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Show Strong Men Wince as Movie Wonder Tot Gets Spanked, Then Respanked Harder l 1 r "1 - S.S a O-'- J - 1 f , '1 I . -vr- - ;: 4 ' t t - t ' f ' n - A . . .C 1 By TAVh HAUUSON HOLLYWOOD. March B-trong mn stood tense, bands elenehed, mouths grim. Wmn twUted their handkarchlefs, nervously patted at their lips, watched a awed fascination. fascina-tion. Actress June Lang, her face a mask of almosc d asperate resolution, resolu-tion, raised aa arm, brought It dowa smartly, palm first. Wheokf "Ouch!" yelped Shirley Temple. The Wonder Tot was being spanked.' It was aa epochal moment mo-ment In ths history of the cinema. I A block away, la his slick saae-tum, saae-tum, Darryl Kanaok may have been pacing In a torment ef apprehension, apprehen-sion, But no telsphons tinkled en Stag a 11 Thsre was bo rsprieve. It was a sound such as will be hard around the world. Probably Prob-ably It will aha a the very foundations founda-tions of. celluloid Idolatry. Thwack! What will the millions of toll-drsn toll-drsn think T Twslve times the hand Of Miss Lang rose, heeltstsd In a split-Instant of reluctance, than descended on ths sturdy little dsrrlsre of the movies' marvel moppet "Cut!" commanded Director John Ford. The camera stopped. . Miss Lang stoppsd. The onlookers brsathed again. Mis Tsmpls wriggled wrig-gled off the elder actreae lap and giggled. A Crkue for June "June, dear," admonished Mr. Ford, in sarcastically patient tone, "whet war you doing dusting her off? Your wlrat was as limp aa though you were waving goodhy to someone. Now let'e try It again and spahk as though you meant It." It was a terrible experience for MIas Lang. Why, Astrid Allwya, In "Dimples." hed jeopardised her i a mi iri i iiaaaal Juna Lang, ipenker; Shirley Temple, tpenkec. . . Oircetor John Fore ordered a reteke at Hollywood hlitory It mede. , Icarssr msrsly by calling ths charm child a brat and threatening to box her eara. And Sera Hedsn, In "Captain January." resigned herself her-self to ths loss of "meet of her fens befor shs dsred to glv the magnificent mite a ahaking. So you can Imagine how Mies Lang felt, having to spank, and spank hard, the No. 1 bos office star of the world. It was, Indeed, a rather difficult decision for everybody. When Big Boss Eanuck saw the rushes of "Wee Willie Winnie," be pondered I over a sequence in which an in- tractable end evasive Miss Temple, having fallen In a mud-puddle and trampled a petunia bed, was merely reprimanded by her screen mother, Mice Lang. "Doesn't ring true. Do something about It," said Zanuck. "Do somsthing about It," ordsrsd Producer Gene Markey. "Qotta do something about It," mourned Director Ford. "I know what I'd do about It." volunteered Shirley Temple 'C mother, "I'd turn the child over . my knee and give her a good epenk- j Spank Her! So they put it up to Zanuck. He said, "Okay, spank her." "Spank her," echoed his assistant assist-ant "Spank her," satd Markey to Ford. "Spank her," eaid Ford to June Lang. So June spanked her. It was agreed that there should be 1J smacks, with ths super mite counting count-ing them aloud, thus: ". . . six, save n ouch! nine ouch! t c a, eleven, twelve." Of course, there were no rehearsals. re-hearsals. It was assumed that Miss Lang knsw how to administer a spanking, and certainly Miss Temple Tem-ple knew how to receive one She has had her share of them. Mrs. Tsmpls makes no secret of the fact that Shirley, "just aa ordinary little girl after all," has required some physical discipline now and then. After Miss Lang's unenthuaiastlc psrformanee on the first take, Mama Temple, who had beea watching watch-ing without a twinge of misgivings, said ta th elder actress: "Oo ahsad and smack her. She's strong and healthy." Or Scarcely Just before the camera was ready to grind again. Director Ford stepped Into the seen where Shirley Shir-ley slrccdy was sprawled across th lap of Mis Lang. Ovar thsm hovered a microphone. Hs gave Shirley a single, brisk spank. "Okay for sound?" be asked the technician tech-nician at the control board, "Roll 'em," ordered Ford. "And June, dear, remember that you're trying to punish the child." The camera rolled, and MUs Lang began to spank. She was a little more used to It now, and fortified by the reassurance of Mama Temple, Tem-ple, The Lang wrist was not limp this time. She really laid It oo. As she counted the blows, Miss Temple added a couple of heartfelt ouches. "Cut," said Ford. "That's swell." . The super starlet giggled again. Then she went to Miss Lang, who 'was limp. "Don't feel bad," pleaded Shirley. It didn't hurt at all Or acarcsly." |