Temple Tuesday: How Can I Thank You?

In the 1938 musical, “Little Miss Broadway,” Shirley Temple sings “How Can I Thank You” to her friends and family when they throw her a surprise birthday party. Below is a screenshot from that scene:



This photo with Donald Meek gives you a better look at Shirley’s outfit, which consists of a blouse and embroidered jumper. Deceptively simple, when translated to an outfit for a doll, it could really rack up the costs on skilled labor. Pleating, embroidery, and of course the ability to translate the outfit into doll size ranging from 13" to 27".



The embroidered detail:



The Press Book from the film (courtesy of Melissa, aka “The Colonel”) gives a wealth of information about “Little Miss Broadway”…



Including the doll that was created to commemorate that scene.



The ad copy is a bit suspect, as the “exact facsimile” has painted cross-stitch instead of embroidery. From the below photo I found online of an original 13" boxed version, it’s still a cute doll and includes the pleating seen in the original costume. The faux embroidery was ditched for the blouse.



Many years later, the Danbury Mint did their version of this outfit for the 16" Shirley Temple dress-up doll. While much more authentic to the original movie version, be very careful if you have one of these as all the embroidered details are merely glued on.



Don’t be surprised if you find a few on the floor after handling this outfit.



Flash forward to a few months ago, and I saw this blouse for sale on eBay. An original Ideal Shirley Temple piece from the 1930s, sans jumper. I bought it for a song and hoped that maybe lightning would strike twice and I’d eventually find a lonely jumper for sale!



It fit great on my 13" Shirley, but she felt a little odd without a jumper to cover her vintage onesie.



Reaching out to my good friend from the doll world, Madame X (she prefers anonymity!), I asked if she’d be interested in taking a stab at this. Next thing I knew, we were talking fabrics, doing fittings, and deciding all kinds of other important details. The original doll had grosgrain straps. The color was not a perfect match to the jumper, and I can’t say I was a fan of them. I also didn’t really understand the faux embroidery, but have to assume it was a cost-saving issue for production. Shirley expert supreme Rita D. surmised they were done through a silkscreen processs. In the end, rather than be a stickler for authenticity, I wanted the jumper to look good. Madame X showed me a sample of the belt with both painted X’s and embroidered ones. I chose the embroidery.



Next thing you know, little Shirley was bare-no-more! The jumper turned out great and I couldn’t be happier!



What does Shirley have to say about this?



“How can I thank you? How do I start?” Shirley fans know the rest…

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my website.

Temple Tuesday: Lucky Penny Doll

While not one of her bigger hits, “Just Around the Corner” is certainly an enjoyable Shirley Temple film. Released in 1938, I enjoyed this movie as a kid, especially the cute little caricature of Shirley featured in the opening and closing credits. As an adult, I had to convert it into digital art!



In the film, Shirley wears this cute little dress most likely designed by Gwen Wakeling:



Even if you’ve never heard of Gwen Wakeling, surely you’re familiar with one of the most iconic costumes in TV history that she designed. Yes, the “I Dream of Jeannie” harem outfit worn by Barbara Eden!



But I digress. Want to see Shirley’s dress in color?



In this hand-tinted promotional lobby photo, Shirley wears the same dress in this scene with Charles Farrell, who plays her father:



Apparently the artist was not tipped off to the real color of the dress…or they didn’t care.



In this publicity shot, Shirley is in her dressing room trailer, playing with a scale model of the set which shows her character’s apartment and the dog salon featured in the film. From Liberty Magazine, November 26, 1938 issue:

One of the elaborate scenes shows a super dog lounge with some forty pooches. These were hired from the See-Are Kennels in Hollywood, owned by Comedian Charlie Ruggles. The canines were valued at $30,000. Doing a comedy dance on this set, Joan Davis tripped over a prop fire hydrant and gashed her head. Nothing serious, however. 



