Shirley Temple film career 1931-1950Today
let’s talk Classic Movie Child Star – Shirley Temple. This week we would like to concentrate on our absolute favorite child star who was easily considered the most popular and famous child star of all ti
me. Her films proposed a simple solution to the Great Depression's woes: open one's heart and give of oneself. Shirley was America’s little sweetheart whose characters would melt the hearts of cold authority figures and would touch the lives of the grumpy, the rich, the bratty, the miserly, and the criminal with positive results. She often played a fixer-upper, a precocious Cupid, or the good fairy in her films, reuniting her estranged parents or smoothing out the wrinkles
in the romances of young couples. She was very often motherless, sometimes fatherless, and sometimes an orphan confined to a dreary asylum. Elements of the traditional fairy tale were woven into her films: wholesome goodness triumphing over meanness and evil - wealth over poverty, marriage over divorce, or a booming economy over a depressed one. Shirley’s films were seen as generating hope and optimism. "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.” - President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Born April 23, 1928, Shirley Jane Temple was the talented dimpled daughter of a Santa Monica bank manager George Francis Temple and his wife Gertrude Amelia Krieger Temple. During pregnancy, Mrs. Temple tried to influence her daughter's future by prenatal association with music, art, and
natural beauty. In Shirley's first years, Mrs. Temple read storybooks to her toddler, altering voice pitches according to the character's gender, and enacted the story and characters. Shirley began to mimic her. During the Great Depression, Mrs. Temple began focusing her attention upon her daughter. She taught the tot words to favorite popular songs, noted the child was able to bring expression to the words, had perfect pitch, and could easily repeat simple dance 
steps. Early in 1931, Mrs. Temple took the first steps in bringing her daughter to the screen. Convinced her three-year-old daughter had exceptional talent, she enrolled young Shirley in the highly competitive Meglin's Dance School in Los Angeles, California (leased at the time to Educational Pictures) for twice weekly dance lessons beginning on September 13, 1931.
Shortly after Shirley's third birthday, Educational Pictures planned a series of one-reelers called Baby Burlesks to compete with the
popular Our Gang comedy shorts. Film Director Charles Lamont, with Educational, conducted a talent search among the children at the Meglin School, found little Shirley hiding behind a piano, and encouraged her to audition for the series. She did, and was signed to a two-year contract in January 1932 at $10 a day. Shirley appeared in all eight films in the series, and graduated to a series of Educational two-reelers called Frolics of Youth portraying 
Mary Lou Rogers, a youngster in a contemporary suburban family. She was paid $15 a day or $50 a picture. Shirley Temple and her juvenile co-stars were peddled as models for chewing gum, breakfast cereal, cigar, and candy bar promotional gimmicks and photographs in order to compensate film production costs at Educational. While under contract for Educational, Shirley Temple was loaned to other studios. In 1933, she made several short films for Educational, and was loaned for bit parts in feature films at Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros.
In February 1934, Shirley signed a contract with Fox Films after Educational
declared bankruptcy in September 1933. She appeared in bit parts for Fox and was loaned for a two-reeler and two feature films at Paramount and a feature film for Warner Bros. In April 1934, Stand Up and Cheer! became Shirley's breakthrough film, in which she sang her first film song, “Baby Take a Bow”. Fox became aware of her charisma while the film wa
s in production and began promoting Shirley well before the film's release. She was billed third, preparing critics and film goers to give her their undivided attention. Within months, she represented wholesome family entertainment. She received widespread critical acclaim and truckloads of fan mail. Her salary was raised to $1,250 a week. In June, Shirley garnered more critical and popular acclaim for her performance in Paramount's Little Miss Marker.
