Temple Tuesday: Trip to Stonefield

On one of those rare days when I was just lounging on the couch I decided to watch the Shirley Temple movie "Young People." Although it may not be her best, I do love the songs. In the sequence where Shirley and her parents (Charlotte Greenwood and Jack Oakie) arrive in Stonefield, for the first time ever I noticed that the train depot looked damn good. Almost too good to be a set. The tracks also seemed to go on forever, and not in the matte painting way, either. I wondered if this was an actual station...that might still exist. Contacting Shirley expert supreme Melissa (aka "The Colonel") I asked her what she thought. Initially she thought it was probably shot at the studio, but did express a slight amount of doubt after she looked at her 20th Century Fox book filled with vintage pictures about what the backlot once looked like. I decided to contact Robby Cress from Dear Old Hollywood and see what he thought. I was pleasantly surprised when he quickly responded:

Hi Dave!

I’m 99% sure that is the old Arcadia Santa Anita Station. The building still exists, but not in the original location. It was moved to near the LA Arboretum.

I haven’t seen that Shirley Temple film. Now I’ll have to watch!

Kind Regards,
Robby Cress

Although I normally would have taken an "I told you so" stance, with Melissa I went a different route.

I kind of went ape s#$t.

With her impending visit to the West Coast, I announced that we were going to Stonefield. Although this was all through texting, I know she probably lost her s#$t as well, as "Young People" is a favorite of hers, too. Sadly, it was not in the cards for Melissa to join me (at least not this time!) as her plane arrived two hours late, squashing the small window of opportunity we had to share our discovery together.

Well folks, here it is. I was absolutely blown away that this little depot still exists.



If I hadn't known it had been rebuilt in a different location, I would have sworn it was the same building. They did a fantastic job of putting it back together.



From the plaque on the building I learned that it was originally constructed in 1890 in Rancho Santa Anita. Due to the construction of the Foothill Freeway it was moved and reconstructed here in 1969 with the support of the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce, California Arboretum Foundation, Inc., and the Arcadia Historical Society, Inc.



My good friend, actress Amanda Kruger, accompanied me on this historic journey.



There were two antique luggage carts sitting outside the building. Could they be the same ones?





Melissa dove in and watched the movie again, comparing every detail. At first she thought one was a definite match, but both carts exhibited either changes or differences.



Folks, I just don't care. I'm printing the legend and saying that at least one was featured in the movie shot almost 80 years ago. And that's final!



Here's a still from the movie showing the other side of the building:



...and how it looks today:



Although it was closed during my visit, the interior looks damn good (and vintage!):



Melissa: pack your bags! Next April we are going to Stonefield!

See more Shirley Temple "Young People" photos at my main website.

Palooza Pt. 5: Santa Monica History Museum

Saturday morning began with breakfast at Toast Cafe in Hollywood, when I got to meet the newest addition to Kamy & Amanda's household, little Famous. Well, not so little, but still adorable (don't tell Willis I said that).



In a stroke of serendipity on the way home from breakfast I stopped for a quick photo when I noticed this mural of Marilyn Monroe by artist Alec Monopoly. The few unexpected minutes I took doing that caused some memorable encounters.



As I was heading up the stairs to go back to my room at the Chateau Marmont to "freshen up" for an event at the Santa Monica History Museum, a familiar face crossed my path. Shannon Laskey, the author of "Going to…," a series of three books on Disney Theme Parks that use my photographs just happened to have finished brunch at the Chateau with her friend. She calls me the official "Going to Guides" photographer. Although I have never met her and only corresponded with her via email, Shannon was exactly as I had imagined. Sweet, funny, cool, retro, and a blast to hang out with. As she and her friend raved about their brunch and how cool The Chateau was and what they had learned from the girl at the friend desk, I decided to "plus" their day with a personal tour of the property. First off was a visit to Room 33 where I was staying. They immediately fell in love with the retro kitchen.



The well-stocked (and overly-priced) refrigerator. I'm sure that's what the surprise looks were for when they saw what those items were selling for. DON'T TOUCH, LADIES!!!



And then came the moment when I knew Shannon and I were to be good friends. "Hey, would you mind taking a photo of me on your bed?" "Sure...why not?!?"



A trip to the gym up on the 7th floor thrilled them so much they had to call all their friends to tell them about it.



The best part of the tour happened on the elevator as I was escorting them back to their cars. One floor down the elevator stopped and a handsome gentlemen with tousled hair joined us in the cramped space. All four of us were like sardines. I took another look at this new edition and realized it was Matthew McConaughey. The girls were about to burst at the seams, which caused him to flash his trademark dimpled grin and say "You sure can get to know somebody on this elevator...whether you want to or not. Have a good day!" And with that, we parted ways. Yup...serendipity. And then it was off to the Santa Monica History Museum for me to attend a special event in commemoration of what would have been Shirley Temple's 90th Birthday. Of course Melissa (aka "The Colonel") was already there. Here she is posing with David Silverman who went out of his way to make this particular Shirley Palooza extra special.



Before the event began, the press were there to snap photos and get the story behind what was being unveiled for the first time in 80 years that day. In the background, David is presenting Shirley's son, Charles Jr., with his book on the history of the former Temple estate in Brentwood. It is quite a volume!



