland. He is shown below with one of them:



You can see the Temple/McLaglen statue in the screenshot below, taken from a video created by Shirley expert supreme Rita Dubas about the “Winkie” premiere (linked at the end of this post and a must watch!):



Just two days before the premiere,  The L.A. Times wrote:

Screening of “Coronation of George VI” in Technicolor as an added attraction. Opening of a Shirley Temple playhouse in which will be exhibited the child star’s personal playthings as well as the vast collection of dolls she has received from all over the world.



More images of the Carthay Circle Theatre on the night of Shirley’s premiere:





The following caption accompanied the photo below, showing the arrival of Tyrone Power and Sonja Henie:

Hollywood today had given Shirley Temple her biggest thrill as all the big stars turned out for her first premiere, “Wee Willie Winkie,” staged ‘mid blazing lights and fanfare at the Carthay Circle Theatre. But for some it was just another movie scene, for studio cameramen were on hand shooting film for use in another picture [more on that later!]. Photo shows cameramen at the premiere, their lenses trained on Tyrone Power and Sonja Henie, arriving in evening clothes.

The two 20th Century-Fox stars were paired in “Thin Ice” (1937) followed by “Second Fiddle” (1939).

Shirley’s arrival:



Her parents trail closely behind:





Behind Shirley’s mother, Gertrude, you can see bodyguard Grif:



The animated gif below was created using frames from “Ali Bab Goes to Town,” another 20th Century-Fox production.



On June 21, the L.A. Citizen News reported:

The crowds attending the premiere of “Wee Willie Winkie” at the Carthay Circle Theater Friday night probably will find themselves in the movies when “Ali Baba Goes to Town” is released. Eddie Cantor has announced that actual motion pictures for his new 20th Century-Fox picture will be filmed in front of the Carthay Circle the night of the premiere. David Butler, Eddie Cantor’s director, will make close-ups and medium shots of the crowds in the grandstands, of the crowds lining the esplanade, and those at all the vantage points outside the theater. It will not be necessary to purchase a ticket to “Wee Willie Winkie” or to be inside the theater in order to “crash the movies” on Friday night, because both Cantor and Butler intend to see that the outside crowds are photographed from every angle. Cantor will appear in some of the scenes, and thus a number of residents and non-residents of Los Angeles will not only get free screen tests, but will have the opportunity to appear with the world’s highest-priced screen comedian in actual motion and sound pictures.

Filming the premiere audience was a wise cost-cutting measure for Fox! Director David Butler would later recall in his autobiography:

I went out with about five cameras and shot that — Shirley, Fairbanks, everybody wo came into the theatre we shot. It was quite a thing when you saw Fairbanks…and everybody coming along there.…The idea of it was that we had to have everyone talk and have Eddie Cantor watching it.

Shirley is at the microphone with Eddie Cantor, making her first national radio appearance, broadcast “live” at the premiere:



From The L.A. Times:

Shirley Temple’s first appearance on the air waves will be made…today from the Carthay Circle Theater via KHJ and Mutual at 8:30 p.m. The child star has been offered fabulous sums for commercial broadcasts—all of which have been turned down. Listeners also will hear a description of the actual shooting of scenes for Eddie Cantor’s forthcoming film production, after which the comedian will appear as master of ceremonies of the broadcast. George Fischer is to preside at the microphone and David Broekman’s orchestra will provide the music.



Shirley would later recall the radio broadcast in Child Star:

When actor Tyrone Power introduced me over the national radio hookup, Father muttered that “Fox was a chicken.” Recently studio lawyers had rejected a proposition for $7,000 for one radio appearance by me, he groused, and now they were letting me talk for nothing.

