June 18th, 1999Temecula, California
June 18th, 1999
Temecula is a new city that is growing by leaps
and bounds.
It was formerly known as Rancho California, & their main
roadway is also
Rancho California.
The local Post Office was not very happy with the majority of the letters addressed:
Rancho California, Rancho California, California!
The town chose the new name of Temecula, which means
"Sunshine Through The Mist"
The Embassy Suites of Temecula
We had lovely accommodations. Here is the view from the patio area.
The small lake was complete with ducks wading in the water and lounging on the banks.
The afternoon press conference was held at one of the hotel's
conference rooms.
Fresh fruit, juice and coffee was provided & It was a fun and informal time.
There were interviews for the Newspapers, Radio and the Television Camera
was for an interview with Bruce Singer of San Diego's PBS station.
The interview aired two days later, on Father's Day, June 20th.
Shirley and Marty shake the hand of a young girl
who is a big fan of Shirley's musicals.
Her name is Caitlin and she is eleven years old. She is now wheelchair bound and has
endured
many operations over the years. Caitlin touched their hearts and Shirley even took the
time to sing a few bars from Caitlin's favorite song "Till There Was
You".
In the third shot above, Shirley is being interviewed by Ray Massie for
KFROG,
KFRG - 92.9 FM and that is Mayor Steve Ford to the right. They were asking
the usual questions about Shirley's career. How she got started, what she is doing today,
what's in the works, etc. It was amusing when they asked her "What Does The Future
Hold"?
Just to the right, Marty was off-camera goofing around with a rubber band and acting
silly.
The attention turned to him at that instant and everyone laughed. The next question asked
was
"What's it like being married to the funniest man in America"? Shirley paused
and Marty
jumped in with "I don't know? Ask Ann Bancroft"! (she's married to
Mel Brooks)
When Shirley was asked her philosophy for living,
she simply replied that she always tries to "Live The Moment"
The Awards Show
Shirley & Marty entered the Awards Dinner with
Film Festival's Artistic Director Herbert Margolis.
In front of them, is Jo Moulton, she is the co-Artistic Director.
The band was playing some wonderful music while guests mingled about the hall.
When everyone was finally seated, the dinner was served followed by a
spectacular stage show and the awards presentation.
This group of very talented children from Temecula sang songs from
Shirley's three
famous musicals. Here they perform "OKLAHOMA" for a delighted crowd.
That's Steve Ford the Mayor of Temecula enjoying the show.
At that moment, he was actually
laughing at Marty's routine.
Marty was serenading the audience with his tribute to Temecula.
T - is for the Trouble on the freeway, E - is for
the Exit that we missed!"
No, unfortunately that is NOT it, I did not have a recorder.
It would have been a great sound file to post on this Web Site, but you get the general
idea.
There were four soloists who performed for this event and all of these ladies
were excellent singers. Shirley really enjoyed sitting back and listening to others sing
for a change.
Above is a photo of one of the ladies. She is singing "Till There Was
You". She has a beautiful
classically trained soprano voice. So wonderful that she brought tears to Shirley's eyes.
Her award was presented last and Shirley gave a great
speech.
Marty stands by quietly.....But there is a mischievous look in those eyes! 
When Shirley was asked how she felt about receiving the life achievement award,
Shirley quoted Fred Astair who said:
"It's an honor and a great business to be in.
If you live long enough, the Industry will give you a lot of awards.
I don't know if it's for achievement or for living so long!".
This is Shirley's second "Lifetime Achievement
Award" so far.
