This 1957 gem shows a demure lady wearing a classic Disneyland paper hat from the early years of the park, standing in front of the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry. I am going to guess she’s visiting from Missouri, as that’s the flagpole at the Tomorrowland entrance that she chose to pose by.
In her hand is a Disneyland Guidebook. This version of the souvenir was released in 1956, but as you can see this must be an updated version since it has the year 1957 added in the upper right hand corner.
My version, from 1956:
Here’s an interior look at the colorful Hall of Chemistry, circa July 1960:
Thanks to Melissa (aka “The Colonel”), I recently learned of the passing of Johnny Russell, who costarred in “The Blue Bird” (1940) with Shirley Temple. The Hollywood Reporter did a short little write-up about Russell, who was born John R. Countryman. Sounds very patriotic! The article contained the usual semi-correct info as well as the outright `myths:
In the biggest role of his brief acting career, Russell portrayed Tyltyl, the younger brother of Temple’s Mytyl, in the fantasy film The Blue Bird (1940), which was Fox’s answer to MGM’s The Wizard of Oz, released a year earlier. In a dream, the two kids set out on on a series of adventures.
While not completely false, Producer Darryl Zanuck’s choice of “The Blue Bird” for Shirley had more to do with Disney’s financially successful “Snow White” than it did with the still unreleased “Wizard of Oz.” Zanuck attempted to buy “Oz” for Shirley but was outbid by MGM. He began negotiations for “The Blue Bird” in February 1939, a good six months before the release of “Oz.” In a touch of irony, the rights to film “The Blue Bird” cost Zanuck $25,000 more than MGM’s winning bid for “Oz.” As Shirley recounted in her autobiography Child Star:
Some thought our film was conceived as a retaliation to MGM’s Wizard of Oz. Zanuck staunchly resisted such innuendo. “Oz is a musical comedy without any drama or sentiment,” he declared. “The Blue Bird is strictly a dramatic fantasy. MGM made extravagant blunders and underwent financial tortures. We do not intend to copy Oz as to theme, or the mistakes that were made.”
During the initial story conference on April 24, 1939, Zanuck continued to weigh in “against ever getting into the type of spectacle of ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ or ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ all of which are flops. This is the human, simple adventure of two little children,” he said. Since “The Wizard of Oz” hadn’t been released yet, he was most likely referring to the 1925 silent film version with Oliver Hardy.
Another tidbit from the Hollywood Reporter obituary:
Temple’s mother, Gertrude, was reportedly unhappy that her daughter was sharing so much screen time with the adorable Russell and sought to have him replaced, but producer Darryl F. Zanuck insisted that the youngster remain.
Mrs. Temple had concerns about the script, the size and characterization of Shirley’s role, and her costar, Johnny Russell. As Shirley recounted:
She was critical of Johnny Russell, a boy co-starring in some of my scenes. Although only six years old, he was an extroverted kid with a gift of mimicry…The mimicry annoyed Mother, but I suspect she disliked his casting because Russell was younger and could potentially upstage me on that basis. What I needed was someone my own age she urged Zanuck, again through attorney Wright. “Ridiculous,” responded Zanuck. Two contemporary children meant I could not be the leader, as the story required. “If the boy were the same age, we would have to assume he was mentally incompetent or otherwise deformed if Shirley took the leadership away from him,” Zanuck said in a burst of chauvinism. “A younger brother can cling to her for protection and guidance during the great adventure.”
In the play, the brother was older than the sister. It was Zanuck’s decision to flip the ages to benefit Shirley. Zanuck’s original choice for Tyltyl was Bobs Watson (“Boys Town,” 1938), but in the end, Russell was cast, most likely because he was three years younger than Watson.
Zanuck also dropped some of the characters in the original story so that the story focused more on Shirley, in an attempt to appease the Temple family, who had become increasingly more vocal about their fears about Shirley’s future at Twentieth Century-Fox. Mrs. Temple had begun to consider other options since Zanuck avoided any direct contact with her, which made her feel that Zanuck’s interest in Shirley was waning and more focused on others in the Fox stables, such as Alice Faye and Sonja Henie. Just in case the project did not meet expectations, Gertrude had checked out the Westlake School for Girls considering it as a possible non-studio school for Shirley. Attending Westlake would enable her daughter to establish friendships with girls from upper-class homes and obtain a well-rounded education. In the detailed shot below, you can see the ever-present Mrs. Temple on the set during filming, with Shirley’s bodyguard, Griff (John Griffiths), standing next to her.
For the Screen Guild Theatre radio broadcast of “The Blue Bird,” which aired December 24, 1939, Russell’s role was replaced. Sorry, Johnny!
