Tag Archives: 1930’s

Astaire & Rogers and the 1930s Aesthetic Part One: Flying Down to Rio

Daily News ad for Flying Down to Rio at Radio City Music Hall, December 20, 1933.

Advertisement for Flying Down to Rio, New York Daily News, December 20, 1933. From newspapers.com.

December 21, 2023 marked the 90th anniversary of the opening of Flying Down to Rio, the first film to team Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Over the next six years, Astaire and Rogers starred in eight more R-K-O films together. Not only did these films showcase their incredible dancing, they also a showcased 1930s design trends. Driving for Deco will take a look at all nine films.

Pre-History

Fred Astaire

By the time R-K-O teamed Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in Flying Down to Rio, both were veterans of show business. Astaire, born on May 10, 1899 in Omaha Nebraska and his older sister, Adele began taking dancing lessons at a very early age. By the end of 1905 they started trouping in vaudeville.

Fred and Adele Astaire at the start of their vaudeville career, 1906.

Fred and Adele Astaire, 1906. Image from Wikipedia.

By the early 1920’s, they made the leap to Broadway headliners in such shows as Lady Be Good (1924), Funny Face (1927), Smiles (1930) and The Band Wagon (1931).

Adele and Fred Astaire in The Band Wagon, 1931.

The Band Wagon (1931), Adele Astaire’s last show. Photograph from the New York Public Library Digital Collections.

After achieving great success on both the Broadway and London stage, Adele retired in 1932 to marry Lord Charles Cavendish. For the first time in his life, Fred was now a solo performer. Astaire was nervous about performing without his sister. In The Gay Divorce, Astaire teamed with Claire Luce and the show was hit. Opening at the end of November, 1932 and closed in July 1933.

Fred Astaire and Claire Luce dancing in the stage production of The Gay Divorce.

Fred Astaire and Claire Luce in The Gay Divorce, 1932. Image from Pinterest.

It was during the run of The Gay Divorce that Astaire made a screen test for producer David O. Selznick, who at that time was head of production at R-K-O. While Astaire waited for R-K-O to cast him in a film, the studio loaned him to M-G-M where he made his motion picture debut in Dancing Lady, starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable.

Joan Crawford and Fred Astaire in his debut film, Dancing Lady (1933).

Joan Crawford with Fred Astaire in his motion picture debut, Dancing Lady (1933). Even in his first film Astaire is in top hat, white tie and tails. Frame grab from Warner Bros. DVD.

After filming Flying Down to Rio, Astaire went to London for the West End run of The Gay Divorce, closing after a respectable run of 180 performances. Astaire did not need to worry about continuing his career solo. Although Fred Astaire did not know it at the time, The Gay Divorce would be his last Broadway and West End show.

Ginger Rogers

Ginger Rogers had only been a show business professional for only eight years when she was teamed with Astaire in Flying Down to Rio. Born on July 16, 1911 in Independence, Missouri, some of Rogers’ childhood was spent in Kansas CIty, before moving to Fort Worth, Texas in 1920.

Ginger Rogers at one year old.

Ginger Rogers at age one. Image from backlots.net.

Rogers’ mother Lela left her daughter in her parents care in 1915 when she went to Hollywood with an essay she had written in hopes of turning it into a film. This led to a job as a script writer at the Fox Film Corp. Lela eventually returned to her family and in the 1920s became theatre critic for a Forth Worth newspaper. This exposure to theatre at an early age led Rogers to pursue a career in show business.

Circa 1930 photo of Lela and Ginger Rogers.

Lela and Ginger Rogers, circa 1930. Photo from backlots.net.

Winning a Charleston contest in 1925, whose prize was a six month tour on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit, began Rogers’ show business career. At seventeen Rogers married vaudevillian Jack Pepper and they formed the team “Ginger and Pepper”, within a year their teaming and marriage was over and she went on touring as a solo again. When her tour reached New York City, she stayed. Landing jobs singing on the radio, led to her Broadway debut in the musical Top Speed.

Advertisement for Girl Crazy.

Advertisement for Girl Crazy. Image from Ebay.

Within two weeks of the shows opening, Rogers was offered the lead in Girl Crazy with music by George and Ira Gershwin.  In a bit of foreshadowing, Fred Astaire was hired to help with some of the choreography for the show. Girl Crazy catapulted Rogers to stardom at age 19.

Ginger Rogers and the male quartet in the 1930 Broadway production, Girl Crazy.

Ginger Rogers and male quartet in Girl Crazy (1930). Image from gershwin.com.

Making her screen debut in the 1929 short subject A Day of a Man of Affairs, Rogers made two more shorts in 1930 before signing a seven year contract with Paramount. While at Paramount, she made five films at their Astoria, New York studio before getting out of her contract and moving with her mother to Hollywood. In Hollywood, Rogers signed a three picture deal with Pathé then freelanced, making films for a number studios. Her movie breakthrough came at Warner Brothers with her roles in 42nd Street (1933) and Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933). After shooting Gold Diggers Rogers signed a long-term contract with R-K-O and was soon cast in Flying Down to Rio.