A closeup of Shirley’s outfit, including the adorable beanie. Unfortunately, neither one of these items appeared in the Love, Shirley Temple auction held by Theriault’s. Note the Dictionary for Boys and Girls in the magazine rack:



For Thanksgiving, Shirley wore the dress again as she carved a turkey:



One of the promotional items released to coincide with the film was called a Lucky Penny doll (Shirley’s character in the film was Penny Hale, and the original title of the film was “Lucky Penny”). The Ideal Toy Company updated the famous composition Shirley Temple doll with a slightly different hairdo to match Shirley’s new ’do of the time and added a bit of makeup (eye shadow and more rouge), which is why these later dolls are referred to as “makeup dolls.”



Very few of these dolls were made and it is extremely difficult to find one, let alone in good condition. Here’s one I found on the net awhile back, looking minty fresh.



Recently, I was able to acquire one for my own collection. A before shot:



…and the after. I added a red silk ribbon as the dolls originally came with one, as seen in the photos of the boxed doll above. I cleaned up the compo a bit and touched up her lips and eyes. She is ready for her debut!



A shot of the back of the doll, which features the looser hairstyle with curls at the bottom:



A closeup of the face:



Besides the composition doll, you could get a paper version of the outfit, as seen in this page from one of the Saalfield Publishing Company’s Shirley Temple paper doll sets:



See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my website.

Gene: Spring in Central Park

This FAO Schwarz exclusive was released in 2002 in an edition of 1000. Designed by Tim Kennedy, “Spring in Central Park” is the perfect ensemble for this time of year…especially in New York’s Central Park! I combined my photos of Gene with shots of Central Park that I snapped back in 2016.






Even Super Models get tired and need to rest!





Manhattan Holiday is one of my favorite Integrity Genes; I believe she is just about the loveliest. She is also modeling “Spring in Central Park.”



While she’s a beauty, the Ashton Drake Genes have a certain versatile retro-beauty that the Integrity Genes do not.



See more Gene Marshall fashion doll photos at my website.

Gone with the Wind tribute

In honor of the 85th anniversary of the premiere of “Gone with the Wind” Atlanta, Georgia, I will be doing a series of posts telling the story of the film using varioius dolls from my collection. The opening image shows heroine Scarlett O’Hara (played by Vivien Leigh) on the steps of her home, Tara. I used a Tonner doll and squeezed her into the Franklin Mint version of the white ruffled dress also viewed in the scene below where she chases after her father to find out if the rumor is true that her beloved, Ashley Wilkes, is going to marry his cousin, Melanie.



Gerald confirms it, so Scarlett prays that evening that once Ashley learns that SHE loves him, that he’ll break off his engagement and marry her instead. Gene Marshall models the white ruffle/evening prayer outfit:



See more “Gone with the Wind” fashion doll photos at my website.

Lone Star Soirée

Lone Star Soiree was the name of this Gene Marshall doll from the 2006 Lone Star Doll Convention, released in an edition of 350. There was a blonde helper version, edition of 55. While I do like the outfit and its bold splash of red, the hairstyle is not one of Gene’s best looks.



Here’s the mermaid-style gown without the dramatic cape and collar:



Oh that hair…



Using Jamieshow Phoenix instead with a wig cap styled by Kathy Johnson, I am much happier with the result!



She prefers the collar down!



Giving the blondes a chance, I let Ashton Drake’s Fit For A Queen doll have her turn.



The inspiration for this outfit came from the fashion show sequence in “Lucy Gallant” (1955). The story involves a dressmaker who is forced to choose between love and a career. Does she get both? You’ll have to watch the movie. Jane Wyman played the title character (a role originally envisioned for Joan Crawford) and Charlton Heston as Casey Cole, her love interest. Costume designs were by Edith Head.





Jane looks stylish in her simplistic little black dress.



Here, Edith Head herself attempts to style the gown for the model. A perfect “caption this” opportunity!



See more Gene Marshall fashion doll photos at my website.