SHIRLEY TEMPLE: Greatest Star of the 1930's

During the 1930’s, the Great Depression was in full swing. The Depression was a period in American History when the economy was horrible. Most people did not have jobs, and if they did their paycheck was barely enough to put food on the table. At that time, many people did not experience happiness very often because of their money situations. However, there was one person who could turn any frown upside down, Shirley Temple. Shirley Temple, the best known child star of her time, ascended to unparalled box-office heights during the worst of the Great Depression, and brought humor and happiness to people in a time of great need.

Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, California at 9:00 p.m - a time significant to her because it told her she would always have a bit of catching up to do if she wanted to be on time for dinner (Black 5). As the youngest child and only girl in her family of five, she was her mother’s pride and joy. She had two supportive parents, Gertrude and George, and two older brothers, Jack and George Junior. Gertrude Temple was a stay-at-home mom while George went to work as a bank teller, which played in Shirley’s favor when she needed someone to manage her money later in life (Blashfield 55). Gertrude Temple has been called the first stage mother (Blashfield 22) for good reason. Shirley Temple was acting before she could read, so her mother helped her memorize her lines. Temple’s mother served as her private costume designer, and never failed to make the young star’s performance her best yet, by encouraging her to “Sparkle, Shirley Sparkle!” (David 2).

Shirley Temple did not go to kindergarten; so her first schooling began with private tutors hired by the studio. Frances Klampt, fondly know...

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...In 2002 Fox studios also put up a bronze statue of her beside the Shirley Temple Child Care Center. The plaque read “Inspiring children of all ages” (Bankston 29).

Shirley Temple Black continues to inspire children today. She has achieved great accomplishments in the world of politics and in the world of childhood fame. She was the world’s most popular star in the worst of times, and always brought smiles and happiness where ever she went, in her life and in her movies. Her name is still connected with fame, although it has been over 50 years since she has appeared in a movie, much less been a star. However, Shirley Temple Black continues to be a household name in homes across the world. The little girl with curls, who radiated enough happiness to bring a smile to everyone who saw her, even during the darkest days of the Depression, will never be forgotten.