 

Hermes Pan

Hermes Pan, circa 1940.

Hermes Pan (1909 – 1990), circa 1940. Image from wikipedia.org.

There were many talented people who contributed to the success of the Astaire-Rogers films. But, arguably, the most important contributor was Hermes Pan. Born in 1909 to a Greek immigrant father and mother with English – Scot-Irish heritage in Memphis, Tennessee. The family moved to New York City in 1923 a year after his father’s death. At 19, Pan’s dancing career began professionally when he landed a job in the chorus of the Marx Brother’s Broadway show Animal Crackers. Pan worked with Ginger Rogers in Top Speed, in 1930. Soon Pan and his sister Vasso moved to Los Angeles. There he found work in the movies as an assistant dance director at R-K-O. In 1933 he met Fred Astaire (who Pan bore a strikingly similar appearance too) on the set of Flying Down to Rio. Astaire was trying to figure out a step for The Carioca and Pan was invited over to assist Astaire. From that point on a long professional relationship and friendship was born. Pan would assist Astaire in creating the choreography for a number of his future musicals. Pan would also learn Ginger Rogers’ steps and teach them to her while Astaire was working on his solo routines.

R-K-O Radio Pictures

1937 photo of the R-K-O Radio Pictures studio.

R-K-O Radio Pictures Studio, at the corner of Melrose Avneue and Gower Street in Hollywood, California, 1937. Image from calisphere.org.

In 1928, four fully vertically integrated movie studios dominated Hollywood. By the end of the year, a new player joined M-G-M, Paramount, Fox and Warner Bros., one whose parent company, R.C.A., created to exploit their new sound on film system, Photophone.

FBO Studio in Hollywood, 1926.

Aerial photograph of the FBO Studio in Hollywood, California, 1926. Photo from hollywoodphotographs.com.

In late 1927, with all the major film studios aligned with Western Electric’s Vitaphone or Movietone sound systems, David Sarnoff needed a foothold in Hollywood for R.C.A. Photophone. Sarnoff approached Joseph P. Kennedy to install Photophone in Film Booking Office of America’s studio (FBO). During negotiations R.C.A. acquired a substantial interest in FBO. A year later, Sarnoff merged the Keith-Albee-Orpheum (KAO) vaudeville circuit with FBO. And on October 23, 1928 announced the creation of Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO), the first Hollywood studio created specifically to produce talking pictures. Street Girl, R-K-O’s first official release hit the screen on July 30, 1929.

Street Girl (1929) lobby card.

Lobby card of R-K-O’s first official release, Street Girl, starring Betty Compson and Jack Oakie. Image from imdb.com.

R-K-O had its first mega-hit with the release the screen adaptation of the Ziegfeld musical Rio Rita in the fall of 1929.

Title card for the 1929 version of Rio Rita.

Title card for 1929’s Rio Rita. Frame grab from the Warner Archive DVD.

R-K-O would receive their only best picture Academy Award with the 1931 version of Cimarron.

Title card from 1931's Cimarron.

Title card of 1931’s Cimarron. Frame grab from the Warner Archive Blu ray.

After these early successes, R-K-O’s over spending on theatres and increased production, combined with the deepening Depression, caused the studio to fall on very shaky financial ground. After David O. Selznick took over as head of production in 1931 the studio began to regain some fiscal solvency. Selznick’s green lighting of Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack’s production of King Kong (1933) restored the studio’s financial health.

King Kong title card.

King Kong title card. Frame grab from Warner Bros. Blu ray.

Soon after the release of King Kong, Selznick left R-K-O for M-G-M, in his place Merian C. Cooper took over as head of the studio’s productions. And one of the first films made under Cooper’s tenure would be Flying Down to Rio.

Musical Films

With synchronized sound finally becoming successful in the late 1920s, the one genre that had alluded motion pictures, the musical, finally became a viable option. With the release of M-G-M’s Broadway Melody in February of 1929, the musical film took off.

Charles King and chorus in title number from The Broadway Melody.

Charles King and the chorus performing the title number in The Broadway Melody, 1929. Frame grab from the Warner Archive Blu ray.

All the Hollywood studios put musicals into production, and the public loved them. These films matched the giddy mood of the late 1920s. But by the summer of 1930 with the glut of musicals in release, combined with the deepening Depression, audiences began to reject them. From a high in 1930 with 79 musicals hitting theatres the number dropped to 7 in 1932, the darkest year of the Great Depression. When Franklin Roosevelt won the 1932 presidential election, optimism, if not actual economic prosperity, started to slowly return. In this atmosphere, Warner Bros. took a gamble and produced 42nd Street.

Main title for 1933's 42nd Street.

Main title of the Warner Bros. 1933 mega-hit 42nd Street. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

Its enormous success made the other studios follow their lead and musicals once more were on movie screens. And R-K-O put into production their most expensive film of the 1933-1934 season.

Flying Down to Rio

R-K-O Radio Pictures Logo.

R-K-O Radio Pictures logo (1933). Frame capture from Warner Bros. DVD.

Flying Down to Rio main title card.