Shi
rley was skyrocketed to superstardom when she finished 1934 with the December 28 release of Bright Eyes—the film in today’s highlight. Bright Eyes was the first feature film crafted specifically for Shirley’s talents and the first in which her name was 
raised above the title. Shirley Blake (Shirley Temple) and her mother Mary (Lois Wilson), a maid, live in the home of Mary’s employers, the rich and mean-spirited Smythe family, Anita (Dorothy Christy), J. Wellington (Theodore von Eltz) and Joy (Jane Withers). Shirley's aviator father died in an airplane crash before the film opens, and the child now spends m
ost of her time at the Glendale, California airport with her godfather, bachelor pilot James 'Loop' Merritt (James Dunn), and his dog Rags. When Shirley’s mother is killed in a traffic accident, the Smythes make plans to send Shirley to an orphanage. However, the cranky, wheelchair-using patriarch of the family, Uncle Ned, (Charles Sellon) is fond of little 'Bright Eyes' 
(as he calls her) and insists that she remain in the house. His relatives grudgingly comply with his wishes, although they make Shirley feel unwelcome. A custody battle for Shirley ensues between Loop and Uncle Ned. The impasse is resolved when Loop and his betrothed Adele (Judith Allen), Uncle Ned, and Shirley all decide to live together.
Bright Eyes demonstrated Shirley Temple’s ability to portray a fully dimensional character at the age of five and established a formula for future roles of a lovable, parentless waif mellowing a gruff older man. In the film's one musical number, Shirley introduced what would become her signat
ure song, On the Good Ship Lollipop. The song was an instant hit and sold 500,000 sheet music copies. Temple received a miniature Oscar on February 27, 1935 for her contributions to film entertainment in 1934, chiefly for Little Miss Marker and Bright Eyes. She was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award.
Bright Eyes is a wonderful, heart-warming motion picture in which we
highly recommend watching. We consider it as one of Shirley Temple's best films. Read “Let’s Talk Classic Movies” every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for more classic movie presentations and trivia.
**Trivia Question for Today: The dog that portrayed
Rags in Bright Eyes was a female Cairn Terrier who also portrayed a popular character in one of the most beloved films of all time. What was the name of this film? What was Rags’ real name?
Trivia Answer for Previous Post: If
British actress Vivien Leigh had not been cast as Scarlett O’Hara at the last minute, Paulette Goddard was the American actress Selznick had decided to cast in the coveted role.
let’s talk Classic Movie Child Star – Shirley Temple. This week we would like to concentrate on our absolute favorite child star who was easily considered the most popular and famous child star of all ti
me. Her films proposed a simple solution to the Great Depression's woes: open one's heart and give of oneself. Shirley was America’s little sweetheart whose characters would melt the hearts of cold authority figures and would touch the lives of the grumpy, the rich, the bratty, the miserly, and the criminal with positive results. She often played a fixer-upper, a precocious Cupid, or the good fairy in her films, reuniting her estranged parents or smoothing out the wrinkles
in the romances of young couples. She was very often motherless, sometimes fatherless, and sometimes an orphan confined to a dreary asylum. Elements of the traditional fairy tale were woven into her films: wholesome goodness triumphing over meanness and evil - wealth over poverty, marriage over divorce, or a booming economy over a depressed one. Shirley’s films were seen as generating hope and optimism. "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.” - President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Born April 23, 1928, Shirley Jane Temple was the talented dimpled daughter of a Santa Monica bank manager George Francis Temple and his wife Gertrude Amelia Krieger Temple. During pregnancy, Mrs. Temple tried to influence her daughter's future by prenatal association with music, art, and
natural beauty. In Shirley's first years, Mrs. Temple read storybooks to her toddler, altering voice pitches according to the character's gender, and enacted the story and characters. Shirley began to mimic her. During the Great Depression, Mrs. Temple began focusing her attention upon her daughter. She taught the tot words to favorite popular songs, noted the child was able to bring expression to the words, had perfect pitch, and could easily repeat simple dance 
