Beverly Hills, CA (RUSHPRNEWS) JULY 30, 2008– In celebration of Shirley Temple’s 80th birthday year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the premiere of new restorations of both “Wee Willie Winkie” (1937) and “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” (1938), on Friday, August 22, at 7 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The films are presented as part of the Academy’s Gold Standard screening series.
At age six, with a dozen films already under her belt, Shirley Temple received a Special Award, a miniature Oscar® statuette, “in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934.” As an adult, Shirley Temple Black has continued her contributions to society as a diplomat with the State Department, where she has served as ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia and as a delegate to the United Nations.
John Ford directed Temple in “Wee Willie Winkie,” an adaptation of a Rudyard Kipling tale set in Colonial India. While visiting her grandfather, a British army colonel, Temple’s character, nicknamed “Wee Willie Winkie,” finds herself in the midst of hostilities and must use her abundant charm and quick wits to help save the day. The film received an Academy Award® nomination for Art Direction (William Darling, David Hall). The restoration work was done by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, using nitrate elements in its collection, in collaboration with 20th Century Fox.
In “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,” Temple becomes a radio singing star, unbeknownst to her disapproving aunt. The film was restored from a nitrate fine-grain master in the Fox nitrate collection at the Academy Film Archive.
“Wee Willie Winkie” will begin at 7 p.m. and has a running time of 100 minutes. There will be a 10-minute intermission before the start of “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” (80 minutes).
Tickets to the double feature are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office or by mail. Doors open at 6 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. All seating is unreserved. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.
Editors: Downloadable images are available at http://photos.oscars.org.
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About the Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema.
In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.
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