Main title card for Flying Down to Rio (Thorton Freeland, US 1933). Frame Capture from Warner Bros. DVD.

On August 23, 1933 production started on a musical film at the R-K-O studio that no-one  thought would create the most popular dancing team in movie history. Principal photography took only five weeks and wrapped up on October 6th. With an extra week or so of retakes shot between late October and November 7th.

 Dolores del Rio, Gene Raymond and Raul Roulien are the top three billed stars of the film.

The plot is typical of musicals of the early 1930s. Boy meets girl, girl is engaged to boy’s best friend,  how will it all end?

The other major plot point concerns Belinha’s father not being able to secure an entertainment permit for his new hotel in Rio de Janeiro. Without the permit the entertainment needs to take to the air, with dozens of chorus girls on the wings of airplanes. It sounds silly and it is. But it is also a lot of fun and entertaining.

Chorus girls take to the sky over Rio.

Chorus girls take to the sky to entertain the guests of the Hotel Atlantico. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

Directed by Thorton Freeland and with music by Vincent Youmans and lyrics by Gus Kahn and Edward Eliscu and produced by Merian C. Cooper.

Art Direction

Like most R-K-O films of the 1930s Van Nest Ploglase and Carroll Clark are credited as Flying Down to Rio’s art directors.

The film opens up in Miami, Florida, where Roger Bond and his Yankee Clippers are performing at the fictitious Hotel Hibiscus.

The opening establishing shot of Miami in Flying Down to Rio.

Miami establishing shot at the opening of Flying Down to Rio. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

The Streamline Moderne style of architecture that one associates with Miami was still a few years away, with the opening of the Reef Apartment-Hotel in 1935. At the time of Flying Down to Rio, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture was the predominate style of Miami. And the sets of the Hotel Hibiscus, while having a few Art Deco touches, is mostly a weird amalgam of primarily Spanish style and some Venetian set pieces, including a canal and gondola. As  seen in the “Date Grove” where the Yankee Clippers are playing.

The Date Grove of the Hotel Hibiscus.

The Date Grove of the Hotel Hibiscus. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

The main lobby does have geometric Art Deco elevator doors. These can been seen in the background, as a very late-for-the-broadcast Roger Bond (Raymond) and Fred Ayres (Astaire) run through the lobby.

The Art Deco elevator doors can been seen in the background of the Hotel Hibiscus set.

The Art Deco elevator doors of the Hotel Hibiscus set. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

After the band gets fired from their Hotel Hibiscus gig, they land a job in Rio de Janeiro and the action shifts to South America. But much like the rest of the film, the art direction stays mostly Spanish Colonial Revival and Mediterranean. Typical of early 1930s films, the audience is introduced to the new local through a series of stock shots of Rio de Janeiro.

Introduction shot of Rio de Janeiro.

Establishing aerial shot introducing the audience to Rio de Janeiro. Frame grab from Warner Bros. DVD.

Roger Bond’s house in Rio keeps with the Spanish Revival style. The only modern piece in it is a Manning-Bowman Carafon thermos set (1931-1940), seen in the background sitting on  a traditional cabinet.

The set of Roger Bond's house in Rio.

The set of Roger Bond’s house in Rio. A Manning-Bowman Carafon set is on the cabinet in front of the window. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

This Manning-Bowman thermos sold well in the 1930s and were used as props in many films of the decade. A complete set with tray and glasses can be found in the Yale University Art Museum.

Manning Bowman Carafon set in the Yale University Art Museum's collection.

Manning-Bowman Carafon set, with tray and glass. Photograph from the Yale University Art Museum.

Now the action shifts to the Carioca Casino. Carioca is a word that refers to the citizens of Rio de Janeiro. This is the moment that made Flying Down to Rio a sensation: the first, on-screen dance of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It also introduces something that would dominate in the next three Astaire-Rogers films, “the Big White Set”. These enormous, mostly white sets would be the setting for the films big production numbers, which in this film is “The Carioca”.

Establishing shot of the Carioca Casino.

The establishing shot of the Carioca Casino. A stock shot of Rio de Janeiro with an optically added sign for the Carioca Casino placed on a building. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

Again, the set is inspired by Spanish style architecture with its tile and wood work. It is also has an open air garden look with trees and rough wood railings and a butterfly motif.

The interior of the Carioca Casino.

The establishing shot of the Carioca Casino, showing couples dancing the Carioca. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

The Carioca, as a dance, is a combination of samba, maxixe, fox trot and rhumba, all-the-while dancing with foreheads touching. Watching these couples, the Astaire and Rogers characters decide to give it a try and do so on the stage located just below the orchestra. Of course they’re a huge hit and in that one number they steal the film away from the three top billed leads.

After the solo dance by Astaire and Rogers, the number continues. First the white dance chorus, followed by Etta Moten (1901 – 2004) singing “The Carioca” then the Afro-Brazlian dance chorus comes in, before going back to Astaire and Rogers doing a tap version on the stage which now revolves and ending with a couple of semi-overhead shots of the all the performers in the number.

The white dancing chorus

Etta Moten singing “The Carioca”.

