Sweet Dreams Shirley

Shirley Age 17 (1945)

     Shirley Temple was my introduction to the vintage world.  She conjures up so many memories from my childhood that it's overwhelming.  Heidi, Sara Crewe, and who could forget her singing?  I was so sad to hear of her passing away last night.  Another star joining the pantheon of classic actors in that big production in the sky.  To me, she was a friend, even though I never met her.  

Shirley and Her Doll

     My first exposure to her was through dolls.  When I was a child, I was given a Shirley Temple doll.  Cute, with those classic curls, she remains today in my doll cabinet, an ever present reminder of play times in the past.  Her exuberance timelessly preserved.



     She was one of my first introductions into classic films.  The first movie I owned was The Little Princess (1939), the classic Frances Hodgson Burnett tale brought to life by Shirley as Sara Crewe along with several other actors I adore such as Anita Loos as her wonderful teacher Rose, Sybil Jason as her friend and confidant Becky, Marcia Mae Jones as the snide Lavinia, Mary Nash as the evil Ms. Minchin, Cesar Romero as the savior Ram Daz, the ever delightful Arthur Treacher as Bertie, and of course, Ian Hunter as her father.

Anne Francis' First Day in Hollywood

Lovely Anne Francis was all of 16 years old when she left New York for Hollywood. She was signed by MGM in 1947. Anne (born Ann Marvak on September 16, 1930 - January 2, 2011) had been "in the business" since age 6 in New York modeling, on stage, and on radio.

Day 1 was spent settling into their hotel with her mother, Edith Albertson Francis.

Brown Derby 1947 Menu


Anne had a celebration breakfast at the famous Brown Derby Restaurant

Up next - Day 2. A power lunch and meeting a blond male Hollywood heartthrob actor. Can anyone guess who it was?

What 100 Stars Want Most in 1956 - Margaret O'Brien

Margaret O'Brien (Born January 15, 1937) - One of my favorite child actors. Most people know her from Meet Me in St Louis, but my favorite Margaret O'Brien film is The Secret Garden. Incidentally, for all you TCM lovers Margaret O'Brien is one of the featured stars in this August's Summer Under the Stars. So mark your calendar for August 15, 2010. TCM will play The Secret Garden at 8 pm est, or if you love Meet Me in St Louis, it is playing at 3:45 pm est. If you ever get a chance to see TCM's special on Child Stars, I would definitely recommend it. Margaret seems like such a wonderful person!

Some Margaret O'Brien Trivia:

• She was born Angela Maxine O'Brien
• Margaret made her film debut in a 1941 civil defense film (Her major motion picture debut was 1941's Babes of Broadway)
• She won a special Oscar for Meet Me in St Louis. It was stolen in 1954, found at a swap meet in 1995 and returned to her.
• My favorite Margaret O'Brien quote: "When I cry, do you want the tears to run all the way or shall I stop halfway down?" - What a pro!

What did Margaret O'Brien wish for in 1956?

"I want a place in the Valley where I can keep a horse"

"I'd like the lead in the story The Life of Esther Costello. It's the story of a deaf and dumb Irish child who rose to fame and prominence despite these handicaps"

Unfortunately for Margaret, Heather Sears got the part. Has anyone seen The Story of Esther Costello? It apparently also stars Joan Crawford.






"I'm on a personal campaign right now to tell people about the other children, the ones who aren't juvenile delinquents. We're way in the majority, incidentally."

Vintage Inspiration August 19th Virginia Davis

Thanks to Living on Velvet for alerting me about the passing of Virginia Davis http://art-deco-dame.blogspot.com/2009/08/rip.html. She was such a sweetie in the Disney Alice films, and I had no idea that her career continued after that.



Here is a Disney Link about her: http://d23.disney.go.com/articles/081709_NF_FEAT_VirginiaDavis.html

Here are a couple of Alice's Shorts. Very cute.