Temple Tuesday: Shirley does the Charleston

This charming photo of Shirley is from the summer of 1948 and shows her doing a Charleston step. From the publicity blurb:

Even in the early 1900's the girls were not quite so prim and proper as we imagine, but just about the same as they are today as is proven by Shirley Temple as she runs out of the house to meet her date in RKO Radio’s period comedy romance, “Baltimore Escapade,” in which she co-stars with Robert Young and John Agar.



Released April 19, 1949, the movie was retitled “Adventure in Baltimore.” The opening of the movie features a montage of Shirley portraying a young girl from 1948:



A Modern American Schoolgirl from 1925 who gets busted by the Principal for doing the Charleston:







Then we travel with Shirley back to 1913, where she was dancing in this post’s first image:



And finally 1905, the setting of the movie, where we see Shirley painting a china cup:



Barbara Bel Geddes was originally to star in the film, but her complaints about appearing in another period piece (her previous film was “I Remember Mama”) caused her to be replaced by Shirley. John Agar, Shirley‘s first husband, replaced Melvyn Douglas as the love interest. Lucky Barbara and Melvyn; the film ended up losing $785,000 at the box office. Don’t let that deter you from seeing it; Shirley is wonderful in this cute low-budget “Meet Me In St. Louis” style film, especially when she is dancing with wild abandon outside the Principal’s office or when she is reunited with Robert Young, her former costar from 1936’s “Stowaway.”

See more Shirley photos at my main website.

Palm Springs Adaptive Reuse

I am always leery when well-meaning groups attempt to resurrect historic theaters, restaurants, etc. There was a reason they failed in the first place; why not save the building AND use some creative thinking to figure out a more feasible purpose for it that will succeed?



Designed by mid-century modern architect E. Stewart Williams, the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center (wow, that's a mouth full) is such a building.

This 1960 classic mid-century international style structure began its life as the Santa Fe Federal Savings & Loan until it became a Design Center Museum in 2014. Recently it was designated as a protected Class I Historic Site. The current exhibit is Hugh Kaptur: Organic Desert Architecture.



Consisting of vintage architectural plans and models, it was love at first site for me!







Elements of the original Savings & Loan have been retained, adding dimension to the story of the museum.









More Palm Springs adaptive reuse stories to come! See more Palm Springs photos at my main website.

Flag Day at Disneyland

What better way to celebrate Flag Day than with these vintage images of the daily ceremony held at Disneyland's Town Square? This first photo is from 1958. Note how reverent guests are as the two flags are lowered.



This next quartet of sequential images are from April 1960. The Disneyland Band, led by Vesey Walker, heads towards their Town Square destination.



The band assembles around the flag for a few patriotic tunes:



The flags being lowered:



After folding them into triangles, Disneyland Security stores them away until the next day.



See more Disneyland Flag Lowering photos at my main website.

Snow vs. Mr. Toad

Not to be outdone by my recent post featuring a vintage shot of the queue mural for Mr. Toad, good ol’ Snow White pulled through be hooking me up with a "new" old shot from HER line queue mural. Take that, Toady! Dating back to February 1965, you are looking at Walt & Ethel. Yes...that's what was written on the back.

Here’s the section of the mural that their Mine Cart was caught in front of:



See more Disneyland Snow White's Scary Adventures attraction photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Tomato Red

In 1988, Shirley Temple Black released her autobiography, Child Star, and added best-selling author to her already impressive resume. Here she is exiting her limo, getting ready to sign books at Vroman’s, November 1988. At age 60, the actress and diplomat was just as stylish as ever, wearing her favorite color, Tomato Red. How do I know this?

Keep reading!



I am not the only one who has had frequent encounters with serendipity; Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) has graciously shared her story of Shirley Serendipity for today’s Temple Tuesday.



There are few memories as vivid as those I have of the day I met Shirley Temple Black. Shirley was promoting Child Star, and her first stop was B. Dalton Bookseller in NYC (see the ad above).



Dressed in a gray and black striped sweater, and sporting my saddle shoes, I arrived hours early so that I could be among the first to get her autograph.



But I wasn’t the only one with that same goal. While waiting for Shirley to arrive, I chatted with the other women who were in line. We shared stories of our admiration for Shirley, and armed with our cameras (no phones back then!), we snapped photos for one another.



Once I was composed enough, Shirley and I chatted a bit - all while she continued to sign autographs and greet others - a multi tasker to be sure!



She told me her favorite color was tomato red, and she pointed to the outfit she had on. "But I like this too!" she said, reaching out to touch my gray wide wale corduroy pants.



Of course, each one of us left on a high that we carried with us for a long time, but we also managed to exchange addresses so that we could send prints (no digital photos! no email!) to one another. Of the four other women I met, I remember getting the names and addresses of two of them, and yes, we shared our photos. And treasured the memory of that day.



This March, I arrived home to find a message on my voicemail. It was a woman by the name of Kathy, who said she’d found my name on the internet and saw that I was a Shirley fan. I returned her call, and we had a lovely conversation. Her mother, Marie (the lovely blonde in blue pictured with Shirley above and below), had only recently died, and she was a lifelong Shirley devotee. “She has a very small Shirley collection. I wonder if you’d like to have it.” I told her I would be happy to have anything that she sent my way. “I know there are photos of the day she met Shirley Temple in New York in 1988; I’ll send those too.” “I was there that day,” I said. “Wouldn’t it be funny if I were in one of the pictures?