steps. Early in 1931, Mrs. Temple took the first steps in bringing her daughter to the screen. Convinced her three-year-old daughter had exceptional talent, she enrolled young Shirley in the highly competitive Meglin's Dance School in Los Angeles, California (leased at the time to Educational Pictures) for twice weekly dance lessons beginning on September 13, 1931.Shortly after Shirley's third birthday, Educational Pictures planned a series of one-reelers called Baby Burlesks to compete with the
popular Our Gang comedy shorts. Film Director Charles Lamont, with Educational, conducted a talent search among the children at the Meglin School, found little Shirley hiding behind a piano, and encouraged her to audition for the series. She did, and was signed to a two-year contract in January 1932 at $10 a day. Shirley appeared in all eight films in the series, and graduated to a series of Educational two-reelers called Frolics of Youth portraying 
Mary Lou Rogers, a youngster in a contemporary suburban family. She was paid $15 a day or $50 a picture. Shirley Temple and her juvenile co-stars were peddled as models for chewing gum, breakfast cereal, cigar, and candy bar promotional gimmicks and photographs in order to compensate film production costs at Educational. While under contract for Educational, Shirley Temple was loaned to other studios. In 1933, she made several short films for Educational, and was loaned for bit parts in feature films at Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros.In February 1934, Shirley signed a contract with Fox Films after Educational
declared bankruptcy in September 1933. She appeared in bit parts for Fox and was loaned for a two-reeler and two feature films at Paramount and a feature film for Warner Bros. In April 1934, Stand Up and Cheer! became Shirley's breakthrough film, in which she sang her first film song, “Baby Take a Bow”. Fox became aware of her charisma while the film wa
s in production and began promoting Shirley well before the film's release. She was billed third, preparing critics and film goers to give her their undivided attention. Within months, she represented wholesome family entertainment. She received widespread critical acclaim and truckloads of fan mail. Her salary was raised to $1,250 a week. In June, Shirley garnered more critical and popular acclaim for her performance in Paramount's Little Miss Marker.Shi
rley was skyrocketed to superstardom when she finished 1934 with the December 28 release of Bright Eyes—the film in today’s highlight. Bright Eyes was the first feature film crafted specifically for Shirley’s talents and the first in which her name was 
raised above the title. Shirley Blake (Shirley Temple) and her mother Mary (Lois Wilson), a maid, live in the home of Mary’s employers, the rich and mean-spirited Smythe family, Anita (Dorothy Christy), J. Wellington (Theodore von Eltz) and Joy (Jane Withers). Shirley's aviator father died in an airplane crash before the film opens, and the child now spends m
ost of her time at the Glendale, California airport with her godfather, bachelor pilot James 'Loop' Merritt (James Dunn), and his dog Rags. When Shirley’s mother is killed in a traffic accident, the Smythes make plans to send Shirley to an orphanage. However, the cranky, wheelchair-using patriarch of the family, Uncle Ned, (Charles Sellon) is fond of little 'Bright Eyes' 
(as he calls her) and insists that she remain in the house. His relatives grudgingly comply with his wishes, although they make Shirley feel unwelcome. A custody battle for Shirley ensues between Loop and Uncle Ned. The impasse is resolved when Loop and his betrothed Adele (Judith Allen), Uncle Ned, and Shirley all decide to live together.
Bright Eyes demonstrated Shirley Temple’s ability to portray a fully dimensional character at the age of five and established a formula for future roles of a lovable, parentless waif mellowing a gruff older man. In the film's one musical number, Shirley introduced what would become her signat
ure song, On the Good Ship Lollipop. The song was an instant hit and sold 500,000 sheet music copies. Temple received a miniature Oscar on February 27, 1935 for her contributions to film entertainment in 1934, chiefly for Little Miss Marker and Bright Eyes. She was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award.Bright Eyes is a wonderful, heart-warming motion picture in which we
highly recommend watching. We consider it as one of Shirley Temple's best films. Read “Let’s Talk Classic Movies” every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for more classic movie presentations and trivia.**Trivia Question for Today: The dog that portrayed
Rags in Bright Eyes was a female Cairn Terrier who also portrayed a popular character in one of the most beloved films of all time. What was the name of this film? What was Rags’ real name?Trivia Answer for Previous Post: If
British actress Vivien Leigh had not been cast as Scarlett O’Hara at the last minute, Paulette Goddard was the American actress Selznick had decided to cast in the coveted role. 
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