The Afro-Brazlian dance chorus’ turn at “The Carioca”.

Full chorus closing the number.

Full chorus closing the number. All frame grabs from the Warner Bros. DVD.

After a few more scenes playing up the the romantic plot triangle, the film gets to the Aviators Club, the only truly moderne set in the movie.

Spinning propeller toy introduces the audience to the Aviators Club in Flying Down to Rio.

Spinning propeller toy introduces the audience to the Aviators Club. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

Of course here most of the set pieces are based on aviation themes. The table supports are made to look like the ropes holding the basket of a hot air balloon. Hanging over a section of the dining room are private tables inside a replica a dirigible gondola. The orchestra plays from a hot air balloon basket that lifts up and floats over the dance floor. There are chrome railings and a large compass rose on the dance floor.

Establishing shot of the Aviators Club's dining room and dance floor.

Establishing shot of the Aviators Club’s dining room and dance floor. Frame grab from Warner Bros. DVD.

Julio greets Fred as he arrives at the club and clearly seen in the background is a very iconic piece of furniture. A Biltmore chair designed by the famed KEM Weber for Albert Chase McArthur’s Arizona Biltmore in 1928.

Fred's arrival at the Aviators club gets upstaged by KEM Weber's Biltmore Chair in the background.

Julio greets Fred when he arrives at the Aviators Club. To the left of Fred is KEM Weber’s Biltmore Chair. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

A 1929 photograph of the Arizona Biltmore's lobby feature KEM Weber's chairs.

Lobby of the Arizona Biltmore, circa 1929. A number of the KEM Weber chairs can be in this photo. Photo from the Arizona Biltmore – a Waldorf Astoria Resort.

Soon after Fred arrives, the orchestra lifts up over the dance floor and plays a reprise of “When Orchids Bloom in the Moonlight”, first heard earlier in the film when Roger serenades  Belinha on a secluded beach.

The balloon basket bandstand.

The orchestra crammed into the balloon basket bandstand. Two wonderful modernist floor lamps are along the wall in the background. Image from the Warner Bros. DVD.

As the orchestra plays, the dancers emerge from the “airship” gondola and begin their tango.

Then the camera goes overhead, à la Busby Berkeley, showing the orchestra floating over the dance floor. The basket’s support ropes add geometric patterns to the shot.

During the number, Belinha gets up from the table, going out onto the terrace and is soon followed by Julio. Julio sings a chorus of “When Orchids Bloom in the Moonlight” to Belinha, while rear projected scenes change during the song behind them. And for the only time in any of the R-K-O Astaire / Rogers films, color is used. During this one moment the film employs tinted film stock, whose colors change with the shifting backgrounds.

Julio serenading Belinha on the terrace in pre-tinted color stock.

Roger comes upon Belinha and Julio and realizes for the first time that his best friend is his hitherto unnamed rival for Belinha. Belinha gets out of the awkward situation by dancing at tango with Fred concluding the number.

Belinha and Fred dancing a tango to bring the number to its end.

Belinha and Fred dancing a tango that brings the “When Orchids Bloom in the Moonlight” production number to a conclusion. All the above frame grabs are from the Warner Bros. DVD.

The sequence ends and it isn’t long that before we see the band and chorus girls rehearsing on the grounds of the hotel. To a reprise of “Music Makes Me”, Fred Astaire has his first on screen solo dance.

Fred’s solo to the reprise of “Music Makes Me”. Frame grabs from the Warner Bros. DVD.

Because Belinha’s father has still failed to obtain an entertainment  license for the hotel, no-one is allowed to perform anywhere on the grounds. So the chorus girls take to the skies for the “Flying Down to Rio” finale.

Skywriters announcing the Yankee Clippers to the hotel guests.

Skywriters announcing the Yankee Clippers to the hotel guests. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

The chorus Planes come into sight.

The chorus planes come into sight over the hotel. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

While on the ground Fred sings while the band plays “Flying Down to Rio”. Then Fred waves to Honey  to begin the aerial show.

Honey signals to the girls to begin the show.

Through the use of mock up planes suspended from the sound stage roof, wind machines and rear projection the illusion is created that the chorus is flying a few thousand feet above Rio de Janeiro.

Frame grabs from Flying Down to Rio are from the Warner Bros. DVD.

All the above frame grabs are from the Warner Bros. DVD.

The conclusion of the aerial show.

The delighted hotel guests at the conclusion of the aerial show. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

Of course the show is a great success and the hotel is saved. Roger, not wanting to hurt his best friend, decides to take the Pan American Airways Yankee Clipper flying boat back to the States. The interior of the Sikorsky S-40 flying boat is the only other modern set piece in the film, but while modern does not really have any characteristics of Art Deco styling.

The Sikorsky S-40 flying boat ready to leave for the State at the end of Flying Down to Rio.

The Pan American Yankee Clipper flying boat (Sikorsky S-40) ready to depart for the States. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

Julio, knowing Roger is on the plane and knowing that Belinha is in love with Roger, does the noble thing. He takes Belinha on board and sits her across from Roger.