Back to the Hollywood Reporter:
Countryman came on active duty in the U.S. Foreign Service in February 1962 and reported to the diplomatic mission in Istanbul about a year later. He would have postings in Saudi Arabia, Libya and Gabon before serving from 1976-78 as deputy director and acting director of Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the U.S. State Department, when he dealt with the Iran hostage crisis. In the mid-1970s, he and Temple reconnected when he was stationed in Gabon and she was the U.S. ambassador to Ghana.
Shirley would later comment proudly about how she continued to “upstage” Russell, even into adulthood:
Our issue of precedence was not in doubt then nor thirty-five years later in West Africa. By then I was a ranking U.S. ambassador, while Russell was a deputy chief of mission in a nearby national, still my junior by one step.
See more “The Blue Bird” photos at my main website.
In the 1954 Judy Garland movie, “A Star is Born,” there was a scene where Judy’s character, financially struggling singer Esther, has to take a job as a carhop to make ends meet. The scene was cut after the premiere, and then re-instated when the film was restored (for the most part) in 1983. Below are the costume sketch, wardrobe test shot, and a publicity still taken between takes.
The scene was filmed at Robert’s Drive-In at 6407 Sunset Boulevard (corner of Sunset and Cahuenga). Note the “R” on the side of the building in this frame from the scene:
If you don’t know what a Drive-In restaurant is, it was a place where you parked your car in a space in front, a carhop (aka waiter) came out to take your order, and then the food was brought out to you shortly after that. You never had to leave your car.
October 14, 1953: Photos from the third day of filming on A Star Is Born and the first day of location shooting. The production descended on Robert’s Drive-In at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Cahuenga Street in Hollywood to film the carhop scenes. The scene was filmed in the morning, requiring eight takes for the set-up shots and fourteen takes of Judy – medium shot – telling the customer the types of hamburgers they had that day. The numerous takes were required due to the excessive background noises.
Below, Judy enjoys a cup of coffee with husband Sid Luft.
Part of the scene shows Judy calling one of her friends from the band she used to sing for; she attempts to paint a rosy picture of her situation.
This publicity blurb accompanied the photo below:
HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 19 — JUDY GARLAND BACK IN MOVIES — AS A CAR-HOP — Judy Garland, facing movie cameras for the first time in three years, whirls a tray of food up to a car at a Sunset Boulevard drive-in. She was practicing on a few cars just before cameras began to role on her car-hop scenes for the film “A Star is Born.” The star left her studio in 1950 after disagreements and turned to stage appearances.
A publicity still from the movie showing Judy taking the man’s order:
By 1956 Robert’s had changed ownership and was called Scrivner’s; today, there is a Jack in the Box restaurant at that location (the original building was torn down).
Robert’s wasn’t the only Drive-In on Sunset Boulevard; there was also the Dolores Drive-In, at 8801 Sunset Boulevard. Below are actor Bob Hutton and Arlene Dahl, circa 1947.
Note the “D” on the carhop’s hat, and Arlene’s luscious lips in the side view mirror:
The building was naturally torn down (as interesting buildings in LA usually are) and is now a bland box of a building that houses Supreme Clothing, a store that sells streetwear.
Stan’s Drive-In was located at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine, across from NBC. Eddie Fisher and Mala Powers are shown in front, March 1954, in a photo credited to Bert Parry and Bob Beerman for Modern Screen Magazine.
Apparently policemen drove Harley-Davidsons at the time:
Anyone miss the old Drive-In restaurants where you could pull your carhop, order your meal, and not leave the comfort of your automobile?
During my recent trip to Hollywood over the holidays, of course I had no idea of the impending devastation that would be experienced as a result of the ongoing fires. While walking Willis one morning with camera in-hand, I was able to capture a gorgeous sunrise against the backdrop of some of my favorite buildings. Along Santa Monica Boulevard, the advice of this neon sign calls to mind the movie “LA Story” (iykyk).
A major bucket list item was checked off by capturing the Tail o’the Pup sign while lit:
(speaking of “LA Story” again!)
During the day, this pop-up ad for the Netflix film “Carry-On” looks like just another construction wall.
With the purple and pink hues of sunrise, it is much more appealing!
The Standard Hotel in West Hollywood has been closed for a few years, but appears to be in the construction phase for its next iteration. Has it been painted pink like the Beverly Hills Hotel down the street? No; this is just what the rays from a gorgeous sunrise can do to an otherwise bland off-white building.
I was ecstatic to see that the El Mirador Apartment neon sign was working again.
Even better at sunrise!