More screenshots from the “Ali Baba” footage showing the arrivals of Victor McLaglen:



Phyllis Brooks and Michael Whalen (who co-starred with Shirley in “Winkie”):



Douglas Fairbanks and Sylvia Ashley (who would divorce Fairbanks and marry Clark Gable next!):



Cedric Gibbons and Dolores Del Rio:



The Ritz Brothers:



From my collection, a shot of the Ritz Brothers being escorted by a policeman down the red carpet of the Carthay that evening:



Florence and Jack Haley:



Ann Sothern and Cesar Romero (another “Winkie” costar):



The Fox special efffects department superimposed an “Ali Baba” marquee over the one for “Wee Willie Winkie”:



Thanks to the magic of Photoshop, I was able to stitch together this panoramic view of the evening from “Ali Baba”:



Below is a shot of Cantor that was filmed later and edited into the “Winkie” premiere footage:



None of the stars in the premiere footage were listed in the credits at the end of the film:



The next day, the reviews were mainly positive, like this one from the L.A. Daily News:

Even if Twentieth Century-Fox had not carried on an extensive advertising campaign, or bombarded newspapers with a 21-gun publicity drive or introduced it to the world with an elaborate premiere, theatergoers would have discovered for themselves anyway that “Wee Willie Winkie” is an excellent picture.



Last night a long stream of expensive cars drove slowly through traffic-laden streets, drew up one by one at Carthay Circle, and delivered a collection of motion picture celebrities who filed through mouth-agape onlookers into the theater where the film had its first screening The usual formalities were observed, with the introduction of cast and officials by Tyrone Power, acting as master of ceremonies. Shirley Temple, who with Victor McLaglen shares honors in the picture, made her first appearance on the stage of any theater. “Wee Willie Winkie” unless everybody’s guess is wrong, will shower both gold and glory upon Twentieth Cetury-Fox. Box office response should be tremendous not only from Shirley Temple’s admirers, but also from the non-Temple fans who are bound to find out that “Wee Willie Winkie” is something more than a “Shirley Temple picture.” In every department—from its script to final editing—the film is definitely Class A, which means that its director, Mr. John Ford, may regard it as a personal triumph.

Even Quaker Puffed Wheat showered Shirley with praise!

And in a case of “You ain’t seen nothing yet, folks,” check out this fantastic video by Shirley expert supreme Rita Dubas, highlighting many other great details about the “Winkie” premiere:



See more “Wee Willie Winkie” photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: A Great Day for Transportation

In a previous post, Shirley Temple’s 1937 “christening” of the Los Angeles Railway Company’s street car was detailed. A recent acquisition has made necessary a follow-up!

From the L.A. Times on March 22, 1937:

Standing at the prow of the ultra-modern Los Angeles Railway streamlined street car, Shirley Temple, tiny screen star, yesterday accepted the first fare from Mayor Shaw. Photo shows christening at Hollenbeck Park during preview of noiseless car. City Attorney Chesebro, Byron Hanna, Chamber of Commerce president, Lucius Storrs, line chief, and others were present.…This new vehicle is public transportation’s real challenge to the competition of the private automobile.

The caption for the included photo below:

COMFORT DOMINANT NOTE IN CAR INTERIORS

Deep leather cushioned seats assure a new standard of passenger comfort in the new streamlined street cars. Overhead straps are replaced by stainless steel handholds. Other improvements include brilliant but glareless illumination. The seating capacity of the cars has been greatly increased.



Shirley was not the only star celebrating “a new era of transportation for Los Angeles” that day. Actress Olivia de Havilland, who would go on to play Melanie in “Gone with the Wind” (1939), was also very busy that day. According to another Los Angeles paper:

The Los Angeles area was entering a new era of rail transportation today. Film actresses figured yesterday in ceremonies which inaugurated shorter service in a Southern Pacific streamlined train between here and San Francisco and presented a preview of the Los Angeles Railway Company’s new streamlined street car.

Olivia De Havilland helped send the new Southern Pacific train northward. It left at 8:15 A.M. and arrived at 6 P.M. Another was run from San Francisco here.

Shirley Temple raced up and down the rubber-cushioned corridor of the new street car, of which more like it are promised. It is comparatively noiseless and carries sixty-one passengers. The car was to be exhibited further today and “unveiled” in front of the City Hall.