Once airborne he asks the captain to marry Roger and Belinha, then parachutes out of the plane.

The film was a massive hit and helped bolster R-K-O out of financial difficulties. Of course what secured Flying Down to Rio’s place in film history was the teaming Astaire and Rogers. Their dancing of the “Carioca” started a craze that spread rapidly in 1934. And created a demand for another Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers teaming. It was no accident that the film’s last shot is on Astaire and Rogers and not the three top billed stars.

The Closing Shot of Flying Down to Rio.

Flying Down to Rio’s closing shot is on Fred and Ginger. Frame grab from the Warner Bros. DVD.

Before the end of 1934 Astaire and Rogers would be seen together on the screen again, this time in their first starring film with wonderful Art Deco sets. The Gay Divorcee will be the subject of part two in this series.

End Credit frame grabs from the Warner Bros. DVD.

 

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’, Tiquen Guys)

 

Sources

Croce, Arlene. The Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers Book. Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, New York, 1977

Jewell, Richard B. RKO Radio Pictures A Titan is Born. University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California, 2012.

Lasky, Betty. RKO The Biggest Little Major of Them All. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1984.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freakin’, Tiquen 2023 – Destination Detroit: Part Two – Tabernacles, Tables & Trays

 

Vintage postcard of Detroit Michigan.

Vintage postcard of Detroit, Michigan. Image from amazon.com.

Day two in Detroit. The only plans on our agenda for the second and third days of our Michigan trip were to hit some antique stores. Looking on line, several stores in the area seemed interesting, but more on that in a bit. When planning for the vacation, I Googled Art Deco Detroit and The National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica popped up in my search list. Not knowing how much this stop would mean to Chris (I was fine with it – C.), I came up with a plan for the day. The antique stores in the area didn’t open until 11:00 AM, so we had time to stop at the basilica, take some photos and be on our way.

 

The National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica

The National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, Michigan.

The Charity Crucifixion Tower of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, Royal Oak, Michigan.

Not only is the Shrine a beautiful example of Art Deco architecture, it has another 1920s – 1930s connection that also interested me.

 

Sketch of the Shrine of the Little Flower from Pencil Points, September, 1935.

Prospective sketch of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, Michigan. Image from Pencil Points, September, 1935.

Father Charles E. Coughlin

Father Charles E. Coughlin, circa 1935, during one of his radio broadcasts.

Father Charles E. Coughlin, circa, 1935. Photo from bbc.co.uk.

No post about the National Shrine of the Little Flower can be written without mentioning Father Charles E. Coughlin (1891 – 1979). Personally, I had been aware of Father Coughlin since I was in junior high school. Later, the more I read about the 1930s and the more I learned about him, an unsavory history emerged.

1938 photo of Father Coughlin.

Father Coughlin, 1938. Photo from wikipedia.com.

In the 1920s, Coughlin took to the airwaves as a way to teach catechism to children. He soon realized that it was also a great way to give sermons and to raise money for his new parish in the Detroit suburbs. Within a few years the tone of his sermons started to change from the spiritual to the political, especially as the depression worsened. Fervent anti-communist, he initially supported Roosevelt’s New Deal, seeing this as a way to combat the communist threat. Eventually he became disenchanted with FDR and the New Deal and used his radio platform of 30 million listeners to spread his message. He was also anti-Wall Street and anti-Semitic. These views were doing more harm to his church than good and he was eventually banned from the airwaves. Coughlin continued to serve the National Shrine of the Little Flower until his retirement in 1966, and passed away in 1979. Unfortunately his legacy is his  controversial and vitriolic political views and today he is known as “the father of hate radio”. But we did not visit the shrine to pay homage to Father Coughlin, we were there to see the magnificent Art Deco church that he helped to create.

 

Side elevation of the Shrine of the Little Flower.

Southern side elevation of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica.

Operating continually in Royal Oak since 1926, Detroit Bishop Michael Gallagher chose Father Coughlin the task of establishing this Catholic parish in the largely Protestant community. The new church was named in honor of the recently canonized St. Thérèse de Lisieux, the Little Flower. This original chapel, a small wooden structure, burnt down in 1936.

Within two weeks of its opening, the Ku Klux Klan placed a burning cross in front of it. The church response to the cross burning was to build one they could not burn. Architect Henry J. McGill received the commission to design the new church. Construction took place in two phases. First came the Charity Crucifixion Tower, with construction beginning in 1929. The 104 foot limestone tower is adorned with sculptural figures designed by Rene Paul Chambellan (1893 – 1955). Using Chambellan’s plans the figures were executed by Enrico (Harry) Liva, an Italian stone carver of the Ingalls Stone Company located in Bedford, Indiana. The western facade features the 28 foot high figure of Christ. Immediately below the sculpture are Christ’s seven last words.

The western facade of the Charity Crucifixion Tower.

Charity Crucifixion Tower, Woodward Avenue facade. Featuring the Rene Paul Chambellan’s figure of Christ.