The historic 1930 Colonial House on Havenhurst:
I have no idea what this building at 8246 Sunset Boulevard is, but it provided a cool silhouette against the backdrop of the sunrise:
By the time I got back to the Chateau Marmont, the sunrise was almost over. Still, a hint of pink was cast over the mysterious tower at the top of the hotel:
One room I have never been in. Just add that to my bucket list.
The latest fire catastrophes in Hollywood and Los Angeles make me recall the horrible fires in San Diego back in October 2003.
One minute we were carving pumpkins, the next we were struggling to breathe clean air.
My heart goes out to all the residents of the areas in Los Angeles that have been affected. The devastation is unreal when you see the videos (the real ones, not the ones generated by AI - ugh). Whether it’s dollars, thoughts, prayers, or physical assistance, whatever you believe in and are capable of, send them the way of the people who are suffering.
For the design of the annual Shirley’s Army pin, Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) settled on the March of Dimes (MOD) as the charity of choice for this year’s fundraiser. A crappy micro-sized photo of Shirley promoting the MOD accompanied her request for me to design the pin. When I asked if she had something other than her download from Worth(less)point, she replied, “Any photo of her wearing that coat from ‘Little Miss Broadway’ will do.” She must have been tipsy or drowsy, as she knows very well that for someone with OCD for accuracy, “any photo” for reference just wouldn’t do. As it happens, in my vast collection of Shirley photos, I had a November 21, 1938 shot of Shirley receiving roses and a ribbon in honor of being named the Grand Marshal for the upcoming 1939 Tournament of Roses parade. Another shot, taken at the same time, shows her holding up what I “assumed” to be a ring commemorating the same thing.
Never assume…we all know what happens when you do that. Looking for answers, I reached out to Shirley expert supreme, Rita Dubas. Her kindness and generosity in the Shirley world are unmatched. It wasn’t long before I had a plethora of photos AND (accurate) information! It appears Shirley did publicity shots for the Rose Parade AND March of Dimes on the same day, outside her 20th Century-Fox Bungalow. Note the pack of Camels littering the ground. I’m sure Shirley picked the box up and disposed of it properly after this shot was taken!
There was the photo from my collection, used in a vintage ad encouraging people to donate to MOD, with a picture of the button they would receive as a result:
Rita found a vintage MOD button on Worth(less)point; here’s my cleaned up version:
A vintage cartoon of Shirley promoting MOD:
A vintage Mercury dime from the time period (FDR did not grace the dime until after his 1945 death):
Rita also sent these great shots of Robert Ripley (of “Believe it or not” fame) exchanging his dime for a button, in between takes of “The Little Princess.” The two are standing outside her portable studio trailer.
A closeup of the exchange:
Ripley is a proud wearer of his March of Dimes button!
The corresponding close-up:
This vintage interview with Shirley’s mother provides some background on the very real fears that existed as a result of infantile paralysis at the time:
All mothers of children, rich or poor, famous or unknown, feel the same about infantile paralysis — helpless to ward off its attack, anxious to help those who are unfortunate enough to fall under its blighting shadow. This is the belief of Mrs. Gertrude Temple, mother of the most celebrated little girl in the United States today: Shirley Temple. Mrs. Temple, writing to Keith Morgan, New York City, chairman of the committee for the celebration of the President’s birthday, through whom the 1939 campaign for funds for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis will be launched on January 16, declared:
“To every parent infantile paralysis is a constant fear, for we never know when it may lay its dreaded hand upon our own homes. For that reason,” Mrs. Temple continued, “I have always felt a personal interest in the infantile paralysis drive. I believe that every parent and grown-up should be made to feel how vitally important it is to do everything possible to help the success of the infantile paralysis campaign.”
When the campaign opens January 16, Shirley Temple will be one of the first to wear the March of Dimes button signifying participation in the campaign, as the little motion picture star is an ardent solicitor for all good causes. The one last piece of research I wanted to do was to figure out what dress Shirley was wearing underneath her coat. Since I typically design the Shirley’s Army pins in color, I wanted to be accurate! I first “assumed” from glancing at the source photo that Shirley was wearing this green smocked dress from “Just Around the Corner.”
The first proof I sent to Melissa to make sure I was on the right track:
A resounding “yes” followed! The next proof:
Although I was happy overall, I felt the mercury dime in the background made the pin a bit busy looking. I consulted Rita and as per usual, her design advice was spot-on. She also pointed out that the outfit Shirley was wearing under the coat was THIS one from “Just Around the Corner”:
I enlarged the photo from my collection and used it for a guide:
Two more proofs followed; the first one was way too busy…
but the second one was JUUUUUUUST right!
Rita created this video on Shirley and her MOD efforts — it’s a must-watch!
Here’s MY request: purchase a Shirley’s Army pin today by emailing Melissa for details!
See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.
