Classic Movies – Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple is an actress that everyone in the world recognizes on sight. She was born in 1928 and began staring in very short films in 1932 before her fourth birthday. This was exceptionally young for a major actress during this time, but she definitely lived up to her fame. She performed in forty-four full length films and eighteen short films by the time she was 21. This is an amazing number of films for someone so young, especially when you consider that she took a break after her 12th birthday, during which she attended high school. She became a household name very shortly after her first full-length feature film, The Red-Haired Alibi, in which she actually had a very small part.
Stand Up and Cheer! was the first film in which Shirley Temple was actually given publicity for. The film was released in 1934 and became a real stepping-stone for her. Shortly afterward, in June of the same year, she began building an even bigger fan base with the film Little Miss Marker. Her crowning achievement of the year 1934 was the end of year release of Bright Eyes, which was a film written specifically to exhibit the numerous talents of this little girl. She was able to act, sing, and dance in this movie, and won the hearts of many who had not been won over before. This led to her receiving an Oscar in 1935 specially made in a miniature size for her, due in whole to the films she was a part of during the 1934 filming year.
Many films followed this one and they are watched by young and old to this day. There are collectible pieces of Shirley Temple dolls, various plates and other dishes, as well as clothing that are still being created and sold decades after her film performing career ended. After her retirement from film making, Shirley Temple was the star of her own two television shows: The Shirley Temple Show and Shirley Temple’s Storybook. While there were many people who found these shows extremely enjoyable, the star seemed to attract personal drama of her own, which prevented the shows from running long term.
While Shirley Temple may be a name from decades long past, the image of her singing and dancing her little heart out will stick with us all forever. This in itself makes her movies classics. They are popular and enjoyable even now to children and adults, no matter their age or generation. Her curls and sassy attitude make each of her movies entertaining and her sweet and compassionate personality warms the heart of anyone watching them. One of the guideposts of classic movies is their ability to last and still retain popularity over time. Shirley Temple, young though she may have been in her heyday, definitely accomplished that with what seemed like amazing ease. What little girl has not at some point or other wanted to have her curls, if not those adorable dimples?
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