Just below the seven last words is a doorway with “Charity” and “Christ Crucified” carved above it. Items associated with the Passion surround the doorframe. This doorway opens to a pulpit at the center of the Tower’s base. The pulpit consists of five stepped stone slabs, each representing an Archangel, with Michael at the center. The entire tower stands on a base of polished granite.

 

Detail of the pulpit at the base of the Charity Crucifixion Tower.

Detail of the Charity Crucifixion Tower’s pulpit, showing the stepped stone slabs featuring the Archangels.

Framing the tower’s northwest and southwest corners are four more figures, also designed by Chambellan. On the northern corner there are representations of John the Apostle and the Virgin Mary. And opposite on the southern corner are Mary Magdalene and the Roman Centurion Longinus.

Crowning the tower are the symbols of the Four Evangelists, the Angel for Saint Matthew, the Lion for Saint Mark, the Ox for Saint Luke and the Eagle for Saint John.

 

Between the Charity Crucifixion Tower and the main body of the church is the Narthex.

The exterior wall of the Narthex.

The exterior of the Narthex

Covering the Narthex’s walls is Vermont granite, laid out in random ashlar. A ziggurat design made of Indiana limestone frames the doors and the windows. The doors leading into the Narthex are bronze and on each is a meaningful Catholic symbol. On the north entrance doors is a pelican and her hungry brood, while the other door is a ship.

 

The bronze doors of the north entrance to the Narthex.

The north entrance doors to the Narthex.

The header above the doors are decorated in a very modernistic style, in bronze and polished nickel and features a cross at its center. The header is framed by stepped polished granite that matches the foundation base and that is framed by ziggurat limestone.

Door and door header detail.

Detail of the door and door header, showing the pelican and ship motifs.

Window frames of bronze with flower design relief work are throughout the church. But the southern windows of the Narthex have a special feature. These windows are built out to form a conservatory for the preservation of flowers in the winter.

 

The built out conservatory windows on the southern side of the Narthex.

The conservatory windows on the south side of the Narthex.

A good amount of the money for the Shrine’s construction was raised from donations of listeners of the National Radio League of the Little Flower. It was originally intended to incorporate the seals of the 48 states on the exterior walls of the Shrine. Father Coughlin had the inspired idea to use state flowers instead and also to include the flowers and / or symbols of Hawaii and Alaska (still territories at the time of the Shrine’s construction), Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, the Virgin Islands, the Philippines, the Dominion of Canada and Cuba.

 

Exterior Wall Kansas State Flower and Canal Zone plaques

Exterior wall showing the plaques of Kansas (lower left), Tennessee (right of the window) and the Canal Zone (upper right).

 

The main body of the church comprises of three wings with intermediate foyers. These foyers along with the Narthex, face the four points on the compass and are the church entrances. The exterior walls of the wings are constructed from the same limestone as the Crucifixion Tower. Two splayed-jamb designed to present radiant suns break up the limestone wall covering each wing.

The southern wall's exterior wing.

The exterior wall of the southern wing.

The northern and southern wing walls also have four very slender windows, pierced into the shape of a two edge sword of justice. These windows are the ventilators for the Confessionals.

Sword of Justice window and Confessional ventilator on the southern wing's wall.

One of the two Sword of Justice windows on the wing of the southern wall.

The majority of the exterior walls are covered in the same Seam-faced granite, from quarries in Massachusetts, laid out in coursed ashlar, the same as the Narthex.

The exterior wall of the church showing the Massachusetts granite laid out in coursed ashler.

Detail of the exterior wall of the church.

The tent shaped roof is faced with copper and nickel-chrome steel. The roof is capped by a crown surmounted by a golden cross. The crown also serves as ventilating grillage from the church.

Roof detail of the National Shrine of the Little Flower.

Detail of the roof, showing the ventilating grillage and golden cross.

The relief carvings over the foyer entrance represents the patron saint of some member of the Coughlin family. The saints depicted are Saint Amelia, Saint Thomas, Saint Charles and Saint Agnes.

The Saint Agnes relief over the Twelve Mile Road foyer entrance.

The relief of Saint Agnes above the Twelve Mile Road foyer entrance.

Now that we’re at the entrance, let’s go inside the church. The Narthex, originally planned to serve as a winter time chapel when crowds were smaller and to costly to heat the main church. The walls are line with Travertine marble, while Belgian marble bands the pillar and black marble terrazzo covers the floor.

Narthex original interior.

1936 photograph of the Narthex’s interior, showing the original lighting. Image from Shrine of the Little Flower: souvenir book, dedicatory volume.

Hand painted flowers originally decorated the ceiling and long, bent, flashed opal, etched Czechoslovakian glass lights ran its width. Vigil lights are bracketed to the columns with wrought bronze. These brackets harmonize with the delicate bronze gate leading into the Narthex’s sanctuary. At the base of the tower at the end of the Narthex is the Shrine of the Little Flower. The marble  full relief above the alter shows the Little Flower kneeling before the child Jesus seated on the knees of the Virgin Mary.

2023 view of the Narthex interior.

Contemporary photograph of the Narthex interior showing the Shrine at the base of the tower.

