Shirley Temple (1928–2014) was an American child actress, dancer, and singer who began her film career in 1931, and continued successfully through 1949. When Educational Pictures director Charles Lamont scouted Meglan Dancing School for prospective talent, three-year-old student Temple hid behind the piano. Lamont spotted her and immediately decided she was the one he was looking for. Starting at $10 a day, she was eventually under contract for $50 per film.[1] The production company generated its Baby Burlesks one-reeler film short satires of Hollywood films in 1931–1933, produced by Jack Hays and directed by Lamont. Temple made eight Baby Burlesks films, and 10 other short films, before being signed to star in feature-length motion pictures.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/NPG_94_48_Temple_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-NPG_94_48_Temple_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The role that launched her feature film career was a short song-and-dance sequence in the 1934 movie Stand Up and Cheer! for Fox Film, with James Dunn as her father. Her performance impressed studio executives so much that they immediately cast the duo in a follow-up film, Baby Take a Bow, with Temple again playing Dunn's daughter.[2] Following the release of that film, Temple's parents negotiated two 7-year Fox contracts, one for Shirley as the performer, and the other for her mother as her guardian. Her parents had stipulations inserted to protect their daughter's privacy, while Fox retained control of all her public appearances. The bulk of the financial recompense went into revocable trusts.[3] Later that same year, the film Bright Eyes was written as a starring vehicle for Temple, teaming her once again with Dunn.[4] In this film, Temple sang the song most identified with her: "On the Good Ship Lollipop".[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Bill_Robinson_and_Shirley_Temple_stair_dance_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Bill_Robinson_and_Shirley_Temple_stair_dance_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In addition to Dunn, Temple danced in her films with some of the most famous and accomplished entertainers of her era: Buddy Ebsen, Jack Haley, Alice Faye, George Murphy, Jimmy Durante, Charlotte Greenwood, and Jack Oakie. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was her favorite partner.[6] "It was kind of a magic between us", she later reminisced, and said he taught her how to execute her dance moves by syncing with the rhythm of the music, as opposed to watching her steps.[7] In 1935's The Little Colonel, the first of their four films together, they made history as the first interracial couple to dance on screen.[8][9]
Temple's films, made for between $400,000 and $700,000 each, earned millions of dollars in gross receipts in the United States and Canada.[10] Her films ranked number-one at the box office in 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1938.[11][12] The success of her films was also credited with saving her studio, 20th Century Fox, from bankruptcy during the Great Depression.[11]
At the 7th Academy Awards in 1935, Temple was honored with the first Academy Juvenile Award.[13] That same year, her hand prints and bare foot prints were immortalized in cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. At previous hand and foot print ceremonies, other celebrities traditionally left hand and shoe prints in the cement. The bare feet distraction was her idea to divert attention away from a gap in her smile left by a baby tooth that had fallen out.[14] She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960.[15] Following the end of her film career, Temple had a two-season run of Shirley Temple's Storybook anthology on the NBC television network.[16]
During the years 1974–1989, she served in the United States diplomatic corps under her married name of Shirley Temple Black.[17]
Features
