December 18, 1946 ... at the Hollywood premiere of THE YEARLING, with Red Skelton, Bill Spier & Kay Thompson, and Vincente.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
On This Day In Herstory (December 18, 1946)
December 18, 1946 ... at the Hollywood premiere of THE YEARLING, with Red Skelton, Bill Spier & Kay Thompson, and Vincente.
Wow! Thank you Buzz Stephens for posting this amazing photo! I published another one from the same series in my book "Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise" but it was a much tighter shot with Red Skelton turned so that only the back of his head is visible. I had no idea it was him! I am so glad to solve that mystery. Even more interesting, however, is the fact that Kay Thompson's famously-bearded husband, Bill Spier (director-producer of SUSPENSE and ADVENTURES OF SAM SPADE) is seated next to her. (In my photo, Skelton was in the way so Spier was not visible at all.) Bill had recently directed Judy in "Drive-In" for SUSPENSE on November 21, 1946 (with Kay and Vincente on hand for moral support). Kay and Bill reportedly separated in "mid-December 1946," so this public appearance at the premiere of THE YEARLING on December 18, 1946, may be one of the very last--if not THE last--time they were seen together as a married couple. The venue, by the way, is the Carthay Circle Theatre, 6316 San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles. Thanks again, Buzz, for posting this great find! I am adding this information to my online endnotes, crediting you and the Judy Garland Experience, of course, at www.KayThompsonWebsite.com. I am also posting it on my Facebook pages! Cheers! Sam Irvin, author of "Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise" (Simon & Schuster)
ReplyDeleteLoved your book, and thanks, but all credit for the cli[[ing should go to David Price. He is the one that shared the image with TJGE.
ReplyDelete