Through the years, a few changes have been made to the Narthex interior. The ceiling no longer has hand painted flowers or the Czechoslovakian, etched glass lights. Today a crystal chandelier hangs from the center of the ceiling.

Main floor plan of the National Shrine of the Little Flower.

National Shrine of the Little Flower main floor plan. Pencil Points, September, 1935, Pg. 464.

Because of the odd position of the property and various construction restrictions of the time, the architect, Henry J. McGill, had difficulty devising a plan for the church. After many schemes, McGill thought of expanding out the wings creating a form of a cross. Despite the church seemingly circular on the inside, from above one can see the cross shape. The tower is the base, the Narthex and altar the long beam and the two confessionals and main alter forming the cross arm.

The interior of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica.

Inside the church of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica.

The Nave’s main entrance is through two columns of Roman Breche marble standing on emerald-pearl granite bases.

Entrance to the Nave from the Narthex.

Main entrance to the Nave from the Narthex.

At the center of the church is the alter. Surrounding the alter are the pews. Because of the limited area of the plot the church is built upon, the wings have two levels which greatly increases the seating capacity.

Nave interior, main alter and ceiling decoration.

The interior of the Nave, showing both levels, main alter and ceiling decoration detail.

At twelve feet long, four feet ten inches wide and three feet high, the alter of Carrara marble and weighing eighteen tons, the alter was the largest in the United States at the time. A carved, gold leafed covered oak Baldachin hangs above the main alter. Suspended by eight bronze chains, originally draped with red damask valances. Today stained glass replaces the damask.

Baldachin Plan Drawing.

The plans for the Baldachin. Pencil Points, September, 1935, Pg. 469.

The Baldachin as it is today.

The Baldachin as it is today.

The Nave’s acoustical ceiling is painted with a modernistic design of rays and crosses. Early photos of the completed shrine show a plain ceiling. The painted design, although part of the original plan, was added a bit later.

Vintage postcard view of the Nave of the Shrine of the Little Flower.

Vintage postcard of the Nave of the Shrine of the Little Flower (circa 1936), showing the undecorated ceiling and the red damask of the Baldachin. Postcard from ebay.com.

On the eastern side of the Nave in the balcony is the pulpit. It is placed so it can be seen from every part of the church. The front of the pulpit features statues of six preacher-saints; St. Francis of Assis, St. Basil, St. Francis Xavier, St. Dominic, St. Paul and St. Anthony. These statues were carved by the firm of Jungwirth & Co. architectural sculptures and woodcarvers of Detroit. The canopy directly above the pulpit also houses a public address system.

The pulpit of the Shrine.

The pulpit showing the Jungwirth carved statues and the canopy / public address system.

Along the perimeter of the church, are five side chapels. These chapels form a crown around the main alter. Directly under the pulpit and opposite the Narthex is the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

The entrance to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel below the pulpit.

The Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

The other chapels all feature an entrance with an arabesque carving in the shape of a perfect octagon.

Visiting the Shrine was a wonderful start to the morning. Should you find yourself in the area do not miss the opportunity to visit it, you will not be disappointed.

The Rectory of the National Shrine of the Little Flower.

The Rectory of the National Shrine of the Little Flower on Roseland Avenue.

After leaving the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, it was time to go antiquing!

Vintage Eastern Market

Vintage Eastern Market

Vintage Eastern Market It doesn’t look like much from the outside but looks can be deceiving!

The first stop was Vintage Eastern Market. We had a bit of trouble finding this store as it is advertised at one address but had moved. Luckily, it was only a two block walk to get to the new location. The store front looks small. However, there are several areas off the main room each jammed packed with neatly displayed goods of all kinds.

Vintage Antique Market

Peek-a-boo! There’s something good here! I can feel it.

Vintage Market Antiques

A ready made deco fireplace

Anthony found and bought a 1935 Wolfgang Hoffmann smoking / side No. 100 table. It was designed for the Howell Company.

Wolfgang Hoffman side table

Wolfgang Hoffman side table

It has a chrome banded black Formica top supported by three chrome tubes on a stepped base. The top is 13 1/2 inches wide and 18 inches high. It is also very heavy (14 lbs). This table originally retailed for $6.00 (the equivalent of $134.75 in 2023). The asking price was good. But if you know me, it wasn’t quite good enough! A quick call to the vendor and he got a bit knocked off the asking price.

Howell Furniture Table No. 100 (1935)

Anthony’s TV room with Howell Table No. 100, designed by Wolfgang Hoffmann, in its new home.

While speaking with the shop keeper at the Vintage Eastern Market, we asked if there were any other store local that might have deco items. They mentioned a couple of places but felt Oddfellows’ Antiques store would suit us better than others.  Now, we passed this one on the way to the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica but it was closed. They said that store opens late and assured us it was now open.

Oddfellows’ Antiques

Oddfellows' Antiques

About to go into the Oddfellows’ Antiques

They also told us that Oddfellows’ stock is eclectic and leans more to mid-century. But they were sure to have some deco pieces.

It was just a short drive and on the same road as the shine.  This is a multi-floor business and we were pleasantly surprised.