From the X account of Eric Dunn comes this photo of Olivia getting ready to christen the train:



From the Los Angeles Times:

More than 1000 spectators witnessed the departure, which was preceded by colorful ceremonies. The streamliner was christened by Olivia D. Havilland, film actress, and formal wishes for a safe journey were offered by Reverend Father Joachim de Prada, C.M.F., of San Gabriel Mission. Others participating included Vice-President Felix S. McGinnis of the Southern Pacific, General Passenger Agent Henry P. Monahan, Supt. C.F. Donnatin, Engineer W.W. Judy and Conductor Alfred Meredith. Simultaneous ceremonies were held in San Francisco as the companion streamliner departed for Los Angeles. On its arrival at 6 p.m., the incoming train was greeted by Miss Lorene Dyer, daughter of J.H. Dyer, vice-president, after President A.D. McDonald, who headed a heavy passenger list, had dedicated the rail flyer to intercoastal service.

The Daily News reported:

Olivia de Havilland, film star, broke a bottle of California champagne over the giant locomotive in the inauguration ceremonies. At the same time similar ceremonies at San Francisco sent the other “Daylight” speeding south. At 9 p.m. the Lark left on a new 12-hour schedule to San Francisco and the Sunset Limited left at 8 p.m. for a new 12-hour 10-minute run.

And now, back to the reason for this follow-up post. I recently acquired this color image of the 3002, the same streetcar that Shirley christened. Dated March 29, 1963, it was taken as these cars were experiencing their final journeys just before being “retired.”



If you look below the “ENTER FRONT” sign, you can see “Shirley Temple 1937.”



From the Press-Telegram, March 22, 1963:

March 31 is the day the last of the big yellow streetcars will come clickety-clacking, twanging its power pole, into the Metropolitan Transit Authority yards on Georgia Street in downtown Los Angeles.…Even the almost noiseless,  harmless-seeing trackless trolleys-buses that run on overhead electricity—will disappear. They and the streetcar have received the verdict: Not efficient, not flexible.…The bus slipped in its opening wedge in 1940, when a new type of 45-passenger diesel became available.…What will become of the retiring 164 streetcars and 89 trackless trolleys? A spokesman said that by law the Metropolitan Transit Authority, as a public corporation of the state,  must put them up for bid. The streetcars are narrow-gauge rather than standard, and only three places in the world have tracks that will accommodate them — Mexico City, Korea and Spain. If these places don’t buy the, the spokesman said, they’ll probably be sold as junk.



The “Crying Trolley” that Shirley christened was the one featured in photos, but strangely enough, the actress was not mentioned in any of the accompanying stories, such as this one from the Lincoln Heights Bulletin-News on March 28, 1963:

MAKING WAY FOR PROGRESS—Los Angeles’ “Crying Trolley” is leading 163 other streetcars, plus 89 trolley coaches, on their final week of service for area commuters. Singing a final swan song to a closing era, the “Crying Trolley” — Streamliner 3002 — was the first modern streetcar to operate in the area, making its first Los Angeles run in March 1937. For its final routing the “Crying Trolley” bears tears streaming from its eyes and the sentiment: “Goodbye forever old sweethearts and pals.” The farewell on the rear reads, merely “So long.”



Waving goodbye in the photo below is Barbra Julian, Miss Greater Los Angeles Press Club, while George Goehler, MTA superintendent of transportation, wipes away the tears. The Press Club will stage a “Trolley Wake” March 30 as a final tribute to the streetcars and trolley coaches and as a welcome to 300 new SilverLiners going into service on the five MTA streetcar lines and two trolley coach lines, including the P and R lines.



I think it’s fairly safe now to deduce that Shirley’s name on the bus was not written by her, but rather a tribute by someone who remembered that she was part of the original ride back in 1937, and added at the same time as the eyes, tears, and farewell messages.

