With my latest Jayne Mansfield at Disneyland in 1957 acquisition, I can now put together a fairly comprehensive pictorial representation of her tour of Fantasyland. Here she is with her daughter in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle; note that the crest is still not on the Castle at this point. Husband Mickey Hargitay is on the left side of the shot in a dark suit. I love the expressions of the other guests as they see this bonafide movie star strolling right by them.
Perhaps next she went to the Carrousel, which was directly on the other side of the Castle:
…followed by a spin on the teacups:
A flight over Fantasyland via Dumbo. Note the hinged ears:
Some “adult” time on the dark rides with husband Mickey, first at Peter Pan:
…followed by Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride:
Will there be more Mansfield in the future? Only time will tell!
See more celebrities at Disneyland photos at my main website.
On a trip to Palm Springs in 2012, I was able to see the temporary outdoor installation of Forever Marilyn, by Seward Johnson. The 26' tall statue was based on a famous photo by Bernard of Hollywood taken when Marilyn was filming “The Seven Year Itch”:
The statue was taken down in 2014, and immediately the cry to have it return began. Sadly, this did not happen before Johnson’s passing in March 2020. According to the Forever Marilyn webpage:
She was officially welcomed back on June 20, 2021 at a special ceremony drawing hundreds of supporters and fans – and will now, at last, be a permanent feature of the Palm Springs landscape.
Yup…there’s a backside, too. This just doesn’t seem right. I would think that Johnson could have come up with a more tasteful rear view.
Ever wanted to see Marilyn’s feet up close? Looks like she already needs a pedicure.
I love how the sunshine illuminates her face; I was too lazy to wait until the Palm frond shadows completely disappeared.
And how Marilyn looks first thing in the morning; not bad!
Nearby on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, Marilyn has her own block:
The new location is definitely more dramatic. Perched on Museum Way in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum, the walk leading up to Marilyn is lined by Palm trees. Every time that I walked by Marilyn was drawing a crowd of tourists attempting to get a selfie with the icon.
When Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) met Shirley Temple Black during her book signing tour, one of the things she remembered the author/actress/diplomat telling her was that her favorite color for apparel was “tomato red.” These photos from the 6th Annual American Cinema Awards on January 6, 1989 certainly support that statement, and Shirley definitely looks like a million bucks! Let’s crop in tighter and remove creepy looking Milton Berle and Stewart Granger, shall we?
Shirley’s beloved husband, Charles Black, is seen in the background in these two photos from the same evening:
A sad side note about this event was Bette Davis’ collapse and later discovery that her cancer had returned. She died later that year on October 6th.
Shirley wore the same outfit for the publicity shots for the 1989 Tournament of Roses Parade, of which she was the Grand Marshal. In the photo with her are Rose Queen Charmaine Beth Shyrock and Commentator Keith Jackson:
When it was announced that she was the 1989 Grand Marshal, Shirley said: “It’s not often that one gets to repeat a highlight of one’s life,” followed by cannons that boomed out a shower of confetti while the band struck up “On the Good Ship Lollipop.” She would go on to repeat the honor again in 1999, making her the only person who has done so three times. She said her reign over the parade taught her how to wave “really well”: “First to the left, then to the right. Then to anybody who was out in the middle of the street.” Yup, she knew how to wave!
See more Shirley Temple Black photos at my main website.
As I was walking along South Palm Canyon Drive on a recent trip to the Desert (aka Palm Springs), my attention was focused downward on the sidewalk, looking at the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. I came upon a historic marker that had been unceremoniously spray painted white and decided to read it. I had never heard of the Oasis Hotel before, but I had definitely heard of Lloyd Wright, architect of one of my Hollywood obsessions, the Sowden House, and the son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This I had to investigate! As I walked down the corridor I looked up at what I had previously ignored as yet another dilapidated old concrete structure and sure enough, there I saw the hallmarks of the Wright Style!
Interesting concrete blocks and that simplistic Moderne/Art Deco style that I adore.
Apparently this place was a haven for the stars, including Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, and Shirley Temple. Back in the day before the term “Boutique Hotel” had been coined, this 24 guest room hotel was unable to make a profit, despite its claim of having the tower and the first swimming pool.
Here are some vintage shots of what the entire property looked like before it was torn down (other than the 40-foot tower) and replaced by an uninspired strip mall.
A few vintage postcards of the hotel in its heyday:
Although the tower has a Class 1 Historic designation, it looks like it is one “accident” away from being gone-zo.
One of my very favorite Judy Garland dance numbers is “When The Midnight Choo Choo Leaves For Alabam” with Fred Astaire from Easter Parade. She matches the master step for step, and her joy and exuberance during the entire dance keep your eyes focused on her, not Astaire.
I recall reading many years ago that actor/dancer Bobby Van (part of Garland’s 1958 Town and Country Club engagement) had told Judy that “Alabam” was one of his favorite numbers. Garland proceeded to perform the intricate number without skipping a beat, even though the film had been made over ten years before. I attempted to find the story and looked through all my Garland books (I do have a few!) and could not locate it. I hate when that happens! I couldn’t find the anecdote online, either, but in searching for it, I discovered something else. Garland performed in San Diego July 8-9, 1955 at the Russ Auditorium, located inside the old San Diego High School. Sadly, the building no longer exists. I hate when that happens, too!
