Shirley Temple was a world renowned actress at a very young age. She was in many films and was adored worldwide. She was popular when the Great Depression was in play. Everyone knew her as a little dancing girl with curly red hair, and still that’s how she is remembered today. Shirley Temple was a very famous child star during the 1930’s and her legacy still lives today.
Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, California, and was a leading child film actress during the Great Depression. (Shirley Temple n. pag.) Shirley Temple was easily the most popular and famous child star of all time. (Biography for Shirley Temple n. pag.) Shirley Jane Temple was born to a banker and a housewife with two older children, on April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, California. (Shirley Temple n. pag.) Shirley could do it all: act, sing and dance and all at the age of five! (Biography for Shirley Temple n. pag.) Temple's mother capitalized on the toddler's natural flair for dancing by enrolling her in dance classes at the age of 3 1/2.(Shirley Temple n. pag.) When Temple was just 3 years old, she landed a contract with Educational Pictures and made her acting debut in a string of low-budget movies dubbed "Baby Burlesques." (Shirley Temple n. pag.) Her father became her agent and financial adviser.(Shirley Temple n. pag.) Her first contract was with Educational Pictures Inc., for whom she worked in 1932 and 1933. (Shirley Temple Black n. pag.) She got her start in the movies at the age of three and soon progressed to super stardom. (Biography for Shirley Temple n. pag.) Fans loved her as she was bright, bouncy and cheerful in her films and they ultimately bought millions of dollars worth of products that had her likene...
... middle of paper ...
...hy for Shirley Temple n. pag.)
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called Temple "Little Miss Miracle" for raising the public's morale during times of economic hardship, even going so far as to say that, "as long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be all right."(Shirley Temple n. pag.)
Black overcame a great challenge in 1972 when she successfully battled breast cancer.(Shirley Temple Black n. pag.)
Works Cited
“Shirley Temple.” www.biography.com. A&E. 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
“Biography for Shirley Temple.” imdb.com amazon. 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
“Shirley Temple Black.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. 21 Nov. 2013. Encyclopedia.com. 21 Nov. 2013 .
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).
Lucille Ball, a beloved Hollywood actress, overcame difficulties in childhood and adulthood, becoming a successful actress and studio head. She portrayed the relatable character “Lucy” in “I Love Lucy,” making her an American Icon.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a First Lady during the time of the Great Depression. She made huge differences in the lives of women, youth and minorities.
Mary Eliza Mahoney was born May 7, 1845 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Smith, J, & Phelps, S, 1992) Mary Mahoney was the first African American professional nurse. She spent over 40 years as a private duty nurses going to sick people’s homes nursing them back to health. She was such a wonderful private duty nurse that after joining a nursing directory, Mary was called upon time after time by the families that hired her all over the country near and faraway. Mary Mahoney was a member of the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada now known as the American Nurses Association (ANA) since 1896. (Webster, Raymond B, 1999) She was also one of the first members of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) which was a minority nursing organizations that was focused on equality for African-American nurses comparable to that of non minority nurses. Mary was named chaplain of the organization and was later named a lifetime member. After her death on January 4, 1926 from breast cancer the National Association of Colored Graduates Nurses named an award in honor of Mary Eliza Mahoney, after the NACGN was disbanded in 1951 the American Nurses Association continued the Mary Eliza Mahoney award. (Webster, Raymond B, 1999)
Singer/actress Lena Horne's primary occupation was nightclub entertaining, a profession she pursued successfully around the world for more than 60 years, from the 1930s to the 1990s. In conjunction with her club work, she also maintained a recording career that stretched from 1936 to 2000 and brought her three Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989; she appeared in 16 feature films and several shorts between 1938 and 1978; she performed occasionally on Broadway, including in her own Tony-winning one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music in 1981-1982; and she sang and acted on radio and television. Adding to the challenge of maintaining such a career was her position as an African-American facing discrimination personally and in her profession during a period of enormous social change in the U.S. Her first job in the 1930s was at the Cotton Club, where blacks could perform, but not be admitted as customers; by 1969, when she acted in the film Death of a Gunfighter, her character's marriage to a white man went unremarked in the script. Horne herself was a pivotal figure in the changing attitudes about race in the 20th century; her middle-class upbringing and musical training predisposed her to the popular music of her day, rather than the blues and jazz genres more commonly associated with African-Americans, and her photogenic looks were sufficiently close to Caucasian that frequently she was encouraged to try to "pass" for white, something she consistently refused to do. But her position in the middle of a social struggle enabled her to become a leader in that struggle, speaking out in favor of racial integration and raising money for civil rights causes. By the end of the century, she could look back at a life that was never short on conflict, but that could be seen ultimately as a triumph.