The deco started at the first booth with a small stepped ashtray with chrome sailboat. Next up, a Homer Laughlin Tom & Jerry Punch bowl set followed by a display of some  Chase.

One vendor had an interesting chrome and ebonized wood triple plant stand / display unit. We liked it but ultimately passed. Mainly, we didn’t know where to put it and we realized it was just too long and not a practical design our needs.

Some dealers here display early American, deco, and mid-century all on one shelf. Other dealers organized item by style, era, etc… And still others piled things up in their booth like a Jenga.

It was in this last type of booth that I saw a tray. Made circa 1935 by Evercraft the “Finger Grip” has fluted chrome handles that aid in carrying your precious cargo of desired beverages. Initially Anthony passed on this but was a “possible” depending on what else we found.

Sure enough, in a different booth at the back of the store we found three Evercraft cocktail cups. The price was right for the cups and with the tray, (yes, we went back for it). Now, we are on our way to building a complete cocktail set.

Oddfellows' Antiques

Evercraft tray finger grip tray and unidentified Evercraft cocktail cups

The cups are apparently very rare and I was only able to find one example online but it offered no details about what they were called or actual year of production.

Evercraft giftware is not particularly difficult to find and is contemporary to Chase Copper & Brass and Revere giftware. It is good quality though perhaps not as good as Chase or Revere. However, it is equal in style to its competition. Evercraft never achieved the status of its rivals.

And more surprisingly, there is very little info out there about this company or their giftware lines.  In our opinion, Evercraft is worthy of collecting.

 

Heading downstairs we were excited to see what we would find – if anything.

Odd Fellows Antiques

A glimpse of the lower level

In my teen age years, I (Anthony) was an avid collector of Coca-Cola memorabilia. And although I more or less no longer collect it, there are some items I still seeks out, like the early straight-sided bottles and serving trays. So I was excited when I noticed that one of the dealers on the lower level had for sale a 1930 Coke serving tray. In 1930 Coca-Cola issued two style of trays (the last year they would do so), The one made for bottle distributors feature a young lady in a white bathing suit. And the tray for the soda fountain market featuring a lady on the phone and just above her is a quote: “Meet me at the soda fountain”. This is the tray that I came across at Oddfellows. Collectors referred to this tray as the “Telephone Girl”.

Odd Fellows Antiques

1930 “Telephone Girl” Coca-Cola serving tray.

As with all collectibles, condition effects the value. This tray is not in perfect condition. There is slight paint loss in the background of the image, along the rim and on the red boarder, and one corner is bent in.  But the seller’s price, originally $150 and marked down to $99, reflected its condition, and was more than fair.

Over the years some Coca-Cola trays have been reproduced (“Telephone Girl” isn’t one) and can fool novice collectors, here a few tips I have learned to distinguish an original from a repro.  The paint on original Coca-Cola trays in very vibrant. The gold paint is very metallic and is flecked. And the back of vintage trays is painted black. Along the bottom border of the image is marked with © COCA-COLA CO. and the year the tray was produced. Then comes the manufacturer (most Coke trays in the 1920s and 1930s were made by the American Art Works, Inc. of Coshocton, Ohio), and lastly MADE IN U.S.A. And finally my litmus test of an original tray – in the tail of the “C” in Coca is written TRADE MARK REGISTERED. All original Coke trays up till 1942 are marked this way. The tail of the “C” in reproduction trays is blank.

Detail 1930 Coca-Cola Tray

Detail of 1930 “Telephone Girl” Coca-Cola serving tray.

Across the aisle from the Coca-Cola tray, I (Chris) saw a beautiful unmarked art deco corner, curio table. The only draw back was the price. As lovely as it is, I just could not justify spending $295.00.  In a rare (read this as meaning never) moment of antiquing, Anthony actually encouraged me to haggle!

Deco display table at the Oddfellows' Antique Mall.

Deco display table in the lower level at the Oddfellows’ Antique Mall.

This is a delicate act. When haggling, you want to make a reasonable offer to your favor but not so low as to be insulting. I offered $200.00 and it was accepted.

Deco display table

Displaying our 1930’s C. Vuillermet ice bucket., Chase, and Revere.

As neither of us are carpenters, we are still trying to identify the woods used to create this. It is possible part bamboo strand tiger stripes or Madagascar rosewood, or Macassar ebony with either walnut and / or beech. Or, some combination of them.

Any wood workers out there? Your expertise is identifying the woods used is much appreciated. I can tell you it is a solid and well-built piece and in excellent condition. I would have kicked myself had I passed on this.

And there you have it. An exciting day for tabernacles, tables and trays!

Oh, my!

Anthony & Chris (the Freakin’ ‘Tiquen Guys)

Sources:

Emmett, Ric. American Art Deco Furniture. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Art Deco Pros Books, 2014.

Pencil Points, September, 1935

Petretti, Allan & Beyer, Chris. Classic Coca-Cola Serving Trays. Dubuque, Iowa: Antique Trader Books, 1998.

shrinechurch.com

Shrine of the Little Flower: souvenir book, dedicatory volume