Child actress Shirley Temple in a movie still or promotional picture. Shirley Temple was born Shirley Jane Temple in 1928 and was a media phenomenon not only in her childhood but in succeeding generations as well.
Most of her personal success was in films when she was a child. She did some films as a teen/young adult (my personal favorite was The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer, had a tv show 1960 - 1961, and spent most of her adulthood in politics. Shirley Temple Black served as an ambassador in various capacities.
They are doing a salute to Shirley Temple on March 9th. See if any of your friends have TCM or check with your cable company & see if it is available to you. Good luck!! :)
MGM originally wanted her to star as dorothy in the wizard of oz, but shirleys studio, 20th century fox wouldnt loan shirley out to them. Of course, judy garland got the role, and the rest is history. Wizard of oz was a huge hit right out of the gate and 20th century tried to make it up to shirley by putting her in the movie, the blue bird. The movie flopped.
In my minds eye I can see shirley playing the role of dorothy. I think she would have been wonderful in the role. However, I cant see her doing thosee songs as magically and powerful as judy did. Judy did "over the rainbow" in a way shirley couldnt
The highlight of my childhood (this was in the 50's), my dad drive us by her house in Atherton. So thrilling to learn that she lived so close! Of course, I was shocked that she was older than my parents! Still thought she was a little girl! ;)
I watched her movies a million times. My friend's granddaughter was handicapped. She couldn't see, walk, or speak but she sure could hear and she would yell out like she was singing with Shirley. Shirley Temple and Sound of Music was her favorite. Ash was like a niece to me and she passed away at age 18, when I watch these movies I always think of her. Now Shirley is up there with Ash and she probably singing to Ash now in person. It does put a smile on my face. R.I.P. Shirley Temple Black. Sending prayers to your family and friends. You will b miss deeply.
My mother loved Shirley so much that when she had a little girl (me) she decided to curl my hair everyday before I went to school (this had followed a night with my hair in pin curls). Of course I had to have years of tap dancing to. Thanks mom and Shirley.
When I was a little girl, I often watched her movies every time they were on. I knew all her songs by heart. I even had a Shirley Temple doll. She did a lot of good things and lived a good life. Won't be forgotten soon.
We bought this house thirty years ago. When we were having the house redone with new insulation, they found a box in the upper level (no attic) with a lot of scrapbooks in it. Some of them were newspaper cutouts of Shirley, all pasted or taped in a large "book".
She probably never really know what she was doing at the time. Thank goodness she grew up with decent parents who truly loved and cared for her. Shirley was a good lady as well. For all you did and for all you were we thank you.
Born to Gertrude Temple (homemaker) and bank employee George Temple, Shirley was the youngest of 3 children. She had 2 older brothers , John and George Jr.
A classic stage mother, Gertrude encouraged Shirley to learn singing, dancing, and acting and in 1931, enrolled her in Meglin's Dance School in Los Angeles. This is when her Gertrude started styling Shirley's hair in ringlets.
Her first contract was in 1932 with Educational Pictures. They made "Baby Burlesks", featuring pre-schoolers as the actors. Some of Shirley's roles were in "She Done Him Wrong" (a parody of the Mae West film), "Kid 'n' Africa", and "The Runt Page" (kids' version of The Front Page). She was so popular that she was promoted to a 20 minute comedies series called "Frolics Of Youth". And then, she was loaned out to Universal Studios , Paramount, and Warner Bros for various parts.
Her first movie was Stand Up and Cheer! in 1934 - her contract was $150/wk , guaranteed for 2 weeks. (Remember, this was in the Depression!) Then she filmed "Baby, Take a Bow". This was followed by "Curly Top" "Dimples" "The Little Colonel" and "The Littlest Rebel. (and more)" Her films all incorporated traditional values: good over meanness and evil, wealth over poverty, marriage over divorce, a booming economy over a depressed one. FDR, the US President during her childhood years once said: "It is a splendid thing that for just fifteen cents, an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles."
Her biographer Anne Edwards put it this way:
"This was mid-Depression, and schemes proliferated for the care of the needy and the regeneration of the fallen. But they all required endless paperwork and demeaning, hours-long queues, at the end of which an exhausted, nettled social worker dealt with each person as a faceless number. Shirley offered a natural solution: to open one's heart."
After her booming childhood success, her teen year films were less influential. Two of her movies in 1940 were flops. She moved from 20th Century Fox to MGM to United Artists - none of these moves resulted in a successful return to films. Moving in 1944 to a collaboration with David O. Selznick, she had 6 hits in the next few years but none of them rivalled the successes in her childhood career.
A radio career (brief), merchandise endorsements (everything from dresses to Shirley Temple dolls to cigars with her face on the label), to persistent rumors (that she was a 30 yr old midget, that adjustments to her teeth made her look younger), to a tv career in the late 50s and early '60s followed.
After a short marriage to actor John Agar (1945 - 1950), Shirley married Charles Aiden Black in 1950 and took the name Shirley Temple Black. They had 3 children and they remained married until she died.
A new career began when she was appointed to represent the United States at a session of the United Nations General Assembly, From 1989 - 1992, she was US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, from 1974 - 1976, she was US Ambassador to Ghana and from 1976 - 1977 she was the Chief of Protocol of the United States.
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I am researching Tasker, Jones, Bowen, Rees of Wales; Kroetch, Chartrand of Canada; and Boggs, Ferguson, Smith, of West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. Also Steeples of Kansas. And on my mother's New England roots - well, too numerous to name since she descends from Mayflower passengers as well as Dutch East India captains who arrived with their families before the Mayflower landed further north than was planned. :) I'm a Founder of AncientFaces and support the community answering questions & helping members make connections to the past (thus my official title of Founder & Content and Community Director). For me, it's been a labor of love for over 20 years. I truly believe with all of my heart that everyone should be remembered for generations to come.
I am 2nd generation San Jose and have seen a lot of changes in the area while growing up. We used to be known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" (because the Valley was covered with orchards and there were many canneries to process the food grown here, which shipped all over the US) - now we have adopted the nickname "Capital of Silicon Valley" and Apple, Ebay, Adobe, Netflix, Facebook, and many more tech companies are within a few miles of my current home in Campbell (including AncientFaces). From a small town of 25,000, we have grown to 1 million plus. And when you add in all of the communities surrounding us (for instance, Saratoga, where I attended high school, living a block from our current Mayor), we are truly one of the big cities in the US. I am so very proud of my hometown. For more information see Kathy - Founder & Content and Community Director