editTitle | Year | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Red-Haired Alibi | 1932 | Gloria Shelton | [18] | |
Out All Night | 1933 | Child | Credited as Shirley Jane Temple | [19] |
To the Last Man | Mary Stanley | Uncredited | [20] | |
Carolina | 1934 | Joan Connelly | Scenes cut | [21] |
As the Earth Turns | Child | Uncredited | [22] | |
Stand Up and Cheer! | Shirley Dugan | Dance partner: James Dunn | [23] | |
Baby Take a Bow | Shirley Ellison | [24] | ||
Bright Eyes | Shirley Blake | [25] | ||
Change of Heart | Shirley (girl on airplane) | Uncredited | [26] | |
Little Miss Marker | Marthy "Marky" Jane | [27] | ||
Now I'll Tell | Mary Doran | Preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive | [28] | |
Now and Forever | Penelope "Penny" Day | [29] | ||
George White's Scandals | Daughter of Scandal Girl | [30] | ||
The Little Colonel | 1935 | Lloyd Sherman | Dance partner: Bill Robinson | [31] |
Our Little Girl | Molly Middleton | [32] | ||
Curly Top | Elizabeth Blair | [33] | ||
The Littlest Rebel | Virginia "Virgie"' Cary | Dance partner: Bill Robinson | [34] | |
Captain January | 1936 | Helen "Star" Mason | Dance partner: Buddy Ebsen | [35] |
Poor Little Rich Girl | Barbara Barry | Dance partners: Jack Haley and Alice Faye | [36] | |
Dimples | Sylvia "Dimples" Dolores Appleby | [37] | ||
Stowaway | Barbara "Ching-Ching" Stewart | [38] | ||
Wee Willie Winkie | 1937 | Priscilla "Winkie" Williams | [39] | |
Heidi | Heidi Kramer | [40] | ||
Ali Baba Goes to Town | Herself | Uncredited cameo | [41] | |
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | 1938 | Rebecca Winstead | Dance partner: Bill Robinson | [42] |
Little Miss Broadway | Betsy Brown Shea | Dance partners: George Murphy and Jimmy Durante | [43] | |
Just Around the Corner | Penny Hale | Dance partner: Bill Robinson | [44] | |
The Little Princess | 1939 | Sara Crewe | [45] | |
Susannah of the Mounties | Susannah "Sue" Sheldon | [46] | ||
The Blue Bird | 1940 | Mytyl | [47] | |
Young People | Wendy Ballantine | Dance partners: Charlotte Greenwood and Jack Oakie | [48] | |
Kathleen | 1941 | Kathleen Davis | [49] | |
Miss Annie Rooney | 1942 | Annie Rooney | [50] | |
Since You Went Away | 1944 | Bridget "Brig" Hilton | [51] | |
I'll Be Seeing You | Barbara Marshall | [52] | ||
Kiss and Tell | 1945 | Corliss Archer | [53] | |
Honeymoon | 1947 | Barbara Olmstead | [54] | |
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer | Susan | Released in the UK as Bachelor Knight | [55] | |
That Hagen Girl | Mary Hagen | [56] | ||
Fort Apache | 1948 | Philadelphia Thursday | [57] | |
Mr. Belvedere Goes to College | 1949 | Ellen Baker | [58] | |
Adventure in Baltimore | Dinah Sheldon | [59] | ||
The Story of Seabiscuit | Margaret O'Hara Knowles | [60] | ||
A Kiss for Corliss | Corliss Archer | [61] | ||
America at the Movies | 1976 | Herself | [62] |
Baby Burlesks
editTitle | Year | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Runt Page | 1931 | Lulu Parsnips | uncredited | [63] |
War Babies | 1932 | Charmaine | [64] | |
The Pie-Covered Wagon | Shirley | [65] | ||
Glad Rags to Riches | Nell/La Belle Diaperina | [66] | ||
Kid in Hollywood | Morelegs Sweettrick | [67] | ||
The Kid's Last Fight | Shirley | [68] | ||
Kid 'in' Africa | Madame Cradlebait | [69] | ||
Polly Tix in Washington | 1933 | Polly Tix | [70] |
Other short films
editTitle | Year | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dora's Dunking Doughnuts | 1933 | Shirley | Educational Pictures, Inc. | [71] |
Merrily Yours | Mary Lou Rogers | [72] | ||
What's to Do? | [73] | |||
Pardon My Pups | 1934 | [74] | ||
Managed Money | [74] | |||
New Deal Rhythm | [74] | |||
Mandalay | [75] | |||
The Hollywood Gad-About | Herself | Educational Films, Inc. | [76] | |
Our Girl Shirley | 1942 | Herself | Re-issue combined Managed Money and Pardon My Pups | [77] |
American Creed | 1946 | Herself | [78] |
Bibliography
edit- Temple Black, Shirley (1988). Child star. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-005532-2.