About a week later, a small box arrived from Kathy. It contained some books, many 80s era clippings, a record album, and Marie’s signed copy of Child Star from that day in New York. In our phone conversation, Kathy said her mother instructed her, “Do whatever you want with my books, but don’t throw away the one signed by Shirley.”



Also in the box was a set of photos and negatives (remember those?!) from the book signing…and there I was. It wasn’t hard to miss the gray and black striped sweater. It seems that Marie was one of the four women that I spoke with that day. I was – and still am - shocked. Astounded. Overcome. Of all the people Kathy could have reached out to, she found one who knew her mother, who shared with her one of the highlights of her life. I must not have gotten Marie’s address on that day, as I didn’t recall her name or remember seeing some of these photos…but I’m seeing them now, as are you in this post.

Along with the envelope of photos were some cards and letters, including some from the other ladies that were with us. That day was as important to Marie as it had been to me, to all of us there. I noticed that Marie’s book was signed on the page with the photo, but mine was on the first blank page. I can’t remember if Shirley asked if we had a preference.



I do recall that when Shirley first arrived, she sported one of her favorite pieces of jewelry – the gold “spiky” bracelet. She quickly realized that signing her name while wearing it proved difficult, and she took it off and asked the young assistant to wear it for her.



I saw that bracelet at Heritage’s auction in December 2016, and in dozens of photos before that. I tried to wear it, but it was so tiny. A friend was able to add it to her collection that day. I’m glad I know where it is. I’m also glad to have received this collection from Kathy. I think Marie would be happy that it came to me.

Melissa, I am thrilled that you shared this special story with us. Just another example of how serendipity can shine down upon us when we least expect it. And speaking of serendipity...how cool would that be if one of my readers was also there that day and had photos, too? There are at least two people in these pics with cameras that day as well. C'non...step forward now!!

See more photos at my main website.

Sunset and Beverly, 1960

It almost sounds like a line from “Singin' in the Rain,” but no…I’m referring to this January 1960 shot of Sunset Boulevard and Beverly Drive with the Beverly Hills Hotel in the background. The vintage autos are the cherry on the sundae in this gorgeous photo! This guy looks like the cat that ate the canary; I wonder if he was staying at the hotel or just being a tourist?

Here’s my shot of the same location, circa June 2012:



And one from last November, where I showed a little more creativity with the angles:



See more Beverly Hills photos at my main website.

Main Street Crystal Arts, 1975

A vintage Main Street, U.S.A. interior shot...I feel my pulse racing! This image of the Arribas Brothers Crystal Arts shop is from 1975. I love the “Place Order Now Pick Up Later” engraved glass at the forefront of this shot.

I found this background information on the D23 website:

Participant at Disney parks and resorts, first as glassblowers in Fantasyland at Disneyland Park beginning June 15, 1967. The glassblowing and cutting work of Alfonso and Tomas Arribas had reportedly caught the attention of Walt Disney when the brothers represented Spain at the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair. After the success of their operations in Fantasyland (which ended in 1987), their brother, Manuel, joined them to open Cristal d’Orleans, which opened July 24, 1966 in New Orleans Square. Items ranging from affordable small jewelry to large sculptures have been sold. In 1971, Alfonso and Tomas relocated to Walt Disney World to open Crystal Arts on Main Street, U.S.A., and a similar shop opened at Disneyland on June 24, 1972, where Manuel has continued to work. At Walt Disney World, the brothers’ work could be seen in The King’s Gallery inside Cinderella Castle from December 1972 until July 5, 2007; they continue to operate in Caribbean Plaza at Magic Kingdom Park, at the Marketplace at Disney Springs, and at the Germany and Mexico pavilions at Epcot. Their work could also be found at Euro Gifts & Collectibles at the Disneyland Hotel until 2010 and the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim. Additional locations are in Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. The company’s work is also sold at Disney Store online. Tomas passed away in 2002, and Alfonso has retired in Florida. Alfonso’s son, Rudy, is now president of the company.

A nighttime exterior shot from 2011:



An interior view from 2013:



See more Disneyland Main Street, U.S.A. photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Behind the scenes

Here’s a behind-the-scenes shot taken during the filming of Shirley’s 1937 classic, “Wee Willie Winkie.” From the attached publicity blurb:

OFF-STAGE — Victor McLaglen and Shirley Temple, at left, in a scene fro Rudyard Kipling’s “Wee Willie Winkie,” now in production at 20th Century-Fox. Director John Ford, hat turned down, is on the far side of the camera.



Shirley looks very determined!

Here’s another shot, showing the distinctive rocks of the Iverson Movie Ranch set in Chatsworth, where much of the film was shot:



See more Shirley photos at my main website.

Serendipity at Palm Canyon

Serendipity showed its face again for me last week on a chance trip to Palm Canyon in Palm Springs. In town for a Conference site visit, we were being driven around town by the hotel Associate Director of Sales. Knowing that we were photo geeks, he decided to take us to Palm Canyon. As I snapped away I kept thinking what a beautiful spot…and yet it looked familiar, too. And then it dawned on me...this is where my parents honeymooned back in 1956. I had scanned their slides years ago and thanks to my good memory, they stuck in my brain as well. Compare 2019 (above) vs. 1956 (below):



Here’s Mom all decked out, ready for hiking. Well…according to her, she said she didn’t think that they did a lot of hiking, which would make sense considering what the two of them were wearing.



Dad in front of the sign:



Want a closer look?



I definitely prefer the look of the vintage sign!



I plan on returning in the very near future to see what I can do as far as getting better comparison shots. Stay tuned…

See more Palm Canyon photos at my main website.