Naturally, I went down a rabbit hole, wanting to know more about the Russ Auditorium. In doing so, I found this clip (no sound) showing Judy in rehearsal:
A program for Bill Robinson’s 1946 performance at the Russ:
Ray Charles:
Here’s what the auditorium looked like:
The exterior of the old San Diego High School, affectionately known as “The Old Gray Castle”:
A 1949 photo of my Dad in front of the High School when he was part of the cheerleading squad. Anyone able to figure out which one he is?
Thanks for the rabbit hole, Judy!
UPDATE! Judy expert supreme John Fricke was kind enough to have this info forwarded to me. Apparently my memory is on the fritz; it was Ken Berry, not Bobby Van, who was taught “Alabam” by Judy:
[Ken Berry] shyly approached Judy at a party circa 1963 (after one of the Billy Barnes revues in which he performed and of which she was a fan). He told her how much he loved that “Easter Parade” routine — and how, once a year on Easter, he’d watch the film on TV. Each time, he said, he’d try to memorize a little more of it. Judy asked him if he wanted to learn it, got up from the conversational circle of people with whom they’d been talking, and (fifteen years after the fact) taught him the steps. Decades after that party, when Ken was working on the “Mama’s Family” TV series, there was an episode wherein Mama (Vicki Lawrence) organized a group of senior citizen women into a performing troupe. [The episode was called “Mama’s Girls” and originally aired on February 6, 1988] Their show grew out of meeting at a dance class, earlier in the program, where Vicki and Dorothy Van (playing Cousin Effie) spontaneously lead several others in a spirited “Midnight Choo Choo.” The vocal arrangement and choreography (credited in the show crawl to Ken Berry) was pretty much that of “Easter Parade”!
In the 1942 film “Miss Annie Rooney,” Shirley Temple plays a teen from the wrong side of the tracks who catches the interest of a young man (Dickie Moore) who comes from money. Lots of money. He decides to go against his parent’s wishes (Gloria Holden and Jonathan Hale) and invite her to his birthday party. When she arrives, Mother is not pleased that the arrangements for twelve will now have to squeeze in another. AWKWARD! The snooty girls at the party look down on poor Shirley until she teaches the old drizzle-pusses how to dance.
Recognize anyone in these photos?
On the far left is Noel Neill, best known as Lois Lane from the 1950’s “Superman” TV series. The girl on the right in this shot is Shirley’s stand-in, Mary Lou Isleib, who finally got a few seconds of screentime.
Noel with George Reeves, as we best remember her:
On the far right of the previous shot is June Lockhart, wearing a somewhat ill-fitting dress and looking extremely bored.
Some twenty years later, June would play the smartest sexiest space mom ever, Dr. Maureen Robinson, in “Lost in Space,” shown here with TV husband Guy Williams.
NOBODY made science (and silver lame) look as appealing as June!
See more teenage Shirley Temple photos at my main website.
What Shirley Temple fan doesn’t love the classic 1937 “Heidi”? The relationship between Heidi and The Grandfather is key to the charm of the movie. Actor Jean Hersholt is wonderful as the gruff and bitter hermit who gets thawed out by his charming granddaughter (Shirley) who comes to live with him. With the unkempt white hair and long beard, Hersholt could have had a side gig at Macy’s as Santa Claus.
Born in Copenhagen in 1886, Hersholt was also known as a humanitarian. In 1938, he became president of the Motion Picture Relief Fund, which helped provide medical care for industry employees suffering from hard times. The fund also resulted in the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital. From 1945-1949, Hersholt served as President to the Academy, who honored him shortly after his 1956 death by establishing the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an honorary Oscar given to an “individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.” Winners have included Danny Kaye, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Harry Belafonte, and Debbie Reynolds.
Looking a little different without the beard, Jean attended the Opening Day festivities at Disneyland on July 17, 1955. He is pictured here at the Main Street Train Station:
In this Nat Dallinger photo, the caption reads:
JEAN HERSHOLT points out thing of interest to his 3-year-old grandson, Greg, at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. Hersholt was one of the many screen personalities attending the preview of America’s newest wonderland.
How do I know the location of the photo? Do you really need to ask? Here’s another shot from my collection taken the same day with Art Linkletter. You can match up the columns, just like I did!
Based on what I found through good old Google, it would appear that Gregg’s father, Greg, became a radio broadcaster in 1973, working at KIRO FM in Seattle from 1984-2010. He was the son of Jean and his wife, Via. Hersholt was also the paternal half-uncle of actor Leslie “Naked Gun” Nielsen. Final image for today shows Jean being escorted out of the Park for unruly behavior:
Just kidding. Of course it’s another still from “Heidi.”
See more Disneyland Opening Day photos at my main website.