- Edwards, Anne (2017). Shirley Temple: American Princess. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-2692-0.
- Pitts, Michael R. (2019). Astor Pictures: A Filmography and History of the Reissue King, 1933–1965. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-7649-4.
- Windeler, Robert (1978). The Films of Shirley Temple. Secaucus, N.J. : Citadel Press. ISBN 978-0-8065-0615-9.
The American Creed (1946)
References
edit- ^ Windeler 1978, p. 17.
- ^ Kasson, John F. (2014). The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 80. ISBN 9780393240795.
- ^ Temple Black 1988, pp. 79–82.
- ^ Kasson (2014), p. 82.
- ^ Coyle, Jane. "5 films in which Shirley Temple shined". The Washington Times. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Villarreal, Alex (February 11, 2014). "Former Child Star Shirley Temple Dies at 85". www.voanews.com. Voice of America. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Blair, Elizabeth (February 14, 2014). "Shirley Temple And Bojangles: Two Stars, One Lifelong Friendship". NPR.org. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Kollatz Jr., Harry (April 9, 2014). "Boundary Crashers". Richmond Magazine. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Lennon, Troy (May 25, 2018). "Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson danced his way between African-Americans and whites". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Solomon, Aubrey (2002). Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 29. ISBN 9780810842441.
- ^ a b Hjelmgaard, Kim; Strauss, Gary (February 11, 2014). "Shirley Temple, a Hollywood superstar as a child, dies at 85". USA Today. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ "Top Ten Stars". Motion Picture Herald. 235. Quigley Publishing Company: 10. 1966.
...and tied only by Shirley Temple, 1935-6-7-8.
- ^ "11th Academy Awards". Oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- ^ Temple Black 1988, p. 72.
- ^ "Shirley Temple". Hollywood Walk of Fame. 25 October 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Shirley Temple's Storybook". Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Shirley Jane Temple Black – People – Department History – Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Red Haired Alibi". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Out All Night". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "To the Last Man". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Carolina". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "As the Earth Turns (1934)". Letterboxd. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Stand Up and Cheer". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Baby Take a Bow". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Bright Eyes". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Change of Heart". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Little Miss Marker". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Now I'll Tell". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "Now and Forever". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "George White's Scandals (1934 film)". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Comedy House, Legend Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "The Little Colonel". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Our Little Girl". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Curly Top". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "The Littlest Rebel". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Captain January". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Poor Little Rich Girl". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Dimples". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Stowaway". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Wee Willie Winkie". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Heidi". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Ali Baba Goes to Town". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Little Miss Broadway". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Just Around the Corner". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "The Little Princess". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Susannah of the Mounties". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "The Blue Bird". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Young People". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Kathleen". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Miss Annie Rooney". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Since You Went Away". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "I'll Be Seeing You". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Kiss and Tell". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Honeymoon". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Edwards 2017, p. 180.
- ^ "That Hagen Girl". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Fort Apache". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Mr. Belvedere Goes to College". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Adventure in Baltimore". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "The Story of Seabiscuit". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "A Kiss for Corliss". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "America at the Movies". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Windeler 1978, p. 111.
- ^ "War babies". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Comedy House, Legend Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "The Pie-Covered Wagon". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Comedy House, Legend Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Glad Rags to Riches". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Comedy House, Legend Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Kid in Hollywood". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Comedy House, Legend Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "The Kid's Last Fight". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Comedy House, Legend Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Kid 'in' Africa". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Comedy House, Legend Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Polly Tix in Washington". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Comedy House, Legend Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Dora's Dunking Doughnuts". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Comedy House, Legend Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Windeler 1978, p. 115.
- ^ Windeler 1978, pp. 115, 122.
- ^ a b c Windeler 1978, p. 122.
- ^ Windeler 1978, p. 127.
- ^ "The Hollywood Gad-About". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Comedy House, Legend Films. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Pitts 2019, p. 125.
- ^ "The American Creed". Harry S. Truman Library & Museum. Retrieved November 20, 2020.