The tea party at the museum included special Shirley cupcakes and other assorted goodies.



Besides some of the iconic costumes that Shirley wore in her films, like this one from "Stand Up And Cheer"...





there were also some "new" items that I had not seen before, such as the 1 millionth phone from the General Telephone Company of California that was presented to Shirley on May 7, 1959. That's a lot of phones!



Two items that were given as gifts at Shirley's 1938 birthday party included this namesake doll and cool clock which Shirley herself very much coveted!



This vintage photo on display shows Shirley's birthday party from 1939:



In this detailed view, you can see Shirley's stand-in, Mary Lou Isleib, in the front left:



Shirley is barely visible in the very back of the shot:



If you want to know what the big reveal was, you'll have to come back on Monday!

See more Santa Monica History Museum photos at my main website..

Palooza Pt. 4: The Party

To get the Shirley Temple Palooza kicked off with a bang, David Silverman from Sony Pictures Entertainment put together an incredible event in Brentwood that blew everyone away. Throughout the night, the large screen TV was playing Shirley clips as well as those of her Hollywood contemporaries from the 1930s and 1940s. Here David poses with Shirley Jean Rogers and hiding in the back is Melissa Tonnessen, aka the "Colonel" of "Shirley's Army," the group that has been key in keeping Shirley's legacy alive.



Heather, a reporter from Closer Magazine was at the party as well; here she talks to Tonya Bervaldi and Melissa. You might remember Tonya as the owner of "The Little Princess" costume that was temporarily lost along with a number of other original costumes that she owns from Shirley's most famous films.



On the left is 1930s child star Cora Sue Collins who has lost NONE of her spunk from the days that she charmed audiences with her natural talent. On the right is Hollywood Historian Woolsey Ackerman.



David gave an amazing presentation about Shirley which focused on the home in Brentwood that she once lived in at the height of her fame with her parents. The original three acre estate has now been portioned off into 5 lots. The original home was split into two. Huh? Yup...only in Hollywood, folks.



This salary chart REALLY puts into perspective the earnings and celebrity of the most famous little girl in the world.



A rare color clip of a teenage Shirley was shown:



Following David's spectacular presentation, Cora Sue gave a little fireside chat. She kept the audience engaged with stories about her films as well as her personal friend, Shirley Temple. Unlike Shirley, Cora Sue was able to have a life out of the public eye when she retired at the age of 18 after a Hollywood "wolf" promised her a career changing role...if she'd sleep with him. The brave young girl said "no," even after studio boss LB Mayer told her that's just the way the business is. Without a trace of bitterness, Cora Sue said she left the movies and never looked back. While she enjoys her anonymity, she is by no means a wallflower. Sharp as a tack, I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with her.



Daniel Selznick, son of famous producer David Selznick ("Gone with the Wind," "A Farewell to Arms") and Irene Mayer Selznick, followed Cora Sue with his own memories of Hollywood. A producer, writer, and director, Daniel shared stories about his famous father, who became a victim of Benzedrine and Dexedrine while making "Gone with the Wind." Prescribed by a pharmacist, back in the 1930s these energy-giving drugs were not known for their harmful side effects. They allowed David to work 21 hours in a 24 hour day. Ouch.



She's so adorable I had to share another photo of Cora Sue, listening to Daniel's presentation.



There was also entertainment, as Cathie Nicholas, one of the famous dancing Nicholas Brothers' granddaughters arranged for a girl from her dance studio to sing "On the Good Ship Lollipop." While the little girl's wig might have been questionable, her natural singing ability and charisma were off the charts as Cathie watched proudly.



My last pic from the party shows Marilyn Granas, who was Shirley Temple's first stand-in. She was also a very lovely lady who had nothing but kind memories of Shirley, especially being able to be 10 feet away from her as she did the famous Stair Dance with Bill Robinson in "The Little Colonel," 1935. Marilyn was happy to leave the business as an actress and instead returned as an agent.



Here is Marilyn with Shirley back in 1934:



Still more to come from the weekend—stay tuned!

See more photos at my main website.

Palooza Pt. 3: Fresh Off The Boat

Get ready to enter Fox Studios soundstage 88/14. Huh? No idea here...I didn't ask, and the Tour Guide didn't tell. Maybe a case of Gemini or split personality. Either way, get a load of the films that were shot on this historic soundstage!



Although currently on hiatus, the TV show "Fresh Off The Boat" is filmed here and the sets have been covered in plastic to keep them as pristine as possible.



As our amazing Tour Guide explained, earthquakes can cause plaster and other matter to fall onto the set and make a mess. Thus...the plastic covers.



The kid's bedroom:



The details really are incredible:



The family restaurant is definitely closed!



We got to wander the halls of Eddie's school:



Up above the sets you see all of the lighting, cameras, etc.:





HAD to get the red light:



We got to see the Photo Archive as well as the Props Department, where many historic props are being well-cared for and preserved. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed so you'll just have to take my word for it.



And that concludes our tour of the Fox Studios lot, other than what we saw as we wandered back to our cars at the parking lot.









I couldn't resist a photo op with Shirley. Thanks for the shot, Tonya!



See more Fox Studios photos at my main website.