Amelia Earhart has resonated in our society, ever since her death, but she was also a very prominent figure during the Great Depression.
Mary Pickford was one of the most famous women in the 1920's. She was an actress. She didn't star in movies like what we have today the ones with sound, she was the star in silent screen movies. She starred in movies such as "Pollyanna" followed by "Suds" and then three releases in 1921 entitled "The Love Light," "Through the Back Door," and Little Lord Fauntleroy" all which were silent movies. Mary Pickford had great success when it came to her videos. Peopled loved her. She had very long curly hair that she wore in long curly braids. That style made her look younger then she really was. That is why she was always asked to play rolls of either child or a teenager. Mary was always the first name that would come to mind when they needed an experience young person to play a roll. Even though she was not young she looked very young.
Lucille Ball was the most loved television comedienne of her time. She was an American icon and is considered the first lady of television. With her strong work ethic and her determination, Lucille not only changed the face of television, she also paved the way for a lot of other female actresses.
For the time period that Shirley was growing up in, it is remarkable that she had the courage to stand up for her beliefs. Strong minded and determined she challenged society. She was not able to stay quiet and keep her thoughts to herself; instead she spoke her mind. It seemed the harder society tried to suppress, the stronger she became. Perhaps being a woman of color she felt compelled to voice her opinion (Yuval-Davis 77). She stated that "My goal was to shake things up a little"(Chisholm 161). Not only did she shake things up, she helped to pave a ...
Without a doubt there is one major performer that certainly stands out within our pop culture world. The name of this very famous American icon is, Dolly Parton. Dolly has surpassed any rags to riches story that ever lived. She has touched the lives of so many individuals over many decades through her many talents. Dolly started her career at a very young age and continued fulfilling her life endeavors through country music, pop music, and even acting. This American icon didn’t stop with just her talents, she also gave back to our society through charity, fundraising, and establishing her own theme park. Dolly Parton was brought up in a very poor family, however through much dedication she became the famous icon everyone idolized today.
Allen, Linda. "Shirley Jackson's Bio." Shirley Jackson's. N.p., 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Dorothy West was a novel and short story writer. She was born on June 2, 1907 in
Shirley Temple Black was easily the most popular and famous child star of all time. She got her start in the movies at the age of three and soon progressed to super stardom. Shirley could do it all: act, sing and dance and all at the age of five! Fans loved her as she was bright, bouncy and cheerful in her films and they ultimately bought millions of dollars worth of products that had her likeness on them. Dolls, phonograph records, mugs, hats, dresses, whatever it was, if it had her picture on there they bought it. Shirley was box-office champion for the consecutive years 1935 to 1938, beating out such great grown-up stars as Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Robert Taylor, and many more. By 1939, her popularity declined. Although she starred in some
Shirley Jackson grew up in a home like any other normal middle-class family. She lived with both of her parents in Burlington, California. Growing up, Shirley had a lot of tense relations with her parents, but mostly with her mother. Leslie Jackson, Shirley’s mother, set high standards for Shirley by the ways she was perceived by society and social norms. Shirley always seemed to disappoint her mother. The emotionally tearing and psychologically damaging relationship with her mother escalated to the point where her mother even told her she wished she had aborted Shirley. Roberta Rubenstein makes a great point in her work: House Mothers and Haunted Daughters: Shirley Jackson and Female Gothic, of the mental stress her mother put on her as a child that carried on throughout her life. Rubenstein says, “Throughout her life, Shirley was distressed by her mother’s profound insensitivity to her actual personality, combined with persistent attempts to control her unconven...
Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jeane Mortenson. A devious soul but a pure heart, a black past, but a bright future; she became one of the most idolized figures in society. Norma was definitely not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and she never sugar coated her life to the media. She was straight forward which made her heavily known for her quotes such as “I learned to walk as a baby and I haven’t had a lesson since.” (Marilyn Monroe). This was the beginning to her life story as a hero. This may not seem inspiring or heroic to many by the lack of knowledge a person may have on Norma. In the depths of her quotes lay a deep, heartfelt life though. For this quote may seem sensational and comical to the ear, but Marilyn was transferred to many foster homes not really having a parent that would show her the way. What a good role model would do though, and what Norma courageously has shown society, is that when life knocks you down, get up and hit life back twice as hard. Norma Jeane Mortenson, married Jim Dougherty, and started working. Soon she created the character Marilyn Monroe, she dyed her hair blonde, wore short dresses, and she became the momentous and inspirational character that everyone saw through television, newspapers, and photos. She was one of the greatest actors, singers, and models of the nineteen forties and fifties. But like every hero they suffer and create their own demise. Jeane, Marilyn Monroe, is a shakespearean tragic hero, because like every hero she must fall.