On March 31, the Times reported this:

Wake Held at Press Club for Streetcar

More than 200 mourners gathered at the Greater Los Angeles Press Club Saturday night to observe solemn last rites for the streetcar. A part of the Los Angeles transportation system for 90 years, streetcars, and their first cousins, trolly busses, were to be off the streets by 6 a.m. today. Their heirs will be a modern fleet of busses dubbed “Silverliners” by the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Saturday night’s rites were simple. After a cocktail party “wake,” the mourners assembled at a buffet dinner. A eulogy to the noble streetcar was delivered by veteran actor Reginald Denny. Denny said he had come to bury Trolley, not to praise him. But he went on to laud his old friend and describe him as a “victim of progress because he was taking up too much room.” A lily was tearfully placed on a streetcar model and the mourners took a last sentimental journey from the club to the old Georgia St. car barn. They returned by bus.

While looking for info about Shirley and the 3002, I happened upon this little tidbit about her mother, Gertrude, from the same time period:




March 24, 1937:

Mother of Shirley Goes to Hospital

HOLLYWOOD, March 24 — For the first time in her life, Shirley Temple, child film star, today will be separated from her mother, Mrs. Gertrude Temple.

Mrs. Temple is to enter a hospital for an abdominal operation, described by doctors as “necessary but not serious.” She is expected to be in the hospital for two weeks.

March 25, 1937:

UNDERGOES OPERATION

Santa Monica, March 25 — Mrs. Gertrude Temple, mother of Shirley Temple, child film star, underwent an abdominal operation today in the Santa Monica Hospital. Her surgeon, Dr. Leo Madsen, said she should be able to leave for Palm Springs in about two weeks for convalescence.

Shirley touchingly shared her mother’s illness in her autobiography, Child Star:

Her typical optimism had been shaken by whatever her medical prognosis was. Either swept up in the drama of illness, or worse, death, she laid careful plans for transfer of her maternal responsibilities. As for my professional career, the studio would have to look after that phase, she wrote. “It’s Shirley as a human entity that worries me…how extraordinarily patient she is…her well-developed sense of justice…a joyous spirit, full of pranks and teasing. Tenderness, warmth, and sensitivity, these are the qualities I want to see guarded and developed.” Dwelling at length on the probability that I would continue to be making films, she expressed grave concern. “Unless surrounded by love and loyalty, any career child is at a tremendous disadvantage. She has to develop extraordinary resources within herself against greed, selfishness, and flattery. I’ve done my best to lay a foundation but the process must go on.” Candidates as proxy mother included grandmother Maude, but this Mother rejected on two counts: first, Maude was already growing too introspective and morose, vivid contrasts to my outgoing personality. Secondly, she was entitled to the serenity of old age, unlikely with me in her custody. The final choice was an old and intimate friend, Fay Ferguson, wife of Father‘s colleague years before at the bank. Unfailingly feisty ad ebullient, Fay shared with mother a catlike wisdom about life. Both were self-contained, watchful, and patient. The evening before Mother was to be admitted to Santa Monica Hospital, I stole beside her as she stood staring up at some books on our library shelf. Slipping my small hand into hers, I asked what was wrong. Nothing, she replied, tightening her lips in a thin smile, but pointing at her stomach, a gesture both nonspecific and ominous. “Don’t be afraid, Mummy,” I told her. “God will take care of you.” For the next two weeks gloom settled on my shoulders. Shooting went on as usual, with Fay doing her best to fill in for Mother, but around home everyone spoke in subdued voices.…After two weeks in the hospital she returned, wan and weak, but apparently repaired from something found to be benign. Once again we exchanged our good-night kiss, this time at her bedside instead of mine. I cried harder and longer than on the night she left. In every way the dominant pillar of my young life, she merits and receives my lifelong adoration, deep and indestructible.

Below is a shot of Shirley and her parents at the “Wee Willie Winkie” premiere on June 29, 1937:



From transportation to the illness of her mother, another rabbit-hole has been completed.

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.